cboyd
GOLD Star
That, and they were on the way home from North California (sort of). Side benefit is that I get to go back and pick it up and head back a little west to CruiserFest (nice how that worked out!)
Hitch mount bike rack and slee bumper w/ swingout (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter ckkone
- Start date
This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.
That, and they were on the way home from North California (sort of). Side benefit is that I get to go back and pick it up and head back a little west to CruiserFest (nice how that worked out!)
So how did this end up? Pics? I'm trying to figure the same thing out... Thule T2 combined with swingout(s) so that they can actually open w/ the rack installed.
Any extension will make it work. The Kuat racks are very well made and my current choice.
cboyd
GOLD Star
I did two things:
1) for one bike, I use a fork mount and vertically mount on there Slee Swingout Ladder. somewhere I posted a pic on Mud.
2) for two bikes, I replaced the T2 hitch main support bar coming from the hitch and had a local fab shop make a square tube of the same dimension, so it comes out further out of the swing radius of the tire swing-out and move the T2 bike mounts to it. it isn't optimal…
most of the time, I put the T2 as-is on my AT Chaser trailer and it's fine for family trips.
I'm still looking for a solution similar to what Sportsmobile does with the T2 above an external storage box on the Aluminess Bumper. For a few reasons I have been thinking about getting an external box for the Slee ladder, and then will weld a receiver box into the side of it facing the center. It will have some other brace that goes over to the spare tire to support some of the lateral weight.
Cool, thank you. Good food for thought there, and i had not seen the SMB box/rack setup before. Cheers!
fireball
SILVER Star
Cboyd - if you mount the T2 directly to the hitch will it drop down low enough to allow you to open the swingout?
cboyd
GOLD Star
I have a Slee bumper, and if I use the standard T2, no I cannot open the swing out, even by dropping the level to tilt back. the Spare swing out hits the hinge mechanism on the T2. Which is why I got the other tube mount, which doesn't have a hinge and comes straight out. I just move the bike attachments between the new tube and the original T2 mount. The only thing I need to do is get a nut welded in like Thule does, so I can thread the pin in -- that system hold the bikes quite securely. I get a bit of side to side bounce without it. its actually quite understated how well that works and actually how complicated it is to weld in the factory. I've bent my brain trying to figure a clear way to do it, but I'm not a welder either!
aaronrules
Coolest person you know!
I bolted a fork mount to the top of my ladder. That was easy. The next part is to bring a brace of the ladder towards the middle for another fork mount. Then I plan on making another brace off the spare tire mount and putting another fork mount on that. Three bikes AND the swing arms will still work. The only that sucks is that each bike will need to be strapped down on the bottom part to keep them from flopping all over that place. I will take pics later of what I have done so far.
This is my plan, but I'm afraid it might not work with a tire swingout.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001EP0HA8/?tag=ihco-20
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001EP0HA8/?tag=ihco-20
Hey guys, I'm going to open this back up because I suffer from OCD in that a solution that works could always be better.
http://rakattach.com/rakattach-galleries/
Walter, the owner says it wont work with a Slee bumper. The cool thing about this is it is an attachment not a rack. You can use your existing rack with it. I have a Slee rear with dual swings AND jerry can rack. Walter, the owner, says it will not work with a Slee rear swing. Dare I say I'm considering buying one and then having my local welding shop put a drop offset on it to lower it below the swing. I might even consider designing my own and having fabbed up. Probably not many people interested in this but I plan to drive this beast around with bikes and Id rather have them on the back out of the wind than on the roof.
Has anyone tried the rackattach on the Slee dual????
http://rakattach.com/rakattach-galleries/
Walter, the owner says it wont work with a Slee bumper. The cool thing about this is it is an attachment not a rack. You can use your existing rack with it. I have a Slee rear with dual swings AND jerry can rack. Walter, the owner, says it will not work with a Slee rear swing. Dare I say I'm considering buying one and then having my local welding shop put a drop offset on it to lower it below the swing. I might even consider designing my own and having fabbed up. Probably not many people interested in this but I plan to drive this beast around with bikes and Id rather have them on the back out of the wind than on the roof.
Has anyone tried the rackattach on the Slee dual????
@Josey1972 I like where your head is at! I would definitely, be interested in this as well. I am wondering if you did reverse it, and have it lower than the swing out, would it clear the huge Spare tire on the actual swing out? Or maybe you just lose the first bike spot?
I have not tried the rackattach, but looking at their gallery, it doesn't appear that your tire swingout would be able to fully open due to contacting the bike, meaning you couldn't drop the tail gate.
I have been going through the same dilemma recently.
What I ended up going with was 1up USA's heavy duty dual rack. I can fit two bikes on there with no issues, however I do loose the Slee swingout functionality (currently). To remedy this, I just bought a 2" drop receiver extension so that I can fold the rack down and still be able to swing out the tire/ladder, then drop the tail gate to change shoes and drink beer after a ride.
Using only the rack, no extension, I can fit my mountain bike on there without contacting the spare tire (the pedal fits between the center of my spare tire). I just don't slide the receiver portion of my rack fully into the hitch.
Here is a pic.
I have been going through the same dilemma recently.
What I ended up going with was 1up USA's heavy duty dual rack. I can fit two bikes on there with no issues, however I do loose the Slee swingout functionality (currently). To remedy this, I just bought a 2" drop receiver extension so that I can fold the rack down and still be able to swing out the tire/ladder, then drop the tail gate to change shoes and drink beer after a ride.
Using only the rack, no extension, I can fit my mountain bike on there without contacting the spare tire (the pedal fits between the center of my spare tire). I just don't slide the receiver portion of my rack fully into the hitch.
Here is a pic.
I think if I put an extension where my existing rack attaches to the rack attach might do it. If I do buy one I may just cut it up and reuse the hinge to make it work. I will check out your set up. I'm moving up to 35's so it may get more difficult.
I'm thinking there's two issues. 1. The tire swing out will contact the rack attach on the way out. 2. It probably doesn't extend far enough out for the tire not to hit it. But if you lower where it fastens to the truck it may eliminate both problems. Probably have to suck up the cost to buy one and just see.
Oh man, I know, I'm right there with you. I have been using my RockyMounts roof trays for years, but got tired of having to step up on the sliders to add/remove bikes every time, especially after long fatiguing rides like the Monarch Crest or Whole Enchie.
I wanted something with high clearance so I wouldn't drag on the way to and from campsites and something strong and quality so I could replace parts if it broke.
I looked at them all it seemed; RockyMounts new hitch rack, North Shore, Thule, Yak, Kuat, but I kept coming back to 1up and I'm really glad I did. Doesn't wiggle at all in the receiver either, definitely worth every penny.
Just got my 1up Quick rack yesterday. Came assembled, took it out of the box, threw it on my LX470 and immediately fell in love with the way it fits, holds the bikes and looks bad ass. Went black for my gray 470. Has lots of clearance and I'm looking forward to seeing how it hangs on off road rides. I researched Thule, Yakima, Kuat, Rocky Mountain, Hollywood etc. Decided The 1up was the best option and has no plastic parts at all. And made in USA which is a good thing when I look at the quality of the rack. Only problem I had was my tail gate leans on the rack when its down. I just ordered an 8" hitch extension and will have it today to see if it fixes the problem.
We take very windy roads to get to our bike trails and then came home through heavy construction. The bikes did not even wiggle a tiny bit. My old Yakima roof racks alway seemed like they were on the edge of snapping. Also we are riding carbon frames. I love how the 1up rack doesn't touch the frame at all. It just clamps against the tires. Also faster than any other rack I looked at.
The Kuat NV is sweet and I like the work stand concept which almost made it my first choice. Also love the gray color option but I felt it was a little to complicated, had too much plastic and moving parts. The simplicity and construction of the 1Up really did it for me.
We take very windy roads to get to our bike trails and then came home through heavy construction. The bikes did not even wiggle a tiny bit. My old Yakima roof racks alway seemed like they were on the edge of snapping. Also we are riding carbon frames. I love how the 1up rack doesn't touch the frame at all. It just clamps against the tires. Also faster than any other rack I looked at.
The Kuat NV is sweet and I like the work stand concept which almost made it my first choice. Also love the gray color option but I felt it was a little to complicated, had too much plastic and moving parts. The simplicity and construction of the 1Up really did it for me.
