Tongue Mounted Bike Rack?

I have a 1UP and have carried one 55 lb ebike on it with no problem. I've also tried folding it down once. Still way too much trouble trying to get in/out of the galley without busting your shins or other parts of the upper body trying to maneuver around the bike and rack.

When I get to camp the bike and rack comes off and the bike gets locked to a tree, picnic bench, bear box or whatever, for the duration of the stay. Much simpler and easier.
 
A followup:

1) Our bikes-only trip (without TD) was covered admirably by the 1.25" Kuat NV 2.0. The rack is expensive but performs admirably.

2) We are about to embark on a trip with both TD and bikes, for which the above rack won't work. We will use a Kuat Transfer 2.0 with a 2" hitch. It is rated for use on travel trailers, but with a reduced capacity (40# per bike, down from 60# when attached directly to the main vehicle). This configuration meets all weight limits on the TD hitch and the rack. The downsides: extra cost, and not being able to shuttle the bikes around when at a campsite.

We will solve the shuttling problem eventually -- and I would not be surprised if the solution involves not just a hitch upgrade (per JohnC's suggestion), but a new TV, something with greater towing capacity, weight limits (and a 2" receiver).
 
Not to hijack but what does everyone do about protecting the bike from weather?
My last trip was 8 weeks with my bike on top of the 560. No rain but when I got home I noticed the brake rotors and bolt heads had rust. I've looked at bike covers but they say that they dont hold up to highway speed wind
 
Condensation can lead to rust even if there is no rain. Also, any salt from a marine environment or winter road treatment will really complicate the problem.

For my part, I don't use a cover -- if I expect to drive through rain, I favor cheap disposable plastic (saran wrap, baggies, etc) to protect the most sensitive parts of the bike. Rubber bands/bungees/tape to secure the plastic against the bike. It is easy to monitor and reapply if the plastic gets damaged. My mountain biking friends apply specialized coatings in various places -- I haven't had to do that and don't know which ones they favor for different uses.
 
Turnip936 said:
Condensation can lead to rust even if there is no rain. Also, any salt from a marine environment or winter road treatment will really complicate the problem.

For my part, I don't use a cover -- if I expect to drive through rain, I favor cheap disposable plastic (saran wrap, baggies, etc) to protect the most sensitive parts of the bike. Rubber bands/bungees/tape to secure the plastic against the bike. It is easy to monitor and reapply if the plastic gets damaged. My mountain biking friends apply specialized coatings in various places -- I haven't had to do that and don't know which ones they favor for different uses.
Click to expand...
The worst area was the brake rotors. Idk what you could put on as a coating that wouldnt affect the stopping power.
 
Turnip936 said:
A followup:

1) Our bikes-only trip (without TD) was covered admirably by the 1.25" Kuat NV 2.0. The rack is expensive but performs admirably.

2) We are about to embark on a trip with both TD and bikes, for which the above rack won't work. We will use a Kuat Transfer 2.0 with a 2" hitch. It is rated for use on travel trailers, but with a reduced capacity (40# per bike, down from 60# when attached directly to the main vehicle). This configuration meets all weight limits on the TD hitch and the rack. The downsides: extra cost, and not being able to shuttle the bikes around when at a campsite.

We will solve the shuttling problem eventually -- and I would not be surprised if the solution involves not just a hitch upgrade (per JohnC's suggestion), but a new TV, something with greater towing capacity, weight limits (and a 2" receiver).
Click to expand...
There are a couple posts here about using a combo hitch on TV, that the CI attaches at bottom and elevates another receiver high enough thatt the rack and bike clear the trailer and propane tank, if careful on turns...

Have you seen those?
Pretty nifty but all depends on your TV, do you need access in back, how, etc.
 
The Postman said:
There are a couple posts here about using a combo hitch on TV, that the CI attaches at bottom and elevates another receiver high enough thatt the rack and bike clear the trailer and propane tank, if careful on turns...

Have you seen those?
Pretty nifty but all depends on your TV, do you need access in back, how, etc.
Click to expand...
Yes, the arrangement is sensible, but not a solution for our TV, which has a tongue limit of 220#, most of which is devoted to the CI.
 
The Postman said:
There are a couple posts here about using a combo hitch on TV, that the CI attaches at bottom and elevates another receiver high enough thatt the rack and bike clear the trailer and propane tank, if careful on turns...

Have you seen those?
Pretty nifty but all depends on your TV, do you need access in back, how, etc.
Click to expand...
That's what I have gone to with the new truck. I wanted to get the bikes off the back of the TD so we could more easily get into the galley on the road, so I got the dual hitch extension so I could put them between the truck and camper.

The rack we have has the oval loops that the bike tires sit in, that can be adjusted for the length of the bike. I found that the square bar that the ovals are mounted to were coming close to contacting the TD when turning sharp, so I ended up shortening them so that they still had some length adjustment, but took about 6 inches off each end, which was enough to let them clear everything. I was able to take my Lectric bike to Oshkosh using that setup, and it worked well, allowing the tailgate to be dropped (but not the tailgate flexgate step). I was able to carry everything that we used to put into the cabin, into the truck bed instead, making the TD cabin accessible for rest stops en-route if desired, or if pulling into a campsite late in the day.
Here's what I ended up getting : https://www.amazon.com/dp/B081TTNSX4?ref=fed_asin_title&th=1
Unfortunately, I didn't get a pic of it setup on the truck during the trip. One thing of note was that the TD tongue jack handle wasn't usable with the bike in place however.
 
dustinp said:
That's what I have gone to with the new truck. One thing of note was that the TD tongue jack handle wasn't usable with the bike in place however.
Click to expand...
That's the 1 thing that led me to our current setup with the Patriot Hitch. But the cost then was nowhere close to what it is now.
 
dustinp said:
That's what I have gone to with the new truck. I wanted to get the bikes off the back of the TD so we could more easily get into the galley on the road, so I got the dual hitch extension so I could put them between the truck and camper.

The rack we have has the oval loops that the bike tires sit in, that can be adjusted for the length of the bike. I found that the square bar that the ovals are mounted to were coming close to contacting the TD when turning sharp, so I ended up shortening them so that they still had some length adjustment, but took about 6 inches off each end, which was enough to let them clear everything. I was able to take my Lectric bike to Oshkosh using that setup, and it worked well, allowing the tailgate to be dropped (but not the tailgate flexgate step). I was able to carry everything that we used to put into the cabin, into the truck bed instead, making the TD cabin accessible for rest stops en-route if desired, or if pulling into a campsite late in the day.
Here's what I ended up getting : https://www.amazon.com/dp/B081TTNSX4?ref=fed_asin_title&th=1
Unfortunately, I didn't get a pic of it setup on the truck during the trip. One thing of note was that the TD tongue jack handle wasn't usable with the bike in place however.
Click to expand...
Thanks, @dustinp and @Ken & Peggy

Be interested in a couple pics on new truck and older with trailer at full max turn radius as limited by bike/rack to propane tank.

Nice thing about Amazon link you provided its so inexpensive one could just experiment, and even return if it doesnt fit.
 
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The Postman said:
Thanks, @dustinp and @Ken & Peggy

Be interested in a couple pics on new truck and older with trailer at full max turn radius as limited by bike/rack to propane tank.

Nice thing about Amazon link you provided its so inexpensive one could just experiment, and even return if it doesnt fit.
Click to expand...
I'll try to remember to take some pics the next time I have everything hooked up on the new truck. The old was a VW Passat TDI, and the bike rack was on the back of the TD with that vehicle, and a dual extension hitch would not have worked on that TV due to the TV tongue weight limit.
 
dustinp said:
I'll try to remember to take some pics the next time I have everything hooked up on the new truck. The old was a VW Passat TDI, and the bike rack was on the back of the TD with that vehicle, and a dual extension hitch would not have worked on that TV due to the TV tongue weight limit.
Click to expand...
Yep. Thats my limitation too. My VW Alltrack has an Ecohitch 2" on back with a 350# tw limit (3500# gtw)
that I could "maybe" get away with a dual hitch, BUT I tend to be conservative.

The Alltrack is similar to older Subarus so hoisting bikes another foot up into the air over roof costs drag and mpg, and wind wear on the bike.
View attachment 1786903041317.jpeg
So I'm like @JohnC - my single leg powered commuter bike the rides in back of CI on a 1up, no cover. Thats worked pretty well on a 6000 mile trip, and two lightweight commuters or MTBs are within the CI hitch limits with 1up aluminum rack.

That 1up also worked on a couple shorter trips both on CI or rear of TV down bumpy roads. The 1up can be folded down 45% out of the way to open galley, or to ground, with bike on or off, and folded at 45 bike off makes a handy place to park a cooler, BUT like @JohnC notes its sort of a tight squeeze to slide in to cook, between the CI bumper and the 1up, and easy to bark shins.

Too much of a PITA for more than an overnighter, or parked at a truckstop, wally world...for longer easier access Just simple to pull the 1Up off and stash it on the TV hitch once you get to destination, locked there or to carry bike to the attractions.

I think when lightweight ebikes made on MTB frames come down in price I could carry two no problem. Just take the removable batteries off and recharge in the TV, connected to a couple folder solar panels...or recharged slowly by TV running.

or
possibly in the CI plugged in somewhere if you have the solar roof/CTEK alternator combo and Lion battree, while going down the road to next place.

I would do like @Turnip936 suggests, frequent chain lubes and bungee on plastic bags to protect sensitive parts as it does get dried out in the sun and wind faster.

Because the 1up is far aft of moment arm, and the CI hitch while well made and supported, its still NOT as burly or as protected a connection as an integral 2" on a BOF truck, van, or larger SUV, or the factory integral hitch points on newer unibodies.

So I wont put on a bike cover. That extra windage IMV might catch a gust of wind or wind blast off a passing semi and
setup a yaw moment at speed.

You could ask Cary about how much to reduce weight limit as adding an extension to the hitch point. He commented on that on a 2011 post here, somewhere.View attachment IMG_3911.jpeg
 
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[Reposted including images]

Here is a quick report on how things went with a recent CI-with-bikes trip:

The layout:
1. A lightweight e-bike on a tongue-mounted Bikewing Y-rack. This adds about almost the full weight of the bike (40 lb) to the tongue weight.
2. Offsetting that is the (2" hitch, trailer-rated) Kuat Transfer v2 rack, extending from the back of CI. When fully loaded, this offsets approximately almost half of the tongue weight that was added above. The net result: +140 pounds total and +25 lb to the tongue weight (measured at 165 lb fully loaded). All weights were safe for this setup.
3. Inexpensive DIY water-protection for the bikes consisting of polyethylene plastic wrap and blue painter's tape.

View attachment 1791055027461.png

Performance on the (paved) road was solid mechanically. Both racks seem very solid. We were careful when crossing railroad tracks and speed bumps, and did not venture onto unpaved roads. I did notice a drop off in aerodynamics (instead of taking a -40% hit to our fuel efficiency it was more like -50%).

Some details for those contemplating this setup (and especially also for those in this thread who raised the question about performance in the rain). You can see the blue tape and plastic wrap wround the handlebars and some key electrical components. This was to provide some protection from rain/water at highway speeds, and we did encounter some. Not everything is wrapped (most important are the electronics ports, the drivetrain, and the disc brakes (which I neglected to wrap, but was careful to dry as soon as we got to our destination). My wrapping technique was amateur and slow the first time I tried to do it. I got much better the 2nd and 3rd times, getting the time down to about 30 min per bike.

We figured out that it was a good idea to mount the Y-rack slightly rotated, to avoid interference between the Y-rack and the jack handle. This paid huge dividends when we once had to unhitch unexpectedly to maneuver our TV (it's electric) at a Tesla charging station. The rotation also has the benefit of getting more clearance between the frontmost handlebar and the hatch of the tow vehicle.

View attachment 1791055051341.png

Finally, I added a foam-plastic spacer around the pedal closes to the front of the CI. This guards against damage to the front of the CI in case of a large bounce. In this picture the handlebars have not yet been wrapped.
View attachment 1791055075878.png

We drove through rain several times, and managed to come out the other side with no water damage to the bikes. Some of the Saran wrap around the handlebars was shredded by the wind, a better tape job would have helped.
 
Turnip936 said:
[Reposted including images]

Here is a quick report on how things went with a recent CI-with-bikes trip:

The layout:
1. A lightweight e-bike on a tongue-mounted Bikewing Y-rack. This adds about almost the full weight of the bike (40 lb) to the tongue weight.
2. Offsetting that is the (2" hitch, trailer-rated) Kuat Transfer v2 rack, extending from the back of CI. When fully loaded, this offsets approximately almost half of the tongue weight that was added above. The net result: +140 pounds total and +25 lb to the tongue weight (measured at 165 lb fully loaded). All weights were safe for this setup.
3. Inexpensive DIY water-protection for the bikes consisting of polyethylene plastic wrap and blue painter's tape.

View attachment 13489

Performance on the (paved) road was solid mechanically. Both racks seem very solid. We were careful when crossing railroad tracks and speed bumps, and did not venture onto unpaved roads. I did notice a drop off in aerodynamics (instead of taking a -40% hit to our fuel efficiency it was more like -50%).

Some details for those contemplating this setup (and especially also for those in this thread who raised the question about performance in the rain). You can see the blue tape and plastic wrap wround the handlebars and some key electrical components. This was to provide some protection from rain/water at highway speeds, and we did encounter some. Not everything is wrapped (most important are the electronics ports, the drivetrain, and the disc brakes (which I neglected to wrap, but was careful to dry as soon as we got to our destination). My wrapping technique was amateur and slow the first time I tried to do it. I got much better the 2nd and 3rd times, getting the time down to about 30 min per bike.

We figured out that it was a good idea to mount the Y-rack slightly rotated, to avoid interference between the Y-rack and the jack handle. This paid huge dividends when we once had to unhitch unexpectedly to maneuver our TV (it's electric) at a Tesla charging station. The rotation also has the benefit of getting more clearance between the frontmost handlebar and the hatch of the tow vehicle.

View attachment 13490

Finally, I added a foam-plastic spacer around the pedal closes to the front of the CI. This guards against damage to the front of the CI in case of a large bounce. In this picture the handlebars have not yet been wrapped.
View attachment 13491

We drove through rain several times, and managed to come out the other side with no water damage to the bikes. Some of the Saran wrap around the handlebars was shredded by the wind, a better tape job would have helped.
Click to expand...
Excellent writeup and pics thanks!
 
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