Forum Discussion

dpgllg's avatar
dpgllg
Explorer
Mar 28, 2017

Advice on hauling adult tricycle

Do to illness I have acquired an adult tricycle to ride while camping. It is a folding model where the frame folds the front wheel back alongside the frame and between the rear tire.

I have not tried yet but I imagine it might be a little difficult to put the trike inside the RV for transport. Also I'm not sure if it will fit in the back of my truck in front of the hitch without causing an issue. I do have an 8 foot bed.

I do not have a hitch receiver on the back of my 5th wheel to add a cargo tray.

If anyone else has encountered this situation how did you resolve it?

To further muddy the waters my wife who never rode a bike in her entire life wants a trike of her own now once she saw the trike!

Any advice is appreciated!

Dave

18 Replies

  • Investigate Hollywood racks. I have one for DW's trike and my standard bike. They have a wide variety of configurations. You can see some of them on Amazon, but I found ordering there confusing. My local bike shop got me set up with the proper pieces and I got delivery the next day. Oh, and mine fits in the tow receiver.
  • RoyB's avatar
    RoyB
    Explorer II
    Perhaps something like the IDAHO TOTE DOLLY HAULER that attaches to the rear bumper of the RV trailer. This is not considered a trailer and has swivel wheels under it. It is a extended platform attached to your RV...

    Google Image

    These are primarily used for heavy item like golf carts or motorcycles etc but would definitely haul your Adult Tricycles...

    I think these are legal in all states - perhaps check with your local State DOT folks...

    This would be costly thing to do to solve the problem haha...

    Roy Ken
  • OP,

    There are multiple fold-up tricycles listed on Amazon that give the fold up dimensions. Since you have an 8 ft bed, you may be able to just load two trikes in the front of your truck bed and not have it interfere with trailer movement. May be worth looking up your specific bike's fold-up dimensions and roughly measuring it out in the back of your truck. Then do a test run without moving the truck, etc.

    Here's an example of one since you don't have the specific brand/model listed: Amazon - Worksman Port-o-Trike Three Speed Adult Tricycle Blue

    Measures 30 by 31 by 29 inches (W x H x D) folded

    Also, that is not something you are going to want to lift up to a roof mounted bike carrier since shipping weight on that linked bike is 70lbs, expect the actual weight around 60lbs +.
  • dpgllg wrote:
    Do to illness I have acquired an adult tricycle to ride while camping. It is a folding model where the frame folds the front wheel back alongside the frame and between the rear tire.

    I have not tried yet but I imagine it might be a little difficult to put the trike inside the RV for transport. Also I'm not sure if it will fit in the back of my truck in front of the hitch without causing an issue. I do have an 8 foot bed.

    I do not have a hitch receiver on the back of my 5th wheel to add a cargo tray.

    If anyone else has encountered this situation how did you resolve it?

    To further muddy the waters my wife who never rode a bike in her entire life wants a trike of her own now once she saw the trike!

    Any advice is appreciated!

    Dave


    Were I in your shoes, I'd find a =good= trailer/welding shop and simply have them replace your rear bumper with heavier gauge steel and add a 2" receiver on it. Get a basic $100 cargo rack from Harbor Freight or Walmart and load 'em up. I had this done on my FW and my welder said it would carry 300 lbs, no problem. Only loss was the bumper tube was just enough smaller ID that the stinky hoses would no longer fit, which was not an issue since I never carried them there anyway. My welder was also able to drill out the pop rivets holding the outer decorative sleeve and reuse it on the new bumper, so it still looks great. Just notched it to fit over the receiver.

    After thinking about this for a couple minutes, I remembered seeing cargo racks with a ramp on one end. Just roll your trikes up and strap 'em down. Worst case, have the shop modding your bumper build you a nice aluminum rack. Save a bit of weight hanging from the bumper that way.

    Lyle
  • The trikes I've examined are a ton and a half....60 pounds and up.
  • I would measure the door opening of the 5th wheel to see if the trike will fit through the door upright or on it's side. If it will fit then I would get a heavy moving blanket, lay it on the floor and put the trike in the 5th wheel. Place some large empty boxes to brace against the trike and a wall or other solid surface to hold it in place if you don't have a way to secure the trike with straps or rope. I've carried a mobility scooter and wheelchairs this way in our 5th wheel.
  • work2much wrote:
    Would it be too heavy to lift on the roof of the truck using a std bike rack like yakima or thule?


    I think it would be to heavy for me and or my wife to lift it. I have balance issues and walk with a cane. I have not weighed the trike yet. It is at the bike shop getting a tune-up right now. I know that is heavy and bulky enough to require two people to lift it in out of the back of my truck.

    I can research this a little further though as I had not considered a roof rack

    Thank you for your response!

    Dave
  • Would it be too heavy to lift on the roof of the truck using a std bike rack like yakima or thule?