Bike rack weight limits

[Southbird401]

My 2016 (Hull 141) with 2" receiver says 125 lbs.  80 lbs. of bikes and 1 Up will go over 100 and pretty close to 125.  In addition to the flopping around mentioned by John Davies, that is a lot of weight on the way back of the trailer.  If you try it, let me know.  I have 70 lb. electric bike, but haven't had the nerve to put it back there.

[jd1923]

On 7/29/2019 at 4:15 AM, John E Davies said:

"I personally find the idea of hanging floppy cargo off that very small receiver MORE than a little disconcerting." John Davies

Agreed, we have a lot of washboard dirt roads out here too! I have the 2" model and the first thing I did was to remove it! It blocks easy access to the bumper and tank hoses too. 

I can fit a couple of bikes in the truck bed easy enough and they would stay secure. Not a bicycle guy, since we moved to the mountains, but I take my Honda dirt bike often and at 238 lb dry weight, it ties nicely in the truck bed and would be too much weight for the rear rack anyway.  

[Steve Morris]

5 hours ago, Southbird401 said:

My 2016 (Hull 141) with 2" receiver says 125 lbs.

My 2023 (Hull 1360) with 1-1/4" receiver says 150 lbs. I'm sure that the Reese option is at least equivalent, although the weak point is probably upstream from the receiver. The two bikes with batteries removed and 1UP hitch spec out at 153 pounds.

I'll definitely be keeping a close eye on them when we go to a state park 114 miles away on Sunday!

[Steve Morris]

I forgot to take photos with the bikes on the rack. Here it is empty. The bikes seemed very solid watching on the rear view camera.

 

 

 

 

[John E Davies]

Steve, any of the racks that clamp the tires, like 1-Up and Kuat, have a deadly flaw, an Achilles heel (other than the fender clearance issue). If a tire goes flat, the bike will start to flop around. The larger the tire, the more it will loosen, for example fat tire bike vs road bike…. At the very least you should strap the two bikes to each other so that they can provide mutual support. For a single bike that is not an option.You need some sort of secondary straps.

 

Do you do anything about your plate? It is hidden with the rack up or down. In some states you might get you a ticket. 1-Up makes a relocation kit. Or you can just use heavy nylon cable ties.

OTH when I first got “Mouse”, the lady at the Sales office who does the temp trip permits was absent, so I towed 4000 miles with no plate or permit, and nobody mentioned it.

John Davies

Spokane WA

[MAX Burner]

On 7/14/2023 at 10:07 AM, Southbird401 said:

I have 70 lb. electric bike, but haven't had the nerve to put it back there.

We've got the same rack as @Steve Morris - Steve's.  Our bikes are about 27# and 35# respectively; add about another 45# for the Super Duty Double 1Up rack and we're right at 107".  Assuming our 2017 Hull #226 2" receiver hitch has a max weight of 125#, that's 85% of the OTT designed weight limit.

Judging by the stability of the bikes from the rear-view camera, any heavier wouldn't be a good idea, IMO, because there is some definite movement once leaving a smooth road surface.  

A 70# electric bike plus the bike rack would be 92% of the designed weight limit - assuming the OTT 2" receiver max weight of 125#.  Pretty tight tolerance - but if your max wt. hitch is 150#, that'll give you a bit more breathing room.

Either way, no washboarded roads for the Casablanca with bikes...

Here's a couple shots with bikes aboard.  The second pic shows the moment arm from the OTT 2" receiver to the aft-most rail.

On our rig, the moment arm of the bike rack is 24 1/4" inches from the OTT receiver, FYI.

Just our $0.02.

 

[MAX Burner]

10 minutes ago, John E Davies said:

At the very least you should strap the two bikes to each other so that they can provide mutual support.

This is a very prudent safety measure should a tire go flat while towing.  We'd hate to damage a trailing vehicle or injure someone with a jettisoned set of bikes!

[John E Davies]

Forgot, using nylon straps to secure all wheels to the trays will stiffen everything up. And if one bike should come fully loose, the straps will retain it. I like these a lot, like all the Raingler products, the quality and design are well above the average Amazon product. I use the 18” version with a double wrap.

 

John Davies

Spokane WA

[Steve Morris]

@John E Davies Thanks for the input. I’ve had Raingler ceiling nets in my Outback and 4Runner, so I’m familiar with the excellent quality. (KAON shelf in the LC.) On the bike rack I’m using four heavy duty Wrap-It brand straps around the rack and wheels. Plus four of 1UP’s skewer style locks through the wheels. So as long as the rack stays attached to the trailer, the bikes will be attached as well. 

I have a 1UP license relocation kit arriving tomorrow. 
 

@MAX Burner Art, my 1-1/4” rack is rated at 150 pounds by Oliver, so I’m three pounds over according to the specs. The 2” Reese receiver that I mounted instead of the OEM receiver is rated at 350 pound tongue weight. 

If there’s any weak link in the system, I think it is where the optional rack is inserted into the two square tubes bolted to the frame. Oliver has to machine these tubes to get them to fit inside the fixed tubes, possibly creating a stress riser. I’ll keep a close watch on this (as well as the whole shebang) and replace with steel if needed. 

[Geronimo John]

Thinking outside of the box, why not take advantage of the spare tire assembly.  If I recall there is a massive bolt that holds the rim in place.  That would make an elevated starting point for securing an upper structurall bike support.  Make it a "Z" shape and get an even higher up safety point.  Fix it to the bumper area and also at the spare tire mount.  Extend it up and then out.  

Sorry for the crude crayola drawing, but best I can do on the road.

GJ

 

 

 

[MAX Burner]

1 hour ago, Steve Morris said:

Oliver has to machine these tubes to get them to fit inside the fixed tubes, possibly creating a stress riser. I’ll keep a close watch on this (as well as the whole shebang) and replace with steel if needed. 

Understood, @Steve Morris; With what we've been experiencing in terms of movement (observed from rear facing camera), @Geronimo John's suggestion is a good one.  

It seems the up/down forces translates into fore/aft forces causing much of the movement back there.  Stabilizing/reducing the for/aft force vector by mounting hard points on the frame and applying tie-down straps through them to both top tubes (bikes') may help.

1 hour ago, Steve Morris said:

If there’s any weak link in the system, I think it is where the optional rack is inserted into the two square tubes bolted to the frame.

Concur.  The last thing we need is for those machined-to-fit square tubes to snap and fail!  Has anyone out there heard of this failure happening?

 

[Steve Morris]

55 minutes ago, MAX Burner said:

Has anyone out there heard of this failure happening?

Nope! And I've searched the forum and Facebook group for any Oliver supplied rack failure, and found zero results. That's why I was careful to say "If there's any weak link." I don't think there is, but if so, that's where it seems likely to occur.

@Geronimo John Even simpler would be to take a ratchet strap from the spare tire ring nut around the outermost point on the deployed rack. Then take up all the slack in the system. This would facilitate folding the rack up without having to remove the extra support. Neither of our bikes have top tubes, so your design would have to go around the seat post if I went with something similar. Cool idea!

 

My license plate relocation kit arrived early, and I just installed it. I could remove the flip-down license bracket from the spare tire cover for even easier access.

BTW, the relocation kit is pretty slick, working in the up or down position, and works even with the EZ Pull handle. Now to rig up a 4-pin harness on the trailer to use the included lights.

(One thing I overlooked is that I use the rack on the Cruiser, too. I'll have the wrong plate showing unless I swap them with each use. 🤷‍♂️ )

[John E Davies]

17 hours ago, Geronimo John said:

 

 

The top of the sewer compartment is non structural, if you plan to make a zee bracket you will also have to beef up the top of the diamond plate. The top of the bike rack crossbar would be fine, is that what you meant? The diamond plate surface is better, so you can remove the rack assembly without disturbing the support device. The fewer tools needed, the better. Of course your bracket will block access to the tire for servicing, but you can add a 36” extension hose with Schrader valve to help that.

Of course you guys know all this would be a lot easier with that pesky cover off. Here is a 6061T6 2x2x1/4” reinforcing tie down angle pop riveted with 1/4” rivets at 4 “ spacing. The holes are 1/2” and accept 3/8” stainless carabiners.

John Davies

Spokane WA

[MAX Burner]

FOLLOW-UP:

Background/problem:  As described in an earlier post, we experienced, what looked like an abnormal  fore/aft & up/down (not rocking or rotating left/right) movement of the bikes during our trip last weekend.  The handlebars appeared as if they would move 1 1/2" - 2" when driving over a bumpy portion of road surface as observed with the rear-view camera.

Testing rack on TV:  Moved our bike rack from the OTT and mounted it on the Tundra and drove around the neighborhood yesterday afternoon.  As suspected, there was no "flopping around" and no fore/aft/up/down going on back there; both bikes were rock-solid throughout various stretches of smooth, uneven, bumpy, and "gravelly" secondary roads.  That's indicating to us there's something going on with the optional accessory receiver assembly and its attachment points.

Contacted OTT:  After a call to Mike at the Factory Service Department, we learned that there hasn't been any reports of problems with the OTT 2" or 1 1/4" accessory receiver, nor reports of "loose/floppy" bikes or cargo trays while towing; especially with the 47# Super Duty Double 1Up rack.  This confirms @Steve Morris's results after his search for OTT receiver failures.  Well, at least we know there's no known/reported failures.

Possible Culprit:  We went back to the "Hangar" and measured the height above the floor of the top of the accessory hitch receiver cross member at just under 23 7/8".

Then after applying an upward force and "lifting" the cross member, we discovered it would rotate up slightly, about 3/16".  

The "inserts", as Steve Morris mentioned, are machined down to fit into their respective female square tubing members on either side.  It may be that the factory cut too much material away on our assembly, it's suggested that those who have this option on their OTT check for how much "play" is present.  

FYI, the machining cut on the male square tubing can be seen in the pic below where the Sharpie arrow's pointing (BTW: we never noticed this until after reading @Steve Morris's post):

Perhaps the OTT factory designed these tolerances to make it easier to slide the accessory receiver assembly into the square tubing (?).  In any case, it's suspected that the play in this optional accessory may be different from hull to hull.  Especially, if over time, the holes for the 4 locking pins become wallowed-out.

Clearly, even after securing the assembly by inserting the 2 pins on either side does not stop the up/down movement.  The 3/16" of up/down play translates/amplifies to the 1 1/2" - 2" of movement at the handlebars that we observed last weekend.

In the interim, this 3/16" up/down "play" in the mounting design can be eliminated with tie-down straps as @John E Davies describes above.  Another plan is to drill/tap threads on each of the left/right square receiver tubes and use a bolt & locknut to tighten down the slack (please refer to where the "X" is located in the above pic).  This is the same approach the factory designed to remove play on carrying devices connected to the accessory receiver hitch:

Granted, many forum members have indicated they've logged thousands of miles using various carrying systems without modifications and problems, but how many more thousands of miles will it take to cause unintended metal fatigue, failure, and possible damage/harm to others?  

Eliminating the play with tie-downs, locking bolts, or both is key for any type of carrying device that's connected to this accessory hitch to be more effective and safer in the long run, IMO.

More to come...

"Ravel-ON!", amigos!

[mossemi]

18 hours ago, Geronimo John said:

Thinking outside of the box, why not take advantage of the spare tire assembly.  If I recall there is a massive bolt that holds the rim in place.

The massive bolt is actually a piece of 5/8" all thread.  Been there done that!  It was my first attempt using a bike rack I already had.  It worked until I needed the sewer hose or the spare tire.  Then it required removal, so I moved onto 2 trays mounted on the front cargo carrier which created clearance problems with sharp turns.  I finally found a used Let's Go Aero Jack-It made for Lippert and mounted it in the front cargo carrier and that’s what I have used for several years.

Mossey

[Steve Morris]

This is what the old 2" receivers looked like? Wow, that's a nice setup!

 

The tube on the right is the current receiver, with a pair of U-bolts through the bumper. (Ignore the sleeve on the left. That was an earlier concept.)

[John and Debbie]

18 hours ago, Steve Morris said:

Nope! And I've searched the forum and Facebook group for any Oliver supplied rack failure, and found zero results. That's why I was careful to say "If there's any weak link." I don't think there is, but if so, that's where it seems likely to occur.

@Geronimo John Even simpler would be to take a ratchet strap from the spare tire ring nut around the outermost point on the deployed rack. Then take up all the slack in the system. This would facilitate folding the rack up without having to remove the extra support. Neither of our bikes have top tubes, so your design would have to go around the seat post if I went with something similar. Cool idea!

 

My license plate relocation kit arrived early, and I just installed it. I could remove the flip-down license bracket from the spare tire cover for even easier access.

BTW, the relocation kit is pretty slick, working in the up or down position, and works even with the EZ Pull handle. Now to rig up a 4-pin harness on the trailer to use the included lights.

(One thing I overlooked is that I use the rack on the Cruiser, too. I'll have the wrong plate showing unless I swap them with each use. 🤷‍♂️ )

"Now to rig up a 4-pin harness on the trailer to use the included lights"

I bought the Yakima Stage 2 rack after putting a 2" Curt receiver on with stainless steel 316 grade for high tension use.  There's a light kit that I can buy to attach to the rack so tail lights/turn indicators are visible in both the up and down position.  It would be plugged into a four pin harness, but I don't know how that's done.  The trailer goes to Hohenwald for service in October so may see if they can do that.  If you figure out how it's done I would like to see how you did it.

John

[MAX Burner]

4 hours ago, John Welte said:

It would be plugged into a four pin harness, but I don't know how that's done. 

@John Welte: John, I followed @John E Davies's "how to" post describing the procedure to splice into the 4-pin harness which is located in the right/rear of the basement/garage.  Access is both through the street-side hatch and aft-most compartment hatch under the street-side bed.  You can also refer to my post on "LED Bar Light on Bumper", FYI.

Either one will get you smart on connecting to the 4-pin so you can run lights on your bike rack.

Have fun!

[MAX Burner]

2 hours ago, Steve Morris said:

This is what the old 2" receivers looked like? Wow, that's a nice setup!

It's pretty beefy, for sure.  But it will be even nicer after we eliminate the "play" in the assembly...  HA!

[Steve Morris]

Loaded up and ready to go!

[MAX Burner]

@Steve Morris: Steve, nice looking set-up for the bikes, brother!  Really like the license plate mount and the hard point tie-down through the spare tire cover...  Great idea.

Our's is slightly different, but what we found very helpful during our road trip this week (in reducing the jostling), was adding 2 tie-down straps at both ends of the top tubes and the other ends (left and right) back down to the ends of the square tubing.

No issues... Rock-Solid!

 

Edited August 3, 2023 by MAX Burner
Typo...

[Steve Morris]

26 minutes ago, MAX Burner said:

what we found very helpful during our road trip this week (in reducing the jostling), was adding 2 tie-down straps at both ends of the top tubes

Yep, you'd added those in the thread where I was asking about support. I don't have top tubes, but could go to the seat posts. I'll take a couple of straps with me in case I need to add more support. Thanks!

[Jim and Frances]

Thanks to everyone for all their comments, pictures and ideas.  We are investigating dual e-bikes with the 1-Up dual super duty rack and replacing the 1.5" Oliver receiver with a 2" Curtis 5000lb bumper mounted receiver.

Having just watched a YouTube video on the results of over tightening some lug nuts, it made me think some more about the potential loads on a hitch receiver for a bike rack. 

As I think about it, there are two ways to look at it.  Simple loads from acceleration (force = mass x acceleration), and then there is the boogey bear of shock loads.  I took my iPhone the other day and measure the g-force of a rather nasty bump in my truck and got about 2.5g at 40 MPH.  Given the max length of the 1-Up rack in a dual configuration of about 25.5" and a weight of two e-bikes w/o batteries and the weight of the rack, you get about  1000 fl-lbs of bump on the receiver.  Doubling it for safety brings one to 2000 ft-lbs.  Looking at shock loads yields exponentially higher figures.

I am not totally confident of the following numbers (need help from some Mechanical Engineers!), but I used the following variables in a standard shock load formula for a rectangular beam 🤔.

• 2 ea 65 lb bikes  - 130 lbs total (w/o batteries)
• 47 lb rack on a 15" lever arm (over estimate as center of weight would be )
• 3" drop bounce height (bumper bounce distance)
• 25.5" total beam length from receiver to end of rack
• 0.25" receiver wall thickness

It's a guess as to how much the rear bumper actually could move/bounce on a large road bump.  I estimate approximately 0.6" of LEII rear bumper vertical movement for every 1" of tow vehicle bumper movement given the LEII's axle distance from hitch to LEII's rear bumper.

I end up with close to 675,000 PSI of potential shock load being distributed over the face of the receiver mounting plate (approx 20-24 sq in). With a 4" trailer rear bumper bounce (6.7" rear tow vehicle bumper bounce) this goes to +750,000 PSI.  This gave me pause!  No inclusion of shock absorption from trailer suspension is taken into account, which I am sure in non-trivial and over estimates given that it assumed the trailer is a non-flexing beam with no suspension.  Use of good straps provide additional shock load dampening in addition to flat tire mitigation.  These number suggest getting rather high grade bolts for attachment of the receiver to the LEII bumper.

As previously mentioned by @taylor.coyote, @John E Davies and others, caution is needed!

To reiterate, I am not a licensed Professional Engineer, so these number may be inaccurate. Spreadsheet attached for giggles!

In addition to insulating the receiver plate from the bumper (with rubber, thin nylon sheet, or coating), any thoughts on using a nylon bushing through the LEII bumper to help mitigate bolt-to-bumper galvanic corrosion or would a thick coating of a galvanic corrosion coating work well enough?

Bike Rack Forces Estimate.xlsx

[topgun2]

I like the WAY you think.  When there is no understandable, logical or definitive information that contradicts whatever warning label or engineering information I've been given, I try my best to adhere by the warning labels and/or generally accepted guidance on the subject.

That YouTube video you mention above has to do with an owner ignoring warnings about the proper torque for lug nuts on trailer wheels.  Even though he knew better, he tightened his too much and sheared those lug studs off thus losing a wheel.  For good reason, he was very thankful that no major physical or property damage occurred as a result of his mistake.  We all could learn a thing or two and I certainly appreciate his willingness to publish it.  Also, thanks to you for referencing it.

Bill 

[Steve Morris]

I haven't been on here in about ten days, so catching up. We returned home from a family trip with my two brothers and their wives on Thursday, so Friday I finally remembered to check the tongue weight with and without the bicycles. I'm using this Simple Weigh scale, so it may not be as accurate as a Shoreline scale.

We'd just returned home, so the tanks were as follows:

Fresh: 13%
Gray: 44%
Black: 65%

Almost everything else in the trailer was as it is when we're travelling, although we did take out the laundry and food from the fridge that doesn't stay in all the time.

Results:

Tongue weight with no bicycles and with the 1UP Super Duty Double installed and folded: ~550 pounds
Tongue weight with two 50 pound bicycles and with the 1UP Super Duty Double installed and extended: ~450-475 pounds.

This surprised me, as that puts me well under 10% tongue weight with the bikes on. Once I dump the tanks, I want to re-weigh, but it is likely going to be similar. I've towed almost 1000 miles with the bikes on the back, and haven't noticed any sway or lightness, although about 600 miles of that had a 20# propane tank in the front basket. That Andersen hitch really does its job well!

I'm considering getting a Rubbermaid ActionPack 24 gallon container and moving some of the heavier items from the basement to the front basket. If really needed, I can add a 1UP Roof Rack and mount it across the rear of the front basket using J-hooks. That would take 50 pounds off the back and onto the tongue, which should help considerably.

Thoughts?

 

Edit:

Empty tanks, Tongue weight with no bicycles and with the 1UP Super Duty Double installed and folded: ~525 pounds.