Bike rack on back of 178,

Rear Bike Rack Installation

I’ve read a lot of RV forums with horror stories about rear mounted bike racks. I agree that most rv’s rear bumper and frame aren’t made to handle the bike rack dynamics.  But that doesn’t mean that you can’t make it work if the installation is engineered correctly.

We mounted our bike rack on the rear of our R Pod. But it took a lot of welding.

Actually, I didn’t do this work- I was only the customer of a very good local iron shop.  I had the ideas, the desire and the money-Billy did the welding.

The first thing we had to do was move the spare tire to the front A frame.  Billy used the original tire bracket and cut it to fit the new location.  However, not so fast.  There’s not enough room on the A frame unless you move the propane tank forward about 3”.  So, he moved the propane tank mount forward 3” then mounted the spare tire.

Next, Billy welded triangle gusset plates on the top and bottom of the existing 1 ¼” receiver-reinforcing the receiver/frame connection.  He then added a 2” receiver below the original receiver and welded another triangle gusset plate under the new receiver. 

Next, Billy welded a square metal beam (1 ½” x 1 ½” ) that connects each side frame member to the rear of the 2” receiver.  The weld between the new cross frame member and the rear of the new 2” receiver was reinforced with a small angle iron.

I think we added about 11 pounds of steel to the frame.

I modified the bike rack to accept cam straps with a hook.  The straps are connected to 6” eye bolts that are screwed into the interior bed framing. They are well caulked and sturdy.

Note that I also added a second set of tail lights because I thought the original ones were obstructed with the bikes in place.  The new lights are exactly like the originals-I ordered them from the same manufacturer.  I was able to tap into all of the wiring at the rear of the pod. They are fully functional(running lights, brake, turn signals).

We also use a quiet hitch pin to further decrease the amount of motion in the receiver.

 http://www.campingworld.com/shopping/item/quiet-hitch-for-2-inch-hitch-receivers/53713

We used this system for our 2 bikes on our 10 week, 11,000 mile trip last year.  One of the places that we went to was Chaco Canyon –the bumpiest 20 miles (each way) I have ever driven. The bikes, rack, receiver and frame show no evidence of stress.  I feel confident that this installation is not hurting the frame of the pod. The overall weight of the bikes, the new steel reinforcement and the rack are about 8 pounds more that the original spare tire and bracket.  We did add to the tongue weight with the addition of the spare to the front.

As I said earlier, it is not recommended to use a bike rack on the back of most stock RV's.  The R Pod is included in that general category.  IF you use a bike rack, make sure it is secure , non-twisting or bouncing.  There are a lot of dynamic forces causing the rack and the bike to try and jump off. 

Travel safe

Vann