I found on amazon a 1.25 to 2'" receiver hitch for my Kuat bike rack which holds 2 bikes.  maybe 75 lbs of bikes plus the rack but no spare tire.  I'm looking for advise on this.....should I head to the welding shop to get it beefed up or can I just put the 2" receiver hitch in, slide the bike rack into the receiver,  and load the bikes?

thanks much and i'm aware of forest rivers warranty on bike racks.

I would advise against using the 1-1/4" <-> 2"adapter. The 1-1/4" receiver is not particularly strong, and adding the adapter will increase the moment arm, which will reduce its carrying capacity.

Much better to either replace the 1-1/4" receiver with a 2" one, which will require cutting, welding, and adding a cross brace.

We got this one and it works just fine:   http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004R388JG/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004R388JG/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

You can also buy the rack that Forest River sells for the r-Pod.

If you are going to put very heavy bikes on the rack, you may want to consider another means of carrying them because the receiver is not designed for a lot of weight.. Our bikes and the rack together weigh about the same or a little less than the spare.  Even at that we have to be careful because the geometry of the bike rack and bikes increases the moment arm on the receiver to some extent.  I really need to add a small strap or bungee cord to fasten onto the rack and the back of the trailer to minimize movement of the rack.  On the other hand, since Forest River offers a 2 bike rack to use with the existing receiver, it probably has enough capacity without the need for the strap.

Hope you find something that works.

I agree with the others, for the reasons stated, that an adapter for 1 1/4 to 2 inch is not a good idea.  Plus, putting bikes on the back creates the problem of what to do with the spare.  Instead of cutting and welding on the back of the Pod it might be safer and maybe cheaper to find a roof top rack for your TV or a tongue mounted rack (Stromberg Carlson, for one). 

If you have a Kuat rack you probably have some nice bikes.  Aside from the warranty issue (which implies it might just be a bad idea), there is a lot of bounce on the back of the Pod, and there are no shock absorbers.  Even without pushing the backs back with a 1 1/4 to 2 inch adapter, you can't see the bikes back there and you risk having someone pass you frantically waving for you to pull over and salvage what's left of the bikes you've been dragging down the road for the past 12 miles.

I know it seems dumb, but I have at least 4 different bike racks for different vehicles, bikes, and situations.  I'm lucky to have receiver on the front of my FJ Cruiser, which I use when I'm taking my fat tire e-bike (70+ pounds) with the Pod.  I'm not a fan of bikes on the back of a Pod....

TT