No, because a caravan doesn't have a cross member at the rear like a motorhome does therefore a towbar cannot be attached. A caravan chassis is designed entirely different to that of a motorhome which can carry bike racks on the rear due to being able to fit a towbar.
Not for a Coachman as the A frame is to short.
The Fiamma bike rack for the A frame is designed for European caravans which has a longer frame.
------------- XVI yes?
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Quote: Originally posted by Dave and Cyn on 04/7/2023
Seen quite a few with a bike rack on the rear of a caravan. Couldn't say what make/model they were.
Lots of Swift group caravans have Thule fittings to carry bikes on the back of the caravan (ours does), but I`d rather not carry our bikes there due to the potential `pendulum effect` when towing. Our (electric) bikes go on the car roof bars, don`t know if the caravan fittings would take the best part of 50 kg hanging off the rear end anyway.
Quote: Originally posted by JuanHuNose on 04/7/2023
Quote: Originally posted by Dave and Cyn on 04/7/2023
Seen quite a few with a bike rack on the rear of a caravan. Couldn't say what make/model they were.
Lots of Swift group caravans have Thule fittings to carry bikes on the back of the caravan (ours does), but I`d rather not carry our bikes there due to the potential `pendulum effect` when towing. Our (electric) bikes go on the car roof bars, don`t know if the caravan fittings would take the best part of 50 kg hanging off the rear end anyway.
I wouldnt like to even try getting our full sized ebikes onto the car roof, let alone trust the bars. I am - extravagantly - thinking about getting some small e-folding bikes that will go in the back of the truck for camping.
Considering how moving only a few Kg from a forward underseat locker into the rear bathroom wardrobe upset the previously impeccable handling of my van, I shudder to think what hanging around 50Kg of bikes and rack off the very rear would do! Plenty of tales of people having to remove heavy items from fixed rear bed storage lockers to restore good handling too!
I would have thought that a twin axle van had far greater scope for adding that extra weight to the very rear than a single axle does!
The very rear end of chassis (Alko) of most caravans is a rather pathetic affair structurally, with little scope for additional load, so as previously said not suitable for additions like towbars. Many caravans also do not have the load bearing strength in their rear panels to cope with bike racks affixed to the rear body. On my Lunar they say bike racks are unsuitable! I believe some Swift models do have the structural integrity to accommodate a rack though.
Then of course there is the static see-saw effect, that additional rear weight is going to lighten the nose weight by a similar amount, so that would need compensating for! Could you with any practicality redistribute the loading of your van to put around 50Kg back into the nose end! I've got a inherently nose heavy van, but think I'd struggle to compensate for a whopping 50kg lightening of nose weight!
Not something too many people seem to worry about from my experiences with the way friends endlessly pile stuff into their vans, but does the van payload have scope for an additional say 50Kg and remain legal, my van certainly wouldn't!
Racking my brains and can't say that I recall seeing a bike rack fitted to the back of a caravan, by any method! MH's and Campers aplenty, but not caravans, which probably means it's not common practice, it would likely stick in my mind as I'd worry about the aforementioned pendulum effect and probably give the outfit a very wide berth indeed as would anticipate it was likely unstable!
Following general towing advice, think eBikes are the kind of load that should probably be best added to the tow vehicle, or at worst securely stowed in the van over the axle!
I definitely agree with what has already been said. I certainly wouldn't like to have that kind of weight on the back of my caravan as it would dramatically upset the handling.
When I first brought my current caravan home from the dealer where I bought it, it was virtually empty and the handling wasn't good. It was too light on the front end. Once I had loaded all our usual stuff in and adjusted it to get the correct nose-weight, it towed beautifully. With 50kg hanging off the back end it would be a nightmare to tow. Caravan loading can be very critical for handling, and 50kg is massive!
Quote: Originally posted by JuanHuNose on 04/7/2023
Quote: Originally posted by Dave and Cyn on 04/7/2023
Seen quite a few with a bike rack on the rear of a caravan. Couldn't say what make/model they were.
Lots of Swift group caravans have Thule fittings to carry bikes on the back of the caravan (ours does), but I`d rather not carry our bikes there due to the potential `pendulum effect` when towing. Our (electric) bikes go on the car roof bars, don`t know if the caravan fittings would take the best part of 50 kg hanging off the rear end anyway.
I wouldnt like to even try getting our full sized ebikes onto the car roof, let alone trust the bars. I am - extravagantly - thinking about getting some small e-folding bikes that will go in the back of the truck for camping.
Our `lekkie bikes are full size (but I whip the batteries off before loading them on), don`t understand the lack of trust in the bars as they are tested and TUV approved- and the cars roof limit is 100kg.
Having said that, being of pensioner status I suppose at some time in the future it may get a little more difficult to lift and manoeuvre them above my head............
It is possible to fit the Fiamma XL A Pro to very short A frames with a slight modification (apparently a common practice on the continent). I have one fitted to mine.
Quote: Originally posted by JuanHuNose on 04/7/2023
Our `lekkie bikes are full size (but I whip the batteries off before loading them on), don`t understand the lack of trust in the bars as they are tested and TUV approved- and the cars roof limit is 100kg.
Having said that, being of pensioner status I suppose at some time in the future it may get a little more difficult to lift and manoeuvre them above my head............
If an ebike weighs 50kg I'd struggle to get it 6 inches off the ground, never mind onto a car roof. Due to back and neck problems, I'd have difficulty getting anything onto the roof of my X Trail though.
I don't fancy lifting that weight onto our Hyundai roof! Getting on a bit!
Some Swift vans have the fittings for bike racks on the rear so I assume they have factored the weight issue in, poss8bly the axle is further back.
------------- DS-There's more to life than football!!!
Quote: Originally posted by JuanHuNose on 04/7/2023
Our `lekkie bikes are full size (but I whip the batteries off before loading them on), don`t understand the lack of trust in the bars as they are tested and TUV approved- and the cars roof limit is 100kg.
Having said that, being of pensioner status I suppose at some time in the future it may get a little more difficult to lift and manoeuvre them above my head............
If an ebike weighs 50kg I'd struggle to get it 6 inches off the ground, never mind onto a car roof. Due to back and neck problems, I'd have difficulty getting anything onto the roof of my X Trail though.
The bikes weigh about 22kgs each, taking the batteries off removes about 2-3 kgs off each one so it`s not as bad as it seems.
I agree with you in your case - an X-trail is a lot higher than my Volvo V60 and as it`s not just getting them up there but positioning them in the clamps which would make it a bridge too far for most people.
Getting the bikes on the roof currently isn`t a problem, but getting in and out of the car (with it being quite low) is becoming one
Quote: Originally posted by JuanHuNose on 05/7/2023
Quote: Originally posted by Colin21 on 04/7/2023
Quote: Originally posted by JuanHuNose on 04/7/2023
Our `lekkie bikes are full size (but I whip the batteries off before loading them on), don`t understand the lack of trust in the bars as they are tested and TUV approved- and the cars roof limit is 100kg.
Having said that, being of pensioner status I suppose at some time in the future it may get a little more difficult to lift and manoeuvre them above my head............
If an ebike weighs 50kg I'd struggle to get it 6 inches off the ground, never mind onto a car roof. Due to back and neck problems, I'd have difficulty getting anything onto the roof of my X Trail though.
The bikes weigh about 22kgs each, taking the batteries off removes about 2-3 kgs off each one so it`s not as bad as it seems.
I agree with you in your case - an X-trail is a lot higher than my Volvo V60 and as it`s not just getting them up there but positioning them in the clamps which would make it a bridge too far for most people.
Getting the bikes on the roof currently isn`t a problem, but getting in and out of the car (with it being quite low) is becoming one
Getting in and out of the car is precisely why I went for the X Trail. We had a Volvo too, a V70, and I was starting to struggle getting out of that due to it being quite low.
Some makes of van are now sold with bike racks already in situ. My trucks roof is taller than me, the bars will be 6ft up, so we are talking step-ladders to get anything up there - which i wouldnt, over and above planks of timber etc.
We used to have a couple of 70's retro folding bikes for taking to France. But i binned them during covid as they were getting scruffy and one of the gears was forever playing up on one of them. We got the big 'e's for the tracks around where we live, which they are great for. Folding 'e's wouldnt have been as much fun. But they are handy for camping due to the size. I naively thought i'd get ours into the back of the truck if i removed the front wheels, but id have to faff with the bars as well. So too much playing about for me.
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Topic: Rear towbar
via mobile 04/7/2023 at 5:54am
