Where to put bikes?

RAMwoodworks wrote:
Just got our new Coachmen Viking 21RD and am of course gonna buy all kinds of accessories. One will be a bike rack. So where do I put them?

Add a back bumper receiver to the trailer?
I've seen multiple horror stories about the bumpers coming off. But hey they make cool brackets to reinforce your bumper. That only leaves getting a good quality hitch rack that'll clear my spare.

4 Square Safety Struts may help with bumper support but do nothing to compensate for unloading the trailer tongue when bikes (and rack) are added to the far rear end of the trailer, particularly with a short trailer such as yours. :(

Over the tanks rack?
These crazy contraptions look rickety as all git out.

Not if you buy quality ...

Arvika Bike Rack Systems

Canadian, not inexpensive, but your bikes will absolutely not move in the slightest. :) Weight will be exactly where it belongs, over the tongue :) - and you can see them. :)

Back when we towed our Spree with a 1/2 ton Silverado I built a bike rack using scrap plywood for the back of the truck - cost was $0 and bikes were absolutely secure. :B



As our boys grew older we no longer took the bikes along, a good thing since I replaced the Silvy with an Avalanche which had a covered cargo compartment and which wasn't long enough for bikes anyway. However, I kept the rack and modified it, hanging it off my garage wall to hold my four fresh water 7 gal Aquatainers between camping trips.



Recently I replaced the Av for towing with a '12 Silverado and can now once again use my $0 bike rack which now modified will accommodate a bike each for my wife and I along with my four fresh water Aqautainers. :B

If I were towing with an SUV instead of a truck with an open cargo bed and wanted to take bikes along for camping I'd unquestionably invest in an Arvika DFX trailer tongue mount bike rack. :B