Builds The Guzzler - 2009 LX570

[TexAZ]

A couple years ago a dust storm destroyed the hinge on my ROAM adventures, awning. They were having delays getting spare parts and cannibalized one so I could have the awning for LCDC trip. Great customer service out of a small company. Glad to see when vendors support their merchandise

 

[grinchy]

Added a few new toys this summer that need transport

 

[grinchy]

After deciding I didn’t want to drop $1000 on a rack that won’t work with my rear bumper and swing out tire, it was time to get crafty.

 

[grinchy]

I bought five handlebar units from Lolo racks $200

Most Versatile Single Bike Rack — Lolo Racks The best vertical 6 bike rack!

These additional bicycle carrier hooks can be used in multitude of ways; easy diy Sprinter, Transit or Promaster adventure van ladder racks, garage storage, bicycle display, or your wildest dreams! Axles and Forks change!! Your MTB and road bikes have different axles and can’t share the same axle m

loloracks.com

$100 of aluminum square and angle
$50 of specialty fitting

After thinking hard, decided an intricate x pattern based on the tire studs was the way to go
1) it’ll be stronger due to triangles
2) I can use the spare tire as a support surface
3) it already exists to mount to
4) if I have to I can go from the top horizontal down to the swing out base behind the spare tire. We’ll see how wobbly this contraption end up being
5) I can control the mount height of the bikes and get decent ground clearance.

Risk- too many bikes and the spare might be a weight problem for the swing out … may have to go no spare on big bike trips- tbd. ..

Proceeded with crafty plan to try to ruin my grinding, sanding, and sawing tools with crappy aluminum. Gah!

 

[grinchy]

Note, for test fit I removed the spare. Actual fit will be using couplers on the studs after spare is mounted to proved thru hole attachment for m14 bolts

part 1 - the thru support. It goes thru support 1 and allows support two pieces of support 2.
It required much grinding to get small enough to fit into the larger tube. It’s a .75” 1/8” wall tube. Drill 14mm holes the distance apart of studs

 

[grinchy]

Part 2
Support 1. Drill two 14mm holes. Make a crafty slot for the thru support.
Extra credit if you use more than four different, yet unsuitable power tools making the slot
This is a 1” 1/8” wall aluminum tube
to be continued

 

[grinchy]

Other main support lower section. Cut on the 36 degree angle. Shape to match. Put some grease on and slip it together.
Finish with bolts rivits or similar (not pictured)

 

[grinchy]

And the top portion of the split main bar. Make sure to measure the stud 3x and still drill 1/4” to long. Ovalize the hole to make it work.

 

[grinchy]

Add the lower. I chose a location that puts the lowest part of the tires at about hitch level, and puts the lower bar on the fat part of the sidewall for support.
The lower to upper distance is about 42”. This is what I measured off a lolo rack at a bike park, and what I measure on my 26” bike.

 

[grinchy]

Add the upper. Do your best to keep it square.

all that’s left is trimming the long aides to 60”, adding the handlebars holders, abs getting the tire straps on.

I can also see that the seats are going to conflict with the tire, this wouldn’t be the case if they were tire in instead of tire out. I tried to source tire hoops like velocirax uses but wasn’t able to.

the solution is a spacer for the lower support, it’s in imagining now.

 

[grinchy]

Cut the horizontals to 60”. Use the cutoffs to build a support square for the bottom

 

[grinchy]

remount the lower support. Think about cutting off the ends of the lower cross, but get distracted by more building

 

[grinchy]

Mock up the handlebar hangers. Then install them.

 

[grinchy]

Get all excited and immediately hang three bikes on one side of the rack

 

[grinchy]

Use half of the spare 1” angle to try to engineer that crack away. Wish you had four more feet. .. .Also make sure to run out of bolts because the bolt package got a hole during delivery and half of them were lost.
Discover that carriage bolts can be made to fit if you saw the holes square with a saw sharpening file. Try not to think about ruining another file with aluminum.

 

[grinchy]

Profit.
For some reason they want to be at an angle. I assume it’s because the bottom support won’t let them hang vertically. They seem pretty tip resistant, so I’m going to try.
The bottom support needs to be shifted left 4.5”. Since the bikes aren’t vertical the tires are left of center about 3”.
Security strap still need to be added too and bottom, and tire channels added to bottom.
Departure angle pretty hosed. The low point on the bike tire is around hitch height. The whole thing could be higher , but then you’re into parking garage issues.

 

[grinchy]

Decided that the bikes should hang vertically. So pulled the support off the bottom and moved it to the top. This took an additional 3 ft of 1 1/2” 0.25 angle and 8 feet of 1” 0.125 angle.

this worked awesome.

then I cut the tire slots in the bottom support angle and it dumped all the stiffness in the whole carrier.

 

[grinchy]

Biking was still on the menu, so we took the minivan.
I broke a spoke so while the kids were lapping the green jump line I thought about how to get stiff.

 

[grinchy]

After swapping out my cassette onto a spare rim, and hunting down a few creaks, I deployed the plan.
Added more cross bracing under the bottom support.
I had some left over 1” square tube and this worked perfect. Stiff is in again.
It was getting dark but got the bracing on and one set of hook and strap for a tire.
Finish line in site.

 

[grinchy]

Tossed a couple bikes on and made it about a block. Just too much sway. Replacing all the 1/8” parts with 1/4” and all the 1” tube with 2” tube. At least it’ll be easier to assemble the next time around.