Carrying Bikes While Towing a Pop-Up Camper Trailer
Though your vehicle's trailer hitch is occupied while towing your pop-up camper, there are other ways to carry the bikes to make sure they can come along as well. Camping in a pop-up allows you to be closer to nature than a travel trailer or 5th wheel, so it's important to make sure your gear that helps you get out into nature gets to make the trip.How Can I Carry My Bikes?
When looking for a hitch bike rack to mount on a trailer, it is important to make sure the bike rack is approved by the manufacturer for RV/trailer use. This is to ensure that the rack can stand up to the force exerted on it at the back of the trailer. Hitch mounted racks are available to carry up to 4 bikes at the back of the camper. The biggest benefit to using a hitch mount bike rack is that it can then also be used on the tow vehicle when the trailer isn't attached. After setting up the trailer at the campsite, a hitch bike rack can be transferred to the truck and the bikes can be driven to the trailhead.
Need a trailer hitch?There are a couple of options when it comes to choosing a trailer hitch receiver for a camper trailer. The hitch receiver can either be mounted to the trailer bumper or installed on the trailer frame. The durability of the trailer bumper and the width of the frame are factors that will determine which hitch type is best suited for your camper. If the bumper is not designed to carry additional weight or it is not reinforced, a frame mount hitch receiver is the way to go. A bumper mounted receiver typically requires a continuous welded steel bumper, most often measuring 4 inches x 4 inches.
Front Mount Hitch Bike RackIf the tow vehicle has a front mount hitch, a standard hitch mount bike rack can be used to carry bikes on the front of the tow vehicle. Some people prefer to carry bikes on the front of the vehicle so the bikes can stay in view from the driver's seat. The things to keep in mind when carrying bikes on the front of the vehicle are to make sure the bikes won't block the headlights when driving at night and to make sure the airflow to the radiator isn't limited by the bikes. When not towing your camper, a hitch bike rack can be carried in the rear hitch of the vehicle to take the bikes to the trailhead.
Tow Vehicle Roof Bike Rack
A roof rack allows bikes to be carried on the roof of the tow vehicle. Much like hitch racks, a roof rack will also allow the transportation of bikes when not towing a trailer. Roof mount racks are a great solution when a variety of bikes are coming along on the trip. With a roof rack, each bike can have the best style rack for the bike's style. One thing to keep in mind when carrying bikes on your tow vehicle's roof is the height of your vehicle. The height of the newer model pickup trucks can present a challenge in mounting the bike racks. To help reach the top of your tow vehicle, consider running boards, a tire step, or a step stool can be helpful.
Towing Bike Rack
Another way to carry bikes between the tow vehicle and the trailer is to use a bike rack that mounts onto the ball mount. These style bike racks have either a built-in ball mount or will mount around a 2 inch ball mount shank. These bike racks are available in both hanging and platform style bike racks and are made to accommodate from 2 to 4 bikes. Keep in mind however, with 3 or more bikes on this style rack turning clearance could be limited.
Truck Bed Bike Rack
When towing with a pickup truck another option for carrying your bikes is in the pickup bed. There are a number of different options to carrying bikes in the truck bed, such as fork mount racks, frame mount racks, wheel mount racks, and tailgate pads. Between these bike rack options, there is a rack to fit nearly every bike and every truck bed.
Tongue Mount Bike Rack
Tongue mount bike racks like the Stromberg Carlson Bike Bunk are another option for A-frame trailers. Although the weight capacity on these racks is limited, tongue mount bike racks keep your bikes within sight without blocking the view out your windshield. Some tongue mount racks install around the A-frame of the trailer, while others, like the Jack-It, mount to the A-frame jack. Make sure to check the specs on both your bike rack and your camper to make sure they are compatible with one another.
Camper Roof Bike Rack
Some pop-up campers come with a roof mounting system installed from the factory. For those that don't, an aftermarket roof rack can be added. A standard roof mounted bike rack works well on top of the pop-up to bring along everyone's bikes. Carrying the bikes on top of the pop-up works well to keep the overall height of setup lower than if the bikes were on top of the tow vehicle. Carrying the bikes on the pop-up also helps reduce the wind drag from the bikes because they are behind the tow vehicle. Typically the roof of the pop-up is lower than the roof of the tow vehicle, making it easier to load the bikes.
The Curt Clamp-On 3 Bike Rack for 2" Ball Mounts - Towing #C18013 has a weight capacity of 135 lbs and doesn't give a specific individual bike weight maximum. This will work with an electric bike. If you can send me a photo of your…
According to Ultra-Fab, trailer hitch #UF35-946403 measures approximately 7-1/2 inches from the L-shaped mounting brackets to the face of the receiver. The receiver is welded to the bottom of the cross tube which is 2 inch hollow steel for the…
Do you by any chance mean 235/80-16 and 235/85-16? Because there isn't a 275 trailer tire size that I have seen. If so then the widths are the same between the two 235 sizes. The difference is overall diameter. The 235/80-16 is 30.9 inches…
Your math is correct in your trailer weight load example. If a fully-loaded tandem axle trailer weighs 4000-lbs then each of the 4 tires will bear 1/4th of that load, or 1000-lbs. In this case a tire rated for 1300-lbs would provide a good safety…
If you were wanting to just plug in your current 7-Way on your popup to a 7-Way that is connected to your auxiliary battery then you could install the Hopkins #HM47210 on your trailer. Then you would need to ground the white wire to a clean,…
Your 2020 Chevy Traverse is prewired for a brake controller. Instead of a connector, there are 4 blunt cut tow package wires located under the dash below and behind where the headlight switch is located. These wires will directly connect with the…
The Trailer Bumper Hitch Receiver, part #E-100, can be used on a pop-up camper with up to a 4 inch square bumper. However, you cannot exceed the limits of your camper bumper. The bumper towing and tongue capacities may be indicated on the bumper…
For the tracks you have on the roof of your 2004 Coleman Fleetwood trailer we have roof racks like the #Y02-490B-NT which would fit and work great. This will fit into the tracks with the included hardware and give you a 59 inch long set of aero bars.…
I did some research on your 2008 Fleetwood Niagara Pop Up Camper and it appears that most of the major roof rack manufacturers (Thule/Yakima/Rhino-Rack) have systems that will work with the factory tracks you have on the roof of your popup camper.…
You were on the right track with the Thule TracRac CapRac Ladder Rack for Camper Shell/Truck Cap #TH29200XT. The Leer 122 High Rise camper shell really isn't ideal for mounting a roof rack, because of the odd shape taking away probably 2 feet of…
First, thank you for your service! Unfortunately we don't offer a discount simply because we try to give all of our customers the lowest possible price at any given time. For your 2020 Chevy Traverse I recommend the RedArc Tow Pro Elite #RED44FR…
I may have a solution for you, however we do not have a bumper mount hitch receiver available that is designed to fit the 4-1/4 x 1-3/4 inch bumper on your camper. It's also very possible that the bumper on your Fleetwood Cheyenne Pop-Up Camper…