Bike racks on the front of trailer

[muzicman0]

Hi all. You guys helped me so much when I was trying to get a 7 pin trailer connector installed (and decide on a brake controller), I though maybe you could give me advice on this as well.

I have orders a 5x9 Hiker Trailer. It will look very much like this (but this isn't mine, just a picture I found):

We have ditched the front tool box (sorta), and are having some reinforcements installed where we want to put a rack for 2 bikes. Without the racks, the tongue weight should be ~200lbs. Each bike is ~70 Lbs. So I don't see tongue weight being an issue.

BUT, I don't know what I don't know, and I have never had a trailer before. Any suggestions. I am literally thinking of buying a hitch style bike rack, removing it from the 'hitch' part and bolting it to the frame of the trailer. Something like this:

Then I will probably mount a smaller tool box in front of the bikes.

Any thoughts? Is this a horrible idea? I don't like the idea of mounting them to a hitch in the back where I can't see them. Although that is an option.

Sponsored

 

[Grumpaw]

Google up "camper front mount bike rack", many brands/sellers/types will come up.
I have no independent info as we don't carry bikes with us when we travel with the camper.
Mounting them on the back is not a problem as long as you use a quality rack and mount.
Been carrying stuff on the rear of numerous campers/motor homes for years and never had a mishap.
Why do you want to ditch the storage box....camper that small can use all the storage you can find.

 

[mtbikernate]

there are several ways you could handle this. With the reinforcement framing, the lowest-profile method would be to get a couple of roof mount trays and clamp them to the reinforcement framing. They'd be semi-permanent at minimum (probably removable, but kindof a PITA to do so).

What you could do would be to have a hitch receiver welded onto the tongue in the center with a little bit of a gap to the front of the trailer to make sure that the hitch rack could poke through and still attach. You may need to have a riser installed under the hitch receiver to give some space for any adjustment knobs your hitch rack might have. This would be fairly easy to move to your tow vehicle so that when you're in camp, you could move it to the Ranger and drive to wherever it is you want to ride, if that place is not right out of your campsite.

You also might want to have Hiker put a longer tongue on your trailer to give you a little bit more room for turning. Depending on the shape of the tongue box you want to use, it might be better to put that between the bikes and the trailer box. A wide but thin one would fit well here. Because there will be some dead space where the handlebars need a gap , and if you can find a box to fit this space, it would economize that space well. So with the bikes spaced a bit out from the trailer box, you'll want to make sure the tongue is long enough that you can make relatively sharp turns without the bikes hitting your Ranger.

My Hiker is an older one when they were just starting to move to an A-frame tongue, and mine is shorter than what's on offer now. Putting bikes in this space doesn't work for me. But with a tongue that's suitably long, I could make it work.

 

[muzicman0]

Google up "camper front mount bike rack", many brands/sellers/types will come up.
I have no independent info as we don't carry bikes with us when we travel with the camper.
Mounting them on the back is not a problem as long as you use a quality rack and mount.
Been carrying stuff on the rear of numerous campers/motor homes for years and never had a mishap.
Why do you want to ditch the storage box....camper that small can use all the storage you can find.

Mostly I am paranoid! Also, our bikes are heavy enough that most mounts like the ones you find online are just not adequate. I bought an expensive (1-Up Super Duty) mount that was rated for our bike weight, and it rocked back and forth so bad I was a nervous wreck! I have a cheaper mount now that is super solid.

And yes, we will have a storage box, it will just be smaller.

With that said, if I do have to mount on the back, the hitch' that is welded onto the trailer is rated to 250 lbs. Anyone have a guess if that is gross weight (weight of bikes and rack), or shock weight (like when I hit a bump).

 

[muzicman0]

there are several ways you could handle this. With the reinforcement framing, the lowest-profile method would be to get a couple of roof mount trays and clamp them to the reinforcement framing. They'd be semi-permanent at minimum (probably removable, but kindof a PITA to do so).

What you could do would be to have a hitch receiver welded onto the tongue in the center with a little bit of a gap to the front of the trailer to make sure that the hitch rack could poke through and still attach. You may need to have a riser installed under the hitch receiver to give some space for any adjustment knobs your hitch rack might have. This would be fairly easy to move to your tow vehicle so that when you're in camp, you could move it to the Ranger and drive to wherever it is you want to ride, if that place is not right out of your campsite.

You also might want to have Hiker put a longer tongue on your trailer to give you a little bit more room for turning. Depending on the shape of the tongue box you want to use, it might be better to put that between the bikes and the trailer box. A wide but thin one would fit well here. Because there will be some dead space where the handlebars need a gap , and if you can find a box to fit this space, it would economize that space well. So with the bikes spaced a bit out from the trailer box, you'll want to make sure the tongue is long enough that you can make relatively sharp turns without the bikes hitting your Ranger.

My Hiker is an older one when they were just starting to move to an A-frame tongue, and mine is shorter than what's on offer now. Putting bikes in this space doesn't work for me. But with a tongue that's suitably long, I could make it work.

Awesome. Thanks for the info!

 

[Deleted User 61245811]

I put mine in the bed of the truck when I'm towing (and when I'm not).

 

[Nellieg]

I've seen a stromberg Carlson rack used over the box or a double hitch receiver with a hitch rack on on the top for a rack.... Sometimes the distance between the tongue jack and the truck causes interference... I use an ez-up so my tongue jack is removable... With the weight of ebikes I would not be hitching to rear of a small trailer...... It would be light on hitch an subject to a ton of sway

 

[EJH]

I put mine in the bed of the truck when I'm towing (and when I'm not).

IMHO, I would not do this with 70 lbs E-bikes. With 30-35 lb trail bikes, sure. You are asking for tailgate damage, plus the mechanics of lifting a 70 lbs bike into the bed and over the tailgate would not be fun.

 

[Deleted User 61245811]

IMHO, I would not do this with 70 lbs E-bikes. With 30-35 lb trail bikes, sure. You are asking for tailgate damage, plus the mechanics of lifting a 70 lbs bike into the bed and over the tailgate would not be fun.

Two of my bikes are e-bikes that are about 50lbs each. I'm 57 and don't have any trouble getting them up there. Maybe another 20 years or 20lbs might make a difference. I've also got a padded tailgate cover specifically designed to protect the tailgate. In addition, regardless of what type of bike (or weight) it is, the only thing on the tailgate is front tire.

I probably have close to 10,000 miles on this truck with bikes in the back and no damage so far.

 

[muzicman0]

I have tried my bikes in the tailgate like you posted. It was actually the first thing I tried. Because of the design of the bikes, it just didn't really work out very well.

 

[Nellieg]

Another thought would be to install a roof rack on the ranger cab....

 

[EJH]

Another thought would be to install a roof rack on the ranger cab....

When I tow my travel trailer and take my bikes, I use a roof rack on the bed rack. Not the cheapest if you don't already have a bed rack. I use a Yakima Outpost with Frontloader racks. The rack still allows full use of the truck bed for gear.

 

[muzicman0]

I don't, but this may be my excuse to get one!

 

[mtbikernate]

This is how I transport bikes with my Hiker Trailer. I've pulled this same trailer with a Subaru and used a roof rack on the subie. Definitely not ebikes, though. Sounds like mine are close to half the weight of yours.

I DO NOT LIKE tailgate pads, period. I drive down many dusty gravel forest roads to access trailheads and the very last thing I want is the pad/bike combo sliding around on the tailgate with grit underneath. I'd use one on a beater truck for short shuttles (and I have done this), but that's about it.

I use a very simple 2x6 with fork mounts on it. I have the assembly set up such that the tailgate lock "locks" everything in place. Removing the bikes would involve destroying the truck or the bikes (or both). I will add locks to the setup when I park somewhere for visual deterrence mostly, but they're also effectively double locked. I've even triple locked the bikes before (usually a u-lock, locking them together).

Yes, it requires removing the front wheels. But that's a small hassle compared to other things I've tried. I just make sure that the thru axles holding the front wheels on have a lever for easy removal, and that they don't require me to hunt for a hex wrench.

Besides, with the tongue length of my particular trailer and the placement of the jack (which is what my spare tire is mounted to), tires hanging over the tailgate interfere with my ability to turn with the trailer.

With that said, if I do have to mount on the back, the hitch' that is welded onto the trailer is rated to 250 lbs. Anyone have a guess if that is gross weight (weight of bikes and rack), or shock weight (like when I hit a bump).

My understanding is that it's a static weight rating for the bikes and rack combo. That said, I don't think a small manufacturer like Hiker has done a massive amount of testing on this. I agree that with a small trailer, hanging weight off the back is a bad idea, period, because it's really going to throw off weight distribution and make it harder to get a stable tow. Not to mention that putting bikes off the back of a trailer that doesn't have the most refined suspension is going to subject the whole setup to a lot more dynamic bouncing than it would if you hung the same apparatus off the back of your Ranger's hitch.

Sponsored