Hitch cargo rack with bike fork adapters

[El Chupacabra]

Any of you tried using a tray type hitch cargo rack as a bike rack, with fork mount bike attachments bolted onto the cargo rack? Any reason this wouldn't work OK? This basic type:

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Hyper-Tou...E&gclsrc=aw.ds


I have real bike racks, but need some sort of platform to help the dogs get in/out of the truck camper. New truck is higher, camper entry door is a big jump from the ground - there is a hitch insert step, but it's too small to be of use for the dogs. Was thinking that a cheap cargo rack could serve as a step platform for dogs, and double as a bike rack if we wanted to take bikes and dogs on a camp trip.

I can't use any of our other hitch racks at the same time as a cargo rack.

[altasnob]

Haven't tried that but swing away hitch might be enough of a step for your dogs to use

https://www.1up-usa.com/product/rakattach/

[toast2266]

^^^ yeah, with our truck camper we did a swing away with normal stairs. Worked great.

[El Chupacabra]

^^^ yeah, with our truck camper we did a swing away with normal stairs. Worked great.

Thanks - I hadn't considered that. A swing away adapter (like altasnob posted) + existing bike rack would allow me to fit standard accordion type RV steps. Will have to take some measurements and see what I can fit.

[toast2266]

Thanks - I hadn't considered that. A swing away adapter (like altasnob posted) + existing bike rack would allow me to fit standard accordion type RV steps. Will have to take some measurements and see what I can fit.

With our setup (kuat swing away adapter + kuat rack), if there was a bike on the inner most rack slot, we couldn't swing it fully open because the tire would hit the corner of the camper. With ours, it'd still swing juuust far enough so we could put the stairs in. But if your camper overhangs the rear of the truck more, you might run into issues (which would just mean you'd have to take a bike off to swing / install stairs).

Other downside is that the swing adapter adds some flex / play to the system. Mostly fine on pavement. Gets pretty wobbly on rough roads. Hitch stabilizers help that a bit.

[El Chupacabra]

Our camper fits completely in the bed, no overhang. Good info on the swing / truck interference issue...

Those swing away adapters are expensive! That plus wobble issue plus cost of RV stairs - I might just try a cargo tray and see how it works. Probably can pick up one from Craigslist cheap, and I already have some bolt-down fork mounts lying around (and also through axle adapters for them).

Another option is put a front hitch on the truck and stick a tray rack on it when I need to have camper step access for dogs. Bikes could get pretty bug splattered up front though.

[gravitylover]

Yeah don't put bikes in the front, bugs and road debris can make a mess. Cargo trays with fork mounts work well BUT forks aren't made to be stressed laterally as they bounce and wobble. I snapped the dropouts right off a fork using exactly this setup on a dirt road that wasn't even that rough. It may not be a problem with modern thru axles but I'd hate to find out that it is as I'm watching my bike bouncing on the road behind me. I've seen a few creative solutions using cargo trays recently, wheels on with wheel trays made from pvc pipe cut in half and ratchet straps over the top with the wheels also strapped down to the trays was one of the better ones.

[sethschmautz]

Our camper fits completely in the bed, no overhang. Good info on the swing / truck interference issue...

Those swing away adapters are expensive! That plus wobble issue plus cost of RV stairs - I might just try a cargo tray and see how it works. Probably can pick up one from Craigslist cheap, and I already have some bolt-down fork mounts lying around (and also through axle adapters for them).

Another option is put a front hitch on the truck and stick a tray rack on it when I need to have camper step access for dogs. Bikes could get pretty bug splattered up front though.

I have a Yakima swing out adapter that, when paired with either a Yakima or Kuat rack, completely swings out of the way of my tailgate on my F150. There's also no noticeable slop - even on rough roads (I live where Toast lives). I would be happy to take pictures if helpful.

Sent from my SM-N986U using Tapatalk

[chatton18]

Any of you tried using a tray type hitch cargo rack as a bike rack, with fork mount bike attachments bolted onto the cargo rack? Any reason this wouldn't work OK? This basic type:

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Hyper-Tou...E&gclsrc=aw.ds


I have real bike racks, but need some sort of platform to help the dogs get in/out of the truck camper. New truck is higher, camper entry door is a big jump from the ground - there is a hitch insert step, but it's too small to be of use for the dogs. Was thinking that a cheap cargo rack could serve as a step platform for dogs, and double as a bike rack if we wanted to take bikes and dogs on a camp trip.

I can't use any of our other hitch racks at the same time as a cargo rack.

I typically run two roof racks just because that's the setup i've had for like 10 years and i share a car with my wife who would bitch about a hitch rack non stop. That said, we have a cargo hauler tray and i put some kuat dirtbags on it when we packed 4 guys into my SUV for a bikepark trip. Overall, its worked well for $15/bike, but they are much less convenient. The connection was very secure with the front axle in the dirtbag and the rear wheel strapped down with a voile strap. Main complaints are listed below.

- Taking the axle on and off is slighltly more time consuming, and annoying if you're doing it at the start and end of every ride.
- Make sure you mount the dirtbags with proper clearance/access to put in the axle and spin it tight
- You have to take the bike(s) off if you're going to access the trunk
- Getting two bike to fit required some playing around particularly if there are low handlebars

Overall, i'd way with one bike that you're just putting on and off at the start of the trip, it's not a bad option. If you're going to be loading/unloading it on a regular basis I'd think into other options, but it's a very stable setup that cost me almost nothing.

[El Chupacabra]

Thanks everyone - I think I'll try the cheap cargo tray, as we mainly need it for a big step for the dogs to access the camper, and I found a $40 one on Craigslist that I'm going to try to pick up.

The bike mounts on the cargo tray are mostly an idea if we want to take bikes *and* dogs camping - which we mostly don't, as they're not really biking dogs, so we usually just hike when we have them. Was just thinking since I have several bolt on fork mount racks, I should be able to easily turn that cargo rack into a basic bike rack too.

Around the garage and shed we currently have a 4-bike North Shore, a Kuat NV, an old Thule T2, a Yakima hanging rack (basic 2-arm type), and a strap on the trunk rack for rental cars. Plus a bunch of Thule sidearm roof racks. Somehow I accumulated all this over the years...

Actually, now I'm wondering if I can make a wood step (or two stair steps) that would slide onto the Kuat or Thule tray rack and serve as a step.

EDIT: scratch that idea on building a step around a tray rack -- the wheel holder part gets in the way and/or would make it a very narrow step for the dogs to jump up/down on.

[toast2266]

Thanks everyone - I think I'll try the cheap cargo tray, as we mainly need it for a big step for the dogs to access the camper, and I found a $40 one on Craigslist that I'm going to try to pick up.

The bike mounts on the cargo tray are mostly an idea if we want to take bikes *and* dogs camping - which we mostly don't, as they're not really biking dogs, so we usually just hike when we have them. Was just thinking since I have several bolt on fork mount racks, I should be able to easily turn that cargo rack into a basic bike rack too.

Around the garage and shed we currently have a 4-bike North Shore, a Kuat NV, an old Thule T2, a Yakima hanging rack (basic 2-arm type), and a strap on the trunk rack for rental cars. Plus a bunch of Thule sidearm roof racks. Somehow I accumulated all this over the years...

Actually, now I'm wondering if I can make a wood step (or two stair steps) that would slide onto the Kuat or Thule tray rack and serve as a step.

EDIT: scratch that idea on building a step around a tray rack -- the wheel holder part gets in the way and/or would make it a very narrow step for the dogs to jump up/down on.

I bet you could build a simple ramp that kinda latched onto the rack when the rack is in the downward angled position. Obviously wouldn't work while bikes are on the rack though. And would be contingent on the camper being long enough that it'd fit inside for storage.

There are also some companies that make gcheaper generic versions of the swing away adapters. I believe the early Kuat ones (which I have) were just rebranded generics. I can't remember what name they were selling those under, but some googling might get you there.

[El Chupacabra]

Holy shit does Yakima sell a wide variety of expensive crap...

https://www.etrailer.com/search/Swing+Away+Hitch

[altasnob]

The 1up and Kuat swing aways are pricey but bomber and will likely retain resale value. I was thinking the swing away, when open, actually acts as a bit of an extra step that might work for your dogs.

I don't have dogs, but young children, and use a step ladder combined with swing away (drilled out the rivets to remove the safety arm of ladder making it a bit lighter).

https://www.amazon.com/Little-Giant-...49404248&psc=1

[gravitylover]

I use a hitch extender when I have the cargo tray on so the gate opens and the dog can jump out, it's already too high for her to jump in so I have to lift her anyway. If you only have somewhat lighter weight stuff like bikes back there it shouldn't affect the load on the hitch much but you might feel it in corners because the weight is that much further back.