RV-Approved Bike Racks for Use on Travel Trailer

Question:

Currently I am looking to purchase a cargo carrier to put on the bumper of my travel trailer to carry generators, gas cans and various items. In the next year or two we are considering purchasing bikes to take camping. Does this cargo carrier support add ons like a bike mount? Is there a comparable cargo carrier like this that does if the curt unit doesnt?

asked by: George

Expert Reply:

There are cargo carriers that can be fitted with add-on bike carrier accessories. Good for you for trying to plan ahead!

However any item, such as a bike rack or cargo carrier, that will be installed in a hitch that is on the rear of a trailer or motorhome must be specifically rated for that RV application. Regular bike and cargo carriers made for cars cannot be used on RVs. They are not strong enough.

The reason is that the typically longer distance between the rear axle of an RV and the hitch receiver on it means more leverage and more stress will be applied to that hitch. This occurs because that actual load (bike rack or cargo carrier) is further away from the axle. This longer distance acts to increase leverage on the hitch in the same way that sliding a pipe over the end of a tire iron gives you more leverage to loosen a stubborn lug nut.

We have no hitch-mount cargo carriers that are rated for RV use but we DO have bike racks that are approved for use on a trailer or motorhome and all are shown on the linked page. These racks include hitch-mount types like Swagman's E-Spec 2-Bike Platform Rack # S94FR, RV-ladder-mount racks like # LA-102 and others. You might refer to the linked help article for guidance on the best options for your specific trailer and bike styles.

Some vehicles can have a front-mounted trailer hitch installed; this includes many pickup trucks and some SUVs. If you care to tell me your tow vehicle year/make/model/version I can check to see if this option exists. For an example, for the popular 2015 Ford F-150 pickup we have front hitches from Curt and Draw-Tite, parts # C31083 and # 65067 respectively, whose 500-lb vertical load rating means they could certainly handle a loaded cargo carrier and/or bike rack.