Bumper mount bike rack

To calculate weight added to, or removed from the tongue, you need the distance from center of axles to tongue, and the distance from bikes to center of axles, and the total weight of the bikes, plus carrier, hitch, etc.

For bikes on rear bumper, calculate this way (numbers used for example)-

Tongue to axles distance = 15'
Axles to bikes distance = 10'
Weight of bikes, etc = 200 lbs

10 / 15 x 200 = 133
133 - 200 = -67
200 - -67 = 267

The bikes will remove 67 lbs from the tongue and add 267 lbs to the trailer axles.

For bikes mounted on front of trailer, use this-

Tongue to axles distance = 15'
Tongue to bikes distance = 2'
Weight of bikes, etc = 200 lbs

2 / 15 x 200 = 27
200 - 27 = 173

The bikes will add 173 lbs to the tongue and 27 lbs to the trailer axles.

Hannibal wrote:
Just a FWIW, the average adult cruiser style bike weighs close to 50 lbs. My all aluminum Trek Rumblefish weighs 26 lbs.

Thanks for the correction. I guess I should have said "20 pounds give or take 30 pounds" :) So just his 4 bikes might add 200 lbs.

Just a FWIW, the average adult cruiser style bike weighs close to 50 lbs. My all aluminum Trek Rumblefish weighs 26 lbs.

BadBeans wrote:
Does having the bikes in this position add directly to the tongue weight?!?

Yes. Anything forward of your axles will add something to the tongue weight. And these are within a couple feet of your hitch, so yes they will definitely add to your tongue weight.

BadBeans wrote:
If I have a hitch added to the rear frame then add my bikes in the rear will it only add to the overall trailer weight instead?

It will add to your overall trailer weight and it will decrease your tongue weight. Average bike weighs around 20 pounds give or take. You have four - that's 80 pounds. A solid platform bike rack to hold four bikes will be around 60 pounds. Your hitch will weigh a minimum of 30 pounds. So you are adding 170 pounds to your trailer weight. That will counterbalance and remove some weight from your tongue, but I don't know how much. You'll have to weigh it.

I bolted a 2" Curt receiver tube to my frame. The tube was about $20 on Amazon and I went through a couple of drill bits to get through the tube and frame. I probably have $60 into it but it works great and was an inexpensive solution. I do have to mount my bikes vertically so they don't stick out but my fifth wheel is so tall that's a non-issue. I use a bungee cord to keep them all from swinging around too much. Something to consider anyway.

dewey02 wrote:

BadBeans wrote:
Wow, thanks for the write up dewey02. I was very interested in this thread because I want to add rack for 4 bicycles for the family to the trailer. I may not be able to use your idea because I need something for 4 bikes, but I think this will be better than a rear hitch option.

Any negatives that I'm not thinking of for a forward mounted system?

The best part is that, unlike a rear mount, your bikes are ALWAYS in view, and they ride gently...very little bouncing on a tongue mount.
The trailer tray is probably big enough to hold a bike rack for four bikes. It can hold up to 300 pounds, so physically it can support them. The down side is how much tongue weight you can handle. With your battery or batteries, two full propane tanks and the trailer tray, the bike rack, and four bikes all on the tongue, you might be exceeding your tongue weight which should be 10 to 15 percent of your trailer's total weight.

Does having the bikes in this position add directly to the tongue weight?!? I am already trying to keep the tongue weight down because my tow vehicle is only a Toyota Tundra, which can pull 9500# but has only 1400# payload capacity. If I have a hitch added to the rear frame then add my bikes in the rear will it only add to the overall trailer weight instead? If so, then this may be my only option because I need to keep my tongue weight down. My truck is already carrying the family and kayaks. Thanks!

BadBeans wrote:
Wow, thanks for the write up dewey02. I was very interested in this thread because I want to add rack for 4 bicycles for the family to the trailer. I may not be able to use your idea because I need something for 4 bikes, but I think this will be better than a rear hitch option.

Any negatives that I'm not thinking of for a forward mounted system?

The best part is that, unlike a rear mount, your bikes are ALWAYS in view, and they ride gently...very little bouncing on a tongue mount.
The trailer tray is probably big enough to hold a bike rack for four bikes. It can hold up to 300 pounds, so physically it can support them. The down side is how much tongue weight you can handle. With your battery or batteries, two full propane tanks and the trailer tray, the bike rack, and four bikes all on the tongue, you might be exceeding your tongue weight which should be 10 to 15 percent of your trailer's total weight.

Wow, thanks for the write up dewey02. I was very interested in this thread because I want to add rack for 4 bicycles for the family to the trailer. I may not be able to use your idea because I need something for 4 bikes, but I think this will be better than a rear hitch option.

Any negatives that I'm not thinking of for a forward mounted system?

Spoiler Alert - this post is off the track since this is NOT a bumper mount. This past weekend, I decided to do a mod that I'd been thinking about for 2 years. I wanted a tongue-mounted bike rack for our two bikes. I'd looked at the Arvika, but it was WAY too expensive. I also looked at the bike bunk, but didn't like the price or the lack of versatility. I finally settled on getting a Stromberg/Carlson Trailer Tray and mounted a Maxx-Haul bike rack onto it. The Trailer Tray was actually cheaper than the Bike Bunk. Total cost for Trailer Tray and Bike rack was about $280. Less than 1/2 the cost of Arvika. I also like the versatility of the Trailer Tray. If not taking the bikes on a trip, I can remove the bike rack by taking out 4 bolts and use the Trailer Tray for anything else. Only bad thing is that I have to remove the top of the trailer tray to remove and refill the propane tanks, but only have to undo 4 bolts to take off the tray. And I just filled the tanks, so they'll be good until it gets real cold again.

The Trailer Tray was under $200 with free shipping from RV Upgrades Link to RVUpgrades

The bike rack was $78 from Amazon. I like the fact that the rack supports the bikes by their wheels and also clamps them at the crossbar. Much better than a hanging rack, in my opinion Link to Amazon MaxxHaul Bike Rack

The bikes are up high, but are fairly easy to load and unload by standing on the pickup's tailgate which puts me pretty level with the bikes.

I bought one of those receiver adapters with the U-bolts and put it on our first trailer. Apparently I tightened it too much and crushed the bumper with our sewer hose inside. I never got that hose back out. I had a hitch welded to the back of the trailer by a professional shop just for our bikes the next time.