Towing a Trailer and Carrying Bikes at the Same Time with a 2012 Toyota RAV4  

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Helpful Expert Reply:

Yes, there are ways to carry bikes and tow a trailer at the same time. First we need to look at the tongue weight capacity of the vehicle. I checked the 2012 Toyota RAV4 owner's manual and for the V6 with tow package the tongue weight capacity of the vehicle is 350 pounds. This is important because the combined weight of the trailer's tongue weight and the weight of the loaded bike rack cannot exceed 350 pounds.

The weight of your 2004 Starcraft 2107 trailer is 1,758 pounds. That would make the tongue weight around 175 pounds or so. That leaves plenty of capacity for bikes! The first thing you will need is a trailer hitch that is rated for at least 350 pounds tongue weight such as # C13149 unless you already have a properly rated hitch.

There are a couple of ways that you can carry bikes and tow a trailer at the same time. First, you could use a towing bike rack such as # S64675. All you would need is a ball to match the coupler on the trailer: # 19256 for a 1-7/8 inch or # 19258 for a 2 inch.

Another option is to use the Curt multipurpose ball mount # D210. You would use the ball mount part to tow the trailer and the receiver part for a bike rack such as # TH934XTR.

Keep in mind that turning radius can be affected when carrying bikes and towing a trailer at the same time. The shortest bikes should be closest to the trailer to help reduce the chance of the bikes making contact with the trailer.

And for a third option you could use the bike bunk, # CC-275, in combination with a bike rack rated for use on a trailer such as the Trailhead, # S63381. But the Bike Bunk has a 100 pound capacity so the combined weight of the bike rack (about 30 pounds) and all the bikes cannot exceed 100 pounds.

expert reply by: Michael H

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