Ladder mount bike rack

smlranger · 07-24-2012, 12:22 PM

I did not see any threads in the product review section so I thought I would ask my Winnebago friends....

Anyone use one of the ladder-mounted bike racks? If so, are you satisfied with it?

GG1 · 07-24-2012, 03:15 PM

I tried it several years ago and returned it. Its too bouncy and stressed the rear wall of the coach also was too high and just not practical for my needs. I use a hitch mounted rack on the back of the toad.

smlranger · 07-24-2012, 06:56 PM

I didn't want to hear that

but kind of suspected it. I have a new toad and really don't want to put a hitch on it but will consider that option. I will likely only be hauling one bike so was hoping I could make a ladder mounted rig work.

ischua · 07-24-2012, 07:10 PM

I am going this route
http://www.amazon.com/Swagman-RV-2-B...I3SAJQ61E16DV1

http://www.amazon.com/Allen-2-Bike-C...f=pd_sim_sg_14

How its rigged
http://www.bentrideronline.com/messa...ad.php?t=87011

baraff · 07-24-2012, 07:18 PM

I just got this today:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...ls_o00_s00_i00
But I plan on using it for carrying our two lounge chairs. I have a hitch mounted bike rack for the bikes.

majfrizz · 07-24-2012, 07:20 PM

i saw a winnebago with a front mounted hitch the other day. that is where he carries his two bikes. anyone has experience doing it that way.

chuckinthebus · 07-24-2012, 07:23 PM

May want to look at what Blue Ox also has to see if one will fit your needs. Blue Ox - Bike Rack

doit2010 · 07-25-2012, 08:55 AM

you do not want to carry a bike on the front of the vehicle, it gets very dirty and bugs ALL over it and in the gears and everyplace else.

Sky_Boss · 07-25-2012, 09:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GG1

I tried it several years ago and returned it. Its too bouncy and stressed the rear wall of the coach also was too high and just not practical for my needs. I use a hitch mounted rack on the back of the toad.

None of the bike racks for ladders that I have seen are something I would use. I have a rather nice road and mountain bike that I don't want beat up by anything but me. LOL

I would also look for one that provides good security if you are carrying any high end bikes. The rack needs to lock to the hitch and then have the ability to lock bikes to the rack and/or hitch.

milasman · 07-25-2012, 09:10 AM

You must not ride your bike if you are complaining about getting bugs on it. My bicycles are always bugged up and grimy from riding them. If you have a spare mounted to the rear, you could try a spare tire mounted bike rack. I had one for my jeep, worked good.

Horizonchase · 07-25-2012, 09:25 AM

I'm not sure if this will help in your case but on my Navion the spare tire is mounted on the back. I have a Honda CRV with the spare tire mounted the same way and was able to buy at a yard sale ( read:cheap) a bike rack that hooks around that spare tire, It works like a charm holding two bikes. I haven't tried it on the Navion's spare tire simple because we haven't gone on out first tru camping trip yet and I'm not even sure if the rack would even fit on the much larger spare tire that the Navion has. Still, you might want to check them out. They are relatively hassle free.
Good luck!

rvjimzhr · 10-06-2012, 06:39 PM

Glad I found this thread! I'd just about decided to opt for the ladder rack mount for our two bikes but that sounds like a bad idea.

My rig is a 37' Class A DP with '05 Honda CR-v toad. I use a Roadmaster tow bar and Roadmaster Guardian Rock Guard.

My first thought was a hitch mounted rack by Yakima or Thule from eTrailer. I'd have to get a ball mount extension. Then I remembered some pretty tight turns in the past where the Guardian came very close to the rear corner of the motorhome so I wonder if there is enough room for two bikes on a hitch carrier?

Then I spoke with a lady at eTrailer about a spare tire mount. The lady was kind enough to phone Thule and was told that they do not recommend spare tire mounts on any towed vehicles because of the bounce and sway.

Then I though of a hitch mount on the rear of my toad as I already have a hitch/receiver there. Maybe there is the same problem of using this type mount on a towed vehicle.

So I am stumped. I do not want to put the bikes inside my coach.

Any ideas out there? Thanks in advance for your thoughts!

Jim

FIRE UP · 10-06-2012, 07:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by smlranger

I did not see any threads in the product review section so I thought I would ask my Winnebago friends....

Anyone use one of the ladder-mounted bike racks? If so, are you satisfied with it?

Quote:

Originally Posted by rvjimzhr

Glad I found this thread! I'd just about decided to opt for the ladder rack mount for our two bikes but that sounds like a bad idea.

My rig is a 37' Class A DP with '05 Honda CR-v toad. I use a Roadmaster tow bar and Roadmaster Guardian Rock Guard.

My first thought was a hitch mounted rack by Yakima or Thule from eTrailer. I'd have to get a ball mount extension. Then I remembered some pretty tight turns in the past where the Guardian came very close to the rear corner of the motorhome so I wonder if there is enough room for two bikes on a hitch carrier?

Then I spoke with a lady at eTrailer about a spare tire mount. The lady was kind enough to phone Thule and was told that they do not recommend spare tire mounts on any towed vehicles because of the bounce and sway.

Then I though of a hitch mount on the rear of my toad as I already have a hitch/receiver there. Maybe there is the same problem of using this type mount on a towed vehicle.

So I am stumped. I do not want to put the bikes inside my coach.

Any ideas out there? Thanks in advance for your thoughts!

Jim

To the both of you,
While the OP did not ask for a hitch mounted rack, it may be the best choice, depending on circumstances. We have a version of the Thule that is by far, the best bike rack we've ever purchased. It can lock onto the hitch itself and, the bikes can be locked to the rack, very easily. It will "tilt" down, when the bikes arn't on the rack to allow for the rear hatch of a CR-V or other type SUVs to open without the removal of the rack. Just a thought here. While you can't see the rack too good with the CR-V hooked to the coach, you can see it a bit better on the Jeep when it was a toad. It's the same rack. With this rack, the bikes are on and off in seconds. We love it.
Scott

vsheetz · 10-06-2012, 07:26 PM

I use a hitch mounted rack on the back of the toad.

rvjimzhr · 10-06-2012, 11:39 PM

Thanks very much for the replies and pictures! Now all I need to do is decide which type hitch rack to use. Scott, I see two types: One is like yours where the bikes appear to rest on a base with dedicated tire restraints. The other type has the bikes hanging from a vertical support that comes up and out of the hitch receiver. My guess is that there would be more rack movement with this 2nd type but I don't really know. Scott, any thoughts on rack movement, concerns, etc? Vince, what kind of hitch rack are you using and your thoughts? Am I making a mountain out of a molehill here?

rvjimzhr · 10-06-2012, 11:47 PM

Scott would that rack of yours work on an older CRV with a rear spare tire mounted? As it does with your Jeep? And do either of you see one of the two types of rack I mentioned as better than the other?

FIRE UP · 10-07-2012, 12:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rvjimzhr

Thanks very much for the replies and pictures! Now all I need to do is decide which type hitch rack to use. Scott, I see two types: One is like yours where the bikes appear to rest on a base with dedicated tire restraints. The other type has the bikes hanging from a vertical support that comes up and out of the hitch receiver. My guess is that there would be more rack movement with this 2nd type but I don't really know. Scott, any thoughts on rack movement, concerns, etc? Vince, what kind of hitch rack are you using and your thoughts? Am I making a mountain out of a molehill here?

rvjimzhr,
Yes Sir, there are at least two types of racks. We've had both the "hang" style and the the present one, the cradle style. With the hang style, we came up against a couple of issues. One, sometimes bicycle manufacturers route the shifting and brake cables along the top tubes of the frames and the clamps of the hang styles have tendencies to clamp those cables. While most of the time it does no harm, it's not all that good for them either. The second issue is, while the bike is "hanging" on the top section of the frame, the bottom section is sort of "dangling" and, in many cases the bike(s) sort of swing back and forth during accelleration and braking.

Now, you can remedy this situation by bungee tying in multiple directions for a more secure status. And, we did that for a few years. To me, it was a pain to do it that way, each and every time we moved from camp to camp. So, I went on the search for a better system.

That's when I found the rack we have now. It's called the "X-Sport". It has one post with two large, upside down, foam covered, u-shaped, sliding clamps. The bikes sit on their tires, in cradles. You simply pick up the first bike, set it in cradles behind the center post. Then, slide down the foam covered clamp and tighten the knob. Then. pick up the other bike and do the same. When both bikes are on, you then attach the velcro straps around the wheels as secondary hold downs. It all takes round 30 seconds, depending on how much of a hurry you're in.

As far as the fit against your spare tire on your older CR-V, I think you'll have no trouble at all. As you see, it fits just fine, with extra clearance behind that 35x12.50-15 spare we carried on the back of our Jeep Rubicon. I don't have any real close pictures of it, loaded or unloaded while on the toads.

As far as the stability of it, well, they're all somewhat a tad on the flimsy side. Some are better than others. This one pictured is the exact one we have. As stated, it's an "X-Sport". Thule makes a better version but, it's quite a bit higher in cost. It's also way better built. Ours has done very well for us so far. It's traveled around 6,000 to 8,000 miles so far and it's still in perfect shape.

They make this rack in a four bike setup too, just in case you might be thinking about that many bikes. We really like this style of carrying them. Every one likes what they have and, as stated, this is by far, to us, the best bike rack we've ever purchased. It was on some sort of super sale at a local bike store for about $99.00. The Thule versions are a bit higher, around $350.00 to maybe even $450.00.

But, the Thule version will "tilt" with the bikes "On" the rack whereas, ours won't do that. The bikes must be off the rack for the rack to tilt out of the way for your CR-V hatch to come open. Hope this helps some.
Scott

rvjimzhr · 10-08-2012, 10:11 AM

Really appreciate all your comments here! I'm inclined toward the Thule, and your platform style rack, but find that my spare tire seems to stick out just a little too much to allow that one. I'm not sure and need to call eTrailer again however. Again, I also like the idea of having the bikes between the coach and the car but not sure I want to extend the tow bar and not sure if there's enough space left with bikes there to make tight turns. Sure thought this would be easier than it is turning out! For now, rather than go thru the hassle of ordering a "possible" solution and having to return it, I'll just try and stick the bikes in the back of the CRV.

Jim

Keithb56 · 10-08-2012, 10:21 AM

I have a 2005 CRV toad. I did not see the ladder as being stout enough to carry the bikes. I had installed a 2" receiver on the CRV for pulling a utility trailer. I sound the Swagman rack to be a good solution. It is deep enough to clear the spare tire (not many racks will) and carry both bikes. Plus it has the hoops for the wheels to rest in and the clamps to hold each bike in place. Very secure. When we travel without the toad, I put the bike rack in the 2" receiver on the coach. Very versatile. I bought both the Cort receiver hitch and the Swagman XC bike rack from Etrailer.
Keith

rvjimzhr · 10-08-2012, 10:55 AM

GREAT! You're just the guy I've been waiting to hear from having the same toad as I do. Just confirm we're talking about the Swagman #S64650. Do you have any issues of sway/bounce when on the Honda? Do you secure the rack with any extra bungees, tie-downs or the like? How long have you been using the Swagman? Mileage?

Sorry but I am a little confused. My Honda has a 2" receiver on it. So I'm assuming all I need at this point is the Swagman and wouldn't I just slide the Swagman into the existing hitch? Did you buy the Cort for the trailer and then the Swagman later?