Bike Racks for E Bikes

bfeeny

Have been using a Swagman XCS2 for my bikes (Capacity 70 LBS) but my E Bikes weigh 55 LBS each. Looking for a bike rack to fit between my TV and 320CSS (see photo). Any suggestions that don't entail lifting the bikes up really high?

AnOldUR

You're probably OK, but you may want to research the drawbacks of hitch extensions.

kevmon

I would look carefully at your tow capacity and tongue weight. Two e-bikes and rack will account for a significant added tongue weight (about 125 lbs or more). 

bfeeny

To clarify, the pic is of my existing set up that will no longer work because my e bikes are too heavy. Looking for a solution for the heavier bikes

kevmon

You can find options by googling. Here’s one. Use with dual hitch. Good luck.

Horigan

I would be leary of any concept that involves a hitch extension when your tongue load is approaching the vehicle limits, including the extension shown in the original post.  Extensions introduce a lot more torque on the vehicle hitch receiver, thus result in reduced tongue load capacity to maintain the designed for torque from a standard hitch.

Binghi

Agree with the above comments - IMO the closer the hitch ball to the bumper the better.

fwunder

I used the Swagman XCS2 for years between my 4Runner and rPod. I loved it! Like you, I too am now searching for a similar solution for our eBikes and Tab 400.

bfeeny

I'm surprised that there have not been more replies to this post. I'm sure many Tabbers have e bikes and if they do not have a PU truck how do they bring their e bikes camping?

fwunder

bfeeny said:

I'm surprised that there have not been more replies to this post. I'm sure many Tabbers have e bikes and if they do not have a PU truck how do they bring their e bikes camping?

I am a bit surprised too. I now have a PU and I would much prefer the Swagman XCS2 setup or something similar rather than the fork mount - truck bed method I am I am now using. 

RTWCTS

Have you considered a front mount receiver hitch? They make them for pickups, Jeeps and many SUVs. As long as you don't exceed GVWR it would eliminate tongue weight issues or putting them in the truck bed. It may not solve the height issue of the OP though.

AnOldUR

@RTWCTS Since @fwunder has a pickup truck, I was going to suggest the same thing. Has worked well for us. Nothing blocking the tongue box or preventing the tailgate from opening. As long as the tow vehicle is tall enough to not block your vision, it's a great alternative.

fwunder

Thanks guys. Yeah, I have looked @ front mount receiver. I just had such good experience with tens of thousand of miles using the Swagman between TV and trailer. Also, we travel with the bikes covered ( Bike Tool ) and travel after dark sometimes. Might be a problem with bikes up front.

fwunder

This was my old rig before truck, Tab and eBikes.

fwunder

New setup in "toy hauler" mode. Bikes are fork mounted in truck bed.

bfeeny

Thanks for the front mount info. I'll check it out and report back

bfeeny

Apparently, hitch manufacturers do not build a front mount hitch for a Ford Escape. Most of them are built for PU trucks

Blueespy

My brother-in-law mounts his on a front rack (he drives a full size pickup).  When our tow was a Jeep Grand Cherokee, we folded our RAD ebikes and sat them in 50gallon rubber made buckets and that sat side by side in the back of the jeep.  Yes, we had to fold the seat down and yes our Aussie felt crowded (he laid behind our seats and in front of the rubber made buckets, but he can be a bit of a drama queen.

Mariea

It would be nice if NuCamp would consider redesigning and adding a rear hitch receiver for those of us that have e-bikes.  E-bikes are becoming very popular and for those of us that are getting a little older and need a bit of a boost e-bikes fill that need to get around while camping.  So now we just need for NuCamp to hear our concerns and make some design adjustments.  Being the Majority of NuCamps RV purchaser's are over 50 years old.  😊

ChrisK

Before anyone else comments on hitch extensions, we have this exact same hitch and bike rack as pictured. It is not a hitch extension but merely a slightly longer hitch. The rack attachment point is only about 4”  and the hitch extends just that much more than a standard hitch. I’ve seen hitches like this used as a regular hitch for towing campers. They give a bit more clearance for tight corners. It is not like most hitch extensions that add a full foot at times. The negative of this extension is negligible. We have had ours for years with no negative affect to towing. It tows the same as when we tow with our regular hitch. to answer the OP’s question, I too would love to find a rack that attaches like this but can carry more. Our rack is starting to show its age after having to lug around my old e-bike. My new e-bike weighs a lot less but I still would like a sturdier rack. I don’t want a camper mounted rack as we like to load up to go find trails that are not at the campground.

Steve_O

I struggled with this for a long time and found a good solution. I had used the Jack-It BikeWing for my non electric bikes but it cannot handle the weight of my ebikes. I settled on the Futura GP Teardrop Trailer ebike rack. This rack can handle 120 pounds (2 bikes) and is transferable between trailer hitch mount and vehicle trailer hitch which comes in handy. To make this work, I installed it backwards on my Tab 400, mounting the rack as close to the camper as I could while still allowing just enough room for the storage bin cover to open and also leave enough room for turning radius (see picture below). I have put about 900 miles on with two 45 pound bikes without any problems, other than they are heavy to load up there. I also use this rack on my truck hitch regularly. Here's a link to the Futura GP site:

Teardrop trailer bikes & ebikes rack - Futura GP