Bicycle rack conundrum... Continued.

[gregmchugh]

Originally Posted by Mfm

Was this the 19.5 foot Sprinter? Sprinter Agile? Just wondering since that is what I have.

Yes, a regular length, not an agile or an XL...

[gregmchugh]

Originally Posted by Wingeezer

Greg

The straps look like an interesting addition, do you already use them?

I thought the straps might use plasticised metal brackets that would hook over the door edge and was concerned about paint damage or deformation of the door itself.

But from the picture, I assume that the "dumbbell looking thing" on the end of the strap that presumably has foam on the ends gets trapped inside the door to hold the top end of the strap? Looks a good approach

Trust there is nothing on the inside of the door that PW or RT might have added that would become damaged?

My thought, - if I did not buy a really robust make of platform bike carrier that needed no reinforcement - was that I might weld a tie bar or a couple of gusset plates from the rack upright post to a point to the horizontal hitch bar back near the hitch receiver in order to beef up the rack 90degree joint where upright meets horizontal before starting to use the rack.

Have a great trip!

Brian.

Yes, the dumbbell things are foam padded and hang down inside the van and get captured when you pull on the strap after the doors are closed. No issue on any damage or water leaks through the door seal on our 08 Roadtrek RS Adventurous. I use two of the straps from the sides of the two doors in a V connected to the center of the bike rack. I use a Hitchrider Truckee on the Sprinter to carry a regular bike and a recumbent trike both hanging from the Truckee rack.

[kite_rider]

Originally Posted by rclemins

Looks great kite rider. I put a piece of 2 x 4 under the outer swivel when the swing arm is fully extended to take the moment off the van. Feels solid. Also, try flipping your bikes around so the inner bike handle bars are reversed. They will fit the van better, you can fully open the swing arm. You have to switch the support bars on the rack... The bAckstage is super useful. It’s easy to make a cargo rack from it as well...

I may have to use that 2x4 when I load my home built fat ebike on the rack along with another heavy bike. (fat ebike is the one with the red wheels in the picture). Good tip to flip the trays around to move the bars back! Will do.

Please post pics if you make this a cargo rack. I was thinking the same thing yesterday. Only 8 easy to reach bolts to remove the bike trays and then you have a good swinging platform for a box.

Also, for the Promaster owners who have rear parking sensors. Any tips or tricks to turn off the warning buzzer when the rack is in place? I'm thinking I can put in a plug for trailer lights. The system was somehow smart enough to know that I have a trailer attached and not buzz the backup warning when backing up in this case. I don't know if a dummy plug (not connected to anything electrical) would do the trick or not.

[Roadtrek Adventuous RS1]

Originally Posted by Wingeezer

Hi George,

We don't have our Sprinter yet - on order for Sept.

But I have been researching bike racks and initially thought it would be a simple thing, but this thread with comments about possible issues on a 170" WB concern me. (Although I would have thought the biggest issue would be distance from the back axle to the bikes.)

Anyway I briefly looked at the front hitch option as we have carried bikes that way on our last three tow vehicles (al GMC trucks).

Several companies make a front hitch and I may well go that way.

The only issue that concerns me a bit is that the installation is a little more complicated that it was on our trucks.

You need to remove the MB grille and complete bumper assembly . not a big deal, but apart from a few bolts there are quite a few plastic clips and such.

I would be a bit concerned doing this on my own on a brand new vehicle with clor matched painted bumper. I'm reasonably handy, but woudn't want to put the first scratch on the vehicle the way!

I had my dealer contact PW to se if they would install one during
manufacture - nope!

The dealer said they could possibly add one for me but expressed concern about the paint.

I'm still thinking about that route and may see if our local MB dealership - or some local hitch shop that has done this before, would install one for me.

The front hitch worked fine for us on our several previous trucks although on the most recent one - 2500HD diesel - the bike rack wound up being too high and obstructed vision somewhat so I had to cut the rack tube down and reweld it.

Brian.


PS - apart from concerns apparently expressed by some rack manufacturers, I wonder if there have actually been many instances of forum members actually experiencing rack failure on teh rear of a 170WB sprinter ? Would be interesting to know.

Yeah, I just got off the phone with the California Highway Patrol.... they told me if you cannot see over the bicycles in your front windshield... it's illegal.

I don't know about you... but, I seriously doubt that I would have an unobstructed view to the front....

The officer put it this way... he said... you know how we instruct people that the GPS (Garmin devices) that people use on the inside windshield ... we only allow a 5 inch square... in the left hand corner... anything outside of that is NOT allowed.

Go ahead and call the CHP or local office in your area and see what they tell you.. I'm serious.. this is no joke.. I certainly don't want to get cited for something like this..

Yeah... maybe I'll just skip the whole damn thing and rent bicycles where we go.. by the time I spend all the money on the receiver on the front, installation and the rack.. that will buy a lot of rentals.

Oh... and for all of you with the shorter wheelbases... it's not a problem.. only the 170 inch long wheelbases.

While I like the extra room and comfort of a long wheelbase... I never dreamed of running into this issue.. three companies have given me the thumbs down and I see that one person, Gregg, actually had a failure...

Last thing I want is a failure on the road to damage my bicycles or my RS Adventurous.

Good luck.

[rclemins]

Originally Posted by Roadtrek Adventuous RS1

Yeah, I just got off the phone with the California Highway Patrol.... they told me if you cannot see over the bicycles in your front windshield... it's illegal.



I don't know about you... but, I seriously doubt that I would have an unobstructed view to the front....



The officer put it this way... he said... you know how we instruct people that the GPS (Garmin devices) that people use on the inside windshield ... we only allow a 5 inch square... in the left hand corner... anything outside of that is NOT allowed.



Go ahead and call the CHP or local office in your area and see what they tell you.. I'm serious.. this is no joke.. I certainly don't want to get cited for something like this..



Yeah... maybe I'll just skip the whole damn thing and rent bicycles where we go.. by the time I spend all the money on the receiver on the front, installation and the rack.. that will buy a lot of rentals.



Oh... and for all of you with the shorter wheelbases... it's not a problem.. only the 170 inch long wheelbases.



While I like the extra room and comfort of a long wheelbase... I never dreamed of running into this issue.. three companies have given me the thumbs down and I see that one person, Gregg, actually had a failure...



Last thing I want is a failure on the road to damage my bicycles or my RS Adventurous.



Good luck.

Isn’t it the really the length of overhang from rear axle that affects loading on hitch carried weight, such as a bike rack? For example on the sprinter XL? Have you seen any definitive information on the regularlength 170” WB sprinter?, or the regular length 159” WB promaster?. The only site I’ve come across that provides any guidance at all Is kuat which simply refers to “all rv’s“ as being the same, which they are not. What about a 4 door pickup truck? This is not helpful and it creates confusion. I don’t think a 12 passenger van chassis is the same as one of those 30 class C rv’s with several feet of overhang. Highly different kinematics and most importantly methods of receiver attachment.

[<<B-Guy>>]

Originally Posted by Roadtrek Adventuous RS1

Yeah, I just got off the phone with the California Highway Patrol.... they told me if you cannot see over the bicycles in your front windshield... it's illegal.

I don't know about you... but, I seriously doubt that I would have an unobstructed view to the front....

The officer put it this way... he said... you know how we instruct people that the GPS (Garmin devices) that people use on the inside windshield ... we only allow a 5 inch square... in the left hand corner... anything outside of that is NOT allowed.

Go ahead and call the CHP or local office in your area and see what they tell you.. I'm serious.. this is no joke.. I certainly don't want to get cited for something like this..

Yeah... maybe I'll just skip the whole damn thing and rent bicycles where we go.. by the time I spend all the money on the receiver on the front, installation and the rack.. that will buy a lot of rentals.

Oh... and for all of you with the shorter wheelbases... it's not a problem.. only the 170 inch long wheelbases.

While I like the extra room and comfort of a long wheelbase... I never dreamed of running into this issue.. three companies have given me the thumbs down and I see that one person, Gregg, actually had a failure...

Last thing I want is a failure on the road to damage my bicycles or my RS Adventurous.

Good luck.

Certainly you are wisest to do what you are comfortable with. I don't think renting bikes would work for us as we use them too often.

Rather than front mounting, at this point I am more likely to be going with the substantial "Wilco" swing hitch assembly (I have been in touch with them) and a more "Heavy duty" rack as some others are using, rather than the Hitch Rider that failed - even though it is said that Hitch Rider now have added straps to improve performance.

As well, when I buy a rack, I may well weld further angle straps or gussets if I feel the rack could benefit from that (Retired Mech. Eng. - not that that qualifies me as any sort of bike rack expert!).

If I still had concerns lest the rack should fail, I could easily also attach some trailer safety chains so that at least a failed rack stays dragging along behind rather than getting run over by following traffic!

The big issue for racks on the back I believe is distance from hitch to back axle rather than wheel base per se, and I see many RV' s (especially Class C's) with bike racks, and huge rear overhangs compared to the Sprinters! I can see where rack manufacturers could be concerned about RV's


As for front mounted racks, I don't doubt that a diligent "Barney Fife" could cite you for visibility issues and maybe even for obstructing headlights with the wheels - I can only say that over 20 years, many many times we travelled on the interstates alongside police cars and/or had them driving right in front of us and even stop to speak to police officers for information with never had a concern being expressed.

I had always modified our bike rack heights such that I could barely see the tops of the bike seats and handlebar mirrors above the line of our hood - just enough to know that they were still secure.

I would have absolutely no qualms about going that route again on a Sprinter - visibility would be a non-issue.

Thing is, I would need to pull off the MB grill and entire bumper assembly to install the hitch, and I'm not sure I want to do that if their are good alternatives - and I think there are!

Best regards

Brian.

[Mfm]

Originally Posted by Roadtrek Adventuous RS1

Yeah, I just got off the phone with the California Highway Patrol.... they told me if you cannot see over the bicycles in your front windshield... it's illegal.

I don't know about you... but, I seriously doubt that I would have an unobstructed view to the front....

The officer put it this way... he said... you know how we instruct people that the GPS (Garmin devices) that people use on the inside windshield ... we only allow a 5 inch square... in the left hand corner... anything outside of that is NOT allowed.

Go ahead and call the CHP or local office in your area and see what they tell you.. I'm serious.. this is no joke.. I certainly don't want to get cited for something like this..

Yeah... maybe I'll just skip the whole damn thing and rent bicycles where we go.. by the time I spend all the money on the receiver on the front, installation and the rack.. that will buy a lot of rentals.

Oh... and for all of you with the shorter wheelbases... it's not a problem.. only the 170 inch long wheelbases.

While I like the extra room and comfort of a long wheelbase... I never dreamed of running into this issue.. three companies have given me the thumbs down and I see that one person, Gregg, actually had a failure...

Last thing I want is a failure on the road to damage my bicycles or my RS Adventurous.

Good luck.

Have MB Sprinter Agile (short one) and put 2 in receiver on front for bike rack so that I could use the rear receiver for a storage pod.
Works most of the time, but even with the MB front crash button off, the brakes came on twice...not sure why.

[Roadtrek Adventuous RS1]

Originally Posted by Mfm

Have MB Sprinter Agile (short one) and put 2 in receiver on front for bike rack so that I could use the rear receiver for a storage pod.
Works most of the time, but even with the MB front crash button off, the brakes came on twice...not sure why.

Do you have an unobstructed view out the front?

[Mfm]

Originally Posted by Roadtrek Adventuous RS1

Do you have an unobstructed view out the front?

Yes, unobstructed view. Still need to find out why the brakes came on though....anyone have this issue>

[Mfm]

Originally Posted by gregmchugh

Yes, a regular length, not an agile or an XL...

Yes....19.5 foot, Agile RoadTrek

[Roadman987]

The wheel base probaliy has to do with the distance from the rear wheels. Longer distance the more chance of dragging what is hanging off the back. I've seen a few bikes drag on the ground as they leave a parking lot.

[Roadtrek Adventuous RS1]

Originally Posted by Roadman987

The wheel base probaliy has to do with the distance from the rear wheels. Longer distance the more chance of dragging what is hanging off the back. I've seen a few bikes drag on the ground as they leave a parking lot.

Physics and yes.... three manufacturers told me it was ill advised.

[gregmchugh]

Originally Posted by Roadman987

The wheel base probaliy has to do with the distance from the rear wheels. Longer distance the more chance of dragging what is hanging off the back. I've seen a few bikes drag on the ground as they leave a parking lot.

Dragging the lowest point on the ground is an issue but the bike rack failures that are of concern to the rack manufacturers are due to the large vertical oscillations of the rack when it is a long distance from the rear wheels.

[<<B-Guy>>]

Originally Posted by gregmchugh

Dragging the lowest point on the ground is an issue but the bike rack failures that are of concern to the rack manufacturers are due to the large vertical oscillations of the rack when it is a long distance from the rear wheels.

But if you buy a rack designed specifically for RV, use should you not be fine with that on a Sprinter?

From what I have seen, many, if not most RV's - Class C, Class A, and travel trailer have huge overhangs beyond the rearmost axle in comparison to what will be the case on a Sprinter 170" W.B.

Am I missing something important here? Is there something specific about teh wheel base rather than the overhang?

I do have a concern about this subject, as I want to do the right thing! We are awaiting delivery of a 170" WB Pleasure-Way and I would like to install a swing hitch on the back with an RV-approved 2-bike rack for our two bikes that weight about 25 lbs apiece.

My intent was to buy an RV approved bike rack designed for a 2" hitch, not one that is made for a 1-1/4" hitch with a 2 " adapter.

I suppose the alternate would be to carry the bikes up front as I have done with
our last three tow vehicles (We towed a trailer for many years) but as wellas that has served us, I would rather not do that, as installation of the front hitch receiver on the Sprinter entails removing the MB grill and bumper. With my luck I'm sure I'd wind up scratching that nice color-matched bumper assembly in the process!

I do want the swing hitch (Wilco or similar) so as to maintain access to the rear doors.

Appreciate any further advice!

Cheers ....... Brian.

[gregmchugh]

Originally Posted by Wingeezer

But if you buy a rack designed specifically for RV, use should you not be fine with that on a Sprinter?

From what I have seen, many, if not most RV's - Class C, Class A, and travel trailer have huge overhangs beyond the rearmost axle in comparison to what will be the case on a Sprinter 170" W.B.

Am I missing something important here? Is there something specific about teh wheel base rather than the overhang?

I do have a concern about this subject, as I want to do the right thing! We are awaiting delivery of a 170" WB Pleasure-Way and I would like to install a swing hitch on the back with an RV-approved 2-bike rack for our two bikes that weight about 25 lbs apiece.

My intent was to buy an RV approved bike rack designed for a 2" hitch, not one that is made for a 1-1/4" hitch with a 2 " adapter.

I suppose the alternate would be to carry the bikes up front as I have done with
our last three tow vehicles (We towed a trailer for many years) but as wellas that has served us, I would rather not do that, as installation of the front hitch receiver on the Sprinter entails removing the MB grill and bumper. With my luck I'm sure I'd wind up scratching that nice color-matched bumper assembly in the process!

I do want the swing hitch (Wilco or similar) so as to maintain access to the rear doors.

Appreciate any further advice!

Cheers ....... Brian.

Once you have it on the vehicle it is pretty easy to see if you have an issue with large oscillations. If you do, you can always install a couple straps like the ones I linked to before up to the top of the rear doors to support the rack enough to prevent the oscillations.

[Thegengy]

We have a 2018 Plateau FL and our EZ rack works great, we have had no issues. Opening the doors is no issue with rack down or in storage mode. Ours is a 170 wheel base.

[Etzu]

I have to call bull on this. They make class 4 hitches for these and I've seen 170's with motorcycle hitch mounts hauling 500+lb KTMs.

Surely a 30lb bike rack and 50lbs worth of bike should be fine.

I may add a second or third hitch receiver just in case, but I'd do that on any vehicles I was putting a 15k motorcycle on.

[<<B-Guy>>]

Originally Posted by Thegengy

We have a 2018 Plateau FL and our EZ rack works great, we have had no issues. Opening the doors is no issue with rack down or in storage mode. Ours is a 170 wheel base.

Interesting - that is one of the swing hitches I have been thinking about getting, do you find it to be quite substantially made? The other I am looking at is teh Wilco, but it is much more $$!

If I got one I thought of getting one of the heavier duty racks made by Swagman to use with it - one of the ones made just for a 2" receiver rather than a 1-1/4" with an adapter. (Swagman "Dispatch" or Swagman "XC2 RV"

I don't know if it is really necessary, but I was a bit concerned about some of the comments I had read on this thread about bike rack failures.

I will only carry our two bikes that weight 25# each, but possibly may weld a second receiver onto the bike rack to also carry a small light wt. tray that I would make to small bbq rather than have it in the van - I will wait to see if that seems practical or not!

We don't get our "B" until the Fall unfortunately!

Brian ......... Burlington Ont.

[Roadtrek Adventuous RS1]

Originally Posted by Wingeezer

Interesting - that is one of the swing hitches I have been thinking about getting, do you find it to be quite substantially made? The other I am looking at is teh Wilco, but it is much more $$!

If I got one I thought of getting one of the heavier duty racks made by Swagman to use with it - one of the ones made just for a 2" receiver rather than a 1-1/4" with an adapter. (Swagman "Dispatch" or Swagman "XC2 RV"

I don't know if it is really necessary, but I was a bit concerned about some of the comments I had read on this thread about bike rack failures.

I will only carry our two bikes that weight 25# each, but possibly may weld a second receiver onto the bike rack to also carry a small light wt. tray that I would make to small bbq rather than have it in the van - I will wait to see if that seems practical or not!

We don't get our "B" until the Fall unfortunately!

Brian ......... Burlington Ont.

Don't believe me.. I understand.... and appreciate your disbelief.... think of how SURPRISED I was when three companies told me that it wouldn't be advised.... Yakima, Thule just to name some big ones....

Call them yourself and tell them you have a Class B RV... with the 170 inch wheelbase... they make two racks for this and they are NOT swing away models...... SO...if you want to access the rear doors.. you're going to have to remove and reinstall the bike rack every time...pain in the ass.... and while this is off the vehicle... where are you storing the bikes?

Make your own decisions.....if you lose your bicycles or damage your vehicle with a rack failure..... well, it's all on you.....they told me that this was all possible..and they would not warranty the product for use on my RV.....

Yeah.. I know... people still do it anyway... that's what people do... they think...it will never happen to them....

[<<B-Guy>>]

Originally Posted by Roadtrek Adventuous RS1

Don't believe me.. I understand.... and appreciate your disbelief.... think of how SURPRISED I was when three companies told me that it wouldn't be advised.... Yakima, Thule just to name some big ones....

Call them yourself and tell them you have a Class B RV... with the 170 inch wheelbase... they make two racks for this and they are NOT swing away models...... SO...if you want to access the rear doors.. you're going to have to remove and reinstall the bike rack every time...pain in the ass.... and while this is off the vehicle... where are you storing the bikes?

Make your own decisions.....if you lose your bicycles or damage your vehicle with a rack failure..... well, it's all on you.....they told me that this was all possible..and they would not warranty the product for use on my RV.....

Yeah.. I know... people still do it anyway... that's what people do... they think...it will never happen to them....

You can buy swing hitch mechanisms completely separate from the rack, and that is what i will likely in order to buy an HD rack intended for RV use.

Maybe I'll take your advise though and add safety chains!

Brian.