at Ahhh...fresh air: MaxxRaxx do a lift kit, that brings the bikes up another 300mm to clear caravan gas bottles etc.
Here's what it looks like: http://www.maxxraxx.co.uk/Accessories/tow_ht_ext.html
http://www.maxxraxx.co.uk/Guides/towing_clearance_chart.pdf shows how far away the trailer/van needs to be to clear x bikes - for 1 bike it's 880mm, for 4 bikes it's 1065mm.
I just measured my Erde 142, and the applicable ball to trailer distance is only 710mm. So according to that, I shouldn't be able to safely (read: with trailer at full lock) carry any bikes at all :-(. This is a situation I'd prefer not to have to remember, as inevitably I'll forget and end up squashing bikes in a futile attempt to reverse into somewhere tight. Having to take off all the bikes would not be a preferred option.
The ball to trailer top lip height on the 142 is 500mm. I reckon that the normal MaxxRaxx lifts the bikes around 200mm above the towball, but as it's a factor of tyre diameter and bike top-tube slope, your mileage may vary. The smalles bikes logically get loaded last, and they have the largest clearance. I surmise that with the additional 300mm lift kit, we should have no problems with trailer vs 4-bike clashes.
Cheers,
Mike
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