Tilting bike rack, hitch mounted: update, see 4/23 pm post

[profdant139]

About 15 years ago, I bought a tilt-down bike rack that mounts on the drawbar between my truck and my trailer. I can load the bikes on the rack and hitch up the trailer. Not only that, but I can tilt the rack down to gain access to the cargo bed of the truck, while the trailer is still attached.

Unfortunately, nothing lasts forever. The components of my old rack are worn out. And the manufacturer is out of business.

I am having a heck of a time finding a replacement! I don't want a swing-away rack, since the trailer would have to be unhitched for the rack to work. I don't want to put the bikes on the back of the trailer -- the frame of the trailer is not designed for a receiver, and (most significantly) I want to be able to take the bikes on the truck when we leave the trailer.

If there were a roof mounted rack that would magically lift the heavy mountain bikes up onto the roof, that would be acceptable. But I can't find anything like that.

Your collective wisdom is greatly appreciated!! Thanks in advance.

[profdant139]

UPDATE: Campfire Time suggested fabricating a replacement for the worn part. The problem involved a particular part, sort of a cam latch, that just would no longer engage into its slot, and so the bike rack would no longer lock in the upright position.

Pursuing Campfire's idea, I put the bike rack up onto a big work table under a bright light to see exactly which portion of the latch was causing the problem and how a replacement could be fabricated. I was all set to take some measurements for the welding shop.

As I was examining the latch mechanism, I noticed a thin sliver of steel -- almost too small to see -- that had wedged itself into the pivot point of the cam latch. Hmmmm. Maybe that sliver was part of the problem??

There was no way to reach the sliver with tools to cut it or file it -- not even a needle-nose pliers could get at it. But there was a thin hole or slot above the sliver. So I took an old sanding belt and cut off a long strip, about a quarter inch wide, and fed it through the slot. Holding both ends of the strip of sanding belt, I worked it back and forth, the same way you'd polish shoes with a strip of cloth (back in the days when we wore shiny leather shoes -- remember?).

After about fifteen minutes of "sanding," the sliver was worn away. The latch mechanism was freed up. Problem solved (at least for now). There will come a time, fairly soon, that I have to replace the whole bike rack, but not yet.

[profdant139]

campfire, that is a possibility -- but I do not have any welding equipment (and don't know how to weld). I could take the rack to my local welder (I know a good one!) and get an estimate, but I think the repairs would cost more than the price of a new rack. Worth thinking about, though.

[way2roll]

Dual hitch receiver? Used one of these for years with the MH towing a car. Mount the bike rack on the upper receiver.

link

[Campfire_Time]

Is there no possibility of fabricating the worn parts?

[profdant139]

After looking into it, I find that lots of truck camper folks have front racks. I will have to rethink this project . . . .

[profdant139]

camp-n-family, that is a very interesting idea. I will have to take some measurements to see if that works for us. The "drop down" that goes over the drawbar would have to be larger than 2 inches, since the drawbar itself is 2 inches.

And wguss, that idea occurred to me, but notice that there are very, very few vehicles on the road with front bike racks. There must be a reason -- maybe the bikes interfere with visibility?? But I will look into that, too!

[wguss]

Add a receiver to the front of your truck?

[camp-n-family]

Get any drop down rack that suits your needs, remove the draw bar portion and bring it to a welding shop. Have them weld a 2” square tube to the bottom that will slide over your trailer hitch draw bar. You may need a longer draw bar though.

[profdant139]

Mickey, I have considered that option, but the problem is that I want to leave the trailer and take the bikes to the trailhead with the truck. If I mounted the bikes on the trailer, I would then have to remove the bikes, remove the bike rack, install the bike rack on the truck, and then put the bikes on the truck.

That would be such a hassle that we would not even bring the bikes.

With my current rack, the bikes are already on the back of the truck while I am towing the trailer. We then get to a campsite, unhitch the trailer, and drive off with the bikes.

[Mickeyfan0805]

I know there are 2" receiver systems that mount onto the A-frame of the trailer (Swagman?) - and then you can use any drawbar style hitch in both that receiver and the truck. Components can get pricey, and I imagine you'd need to choose the right components to manage clearances, but it's out there.

[Lwiddis]

Look at this from eTrailer.

https://www.etrailer.com/Hitch-Bike-Racks/Swagman/S63360.html