bike carrier
Printed From: R-pod Owners Forum
Category: R-pod Discussion Forums
Forum Name: Podmods, Maintenance, Tips and Tricks
Forum Discription: Ask maintenance questions, share your podmods (modifications) and helpful tips
URL: http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=5167
Printed Date: 12 Jun 2025 at 7:52am
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 9.64 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: bike carrier
Posted By: jj
Subject: bike carrier
Date Posted: 15 Aug 2014 at 10:01pm
 Swagman XC Cross-Country 2-Bike Hitch Mount Rack (1/1/4 and 2-Inch Receiver) bike rack comes with built in anti-woble hitch device, locking pin by thighting the bolt the bike rack becomes part off the rpod hitch no bounching up and down off the bike rack behind the rpod mounted the spare upfront with a side mount spare tire bracket looks great and easy to lift bikes on and off the rack. review https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBOC_tZUrws - Swagman XC Two-Bike Rack - Now Available at Camping World!
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Replies:
Posted By: jj
Date Posted: 15 Aug 2014 at 10:20pm
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Posted By: ToolmanJohn
Date Posted: 16 Aug 2014 at 7:19pm
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Personally I use a 1up USA with one or two bikes, and I added some D-Ring tie down anchors at each side of the rear window to stabilize the bike rack with straps, and prevent it from bouncing at all. Solid.
Multiple trips and no issues, best part is the rack comes out of the 1-1/4" R-Pod receiver, then coverts to 2 inch receiver and gets put in my SUV. |
Posted By: HuronSailor
Date Posted: 17 Aug 2014 at 9:11am
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D-ring tie downs you say? Any pictures? ------------- .: Mark & Beth :: Silverado 5.3L :: 2018 rPod 180 :. |
Posted By: ToolmanJohn
Date Posted: 17 Aug 2014 at 12:12pm
Outside and Inside pictures . Silicone Caulk to keep water out (rushed the job before a weekend trip, I will clean and re-caulk someday), Carriage bolts through the frame structure, using fender washers to distribute the clamping force. I haven't cut the bolts down yet, since they aren't in my way . Eventually will cut them shorter, and install a nice crown nut. If I wasn't so lazy, I would install the rack, my bike, and the bungees and straps , maybe next trip I'll remember to take some pics. The bike does NOT bounce. The welds of the receiver are holding up fine, and there are NO cracks in the fiberglass wall structure or water intrusion from the holes are at the windows seal. I have used this setup for 4 trips now. They came inside very close to the curtain track (didn't expect that) but I take function over form.    
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Posted By: HuronSailor
Date Posted: 17 Aug 2014 at 12:33pm
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I have the same bike rack setup you do and have been using it for 5 seasons now with no straps, and no problems so far. But I have mentioned to SWMBO that I'd like to run some straps back to the pod to keep the bouncing down. I do remember a post years ago where someone's rear mount bike rack failed at the frame on one of their first outings - I think the frame welds were determined to be faulty. I know it made a royal mess of the bikes before they got stopped. I thought a good move might be to move the bikes to the front of the truck, but after checking out front mount receivers and doing some measuring, it seemed like the bikes would ride too high and obstruct my vision too much without maybe changing to a different bike rack too. Thanks for the pictures, I think this is a good mod. ------------- .: Mark & Beth :: Silverado 5.3L :: 2018 rPod 180 :. |
Posted By: ToolmanJohn
Date Posted: 17 Aug 2014 at 2:50pm
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I only worried about the square steel cross-member that is welded from frame to frame. It is not a large square tube, the welds are not large, and there is very little gusseting to keep it from twisting. The cyclical bouncing motion from an accessory mounted into the receiver can certainly eventually break those welds. My mountain bike cost $6300 new. I do not want that dragging on the road. Also, I hate roof mounted racks, even though I have one, I have a terrible time getting my bike on and off the SUV (I am 5'5"). I don't want the bike on my roof or in any vehicle when traveling if it's wet and muddy either. Best place for a bike is on the back in a hitch mounted bike rack.
I looked into getting the R-Pod receiver "beefed up" at a welding shop that makes landscaping trailers, but the price was crazy (over $500) for an extra load carrying cross-member and gusseting. I also explored the possibly of simply cutting out the R-Pod receiver, and having a real, frame mounted 2 inch receiver welded between the R-Pod frame rails instead. It was also an expensive option after all is done, but this would be the ideal solution, because it would have a very high load rating. If done right, then as long as the balance of the tongue weight is not made to light, I would be able to mount almost any accessory back there (Travel Box, generator, 4 bike rack, etc.) |
Posted By: lucky2
Date Posted: 17 Aug 2014 at 10:25pm
| Has anyone ever used a small cargo carrier in the bike rack slot? |
Posted By: techntrek
Date Posted: 18 Aug 2014 at 9:11am
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I wouldn't chance it. Even if you stay within the weight rating of the hitch, there will be 2 problems. First, the cargo carrier will take up a good percentage of that rating. Second, you are dealing with dynamic loads going down the road, and the cargo carrier will apply a much larger dynamic load because of its leverage (since it sticks out much farther than the bike rack or tire carrier). A static load of let's say 100 pounds gets amplified with leverage and all the bouncing going down the road, and may actually apply several times that to the hitch. ------------- Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1723 - Pod instruction manual 
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Posted By: Hairy Podders
Date Posted: 18 Aug 2014 at 11:12pm
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Our 2014 178 has a locking bolt that when tightened takes all of the slop out of the spare tire/bike carrier receiver. We are going to try out the bike rack that we bought with our Pod this weekend. We will be using our 200 dollar, 20 year old Schwinn mountain bikes as test dummies instead of our more expensive Trek roadbikes... ------------- Darryl, Julie & Lindsey Cooper & Libby- Devoted Canines 2014 RP178 2006 Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon |
Posted By: furpod
Date Posted: 19 Aug 2014 at 9:25am
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While we continue to use a roof rack for our bikes, we have a truck box fork mount that I mounted to a piece of 5/4, and clamp to the dinette table, and we can carry our tandem inside the pod. The slide has to be out to get it in and out, but it's not a big deal to do it. I have never been comfortable with the idea of hanging our bikes off the back of the pod where I can't see them. Buddy with a square box, draftmaster rack, and expensive tandem stopped at a rest stop, came out and thought his rack looked crooked or something, and found he had about 5% of the weld left that held the 2" receiver on the back of his TT.. ------------- |