Dual hitch for bicycles

judymac

Our dealer sent us a dual hitch so we could get a bike carrier since the strap on we have won't  work towing T@B.  
DH just put it on and it brings the tow hitch Too close to the ground.  Has this been covered in the forums?  What to do?
Secondly, we discussed using a high pressure bicycle pump to blow out and winterized T@B water lines.  Anyone mind sharing your model of pump and Jenn, were you satisfied with the results?

judymac

Guess we need a new hitch.  Oh well.

jcfaber1

This is what we use:

http://www.etrailer.com/Hitch-Bike-Racks/Swagman/S64955.html

You need an extra long receiver such as:

http://www.etrailer.com/p-80233.html

It says it will hold 3 bikes but we find that it carries 2 just fine.  I did not try to add a third bike.

I hope this helps.

John

Cyclonic

I use a similar rack to what John has, and it works very well with the T@B, no problems.  As he said, you will need to get an extended draw bar, at least 11".

Austingal

I use the same as jcfaber1 and cyclonic.  Works great!

jcfaber1

Regarding the water lines, I use an air compressor set to less than 40 lbs.  

Wanderoo

Cyclonic, John, and Austingal -- Do you notice any sway on the T@B with the longer draw bar? 

Wanderoo

John, I have a question regarding the Swagman bike rack that you linked to above.  Can you open your rear tail gate without taking the entire ball mount and bike rack out of the receiver?  Does the rack fold? 

jcfaber1

Wanderoo, I do not notice any sway whatsoever.  I do use the Blue Ox Immobilizer II to prevent the clanking noise of the receiver in the hitch.  See the link: 

http://www.amazon.com/Blue-Ox-BX88224-Immobilizer-Receiver/dp/B00403LNQI

I will put the receiver/rack on tomorrow and take some photos.  I my recollection is that you can fold down the rack to clear the hatch.  We are in our first year of t@b ownership and only used the rack on one trip so I prefer to confirm the answers tomorrow.  BTW having the tab is fantastic.  I wish we had this years ago!

John

mawebb

jcfaber1 I just picked up my T@B last weekend and while it followed nicely, the slack between the receiver and the ball mount / tow bar was terrible. From the noise, I expected to see the trailer passing me on the highway in the opposite lane. I know that part of my problem is I was towing with minimal tongue weight as I was towing empty and with all tanks dry. I think another factor is that the 6" drop tow bar I have is 11 3/4" from the center of the locking pin to the center of the ball, which seems rather long to me. I am looking at others that vary between 8 1/2" to 9 1/2" inches. As well I am looking at the various "anti-rattle" products and its seems that the Blue Ox and one other similar product make the most sense to me, so it's good to hear that the Blue Ox gets the thumbs up. I am surprised, just how much slack there is in hitch products. As one who is new to towing, I would have thought that in this day and age that products would be more advanced and refined.

Austingal

I've not noticed any sway -- TV is a 2013 Ford Escape.  The bike rack has a separate cottle pin that you remove that allows the bike rack to be folded down.  While it could be done while loaded, it is much harder to do so once the trailer is hitched up.

Cyclonic

Not sway here either.  I've used the rack extensively in the past year.  You can fold the rack down, and I can open the hatch in such a manner while hitched, so long as the rack is empty.  I can fold it down with bikes on it, but this is generally not helpful as it will not fall far enough to open the entire hatch, though I can open the glass on the hatch.

jcfaber1

mawebb, attached are photos of the immobilizer II on our Jeep Grand Cherokee.  There are two u bolts which draw the receiver down and to the left.  The bracket fits just behind the lip on the hitch with two points of contact and has two points of contact on the receiver.  I hope this helps.  There is no way the receiver is going to move.  John

jcfaber1

Wanderoo, I can pull the top pin out and lower the upright portion of the rack (without bicycles) to clear the hatch on our 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee (photo 312) without removing the upright.  The top part of the bike rack holder on the receiver is below the part of where the hatch opens so there is no problem opening the hatch without the bar (photo 311).  I have a couple of other photos of the rack with two of the three bike holders attached and one of the receiver itself.

John

judymac

John, do you mind if I ask what your clearance is from ground/garage floor to the top of the ball?  I think we are trying to keep it at a recommended 16"
would love to find a budget-friendly bike rack for 2 that would work for our Trailblazer and T@B

jcfaber1

Judymac, the height from the floor to the top of the receiver is 20.5", from the floor to the flange where the ball mount is 16.5.  The ball adds 2 3/4 for an overall unloaded height of 18 3/4.  The effective height is less when the trailer goes over the ball and puts weight on it.  I put a level on it when we used it last time and it seems fine.  Our t@b is a 2007 with surge brakes so I understand the importance of proper height.
John

Wanderoo

Thanks, John.  I think this Swagman rack is what I want and what will work. I'll put it on my watch list for sale prices.  Thanks SO MUCH for the information and knowledge.  T@bbers are such cool people and are so helpful.  Your knowledge is very much appreciated.

jcfaber1

You're welcome.

Wanderoo

And now that I'm thanking the T@B Helper Gods, I think you, John, are the one who helped me one year ago when I had my new T@B with the rattle in my hitch.  Double thank you for your assistance.

judymac

Thanks, John.

mawebb

 jcfaber1 thanks for the photos. The anti rattle device you have looks like a great solution. I will definitely give it a try. I will have to order it from E-Trailer. 

SailTab

Anyone tried using a dual hitch for camper and bicycle carrier? Not sure about extending the hitch like that.
I bout one, but have not tried it until opinions.

judymac

What is the brand and part #?  We had to order a new one as the one the dealer provided didn't work.  We ordered a Curt 45810 hoping it will suffice.

jcfaber1

SailTab, there is a user over on the Yahoo forum with that setup and it works for him.  His name is David Ahrens and is quite helpful.  You could look there and find his posts.  It all depends on how your rack would work with the tab receiver connecting to this junction.  My rack would not work as it did not rise up to hold the bikes so I took the approach outlined in my earlier posts.  Good luck!

judymac

Well, yet another dual hitch did not work.  Is there a point where you must say, 'forget the bikes?' Mi don't want to do that.
i mentioned previously that the dual hitch provided by the dealer caused our safety chains to be too tight and we don't want to mess with them.
Secondly, the breakaway would not reach, so.. We ordered a Curt P/N 45810, not enough drop, we need 4" drop.
Depending on you helpful folks.  

jcfaber1

Judymac, if the chains and brake cables are just a little too short, you can use some decent quality carbiners.  I  would have a hard time bagging the idea of taking bikes.
John

judymac

I agree.

Cyclonic

Yes, used a good quality caribiner to extend my safety cable.  This is not the cheap ones that you get as a key chain, but a good one from the hardware store, mine is stainless steel with a high capacity, enough that the brake pin will be pulled before it would ever break.

judymac

We used those rather than the S hooks that came on the chain.  You are correct, heavy duty hardware store type.  We did not use to extend the chain but may have to.
Thanks everyone.

SailTab

It seems with the extended hitch for bikes along with the extra weight there would be more down torque on the truck hitch. Wonder about safety.
Just saying.

Cyclonic

I have towed it better then 6000 miles now with no issues at all.  I don't get any sway and the trailer seems very stable.