Ok guys, I keep going back and forth on a location of a bicycle carrier. For those of you that have had both which did you prefer and why? Thanks, John

shadows4 wrote:Ok guys, I keep going back and forth on a location of a bicycle carrier. For those of you that have had both which did you prefer and why? Thanks, JohnKingpin for sure. You don't want to block any airflow to the radiator when towing.

Cummins12V98 wrote:Kingpin for sure. You don't want to block any airflow to the radiator when towing.No worries if I go with the truck mounted, I drive a Ford!!! (sorry couldn't resist LOL)

I built a pin box mount and can carry 3 full size bikes there, completely out of the way and no bouncing. I back the truck near the bike rack, set the bikes in the truck bed, use my "man step" to step up in the bed, and set the bikes on the rack. Works great.Considered a front mount but did not try it. Not because of air flow concerns, just did not want something sticking 3' in front of the truck. Unless you used bike covers I don't think there would be much impact on air flow.

If you were to go with a front receiver and hitch mount carrier, consider one of these:Clicky

We have the Curt front mount hitch and a Swag man XC 2 bike carrier and love it. It does not block any airflow as they are bikes and there is not much mass to affect the airflow. I looked at both ways and choose the truck as they are easier to get on and off rack, less than a minute and you can see them. My seat on my bike came loose on our last trip and would have lost it if I had not seen it wiggling. Also, the bikes do not block the view at all. Good luck.

Bicycle carrier front of truck or pin box. (Updated W/pics)

Halmfamily
Explorer
May 18, 2015
rhagfo wrote:
Cummins12V98 wrote:
Looks like the bikes block the turn and head lights.

X2!
Exactly why I would never put bikes on a front hitch. Wait until an LEO pulls you over for obstructed signals!

DW gets to decide inside stuff on trailer, outside and TV are my decisions!

Two years with ours and no tickets or even a second look from an LEO. Can see my signals with zero issues. I don't pull at night so headlights aren't an issue even though they do work with little blockage.
rhagfo
Explorer III
May 18, 2015
Cummins12V98 wrote:
Looks like the bikes block the turn and head lights.

X2!
Exactly why I would never put bikes on a front hitch. Wait until an LEO pulls you over for obstructed signals!

DW gets to decide inside stuff on trailer, outside and TV are my decisions!
tomthyme
Explorer
Aug 30, 2014
love the pin box version - anybody with that config have difficulty getting the bikes up and down? I have a 2 bike Swagman that usually runs on the back of the rig, but I have to take it off to get to a storage compartment. On our Swagman, there are ratchet-ish hooks that slide down a center post from the top of the Swagman unit. I'm not a short or small guy, it just seems like the bikes would be way up there if the base of the unit is as high as my pin box is.

I paged through 4-5 pages and saw pin box units that were fabricated. Anyone find one that was pre-made so I could buy and bolt on?

Thanks all!
TriumphGuy
Explorer
Aug 29, 2014
garysol wrote:
I am thinking that I will be going the roof rack route. Both Thule and Yakima make nice roof mounted racks that mount to the roof of most pickups.

We started with a front hitch mount because it was cheap. Then we got to wanting to bring more bikes and I never liked the front mount. Scored most of this stuff off of craigslist.

In the future I'm sure with the kids adding bikes we'll have a roof rack and a pin box mount ... as soon as the long bed truck shows up :)
Lantley
Nomad
Aug 29, 2014
The photos do show the pitfalls of putting bikes on front reciever.
Headlights issue,turn signals, view from driver seat and extends length of rig. None of those issues are deal breakers, but they they do have an effect. Pin box mount has none of those issues.
tsetsaf
Explorer III
Aug 29, 2014
My bikes go into storage bays. Too much value to leave out in the elements. But if I had to choose I like the pin box mounts.
AH64ID
Explorer
Aug 29, 2014
The photos just reaffirm why I don't want bikes on the front of my truck.

Hope it works for you thou.
nremtp143
Explorer
Aug 28, 2014
The approach angle would be a concern to me. Happy camping!
Cummins12V98
Explorer III
Aug 28, 2014
Looks like the bikes block the turn and head lights.
shadows4
Explorer III
Aug 28, 2014
Took a bike ride this afternoon and got to use the new hitch and bike rack. Just thought I would snap a couple of pics. From the drivers seat you can just see the handle bars and the tops of the seats. Thanks, John