TT Bike rack for truck with topper

[Acdii]

Since my bumper on the trailer is not conducive for supporting anything other than itself and is not built in a way that it can be properly reinforced, I am looking for one that can attach between truck and trailer.

Since I have a topper on my truck that I will not remove(I store the genny and tools there) I am looking for one that won't interfere with the topper.

Max would be 4 bikes. Mountain bikes if that matters.

[GrandpaKip]

Another option is to attach a cargo carrier to the frame. I’ve never tried to put 4 bikes on ours, but my son puts 3 on his.
I made ours and his came with the camper.

[Mike_E_]

You will have to shop very carefully for a 4 bike rack that is "RV approved" by the manufacturer.
There are a lot of "bouncing forces" back there, which is why most rack companies won't warranty a rack used in such a manner.


I would also make sure your 2" reciever is attached to the frame of the trailer and not just the bumper.

All the best, and happy camping 🙂

[Grit_dog]

Seems easiest option would be to reinforce the TT bumper or scrap it for a sturdy piece of channel or tubing mounted hard to the trailer frame.

[Acdii]

5'5 bed, and I have a generator, LP tank, cooler and tool box back there. It also isn't tall enough unless I pull the wheels off.

What I initially was looking for was a rack to attach to the A arms, but after I looked at the trailer last night I realized that there isn't any room on the A arms to bolt anything to. It's too short and I have a hitch carrier on one side to hold the WDH when not using it. I had already posted this before looking. The other issue is there just isn't enough clearance between the truck and trailer to put one and still be able to turn tight or back up without hitting the truck or trailer.

So instead, what is a decent 4 bike carrier for 2" receiver? Now that I have a plan to put a stronger lightweight bumper on the trailer and a 2" receiver, I can use a universal one that I can use on the truck when not towing.

[crosscheck]

I can put 4 mountain bikes under the truck canopy easily and still have room for other cargo and my box is 6.5' long. First bike goes in with wheel turned atright angle and other bikes follow suit. Have cushions from old lawn furniture that go in between the bikes to keep them from rubbing on rough roads. A strap attached to an anchor spot on the side of the box goes around the bikes to keep them from moving.
Dave

[Acdii]

TurnThePage wrote:
You can't mount a bike rack on the topper?

Doesn't have the roof supports needed, I would have to remove the inner liner and glass them in for that, it has a thin roof. That and getting them on and off would be a pain, I'm tallest at 5'8" and shrinking and everyone else is right around 5'2".

I think I am going to go with replacing the rear bumper with the one I found. It can support about 250 pounds at the distance a bike carrier extends. It will also help offset some of the tongue weight as it is a little heavy right now after replacing the Queen mattress with a Memory foam one that is about 5 times the weight!

[TurnThePage]

You can't mount a bike rack on the topper?

[troubledwaters]

I put mine inside the trailer. Maybe less convenient but it works for me.

[Acdii]

hornet28 wrote:

Acdii wrote:

bob2194 wrote:
the other possibility, they sell front mounted hitch receivers. You could put one of those on the front of your vehicle and you would not have a turning radius problem and you could put on any receiver mounted bike mount you wanted.

Wont work with the Ecoboost, It was actually the first thing that came to mind.

Could you tell us why it won't work?

Interferes with the intercooler. If not towing it would be fine, but when towing, it needs all the air flow it can get to stay cool. That and mine is 2WD and would hang down too low, plus it is a Platinum and would not look right.

[WNYBob]

Xxx

[hornet28]

Acdii wrote:

bob2194 wrote:
the other possibility, they sell front mounted hitch receivers. You could put one of those on the front of your vehicle and you would not have a turning radius problem and you could put on any receiver mounted bike mount you wanted.

Wont work with the Ecoboost, It was actually the first thing that came to mind.

Could you tell us why it won't work?

[Acdii]

OTOH came across this on Amazon which is rated at 500 lb/ft of torque which should have no issues supporting 4 bikes. Then I could go with any 2" tube bike carrier.

I had installed a 2" clamp on receiver, and never used is after finding it crushed the bumper tube a little too easily, which would eventually cause it to crack if I used any brackets to support the bumper, hence why I was looking for a front mount. Not at all concerned about tail weight as it is actually a tad nose heavy @ 13.8% on the ball.

[rhagfo]

Here are more options.

E-Trailer tongue bike racks and mounts

[Acdii]

bob2194 wrote:
the other possibility, they sell front mounted hitch receivers. You could put one of those on the front of your vehicle and you would not have a turning radius problem and you could put on any receiver mounted bike mount you wanted.

Wont work with the Ecoboost, It was actually the first thing that came to mind.