Travel trailer approved 1.25” hitch mount bike rack

[Guest Paul and Santina]

Is anyone using the Yakima StageTwo premium tray 1.25” hitch bike rack that is

• “RV Tested and Approved to 60 lbs. per bike
• Off-Road rated to 36 lbs per bike”

I know this forum has already addressed the issue that there are no 1.25” bike racks on the market specifically “travel trailer approved”, and Oliver won’t convert the bike rack hitch from 1.25” to 2”, so I don’t want to re-open that can of worms.

BUT, the above Yakima might work, and I would dearly love to know whether anyone has tried it on their Oliver yet?

[Guest]

12 minutes ago, Paul and Santina said:

RV Tested and Approved to 60 lbs. per bike

Hello, 

I'm not sure "rv approved" indicates "trailer" approved. 

Kirk

[John E Davies]

I looked around at Yakima's website and did not see anything, you should email them to make sure a travel trailer is included in that general RV approval statement. I do know that SOME Yakima products like my Rocket Box are not rated for "off-road' and the warranty terms specifically say that that is anything rougher than a smooth graded gravel road. So potholed forest roads are "off-road". 😉

Reopening that receiver worm can anyway: it makes no sense at all to a normal person to buy an $850 (!!!)  bike rack with less than desirable features, as a compromise, simply because it will fit the small Ollie receiver. It makes far more sense to spend less for a wonderful 1-Up Super Duty Double rack ($665 shipped in silver) and simply change the receiver so that it works. It is a far better rack than any Yakima, and debatably better than the other good e-bike rated racks like the Kuat. The 1-Up is designed and sold here in the USA, has individual spare parts available, stellar customer service, and it can be added to with more bike trays or a cargo tray. But only two bike trays for off-road, max 75 pounds per bike. This too small receiver issue is so VERY frustrating, ain't it? It makes you want to storm into the Oliver headquarters and give somebody a good shaking 😉

John Davies

Spokane WA

[routlaw]

I concur on John Davies comments about the 1-UP Bike racks, we have one. All other racks on the market look like toys compared to the 1-Up. There really isn't any comparison IMHO. Very heavy duty and also a bit heavy too but works well, easy to use. Very well engineered. 

[Guest]

16 minutes ago, John E Davies said:

it makes no sense at all to a normal person to buy an $850 (!!!)  bike rack with less than desirable features, as a compromise, simply because it will fit the small Ollie receiver. It makes far more sense to spend less for a wonderful 1-Up Super Duty Double rack ($665 shipped in silver) and simply change the receiver so that it works. It is a far better rack than any Yakima, and debatably better than the other good e-bike rated racks like the Kuat. The 1-Up is designed and sold here in the USA, has individual spare parts available, stellar customer service, and it can be added to with more bike trays or a cargo tray. But only two bike trays for off-road, max 75 pounds per bike. This too small receiver issue is so VERY frustrating, ain't it? It makes you want to storm into the Oliver headquarters and give somebody a good shaking 😉

I agree John! After many bike racks, the only one I would consider buying is the 1UP. After we receive our trailer, we are planning on converting our hitch over to a 2" and using a 1UP bike rack. 

Kirk

[Guest Paul and Santina]

Thanks for the advice folks. I certainly don’t want to be concerned about my bike rack falling apart as I merrily drive to the next campsite. But…convert the hitch to a 2”? I guess I’ll go back through the forum and look for details. Not thrilled about making a conversion myself (my goal in retirement was to reduce the # of projects, and enjoy the great outdoors). I suppose I’d need to find a good metal shop, etc. BTW, we have 2 relatively light, not electric, bikes (a Townie and Trek).

[Guest]

22 minutes ago, Paul and Santina said:

Not thrilled about making a conversion myself

I am with you on that! I will be using a local fabricator to get the job done. 

Kirk

[John E Davies]

FYI, this is important, the 1-Up and some other expensive racks like that Yakima Stage 2 have a proprietary locking mechanism to stop play (rocker stopper).  The 1-Up rack is made primarily of aluminum, yay, but it uses a steel stinger which has a great big stainless steel ball that cams out and locks to the inside of the female receiver. It is extremely effective! BUT you need a steel receiver, because it will literally destroy an aluminum one, plus there would obviously be dissimilar metal corrosion worries.

That rack is used with my Land Cruiser, I don’t have a square receiver my Ollie. I mentioned this part in a different thread, but I will do again here. I would simply bolt on this unit to the top of the factory cross bar, with an insulating pad between the two parts. It would probably be cheaper than having a shop fabricate one from raw steel. And this has a pretty powder coating, the shop would just spray it with some rattle can enamel without bothering to prime it. So you would end up redoing it yourself in a year.  😀

Ultra-Tow Step Bumper Receiver - Class II, 3500-Lb. GTW, 2in.

John Davies

Spokane WA

[Guest Paul and Santina]

14 minutes ago, John E Davies said:

FYI, this is important, the 1-Up and some other expensive racks like that Yakima Stage 2 have a proprietary locking mechanism to stop play (rocker stopper).  The 1-Up rack is made of primarily of aluminum, yay, but it uses a steel stinger which has a great big stainless steel ball that cams out and locks to the inside of the female receiver. It is extremely effective! BUT you need a steel receiver, because it will literally destroy an aluminum one, plus there would obviously be dissimilar metal corrosion worries.

I mentioned this part in a different thread, but I will do again here. I would simply bolt on this unit to the factory cross bar, with an insulating pad underneath it. It would probably be cheaper than having a shop fabricate one from raw steel. And this has a pretty powder coating, the shop would just spray it with some ratlle can enamel without bothering to prime it. So you would end up redoing it yourself in a year.  😀

Ultra-Tow Step Bumper Receiver - Class II, 3500-Lb. GTW, 2in.

John Davies

Spokane WA

Great! That makes the most sense to me. The rocker stopper seems like a key structural component. So, unbolt Oliver’s wee 1.25” receiver, drill 4 new holes through Oliver’s Al crossbar, place a thin sheet of neoprene to form a gasket between the steel Ultra-tow 2” receiver above and Oliver’s Al crossbar to prevent Fe-Al corrosion, secure the Ultra-tow 2” receiver using SS through bolts, order a 1UP 2” Heavy Duty Double and, budda bing, I’m good to go. I suppose I should use bolts that are a slightly smaller diameter than the hole diameter to limit Al-Fe contact, or put a plastic sleeve in the hole, or wrap the bolts in neoprene tape, and use a rubber washer between the SS washer/bolt and Al crossbar.

Thanks for the assistance.

[John E Davies]

On 7/29/2022 at 2:44 PM, Paul and Santina said:

Great! That makes the most sense to me. The rocker stopper seems like a key structural component. So, unbolt Oliver’s wee 1.25” receiver, drill 4 new holes through Oliver’s Al crossbar, place a thin sheet of neoprene to form a gasket between the steel Ultra-tow 2” receiver above and Oliver’s Al crossbar to prevent Fe-Al corrosion, secure the Ultra-tow 2” receiver using SS through bolts, order a 1UP 2” Heavy Duty Double and, budda bing, I’m good to go. I suppose I should use bolts that are a slightly smaller diameter than the hole diameter to limit Al-Fe contact, or put a plastic sleeve in the hole, or wrap the bolts in neoprene tape, and use a rubber washer between the SS washer/bolt and Al crossbar.

Thanks for the assistance.

I don’t recommend the Heavy Duty rack, I am not sure it is even RV rated. You need a Super Duty. 

I think you need a really stiff material as insulator pad, so it does’t flex at all. Oliver uses some rubber like sheet between the support arms and the top of the sewer compartment, and they say that they haven’t seen loose bolts, but to be safe I would find a plastic sheet that won’t try to squeeze out.. 

The stainless hardware is fine but adding rubber washers and sleeves in addition is overkill unless you plan to tow through battery acid. Oliver doesn’t use that with their hardware. Though they do add aluminum sleeves in one place, where the Bulldog coopler bolts go through the tongue. 

John Davies

Spokane WA

[Ollietime]

It sure is getting expensive to haul a couple of bicycles around. I sure do miss my banana seat and goose neck handlebars!

[BeauDog]

On 7/29/2022 at 2:00 PM, John E Davies said:

I would simply bolt on this unit to the top of the factory cross bar, with an insulating pad between the two parts. It would probably be cheaper than having a shop fabricate one from raw steel. And this has a pretty powder coating, the shop would just spray it with some rattle can enamel without bothering to prime it. So you would end up redoing it yourself in a year.  😀

John, I like this idea.  I wonder how the spacing of the holes would be relative to the existing 1 1/4" receiver holes?  Too close could be problematic, right? 

[Clowdstryfe]

On 7/28/2022 at 4:14 PM, Paul and Santina said:

Is anyone using the Yakima StageTwo premium tray 1.25” hitch bike rack that is

• “RV Tested and Approved to 60 lbs. per bike
• Off-Road rated to 36 lbs per bike”

BUT, the above Yakima might work, and I would dearly love to know whether anyone has tried it on their Oliver yet?

On Yakima's website they have a file (attached) that defines what an RV is in their terms. It does specify a travel trailer. 

Did you purchase the Yakima Stage 2?? If so, how has it held up during your travels?? 

3.pdf

[John and Debbie]

On 7/28/2022 at 1:14 PM, Paul and Santina said:

Is anyone using the Yakima StageTwo premium tray 1.25” hitch bike rack that is

• “RV Tested and Approved to 60 lbs. per bike
• Off-Road rated to 36 lbs per bike”

I know this forum has already addressed the issue that there are no 1.25” bike racks on the market specifically “travel trailer approved”, and Oliver won’t convert the bike rack hitch from 1.25” to 2”, so I don’t want to re-open that can of worms.

BUT, the above Yakima might work, and I would dearly love to know whether anyone has tried it on their Oliver yet?

I use the Yakima Stage Two, but with a 2" receiver that I got from Curt Hitches.  I just removed the 1.25" from OTT and drilled new holes to attach the Curt hitch.  I did use high tension stainless steel bolts and nuts to hedge my bets.  When I was in Hohenwald in November, 2023, I had them do the electrical hook up as I got the optional light bar/license plate holder for the bike rack.

John

[Jason Foster]

Why do bike rack manufacturers limit these on trailers?  Are they expecting the trailer to have a stiffer suspension causing some shear forces at the hitch?

 

[Frank C]

44 minutes ago, Jason Foster said:

Why do bike rack manufacturers limit these on trailers?  Are they expecting the trailer to have a stiffer suspension causing some shear forces at the hitch?

 

It’s because of the greater distance from the rear axle of the RV or trailer to the rear bumper, compared to that same measurement on a car or pickup truck.  That greater distance means the loaded bike rack experiences much larger movement up & down and side to side from bumps & potholes in the road, from going around corners, etc.  That larger movement means much higher accelerations/forces acting on the hitch and rack.   Some motorhomes have ridiculously long rear overhang distance. 
 

[Jason Foster]

2 minutes ago, Frank C said:

It’s because of the greater distance between the rear axle of the RV or trailer to the rear bumper compared to a that same measurement on a car or pickup truck.  That greater distance means the loaded bike rack experiences much larger movement up & down and side to side from bumps & potholes in the road, from going around corners, etc.  That larger movement means much higher accelerations/forces acting on the hitch and rack.   Some motorhomes have ridiculously long rear overhang distance. 
 

In other words, the racks are cheaply built and will not survive the torture from excessive bounce.  I can only imagine what would happen in an offroad situation.  

Ok.  So, I will need one that is trailer compatible, has a 1 1/4 hitch, fat-tire, fender and e-bike rated.  All under about $600.  Great.

[John and Debbie]

5 hours ago, Jason Foster said:

Why do bike rack manufacturers limit these on trailers?  Are they expecting the trailer to have a stiffer suspension causing some shear forces at the hitch?

 

Jason, my guess is that there are more forces put on an attached bike rack that starts about 7 feet from the center of the rear axle of a travel trailer.  I am not an engineer, but just thinking through the force transmitted from the tv movement at the hitch to the trailer and then 23 feet from that point to the start of the bike rack hitch point and the extra 2-2.5 feet of the bike rack, there must be some substantial forces to deal with.  Best to keep the bike weight as low as possible.  I remember the formula f=ma.  Force equals mass times acceleration.

John

[MAX Burner]

On 1/7/2024 at 7:24 PM, Jason Foster said:

So, I will need one that is trailer compatible, has a 1 1/4 hitch, fat-tire, fender and e-bike rated.  All under about $600.  Great.

Hey, Jason:

That's some fairly restricting criteria, brother!  You may need to consider moving up to a 2" receiver - if possible on your new rig.  If you can do that, then recommend looking into the 1Up system.  They have various models, designed and made in the US, and high quality.

They're one of the most "bomb-proof" racks we've found available, IMO.  Just north of 8k miles since installed last year (80% of those miles with bikes attached) - we've not had any issues.  Rock solid on the 2" receiver with or without bikes aboard.

In any case, if you find a rack that meets your specs, please share that source!

Cheers!

[rich.dev]

Also look at the Quikrstuff Mach 2. Apparently Quikrstuff was formed by the original inventor of 1Up rack, and the Quikrstuff is a redesigned 1Up with a bunch of improvements.  

Here's a nice video comparing the 1Up with the Quikrstuff

 

[MAX Burner]

3 hours ago, rich.dev said:

Also look at the Quikrstuff Mach 2. Apparently Quikrstuff was formed by the original inventor of 1Up rack, and the Quikrstuff is a redesigned 1Up with a bunch of improvements.  

Here's a nice video comparing the 1Up with the Quikrstuff

 

The Quikrstuff Mach 2 is an awesome rack - double rack version for $1100, not bad...

[srthomsen]

On 7/28/2022 at 3:28 PM, snakeriveridaho said:

Hello, 

I'm not sure "rv approved" indicates "trailer" approved. 

Kirk

and who sets the standards?

[ScubaRx]

I have asked this question before, and no one has ever answered. I am not sure if that is because no one knew the answer or just weren’t interested enough to reply.
 

Why not use a front receiver that can be bought for any full-size pick up for barely over $100 and carry the bikes there? They will all support up to 500 pounds and they are all 2 inch receivers so any bike rack would work. In addition, the front receiver has multiple other uses. I actually don’t see how anyone gets by without having a front receiver.

[SeaDawg]

We've only carried our bikes, a few times,,in the truckbed. We're not big bike aficionados.  Other people here, really are. 

Last place I'd want to put expensive bikes would be on a front hitch of the truck, imo. Last resort,....

Front receiver for pushing a trailer into tight spaces, priceless. 

[ScubaRx]

1 hour ago, SeaDawg said:

Last place I'd want to put expensive bikes would be on a front hitch of the truck, imo. Last resort,....

 

I don’t see why. The front axle weight rating of any vehicle that would serve as a decent tow for an Oliver would likely support the weight of a motorcycle much less that of a couple of bicycles. You can see them while driving so you don’t end up at your destination sans bikes like one owner reported to me. They don’t block the rear trailer lights so than problem is eliminated. I’m unclear on what the cost of the bike has to do with the best place to carry it.  My last resort location would easily be in between the truck and trailer.