Mounting a Bike rack to rear bumper, Pros and Cons?

[GoLeafsGo]

Like others have said, frame-mount a receiver and then invest in a quality rack.

I have the 1-Up and it was SOLID over 2,500 miles of towing from Southern California, throughout Colorado, and back home. Went to check/tighten the connection at every diesel tank and it did not need adjustment the entire trip. The proprietary system is rock solid and flawless, not to mention the bikes are attached by the wheels so that the frames remain untouched, carbon or otherwise.

[Jay D.]

nice looking rack and if it works that's great to. your bumper may be secured much better than most. the "bumper" as I call it on mine was very lightly welded to the T/T frame and the thin metal of the tube was an accident looking for a place to happen. i'm looking to put my bikes on the front if possible.
Jay D.

[LandKO]

I agree that mounting anything to most TT bumpers is a bad idea and IF you must carry something on the back of your trailer, mount it to the frame.
One other thing to consider is what will the added weight hanging off the rear of the trailer do to your weight on the hitch?
It will reduce weight on the hitch by some amount depending on length of the trailer and where the trailer wheels are positioned on the unit. Just make sure the weight reduction does not adversely affect handling while towing.

[Nut4speed]

Originally Posted by RodneynDawnT

What about using mount-n-lock safety struts to strengthen the bumper? Will they make the bumper safe ? Anyone with any actual experience with this product?

https://mount-n-lock.com/mnl-cargo-p...bumper-failure

I just installed them last weekend. Haven't towed the camper yet but it does seem sturdier. Time and weight will tell I guess.

[PopBeavers]

Whatever you choose to do I suggest that you use a cable lock and cable the bikes to the frame. That way if the hitch fails then at least you won't be dumping parts on the road behind you.

[Cumminsfan]

I've had my DIY bike rack on the rear of my 5er for going on 6 seasons. Zero issues.

[USAMTBR]

Originally Posted by GoLeafsGo

Like others have said, frame-mount a receiver and then invest in a quality rack.



I have the 1-Up and it was SOLID over 2,500 miles of towing from Southern California, throughout Colorado, and back home. Went to check/tighten the connection at every diesel tank and it did not need adjustment the entire trip. The proprietary system is rock solid and flawless, not to mention the bikes are attached by the wheels so that the frames remain untouched, carbon or otherwise.

There ya go. Solid, if expensive set up. I do boondocking and I did drag the receiver anti sway a few times.

[Oct Prime]

I know you've already had yours installed, but we decided against a bumper mount for the reasons everyone else is citing--the bumper is a sewer hose holder and not worthy of the task of holding bikes.

We bought the JackIt bike rack and mounted it to the tongue of the camper. Bikes are suspended above the propane tanks, and we can see them from the rear-view mirror. We also use bungees and bike locks to secure them just a bit more.

[shane_the_ee]

Originally Posted by GoLeafsGo

Like others have said, frame-mount a receiver and then invest in a quality rack.

I have the 1-Up and it was SOLID over 2,500 miles of towing from Southern California, throughout Colorado, and back home. Went to check/tighten the connection at every diesel tank and it did not need adjustment the entire trip. The proprietary system is rock solid and flawless, not to mention the bikes are attached by the wheels so that the frames remain untouched, carbon or otherwise.

Upvote for the rack that doesn't touch the frame. Of course, with carbon road bikes for the wife and I, we don't have the option of going with a frame-contact rack. And the other advantage of the receiver mounted rack is that it's easy to take off the trailer and attach to the TV whenever you need to transport bikes around town. So it's really not that much more expensive as you only need one rack. That said, I've got a 4th kid, so we went with the Thule T2 Pro XT with 2 bike extension. Our 2013 doesn't have a factory receiver on it and we've been too busy camping to take the trailer out of commission to get the receiver installed. So it'll get done this fall (along with new tires and rust proofing the underbelly).

As for tongue weight impact, well, with an ORV, that's a feature, not a bug!

[daka320]

What I did 4 years ago is have a square tube welded on between the two ends of the frame. Welded a hitch reciever to the bottom of that so it extended out from the bottom of the bumper. Inserted a Curt dual hitch receiver to raise the height of the bikes. "CURT Manufacturing 45792 Dual 2"... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00371VLAC?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf"


I used an Apex hitch mounted 3 bike carrier. 3-Bike Adjustable Class III/IV Hitch... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000S6TYW6?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf


To keep the bike carrier from constantly wobbling, I installed a Stowaway hitch tightener. StowAway Hitch Tightener https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0001CMUV4?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf


I never had any problems with or damage to the three bikes I have carried. Has worked well during the 15-20k miles of towing. Total cost of installation and parts was around $600. Well worth the money!

[NYJoe]

I solved my bike carrier the easy way. I decided to carry them in the Bed of the truck. Less than $30 in parts and no worries about leaving the "bumper" and bikes on the interstate.

[Btravelen]

I'm gonna put a Curt hitch on the back frame rails on our trailer, then a hitch mounted bike rack. I'll have the option of a cargo carrier as well.

I've seen a few posts and pics of bumper failures when mounting directly to it. Scary

[robthefive0]

Don't do it. Imagine the carnage behind you on the freeway when the bikes rip the bumper off at 65mph. You are 100% liable for everything. Might work 1 trip, might work 10 trips, but the one where it doesn't work.........Not worth it.

[bneukam]

100% agree with putting the bikes in the truck bed. Main reason I went with a TT over a 5er is having the whole bed for storage. Bikes take way to much abuse on the rear of a TT.