Cycle racks on back of motorhome

Probably a Fiamma...aluminium folder with two (or more) 'troughs'...?

although the 600 is quite a small van, probably plated at 3500kg, have you weighed the van, incl the axle weights..

the rack and the bikes (about 45kg in total) will be adding nearer 80kg to the rear axle loading as you have a decent overhang...

check the rear axle loading....probably 2000kg but older vans may be less (and plated at 3300kg)...in a fully loaded state and check if ypu have 50kg+ to spare...

thank you very much, I'll check the weights etc, much appreciated

Hi B&D, I have a Thule bike rack on my Swift MH which has a warranty weight of 60kg, that is from Thule.   However, Swift only give a 50kg warranty for the van.     When looking at bike racks I found that most give a limit around 50kg, but you must check with Autotrail on their recommendation because, at the end of the day, it is the strength and support in the rear of your van that counts as well, if not more.

Our bikes are probably the heaviest e-bikes made and weigh 46kg without batteries and even though that comes inside the Swift/Thule limits, I only carry one bike on the rack and one in my garage.

I wish I had spec'd a towbar when I bought my van new at a cost of £595.   If I buy one now it will cost around £1,000.    I will probably go that way eventually, to relieve my back and shoulders from lifting the very heavy bikes.    We actually bought our bikes before moving to the dark side, when caravanning and lifting these bikes onto a 4x4 damaged my shoulder joints for life!    Good fun eh!

BillC

Cheers BillC

thanks for replying, I think we'll just carry one (19 kilos) and one inside the van, we can always chain it to the van when we get where we are going. Yet to find out all the fun!!! I'm 69 and my wife 63 (full of arthritis) but we can't wait to get going, total newbies to all this, but will check weights first.

Baz

as Bill says, there are other options...

the towball mounted racks are very popular as they are low to the ground (negating lifting) and the rack can be removed and the towball used for other things ...towing...

similarly, there are cantilevered wind down versions of the Fiamma (which might fit your anchorage points) where the bikes are loaded at ground level and the rack wound up (with an electric drill possibly) into position....should you feel this is better....

im not a fan of bikes inside vans, they take up room, can make the place filthy and who wants to have to take it outside in the rain just to make enough room to sit down for lunch?

a nice chain connected to a decent towball rack might also make you feel they are more secure....travelling and theft..

Lower racks also make it vastly easier to fit waterproof covers for travelling....bikes can get pretty filthy in the open..

good luck...

Just to mention that putting items such as bikes, towbars, racks etc behind the Motorhome can be a problem if you are near your axle limit on the rear.

The weight pushes down the rear suspension and rear axle. What is not commonly appreciated is that this will counterbalance and front suspension will be lifted and lightened. This can make some vehicles handle differently.

However, the transfer of weight does not stop there !  The weight "lost" on the front axle is transferred back onto the rear axle and increases the axle load further.

if you web search the subject , there are formulae and web pages where you can enter weights, distance from tow hook to rear axle, wheelbase etc to calculate the loadings.

On a mhome with large overhang behind the rear axle , adding a towbar + rack + bikes could become the total weight of these items and add an extra 8 to 10% to rear axle loading. Ie weight of loading X 110% .

rgds

Apart from the weight issues mentioned by others, the weight bearing capacity of the structure the rack is fitted to has to be considered. For instance, Kontikiboy's Swift can only tolerate 50kg and our PVC is much less as the rear door hinges take the strain.

Hi Baz & Div, with regard to a tow bar, you should get one fitted for    £3-400 or less at a local garage.    The price I quoted above was for MHs built after 2012 which are subject to EU Type Approval rules, which make them much more expensive.    You might be able to pick up a suitable bike rack off ebay or Gumtree for a fraction of the price of a new one and this would be your best solution for carrying bikes.  Or, If you can afford it get a new one from Halfords!  I notice your user payload is just under 500kg, so providing your not taking the kitchen sink, you will probably get away with that.    Better than lifting one on the rack and one inside.  Then at night, you can just slip them back on the rack and lock them on with an ABUS secure bike lock.

At that age, you two are young'ns.   But you are on the right track with a MH and any other info or queries, just pop it on here and someone will soon be there to help.    Enjoy your new aquisition....

BillC

I have been trying to place an add for the Pendle tow ball mounted bike rack that I have for sale in the C&MC classified but the site won't let me. It just keeps telling me the page can't be reached. I managed to get it on UK Campsites classified no bother. I will keep trying with this site as it does work eventually!

As subtle as a brick!