Looking for recommendations on a two bike rack

[Hemi_Joel]

Hi, I'm looking for recommendations on a bike rack to hold two bicycles to bring them with on road trips. I have a triple slide camper, and the roof access ladder is mounted on the rear slide. I'm not sure that I want to hang the weight of two bicycles on that. So I'm thinking of a receiver hitch mounted bike rack on a hitch extender.

Has anybody got experience with any of these?
Is there any particular brand and model that is best or most suitable for this application?

Anything I should be aware of before I buy something?

Thanks, Joel

[BB_TX]

If you mount them on a rear hitch, be sure to have someone follow you on a short drive to watch them. I have seen some ride very smoothly. And I have seen some bouncing so violently I was wondering how long they would last. Most people don’t know what the bikes are doing unless they have a camera.

[Hemi_Joel]

Do they get very dirty or beat up by rocks and bugs and stuff on the front?

[Slymer]

For two bikes we went with mounting a Class 3 hitch on the front of the truck. Then used a cradle type rack where both wheels of the bikes sit in trays. I really like being able to keep an eye on them while driving. If there is an issue I will see it. Have been doing this about 4 years now without any problems.

https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/sportrack-crest-2-platform-hitch-bike-carrier-0401110p.html#plp

[Grit_dog]

I think I’d hate cleaning 1000s of miles of bugs and road grime off the bikes with a front rack, unless they’re cheap bikes.
Idk if they’re heavy (e bikes) but we used a simple bike rack strapped to the rear ladder on our TC for 2 mountain bikes no problem.
Any ladder that holds my fat @ss will hold a couple 30-40lb bicycles was my justification…

Not as nice as the fancy bike rack type carriers. Required a couple bungee cords and carpet scraps/ towels. But under $100 vs $400-800 for the fancy racks made more sense to me.

[Hemi_Joel]

thanks for the replies so far. They won't fit in the camper. They might fit in the backseat of the pickup. I'd have to check on that.

[Bedlam]

You will want to offset a rear receiver rack far enough back so you can open the slide without off loading the bikes. Have you considered carrying the bikes inside the camper or in the rear of the truck cab?

[mike_kellie]

We have a Thule T2 Pro XTR that fits a 2" receiver. We have a Torklift 48" hitch extension and it clears the rear slide even when extended ( barely). You need to consider the width of your tires for some models and also weight. I believe my rack will also carry most E- bikes, something we never considered.

[enblethen]

I would think about a front receiver on the truck.
Many different styles of receiver bike racks. I would suggest looking at one that swings down making it easier to load. My rigid one on MH sucks!