Roof Rack vs. Welded 2" receiver on back of 5er

[JKwock]

Which is better? Which is cheaper? I already have the bike rack that would go into the receiver. I have a 2006 Dodge 2500 so I would need a Fitting Kit, Bars, and rack for the top of my truck. Or weld a receiver hitch and use my platform rack. Advice please.

Jason

[alexleblanc]

I use both styles - I run a roof rack on my truck for the kids bikes and our bikes on a rack on the trailer mounted hitch - keeps wind noise to an acceptable level and honestly is easier on my back when it comes to putting the bikes up or taking them off.

its worked flawlessly for three summers now at a rate of 10000km's of travel per summer.

[FF286]

I used the Yakima crossbars on the roof. They are high, and the firttime I used it I thought I made a mistake. I quickly found that if I used the metal step I have for the camper I can put the bikes up with no problem.
I’m not sure what the step is called, but it’s the one that the legs fold flat under the platform.

[packnrat]

put your bicycles on a fabed up mount on the 5er hitch. safer strounger.
i have been thinking about fixing up a mount there for my eu3000.
puts weight on the pin, not at the rear of the 5er frame.
remember the dead weight is magnified many times over as you hit bumps.
then theft. ( it is unseen till you stop and look). and then just loss.( broken mounts/ brackets).

[RVman3252]

ScottG wrote:
The avg bike carrier will not live long on the back of a trailer. I know, I killed two of them.
The exception is the original Swagman rack. I've had it on trailers for more than ten years now and it's still good as new.
If you decide to use the receiver on the back, I highly recommend Swagman.

This is what we use... and has worked well for us for over 15 years.

RVman / John

[rhagfo]

SailingOn wrote:
Or fabricate brackets to put a receiver hitch on the pin box.

See Rhagfo's.

Bikes mounted on the pin box can be high enough to stay away from casual mischief; the pin box is very stable compared to the back of the trailer; and bikes there do not add to the length of the rig.

Thanks for the reference!

This was built for about $60, but I did get the two pieces of 4' X 6" X 1/4" angle at no cost. That was the cost of the receiver tube and having it welded up and mounting holes punched.

This is tow recently.

[laknox]

4x4ord wrote:

Super_Dave wrote:
Can't beat this price with a stick. Not meant for towing but perfect for a basket or bike rack. $35 at Amazon.

A hitch like that is certainly cheap but it could be risky unless you know the bumper is designed to handle the kind of torsion some bike racks put on a hitch.

X2!!! When I did one on my old Komfort, I had the whole bumper tube replaced with a heavier gauge one. Cool thing was that the OD of the new tube was the same as the old, light gauge, one, so the welder drilled the rivets out of the polished alum cover and slipped it over the new tube and re-riveted in place. Since I never put the stinky hoses in there anyway, the fact they wouldn't fit made no difference to me.

FWIW, I have an OEM rack on the back of my KZ. Had son-in-law follow me down a dirt road watching the rack, and he reported almost no bounce, so I'd have zero problem loading it up. I did put an empty 100+ qt cooler on it heading back from out last campout and it survived just fine.

Lyle

[4x4ord]

Super_Dave wrote:
Can't beat this price with a stick. Not meant for towing but perfect for a basket or bike rack. $35 at Amazon.

A hitch like that is certainly cheap but it could be risky unless you know the bumper is designed to handle the kind of torsion some bike racks put on a hitch.

[Super_Dave]

Can't beat this price with a stick. Not meant for towing but perfect for a basket or bike rack. $35 at Amazon.

[phemens]

We just installed a Swagman rack on the frame welded receiver on back of our 5'er. I can monitor it with the rear camera and it seems rock solid so far. As mentioned, the Swagman seems to be a better choice if you go on the back of the trailer.

[Hondavalk]

Recently installed a front receiver on my truck to be used for a bike rack. It was a no drill easy installation. The bikes don't interfere with my headlights and I like not having to lift the bikes up very high.

[dave17352]

I have run a cargo rack on both the front of my truck and the rear of my 5th wheel with my honda eu3000 and other gear on it for many many thousands of miles with zero problems. If I had more gear I would run a cargo rack on the front of the truck and the rear of 5th wheel without hesitation. It is very handy and can quickly be installed in the receiver hitch or removed entirely in a matter of seconds. My front receiver hitch and I have had two both cost 125 or less from Curt.

[jfkmk]

4x4ord wrote:


At least if the bike bounces off the back of the trailer it is someone else that runs over it instead of you.

Nice!

[Puddles]

Do a search on here for pin box bike racks... couple of people have posted pics of theirs. I have one mounted on my fiver... two pcs of angle iron, a 6" receiver and a welder.. I have a rack that tilts down so that a cargo door could be raised... makes it easier to lift bikes up.

[valhalla360]

The pin box is a great option unless you need to mount/demount the bikes while hooked up (still not much worse than on the roof).

Any welder should be able to knock up a receiver mounted on the pin box...then any of the standard receiver mounted bike racks would work fine.