Bike Rack for TAB 400

NorCalMike

I placed deposit for new TAB400 and would like to have bike rack solution by time it is delivered.  Seems like the Rack It product is the most popular.  Does the rack mounting plate fit inside the A frame or is some mod required?   If anyone has better idea for carrying bikes than the Jack It, I would love to hear about it.

NovaTab

they bounce around like bobble head.

get a rack on the rear of your camper

manyman297

I bought the Jack It in hopes it will work for us. I needed a bike rack anyway and read a lot of reviews. Seems to be well regarded. I think most of the tongue-mounted racks will have some bit of sway but check out some youtube videos on the jack it. A lot of reviews I watched didn't mention the bounce or bobble.

The rack will need a spacer. You can pay $58 or so for a spacer but I think a lot of people just use washers to build up enough clearance to clear the frame bolts. If you're handy you could buy a piece of aluminum and mill out the holes as well (my plan). 

As far as what @NovaTab suggests...really wish we could mount them on the rear but can't on a 400. 

NovaTab

I see them bouncing around when we pass on the road, the driver may not realize it

Verna

NovaTab said:

they bounce around like bobble head.

get a rack on the rear of your camper

@NovaTab, the T@B frames are not made for adding a bike rack on the rear of the 320 or 400. Searching for bike rack in the search box at the upper right of the page will yield plenty of information concerning bike racks. 

DenisP

We have a 400 with a Jack-it. I stabilize the bikes using 1.25 inch ABS pipe spacers from the tires to frame and tied off. This reduces the bike movement substantially. 

NovaTab

Verna "the T@B frames are not made for adding a bike rack on the rear of the 320 or 400."

perhaps I wasn't clear, you add a roof rack my boondock has a factory unit.
simply add a front fork bracket on the upper arm

and a tire clamp on the lower arm.

I see people load these with spare tire and other gear

Verna

@NovaTab, yes. The Boondock rack on the T@B 320 can carry a bike rack. 

The T@B 400 Boondock does not come equipped with a roof rack. 

manyman297

@DenisP Do you ever cover your bikes when traveling (not even sure you can)? I was curious what people do in inclement weather but my guess is the wind gust from highway speeds would tear a cover to shreds.

DenisP

@manyman297 We cover the seats with a plastic bag which travels well.  I think if you used anything larger than a small bag for the seat, the wind resistance probably would tear the cover.  I liberally spray Boeshield T-9 on the chain other components which lubricates and protects from the elements.

manyman297

Good idea on the lubricant. Yeah, guessing a cover wouldn’t last a single trip.

CharlieRN

manyman297 said:

@DenisP Do you ever cover your bikes when traveling (not even sure you can)? I was curious what people do in inclement weather but my guess is the wind gust from highway speeds would tear a cover to shreds.

Most bicycle components don't have much of a problem with water. The chain is probably the most likely to suffer a bit, but if you use a wax lubricant, tha't usually not an issue either. The only component on my Lynskey that can't take being wet is the saddle, an Anatomica Selle X that is the leather suspension type.I cover it with a plastic bag and use electrical tape to cinch it down so the wind doesn't rip it to shreds.

4ncar

Lubricants/water repellents for the chain are a double edged sword. They do as described, but they will also attract dirt & dust which can wear your chain, chainwheels & derailleurs. Lubricate, then wipe down with a rag. Clean with a solvent, regularly, and relubricate.

Most bikes have a quick release seat post. Just remove and store in TV during travel.

CharlieRN

4ncar said:

Lubricants/water repellents for the chain are a double edged sword. They do as described, but they will also attract dirt & dust which can wear your chagrin, chainwheels & derailleurs. Lubricate, then wipe down with a rag. Clean with a solvent, regularly, and relubricate.

Most bikes have a quick release seat post. Just remove and store in TV during travel.

Your point about the relationship between chain wear and dirt is a good one. It's always a good idea to thoroughly clean the chair on a regular basis and then apply lubricant. You can buy a chain cleaning kit that clips on and routes the chain through a chamber with cleaning solvent and then over brushes to scrub. 

If your chain has a master link - and these are now available for the new narrow chains used on 11 speed cassettes - you can just remove the chain and soak it in a good solvent (I use Citra-Sol). Removing the chain makes it easy to get to the derailleur and jockey wheels, as well as the cassette and chain rings, which should also be cleaned regularly. A master  link tool makes the job easier but is not absolutely necessary. If you go this route, keep in mind that both Shimano and SRAM recommend not reusing the master link once removed.

I would be careful about removing the seat/seat post and leaving the seat tube open. Anything that gets into the now open seat tube - water or grit - will make its way to the bottom bracket bearings with unpleasant results. Sealing the tube with tape should be sufficient to prevent this however.

NorCalMike

Thanks for all the input.  My bikes are on the expensive side so idea of bouncing around doesn't sound so great.  Maybe have to look into buying case and just tossing in bed of pick up. 

DenisP

The bikes are secure, it is the upper mount that can flex. The mount to the trailer is very rigid. 

85Redwood

Fork mount rack in the pick bed can work well

Tabulating

I ordered the ebike version of this from Futura GP.  They have them for sale on Amazon.  They are modifying it a bit for me because I didn't want to drill holes in my A frame.

It is not arrived yet. I will let you know what I think when it gets here.

I didn't get the the Rack It because eBikes are heavier.  I didn't like the idea of loading a bike between the rack and window.  I looked for videos of it being done and I couldn't find one.

Up N Front makes T@b specific mounts.

The Stromberg Carlson Bike Bunk is also an option.

And there is the Swagman Stradler.

Adding this rack means no more towing with a Wrangler JKU.  It was fun while it lasted. The Cherokee has a 720 pound tongue weight limit. That ought to do.

4ncar

Sealed bearings in the bottom bracket is becoming more and more common. I service them too, regularly on my SO’s bike that doesn’t have sealed bearings. I carry a full set of specialized bike tools to service mine and anyone else’s bike who needs. I would bring my bike stand, but that might be a bit much! Lol

JeffroNC

Did somebody say bike rack? Since I can't increase my tongue weight on my 2019, I came up with another plan to protect our $$$$ RAD Mini folding bikes.

Radcat

As far as chains go, if you want to start a flame war, go on any cycling board and start a discussion about the best lube. Since '70, I've used more than I can recall. Living in central Florida means you will ride in the rain if you want to put in some serious miles. My current favorite is Rock N Roll Gold. It cleans and lubricates and goes on very fast (none of that one link at a time stuff). Cycling Weekly (British mag first published in 1891) did an article last year on lubes. Although they generally concluded that wet lubes work better in wet conditions, they had good things to say about Boeshield T-9 dry lube as combining the best of wet and dry lubes. Might give it a try. You can read the article here..  https://www.cyclingweekly.com/group-tests/best-chain-lube-wet-or-dry-289671

Verna

I use Boeshield on my eBike chain, and I use the Boeshield for my woodworking tools in my workshop. An excellent product that I have been using for about 15 years. No workshop or bike chain should be without it. 

TABNewbies

A lot of threads on this topic and useful reading as we decided on 2021 TAB 400 BD options to carry bikes. Decided on the Jack-It and then awaited for it to appear in stock. So I chose the most recent thread for some photos of the install. I used 3/8" ID stainless washers (10 x 1.5mm thick for each bolt) as the 15mm spacer (use 3 long narrow rods to keep the washers in place while feeding the tower and jack onto the tongue, wiggled to create the aligned hole for the bolt; 20 ft lbs torque as per the tongue jack spec).
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt-3-8-in-Stainless-Steel-Flat-Washer-25-Pack-812170/302007785

Took about an hour playing with various peg permutations to hold the bikes (2 adult hybrids, medium frame, 700c wheels). The BD platform helps to access the high up straps and the tongue box to load the inner bike. The bike pannier holders and mud guards add a bit of complexity to our set up.

As with most generic instructions, having some photos to start with helps a lot and hope the below is useful. This is the Jack-it 429756 with 22" tower and the tongue box opens fine. There is an 18" tower option out there, which would fit the manual jack fine and bikes a bit lower down. 




15mm raise

Our final positions for all the 8 pegs: 

NorCalMike

I need to order one of these.  How stable and secure is it with stack up of washers vs the fixed plate All Pro sells?  Kind of a rip off at over $60 for the spacer but your whole jack depends on this mount. 

manyman297

I tried the stacked washers…actually it was more of a spacer but same theory. The rack seemed really wobbly with just one bike on it. I gritted my teeth and ordered the spacer above for $70 or whatever it was and it was worth it. Made the entire set up way more stable. We took two bikes on a 1700 mile trip.

I priced out making a spacer and by the time I added in material and time it really wasn’t worth trying to make it. 

TABNewbies

@NorCalMike it is early days for me and not the long mileage of @manyman297 for sure. I wanted to get the bike rack set up and try it out and seems secure. I would agree that the time and materials for the All pro spacer is OK. Also I was not waiting for the spacer to be in stock.

So I looked just now and the spacer is in stock as it is in the TAB section and not the bike rack section. So I deferred to @manyman297 experience and I bought one. Two bikes or more worth more than spacer if it helps short / medium term metal fatigue, although the tower will still overhand the spacer. I'll post back when it has arrived and given a road test comparison. 

manyman297

I felt the aluminum spacer provided more support on the corners where the washer solution couldn’t. It just seemed I was getting more flex in the base of the Jack It with just washers (put finger in between base of jack and tongue and could feel the base flex when I wiggled the bike rack side to side. 

TABNewbies

To complete the pictures, the Allpro spacer installed. Fitted easily and a lot easier than aligning washers. Cannot really tell any difference in flex but peace of mind for $83 vs $8 and can only be more supportive. 

 

manyman297

I noticed quite a bit of reduction in the side-to-side movement when I put the spacer plate in. Now what I’m noticing is the cheap lock washers that came with the rack and hold the pieces of the rack to each other aren’t working and the bolts will loosen over time.

Dereco

I have used a Curt clamp rack for years, it clamps to tow receiver, which means we can move around with the bikes even after unhooking from the trailer. Carries 3 bikes, though I usually carry 2. Check it out here. 

Mobean

I contacted LetsGoAero (Lippert - makers of Jack It) https://store.lci1.com/lets-go-aero .  Asked if they had dimensions for the spacer to be used with TAB 320S.  I did not get a reply.  etrailer lists the Jack-It for $267 and AllPro list is $389 (spacer and bolts included).  That's $122 for an aluminum spacer + bolts.  C'mon.