Receiver Bike Racks

I bought the Yakima LongHaul which is designed, built, and thoroughly tested to stand up to the long miles and rigorous demands of RV and travel-trailer use. Lots of YouTube videos that demonstrate this. Kind of expensive - but really worth it. The rack doesn't move, the bikes don't move, the rack has a built in security cable, and folds down when not in use.

Update on this post: I want to thank all those that took the time to respond to this post. I just bought a Swagman Dispatch. It looks like the best fit for my needs. We are leaving in early June and heading west. Going to poke around New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Wyoming for 3 or 4 months then head back east. This rack looks like it will be up for the trip.

docsouce wrote:
Update on this post: I want to thank all those that took the time to respond to this post. I just bought a Swagman Dispatch. It looks like the best fit for my needs. We are leaving in early June and heading west. Going to poke around New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Wyoming for 3 or 4 months then head back east. This rack looks like it will be up for the trip.

Thanks for following up. Have a great trip.

Cant get a pic up but add an eyescrew into the corner of the trailer on each side and use a rachet strap around the bikes to stop wobble/ bounce. Works great. And can't hurt..

harley4275 wrote:
Cant get a pic up but add an eyescrew into the corner of the trailer on each side and use a rachet strap around the bikes to stop wobble/ bounce. Works great. And can't hurt..

I did the same thing with my old 4 place hanging frame style bike rack. Between that and a clamp to tak out the slop in the receiver it hauled 4 bikes in the back of my TT all over with no movement.

Myself, (based on the recommendations here) got a 2" bolt-on receiver from Amazon, and ordered the Swagman bike rack, also through Amazon.

Mounted up nicely. Moved the spare tire to the right on the trailer bumper (keeping that tail light clear and most of the license plate) and had to offset the hitch/rack to the left so it would fully open. The one tire slot on the rack is JUST inside that side of the trailer so that the other end will easily drop flat and not hit the spare.

Gonna try it out in two weeks :) :) :)

For any bike rack on the back of an RV (read: long distance from last axle to the receiver). Spend the 5 bucks at home depot on a ratchet strap and run it from one side of the bumper, loop around the top of the bike rack and secure to the other side of the bumper.

This will reduce the bounce and torque on the 90 degree angle weld of the bike rack.

Keep in mind, you still need to verify your 2" receiver is not just welded to said bumper and will rust and/or rip off. Ideally your rear hitch receiver will be secured to the frame in some way. If it's not, buy a rear hitch that mounts to the frame itself, not just the bumper.

The amount of swing/torque on that bike rack cannot be overstated; let your $5 ratchet strap rip/fray and replace it, instead of losing your bikes on the road.

Last note: if your bumper is not treated inside and you use it for stinky slinky storage, you're creating rust in there. (Note: no bumpers are treated on the inside.)