Will Curt RV Bumper Hitch Clear the Spare Tire Support on RV

Question:

I want to put a hitch on my travel trailers 4inch square bumper. I also want to put a bike carrier on the travel trailer. The hitch I have in mind is the Curt code E-100.and the Bike carrier is the Rola 3 bike rack. My question is will these work will my spare tire which is also on the bumper. The spare tire sticks out 11inch from the face of the bumper. Will the 3 bike carrier stick out far enough or would I need a 4 bike rack? I plan to carry only 3 bikes. I hope I have explained myself well enough and you can answer my question. Thanks for your help.

asked by: Bob G

Helpful Expert Reply:

Curt trailer hitch # E-100 should work great with your travel trailer's 4 inch square bumper with a tongue weight of 350 lbs. However I recommend you check with the trailer manufacture to make sure the bumper can support the weight of a bike rack and bikes.

You can then use a hitch bike rack with enough clearance to work with the spare tire. Since you do not have a hitch yet, you will not be able to measure to see if the Swagman XP 3 will have enough space to clear the spare tire.

For a bike rack you will want one rated for use on the back of trailers. The Rola TX-103 bike rack, which you reference, is not.

I have included a link to all of our 3 bike racks for 2 inch hitch receivers that are rated for the back of an RV or trailer. I recommend the Swagman Dispatch, part # S44FR.

To carry women's bikes or bikes with sharply angled top tubes or step-through frames, using a frame adapter like part # 64005 is recommended. The adapter spans the distance between the seat post and the handle bar gooseneck, and provides a level attachment point to the bike rack so the bike has greater ground clearance and is not carried at an angle.

I have linked to a video review of Curt trailer hitch part # E-100 and the Swagman as well as an FAQ article on bike racks and spare tire clearance for you to check out.