Bike Rack Recommendations for a 2013 Chevy Silverado with Lance Camper in the Bed

Question:

We have a new 2013 Chevy HD truck and a older Lance camper. The door opens in the rear of the camper. We had a front mounted bike rack for years but this new truck will not accommodate that rack d/t the large bumper. Our ladder bike rack does not give enough room to open the door with the bikes on the rack. Do you have any bike racks that mount in the rear hitch, that would allow us to enter the camper with the bikes on the rack? Or would a hitch extension work and be safe for 2 bikes? Any suggestions at all? Thank you in advance for any assistance you give us!

asked by: Rose M

Expert Reply:

I do have some recommendations that just might work for you. First, if you have a 2 inch trailer hitch you can use a swinging bike rack. Swinging bike racks will swinging off to the side of the vehicle with the bikes still loaded on the rack. The only issue is if your camper extends beyond the tailgate of the truck a swinging rack would not clear it.

For a swinging rack I like the Thule Apex, # TH9027XT. It measures 12 inches from the center of the hitch pin hole to the back of the upright mast. As you can see in the video I have linked to the right, the rack will swing off to the passenger side of the vehicle allowing access to the rear trunk/hatch or, in your case, the door to the camper.

If there is more than 14 inches from the center of your hitch pin hole back to clear the camper then this option will not work. You mentioned a ladder mount rack. If you are carrying the bikes horizontally on it then they would block the door. But most ladder mount racks are designed to carry the bikes vertically. If you can try that, it may be all you need to do.

The other option is to carry the bikes on the roof of the truck (if the camper does not overhang the truck roof). If this is an option for you then I would need to know the cab style and series (1500, 2500, 3500) of your truck to make some recommendations.

I do not recommend using an extender because it will reduce the tongue weight capacity of the hitch by 50 percent. If the reduced capacity is still high enough for the combined weight of the bike rack and bikes then it will work out fine. Many bike racks, though, cannot be used with extenders and you would need to check the instructions.

expert reply by: Michael H