Where to have a bike rack
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Category: R-pod Discussion Forums
Forum Name: Wish List
Forum Discription: Tell Forest River what you would like to see in the r-pod
URL: http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=7400
Printed Date: 29 Apr 2024 at 1:33am
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Topic: Where to have a bike rack
Posted By: Bennett
Subject: Where to have a bike rack
Date Posted: 31 Jan 2016 at 8:43am
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We purchased our RPod 179 last July. We use to tent camper for years and were nervous about buying a camper. But so far we love the RPod. It is great to have everything organized and ready to go in a small space. However, I do agree with everyone else that it would be nice to have a manual for camper newbies. Although, we have found that youtube videos have been very helpful from winterizing to the awning. But now my question is where and how to put a bike rack on the camper for two bikes. Any thoughts and ideas would be greatly appreciated. ------------- R Benn |
Replies:
Posted By: hogone
Date Posted: 31 Jan 2016 at 9:39am
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i use the spare tire hitch and keep the tire in the truck. i have a 2 bike rack by allen. works great. hogone
------------- Jon & Pam 2013 RP177 2010 F150 2017 HD Streetglide 2009 HD Lowrider CHEESEHEAD |
Posted By: CharlieM
Date Posted: 31 Jan 2016 at 10:04am
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There are generally two methods for carrying bikes. The first is to use the rear bumper hitch with a lightweight carrier and relocate the spare tire. Minimizing the weight on the rear bumper is important. Forest River sells a lightweight rack, but the same Highland rack is available from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Highland-1375100-SportWing-Mounted-Carrier/dp/B004002CS4/ref=pd_sbs_263_3?ie=UTF8&dpID=31eONjsDlHL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_&refRID=1KVSM18XWAN7MNEYD1A7 - http://www.amazon.com/Highland-1375100-SportWing-Mounted-Carrier/dp/B004002CS4/ref=pd_sbs_263_3?ie=UTF8&dpID=31eONjsDlHL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_&refRID=1KVSM18XWAN7MNEYD1A7 Options for the displaced spare include carrying it in the TV and remounting on the trailer tongue. Search this forum for spare tire mounting methods. The second option is leave the spare on the rear and carry the bikes between the TV and TT. A tested solution is the Swagman platform carrier: http://www.swagman.net/product/traveler-xcs2/ - http://www.swagman.net/product/traveler-xcs2/ http://www.amazon.com/Swagman-64664-Bike-Rack/dp/B003YJK1PS/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1454251701&sr=8-10&keywords=swagman+xc2 - http://www.amazon.com/Swagman-64664-Bike-Rack/dp/B003YJK1PS/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1454251701&sr=8-10&keywords=swagman+xc2 I have used both with a Honda Pilot and RP172. If you are using a WDH, and you should be, the Swagman will require an extended shank, but it does have the advantage that you can take the bikes with you without the TT. Search this forum for this solution. The Swagman solution is more expensive, but it's simpler, more versatile, and easier to use so I preferred it. ------------- Charlie Northern Colorado OLD: 2013 RP-172, 2010 Honda Pilot 3.5L 4WD PRESENT: 2014 Camplite 21RBS, 2013 Supercharged Tacoma 4L V6 4WD |
Posted By: techntrek
Date Posted: 31 Jan 2016 at 2:58pm
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Welcome. A third option is to install a receiver hitch on the front of the TV, if you have a larger TV. I put a cargo tray up front and either carry our generator or 4 bikes on it (a ratchet strap keeps them on there rock-solid, upright). As for a manual see the link in my signature. ------------- 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: hogone
Date Posted: 01 Feb 2016 at 7:39pm
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bennett: don't buy that swagman, not a good sturdy rack and flimsy for the pod. highly recommend the allen rack. excellent rack for the rear bumper hitch. hogone
------------- Jon & Pam 2013 RP177 2010 F150 2017 HD Streetglide 2009 HD Lowrider CHEESEHEAD |
Posted By: CharlieM
Date Posted: 01 Feb 2016 at 9:03pm
Not sure what you find not sturdy about the Swagman. It is too heavy for the Pod rear bumper so I goes on the TV hitch between TV and TT. I have since moved it to the rear bumper of my Camplite and I can STAND on it. Perhaps you're thinking of the Highland, which is very light as it must be for the Pod rear bumper. ------------- Charlie Northern Colorado OLD: 2013 RP-172, 2010 Honda Pilot 3.5L 4WD PRESENT: 2014 Camplite 21RBS, 2013 Supercharged Tacoma 4L V6 4WD |
Posted By: hogone
Date Posted: 02 Feb 2016 at 6:27am
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oops charlie, your absolutely right; my bad. i was thinking of the highland rack. hogone
------------- Jon & Pam 2013 RP177 2010 F150 2017 HD Streetglide 2009 HD Lowrider CHEESEHEAD |
Posted By: Don Halas
Date Posted: 08 Feb 2016 at 9:40am
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I've put a Thule Helium bike rack on the spare tire receiver and moved the spare to the toe.
Pics here: http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=6622&PN=4&title=new-rp178-owner The Bike rack is a bit pricey but is extremely light weight, holds three bikes and will fit a 1-1/4" or 2" receiver so it can be moved to the tow vehicle easily. The tire mount I got off of Loews website. It was about $30.00 This appears to be working quite well for me. |
Posted By: drhalvey
Date Posted: 18 Feb 2016 at 8:32am
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We have a 2010 174 model and use a Harbor Freight two bike carrier on the rear. Works great. I carry the spare tire under the table (which stays set up as a queen bed). We use the soft on the slide for dining and lounging. Blessings! |
Posted By: Kantuckid
Date Posted: 14 May 2016 at 12:13pm
| Look on fleabay at the "spare tire holder" sold for ~$22 by a guy in IN with a store there. It mounts to the front triangle of your TT and thus frees up the rear hitch spot. Bike racks are found in many models on bicycle websites than shop price after you decide on brand. many are crap and will not protect valuable bikes plus they jiggle too much. If the TV is a truck there are many other options. I have a Trac-rac that allows removing the front bike wheels and locking the fork to the rack while the bikes sit forward in bed and allow further use of rear portion of truck bed. mostly depends on how many bikes and which tow vehicle, other than the RV design. |
Posted By: Capt Kidd
Date Posted: 15 May 2016 at 12:03pm
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I put a front receiver on my truck and carried my bike on it. Draw back was the bike blocked part of my vision so I put the spare from the pod on the front of my truck and the bike carrier in place of the spare on the rear of the pod. Downside to this is the spare then blocked the winch and I didn't feel like removing the spare if I wanted to use the winch. My solution is to carry the spare in bed of the truck. ------------- The Pirate's Pod |
Posted By: PilotPodder
Date Posted: 03 Jul 2016 at 12:08pm
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CharlieM, I'm also towing with a Pilot 4wd and a RP171 with an E2 WDH and am looking at the Swagman. What exactly did you use for a hitch extension (make/model) when using your Pilot/RP set up? ------------- Portage, MI — 2017 RPod 179 - sold / 2017 Toyota Tundra — https://johnmarucci.com/r-pod-video-list/ - My RPod YouTube Videos |
Posted By: CharlieM
Date Posted: 03 Jul 2016 at 4:33pm
IIRC it was http://www.etrailer.com/Accessories-and-Parts/Reese/RP3214.html - http://www.etrailer.com/Accessories-and-Parts/Reese/RP3214.html . It's probably available elsewhere too. The 14" length was a bit longer than necessary, but shorter ones were too short. I only needed about 3/4" more than the standard E2 shank, but this one gave me enough clearance to just open the back window with the bikes on. You'll really like the Swagman. ------------- Charlie Northern Colorado OLD: 2013 RP-172, 2010 Honda Pilot 3.5L 4WD PRESENT: 2014 Camplite 21RBS, 2013 Supercharged Tacoma 4L V6 4WD |
Posted By: PilotPodder
Date Posted: 03 Jul 2016 at 4:45pm
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Great! Many thanks! ------------- Portage, MI — 2017 RPod 179 - sold / 2017 Toyota Tundra — https://johnmarucci.com/r-pod-video-list/ - My RPod YouTube Videos |
Posted By: timpamt
Date Posted: 03 Jul 2016 at 9:35pm
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Thank you for this post! We have been reading the posts here for a while, and we are even more convinced the R-Pod 179 is perfect for us. We just put a deposit on a 2017 179 just delivered the Keystone RV's in Greencastle, PA Friday night. I'm nervous about having those expensive toys hanging on the back of the trailer. Your solution sounded great! However, while exploring the recommended extender, I found the following extender version that provides a second receptace, and I think I can use the Thule carrier I already have by the attached extender. Any thoughts about that? I'll report back when I get it figured out - with photos if it works! http://www.etrailer.com/Hitch-Accessories/MaxxTow/MT70070.html ------------- Tim and Pam 2017 R-Pod 179 - "Little Bear" 2014 Toyota Tacoma Crew Cab |
Posted By: CharlieM
Date Posted: 03 Jul 2016 at 11:17pm
Not to rain too much on your picnic, but I'd be skeptical of that extender. It will extend the ball too far back from the tow vehicle (TV) and greatly reduce its towing capability. For example, the pin to shank hole distance for the standard E2 shank is 8.25" For the referenced Reese long shank the corresponding distance is 11.5", an addition of 3". The extender adds 12.25" to the standard shank, making the extender+standard shank pin to hole distance 8.25+12.25=20.5", almost double the Reese dimension. That puts a tremendous torque load on the TV receiver. I'd also be suspicious of the strength of the extender. It weighs ~18# compared to the Reese at ~25#. The Reese is a solid steel beast and rightly so. Those extenders are intended for fairly light duty. Be careful. That said, I know you'll love the 179. A very popular model. And excellent choice of trucks. Mine is a 2013. Welcome to our friendly group. ------------- Charlie Northern Colorado OLD: 2013 RP-172, 2010 Honda Pilot 3.5L 4WD PRESENT: 2014 Camplite 21RBS, 2013 Supercharged Tacoma 4L V6 4WD |
Posted By: timpamt
Date Posted: 04 Jul 2016 at 12:10pm
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Charlie M: I love this forum! Your advice is spot-on! I have abandoned the hitch-extender option altogether. Instead, I am leaning toward an trailer tongue bike rack. Pam and I saw a number of them on Pinterest yesterday evening - lots of great ideas on Pinterest!! Since I already have a super Thule rack for my receiver, I'm considering the following A-Frame mounted bracket that puts a "receiver" above the batteries and propane tanks. Hopefully it will be sturdy enough 0 anyone have one of these? https://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Cargo-Control/Stromberg-Carlson/CC-275.html ------------- Tim and Pam 2017 R-Pod 179 - "Little Bear" 2014 Toyota Tacoma Crew Cab |
Posted By: CharlieM
Date Posted: 04 Jul 2016 at 2:12pm
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Tim, Lots of them out there. The only problem I see with them is having to lift the bikes so high. When you get old (like me) and weak (not yet but counting) you will appreciate that. Camp on. ------------- Charlie Northern Colorado OLD: 2013 RP-172, 2010 Honda Pilot 3.5L 4WD PRESENT: 2014 Camplite 21RBS, 2013 Supercharged Tacoma 4L V6 4WD |
Posted By: PilotPodder
Date Posted: 04 Jul 2016 at 4:11pm
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CharlieM, so my next issue to tackle with the Swagman bike rack option is the rise/drop given your Reese recommendation. Due to the Pilot's high receiver height, I had to go to the E2 shank (12 in long) with the 6 inch rise and 10 inch drop (mid drop of the three E2 shank options) just to get close to level towing for the RP171 (no axle risers). Your Reese doesn't appear to have the drop I need. How did you do this on the Pilot set up, or did your RP172 have axle risers, so that the Resse sat the TT level?
------------- Portage, MI — 2017 RPod 179 - sold / 2017 Toyota Tundra — https://johnmarucci.com/r-pod-video-list/ - My RPod YouTube Videos |
Posted By: CharlieM
Date Posted: 04 Jul 2016 at 4:43pm
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I had risers on my 172. Seems like FR is now claiming they don't need risers because they use a greater angle on the Dexter axles. I don't have the specs/numbers anymore. I don't recall any problems and don't recall if I was on the lowest set of holes. Maybe. Keep in mind the Pilot will sag some with load.
------------- Charlie Northern Colorado OLD: 2013 RP-172, 2010 Honda Pilot 3.5L 4WD PRESENT: 2014 Camplite 21RBS, 2013 Supercharged Tacoma 4L V6 4WD |