4 Bikes on luggage rack

mr_andyj wrote:
You should be able to just remove the hinge pin and not have to grind, but if you want the stock luggage rack gone, as it is not for bikes, not 4 bikes, then you can cut it off.
I'm not here to ask why the rack cannot be just removed. He said it is welded on, I provide how to un-weld it. Welding is not as permanent as the grinder is.

After you get a proper bike rack you will say, this was such a good move.

Not ALL hing pins are "removable" without causing collateral damage to the pin or hinge. Some pins may be friction fit like a standard home door hinge, but pins that must never leave their proper place in life are often mushroomed on both ends making easy removal, not easy or impossible.

OP didn't say they want the rack removed, they mentioned they were not able to find a way to remove the rack and were asking how they could haul the bikes without damage to said bikes.

Big difference..

I have seen those racks, strangely enough, unlike typical shoddy RV manufacturing they are very well built and OP simply needs a way of adapting the existing rack or in other words converting the rack from cargo to a sturdy bike rack..

All it takes is something to clamp the bikes to individually at the top and tie the wheels to the rack. If they are not touching and are not able to move they cannot damage each other.

That cargo rack can easily be converted to a top notch bike rack by adding a bike bar with clamps to the existing cargo rack parts with just a bit of creative thinking. I could do that in my sleep and OP was handy to me, I would offer to help them sort it out without the need of hacking things up with a grinder..

Matter of fact, here is another example of a bike rack that can easily be adapted to the cargo tray..



That is a car roof top bike rack which uses the bikes front forks for secure mounting.. I see those all the times on roofs of cars, those bike mounted that way cannot move, bounce, touch or damage the next bike.





Rear wheel is strapped down to the rack



You can simply bolt right through the existing cargo tray.

The downside of this rack is you have to remove the front wheels..

Adding a simple horizontal bike rack bar from and existing bike rack gets you the clamps for the top of the bikes and eliminates the need to remove front wheels.. Fast, safe and efficient.

You should be able to just remove the hinge pin and not have to grind, but if you want the stock luggage rack gone, as it is not for bikes, not 4 bikes, then you can cut it off.
I'm not here to ask why the rack cannot be just removed. He said it is welded on, I provide how to un-weld it. Welding is not as permanent as the grinder is.

After you get a proper bike rack you will say, this was such a good move.

**edit to below... ALL hinges are removable with a grinder! Damage to a pin can be undone with a bolt. If OP wants a bike rack and has a luggage rack, and if luggage rack is in the way then he needs luggage rack gone to make room for a bike rack. Carrying 4 bikes is a lot different than strapping one or two on a luggage rack. A real and well made bike rack is really the best option.
The 1UP is still a great choice for this location, but it is expensive too.

dodge guy wrote:

mr_andyj wrote:
Grinder.

Your kidding……right?

I don't think andyj is kidding..

Not to mention, that would be totally stupid to cut of a perfectly well designed heavy duty platform when the only thing missing is the horizontal bar with the clamps for bicycles. That platform is heavy enough to handle a healthy sized gen or even a couple of scooters.

Once OP has some sort of top horizontal bar to hold the tops of the bikes in place, one can then use rubber tie downs (aka bungies) to tie the bike tires to the rack.

Bikes can no longer move on the top and no longer can move or swing back and forth at the tire level, problem solved.

I would "add to the rack" the missing parts rather than subtract the rack and start over.

mr_andyj wrote:
Grinder.
A grinder will cut your welded luggage tray off in quick time. They are cheap for the cheapo ones at Harbor freight, or moderately priced at a hardware store. You can grind it with a grinding wheel, or attach a cut-off wheel. a 4 or 4.5 inch grinder will be perfect.

If your square bumper tube is strong (some are thin metal, some are thick enough to mount a bike rack to), then you can bold on a receiver hitch using two of the above u-bolts, which is jsut the square receiving part, or have it welded on.

For bike rack advice stop in at any bike shop. They can show you many varieties and you can even get advice about Rv's if they maybe know or have done RVs a few times.. Bike shop, not us.

Your kidding……right?

Grinder.
A grinder will cut your welded luggage tray off in quick time. They are cheap for the cheapo ones at Harbor freight, or moderately priced at a hardware store. You can grind it with a grinding wheel, or attach a cut-off wheel. a 4 or 4.5 inch grinder will be perfect.

If your square bumper tube is strong (some are thin metal, some are thick enough to mount a bike rack to), then you can bold on a receiver hitch using two of the above u-bolts, which is jsut the square receiving part, or have it welded on.

For bike rack advice stop in at any bike shop. They can show you many varieties and you can even get advice about Rv's if they maybe know or have done RVs a few times.. Bike shop, not us.

kfp673 wrote:
Yes, the pic above is exactly what we have. There is a vertical bar that gets installed allowing things to be secured, but as mentioned, it is still a bunch of bikes and now a bunch of bikes with a bunch of damage. I still have the bolt on receiver hitch piece from my old trailer the I could mount to the bumper but that would then make it so I can't use the rack. I already own the Thule version of what you show above that we use on our other car, but will have to figure out how it could be used along with the rack.

You might have a vertical bar, but that is not enough for bikes.

You need a horizontal bar from the top of the vertical bar.

See the bar I circled in red..



That horizontal bar is what keeps the bikes apart and that part is what is missing from your setup.

Without that horizontal part your bikes are all jumbled together in one massive heap. There is no way they will travel without damage if they are not separated from each other.

You might be able to use "U" bolts to connect your existing Thule rack to the existing vertical bar as a work around..

Like this..



You can find that and many more types and sizes at Lowes or Home Depot.

way2roll wrote:
Since you have a TT, why don't you get a bar for the bed and fork mounts for the bikes? That or a tail gate protector bike hauler.

I have the Yakima Gate keeper and it's super easy to use, but because I have FW I can't use it while towing, but I bet you could with a TT.

Gate Keeper


Fork mount bar

Between my 3 kids and all of my "toys" the bed of the truck is packed! And we have a fiberglass cap! Ha! Definitely no room for bikes other than the 14" bike for my 4 yr boy. But my twin teen girls are riding bikes now similar in size to my wife and I.

Also, thanks to everyone for sharing bike racks. My issue is the storage rack that is on there is from factory and is welded to the frame. It is not a hitch insert, it actually attaches to each side of the frame so that is not going anywhere. Really prefer to use that with some sort of chock or mount of some sort if possible. Thanks again all!

Since you have a TT, why don't you get a bar for the bed and fork mounts for the bikes? That or a tail gate protector bike hauler.

I have the Yakima Gate keeper and it's super easy to use, but because I have FW I can't use it while towing, but I bet you could with a TT.

Gate Keeper


Fork mount bar

Get a bike rack that has the bikes stand up like this one....




I had 3 on the back and 2 on the front in this setup. I got a the front hitch and rack when it was suggested because finding a 5 bike rack was difficult. Getting the 3 bikes on the rear rack which supposedly held 4 was a chore. So if you don't get the above rack, get a front hitch if possible and split them up.

Yes, the pic above is exactly what we have. There is a vertical bar that gets installed allowing things to be secured, but as mentioned, it is still a bunch of bikes and now a bunch of bikes with a bunch of damage. I still have the bolt on receiver hitch piece from my old trailer the I could mount to the bumper but that would then make it so I can't use the rack. I already own the Thule version of what you show above that we use on our other car, but will have to figure out how it could be used along with the rack.