Born Free Leap'n Lions RV Club Info & Discussion Forum

I tow a travel trailer with my moho. We have recently converted to recumbent bikes. Taking the bikes along was a challenge, so I decided to fabricate a bike rack. It took about $60 in materials not counting the original Yakima mounting accessories I've had for twenty years. Since we tow, a hitch mount rack wasn't an option, and $800 for a commercial solution seemed a little steep anyway. Here's what I came up with:











It mounts to the frame rails and to the luggage rack at the top for stability. It weighs maybe ten pounds and seems to be sturdy. I'm headed out with it to the east coast this week, so we'll see if I'm as smart as I thougt I was!

Roger

Very interesting! Carrying 'bents are always a challenge. How did you connect the bars to each other? It look like U bolts a the top section of the racks. I am guessing the bikes and the rack weigh less than 75 pounds. Do you need to subtract that from your hitch tongue weight?

The bars are through-bolted with 3" grade 2 bolts and nylock nuts, except for the support bars for the forks. They needed to be adjustable up and down, and since the fork skewer holds the fork straight and doesn't let the strut rotate around the vertical support anyway, the U bolts seemed like a good option.

Chris, on the tongue weight... the answer is yes. Well, no. Ummm... maybe.

Actually, I had the frame heavily reinforced by a frame shop so that I could tow my Bigfoot 25RQ travel trailer with the moho. It probably has an 8k or 9k rating now with a thousand pound tonge weight rating, and I use a Reese dual-cam hitch. I had a custom draw bar fabricated to fit the long Born Free tube setup on my '01. In hindsight, it'd probably have been just as easy at essentially the same cost to have a class IV hitch installed, but this works.

This rack actually mounts to the frame well ahead of the hitch setup.

So, I don't think the 75 or so pounds this'll add would really have much effect on the tow setup. The other thing is that this will only be used when I'm NOT towing the trailer, so for me, it's kind of a moot issue anyway. When I have the trailer in tow, the bikes will be inside it. They're more secure, cleaner, and out of the weather when they're in the Bigfoot. This rack is just for use while we're exploring when the trailer is parked somewhere.

Roger

Roger;

Very interesting and unique setup.

Where in the East are you heading?

John

Thanks, John.

We're headed for Charleston SC and then Tappahannock VA to see family, and then up to DC for a medical conference that my wife will be attending. I'll just be a tourist.

Roger

Two questions:
1. Where do you carry the two front wheels?
2. Where your verticle support appears to rest on the rear bumper, will this rub?
Jim

Two questions:
1. Where do you carry the two front wheels?
2. Where your verticle support appears to rest on the rear bumper, will this rub?
Jim

Jim Hofmann wrote:Two questions:
1. Where do you carry the two front wheels?
2. Where your verticle support appears to rest on the rear bumper, will this rub?
Jim

Jim,

1) any where you want. I'll carry them inside the coach.

2) the pole shouldn't cause rub issues. it doesn't move, and there's a nylon cap on the end of the pole.

Roger