Can I Carry My Bikes on the Front of My 2016 Ford F-250  

Question:

Expert Reply:

I'll start this out by saying that any time you use a front mounted hitch like the Curt # C31018 to carry bikes on the front of your vehicle, there will potentially be issues where the bikes might obstruct the vision at the front of your vehicle. Sometimes it's manageable, but it oftentimes depends on the vehicle and where the front mounted hitch sits.

The Hollywood Racks # HR200Z is a good choice for carrying bikes on the front of your vehicle since it's a platform rack and it will keep the bikes lower. With that said, I can help you find out how much of the bikes you're carrying are going to stick up above the hood and potentially obstruct vision. The HR200Z has a 5" rise on the shank, so you'll want to measure from the top of your front hitch up 5" to see where the tires of the bike are going to sit. You'll then want to measure your tallest bike and measure that distance up the front of the truck to see where the handlebars and cross tube of the bike is going to sit in relation to the hood. If you've got only a few inches above the hood, you may be able to make this work.

The other solution would be to install a hitch receiver like the Ultra-Fab # UF35-946403 on the back of your trailer. This hitch will install on trailers with frames between 47" and 77" wide and will provide you with a 2" receiver that is capable of carrying a bike rack. Carrying a bike rack on the back of a 5th wheel trailer does require a bike rack that is rated sturdy enough to be carried at the rear of a 5th wheel trailer, which the Hollywood Racks # HR200Z is not. Instead, I recommend using the Yakima LongHaul RV Bike Rack # Y02476 since it is rated to be carried on the back of a 5th wheel trailer.

I've linked a road course review of the Thule bike rack below for you to see how sturdy it is on the back of a large vehicle like your 5th wheel trailer.

expert reply by: Erik B

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