R-pod Owners Forum Homepage

This site is free to use.
Donations benefit a non-profit Girls Softball organization

Forum Home Forum Home > R-pod Discussion Forums > Podmods, Maintenance, Tips and Tricks
  New Posts New Posts RSS Feed: Bike racks
  FAQ FAQ  Forum Search   Calendar   Register Register  Login Login

Topic ClosedBike racks

 Post Reply Post Reply Page  12>
Author
Message
voisj View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: 19 Jul 2016
Location: San Luis Obispo
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 471
Direct Link To This Post Topic: Bike racks
    Posted: 27 Sep 2017 at 11:29pm

Is any body else hauling bikes on the rear receiver and have their been any issues with the receiver hitch and loads I should be aware of? 
While installing it on the pod I noticed that the 2" square tube that holds the receiver is only welded to the frame on the top and sides. I finished up the welding job by welding the bottom of the tube and triangle gussets at each end.
Since the tire and mount weighed in at 77lbs and the bike carrier and bikes weigh in at the same, I feel pretty confident it should be ok, and I strap the bikes to the bumper so they don't swing.
Leaving next week for a month long tour of the northwest and wondering if anybody has had that flimsy tube twist or bend.
I did find 1 post with a post from a Forest river rep claiming the rack is good for 125 Lbs.
Rgds John




SLOPODMODS
John&Sue,SLO,CA
2016 180 HRE, 2013 F150 Eco Boost
 
Back to Top
Subzilla View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: 23 Jan 2017
Location: Concord, NC
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 302
Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 Sep 2017 at 9:44am
To avoid voiding the frame warranty, FR says you can only use their bike rack and the hitch max loading was 150 pounds (IIRC) to account for the down forces of trailer bouncing down the road, according to what I researched on this forum.  Last week, I emailed FR directly to hear it from the horse's mouth asking about the capacity and their bike rack and got this response: "Your hitch weight is 292 pounds, we cannot recommend any other type of bike racks other than the one we sell. I have listed below the information to our parts department as I have no information on pricing for parts."
She didn't elaborate so I'm guessing the 292 is the static weight and not the dynamic weight (150?).  So I emailed the parts dept for price and got this response:  90M35732A - $231.00 -         BIKE RACK R.POD.  I DO NOT KNOW WHAT SHIPPING WILL BE AS WE DO NOT KNOW THAT UNTIL IT SHIPS.
A little more expensive than most out there.  I had also asked for any pictures or other info but only got back the response above.  
If you've already welded on your frame, then you've probably voided your frame warranty from what I understand.  I don't blame and will probably do the same at some future point.    

Mark
Concord, NC
2017 RP 179 "Podzilla"
2011 Silverado 1500 4X4
Back to Top
voisj View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: 19 Jul 2016
Location: San Luis Obispo
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 471
Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 Sep 2017 at 10:02am
Subzilla, 
Thanks, Not to worried about warranty I voided that long ago. I bought my hitch at Harbor Freight for $39, it's the lightest one I could find, and  it doesn't wobble at all. 
 "Your hitch weight is 292 pounds,"   
 What? If I just pull on the bike rack a little it flexes the square tube the hitch is mounted to, Is this a front mount and they are mentioning tongue weight?
John
SLOPODMODS
John&Sue,SLO,CA
2016 180 HRE, 2013 F150 Eco Boost
 
Back to Top
Subzilla View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: 23 Jan 2017
Location: Concord, NC
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 302
Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 Sep 2017 at 10:12am
No, it wasn't the front hitch. I was very specific in my question to them:   " I know you only authorized the one bike rack to be used on the rear hitch. What is the price and how do I get this? Can I not use another bike rack? What is the capacity of the rear hitch so I know what weight bikes I can carry? Thanks! "

I agree with you, 292 pounds seems like it would twist the hitch off on a speed bump at 10 mph. This is why the conclusion on this forum was that 150 was the "still" weight with the 300 (or 292) being the dynamic force weight....a safety factor of 2. I've inspected mine a few times and know how I would beef it up. I just received my bike rack but haven't put it on yet but, like you, am worried about just having the bikes on there.

BTW, love your picture at the red rocks....Sedonna?   
Mark
Mark
Concord, NC
2017 RP 179 "Podzilla"
2011 Silverado 1500 4X4
Back to Top
voisj View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: 19 Jul 2016
Location: San Luis Obispo
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 471
Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 Sep 2017 at 8:14pm
You and I are on the same page with the rear hitch & bike racks, That picture was from Valley of fire east of Vegas, a truly amazing place! The current one is Brights Lake in Tehachapi CA I told my daughter i couldn't figure out how to put a picture with my signature and she did it in a minute... Kids today!. I think I got it now and plan for a new picture occasionally. When we were there a group of Bighorn sheep came for a visit!

SLOPODMODS
John&Sue,SLO,CA
2016 180 HRE, 2013 F150 Eco Boost
 
Back to Top
GoGirlKY View Drop Down
Newbie
Newbie
Avatar

Joined: 07 Nov 2017
Location: Central KY
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 14
Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 Nov 2017 at 6:22pm
Hi! Checking in to see how the rear bike racks have worked out! Hubs and I are setting ready to travel from KY to FL in a couple of months, and we want to take our bicycles along. We already have a nice bike rack, so we really don’t want to invest $231 in the FR version. We were thinking to go with the hitch convert to 2” receiver. We have a 2016 179, no bumper. I am concerned that it will not be stable.

Any advice for us Newbie podders on all of this? Thx! 
Dog lover and camping enthusiast 🐶 ⛺️
2016 R-pod 179 and 2017 Chevy Silverado 4x4
Beloved husband and a Labradoodle named “Cooper”
Back to Top
voisj View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: 19 Jul 2016
Location: San Luis Obispo
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 471
Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 Nov 2017 at 7:22pm
GoGirl,
No issues what so ever, Just finished a 2400 mile trip and the bikes and rack survived unscathed.
Remember though, I did some welding to the square crossbar to finish the factory welding job and my harbor freight rack is only 13 lbs with a 1" tongue, and sits in pretty tight to the pod. 
If you use an adapter from 2" to 1" and it makes it hang out further, and your rack is heavier, and maybe heavier bikes (cruisers?) , you may run into issues if you hit big bumps.
john

SLOPODMODS
John&Sue,SLO,CA
2016 180 HRE, 2013 F150 Eco Boost
 
Back to Top
GoGirlKY View Drop Down
Newbie
Newbie
Avatar

Joined: 07 Nov 2017
Location: Central KY
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 14
Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 Nov 2017 at 7:50pm
Ok thanks for the info! This is very helpful!
Dog lover and camping enthusiast 🐶 ⛺️
2016 R-pod 179 and 2017 Chevy Silverado 4x4
Beloved husband and a Labradoodle named “Cooper”
Back to Top
Live2Camp View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: 17 Apr 2017
Location: No. California
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 240
Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 Nov 2017 at 11:50am
Originally posted by GoGirlKY

Hi! Checking in to see how the rear bike racks have worked out! Hubs and I are setting ready to travel from KY to FL in a couple of months, and we want to take our bicycles along. We already have a nice bike rack, so we really don’t want to invest $231 in the FR version. We were thinking to go with the hitch convert to 2” receiver. We have a 2016 179, no bumper. I am concerned that it will not be stable.

Any advice for us Newbie podders on all of this? Thx! 

GoGirl, any reason you don't want to carry your bikes in the bed of your truck? Just asking because I like to hear why others do/don't these various things that we're all dealing with Smile Since the truck we tow with is open bed it makes it really easy to lay them down, tarp and lock. That said we haven't ruled out a bike rack, as there are lots of other things that could go in the truck bed too. Thanks for any insight!
2017 R-Pod 179 HRE (the green one)
His:Ford F150 double cab 4WD; Hers/mine:Tacoma V6 double cab 4WD
Still love rugged, diggin' comfy too
Back to Top
Wood River Pod View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: 30 Sep 2016
Location: Wood River, ID
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 153
Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 Dec 2017 at 7:37pm
John,
Could you please provide a few pics of the reinforced welding you did to the square tubing to beef up the tire/bike receiver.
Thanks
Jeff
Smith's in Hailey
Early 2017 179 HRE

Wood River Mods
Back to Top
 Post Reply Post Reply Page  12>

Forum Jump Forum Permissions View Drop Down

Bulletin Board Software by Web Wiz Forums® version 9.64
Copyright ©2001-2009 Web Wiz