E-Bike hitch at back of Tow Vehicle when towing Ollie with Anderson Hitch

[Wayne and Karen]

We have the Anderson Hitch for towing our Ollie hull number 1432. We are keen to buy a pair of e-bikes but don’t want to put them on a rack at the back of the Ollie Legacy Elite II.  Does anyone have, or know of, a way to add a rack to the back of our Ram 1500 and still pull the Ollie with an Anderson hitch?  Looking to buy lighter bikes but even then, each will be around 50 pounds. Total of 100 pounds. 

[topgun2]

If you type the words - bike rack - in the Search box at the upper right of this page, it will return several pages of information.  

Of course, most of this information will be relative to the hitch located on the back of the Oliver.  However, even in those threads I'm guessing that you might find information that can be of interest to you.  You will also find threads specifically related to you question.  These threads vary from talking about mounting bikes on top of a tonneau cover to rack systems attached to the tongue/basket area of the Ollie and others.

Good luck!

Bill

[gbergh]

Saris and others make a Bike Fork Mount for truck beds.  I have seen several trucks with the front wheel over the tail gate that is protected with padding over the gate.

[gbergh]

Tail gate mat..

[Jason Foster]

Honestly, the tailgate mat listed above is probably your best bet other than bolting a wheel mount in the bed, although this takes up a lot of storage space in the truck and makes removing the bikes a requirement before removing some gear.  Locking your bikes up from thieves should be a consideration as well.  I looked at all the options and have decided the rear mount on the Oliver is the best place for my application.  I have a tonneau cover that keeps my gear locked up so a rack on top would make sure my bikes had the coveted Beetlejuice paint job everyone loves.  Same for mounting them on the front bumper.  

There aren't really a whole lot of options.  None of them are perfect but it sure beats not having our bikes when we want them.

[Ronbrink]

14 hours ago, Wayne and Karen said:

We are keen to buy a pair of e-bikes but don’t want to put them on a rack at the back of the Ollie Legacy Elite II.

I solved our e-bike dilemma with a folding model and carry bag, easily transported in the TV under cap and staged on a front-mounted bike rack, as needed, when at camp. 

Bagged e-bikes shown behind the DuroMax generator. 

Front-mounted bike rack in use.

Secure storage.

Additional security and protection at night and/or inclement weather.

Staged for day use.

Easy transport to trails at distance from camp.

Bike rack in travel mode.

[gbergh]

22 hours ago, Jason Foster said:

Honestly, the tailgate mat listed above is probably your best bet other than bolting a wheel mount in the bed, although this takes up a lot of storage space in the truck and makes removing the bikes a requirement before removing some gear.  Locking your bikes up from thieves should be a consideration as well.  I looked at all the options and have decided the rear mount on the Oliver is the best place for my application.  I have a tonneau cover that keeps my gear locked up so a rack on top would make sure my bikes had the coveted Beetlejuice paint job everyone loves.  Same for mounting them on the front bumper.  

There aren't really a whole lot of options.  None of them are perfect but it sure beats not having our bikes when we want them.

John in terms of "The wheel mount on the truck bed",  I have the removable bed liner.  I put a 3/4 inch of treated exterior plywood on the truck bed and inseted blind nuts.  I replaced the removable bed mat and inserted eye bolts into the exterior plywood through the bed mat.   This allows me to secure her recumbent trike. 

George Bergh

[Wayne and Karen]

Thank you all for your advice and examples. We may indeed go with folding bikes. That sounds like a good solution. 

[Rolind]

There are a lot of ways to skin this cat.  I carry our bikes on a bed rack above the tonneau cover. Lifting my wife’s e-bike, even with the battery removed is a heavy lift. The rack locks on the front thru axles. Every option has its pros and cons. The rack on a front of the truck receiver hitch means every rock, bug and road hazard will be in your bike. The rear of the Oliver is not really rated for heavy bikes and boy would they flop around on a rough road, ie I70 through Kansas and eastern Colorado. Racks in the bed consume valuable bed space. There maybe  some racks that mount above the propane doghouse. Good luck on your search!

[topgun2]

A PM (private message) to mossemi might get you a look at his bike rack arrangement.  Same thing for SNY SD UP.

Bill

[tallmandan]

I have the Retrax tonneau cover with the T-track sides.  This allows install of Yakima crossbars.  On the Yakima HD crossbars are two 1Up bike carriers.  These are rated for E-bikes.  The bike in the photo is my size XL E-MTB with 29er size wheels.  This setup has worked well and is surprisingly stable for my beast of a bike.  It’s 50lbs but I remove the battery to be under 40lbs. 

For me this setup works great.  I am able to hoist it up on to the rack as I’m 6ft5in tall with good shoulder strength.  It would be tough for someone smaller and likely would need something to step up on.

[SeaDawg]

@Katjo shared this possible solution some time back. Not sure if she ever tried it,  or not, with her folding bikes.