Bike rack follow-up

Back in Aug. 2012 I asked if anyone had installed a bike rack on the rear of their Hi-Lo. I received several ideas and I thank those folks who offered suggestions. I have just finished installing a DrawTite Class II hitch on the frame of our 24 ft. 2006 Classic. I don't know if this procedure will work for all Hi-Lo's but this is how I did ours:
Removed rear stablizers
Bolted 1 full length 2" aluminum angle across and carriage bolted to top of stabilizer plates facing back of trailer
Used stabilizer jacks to jack the hitch into place
Drilled thru stabilizer plates (two 1/4" x 2") galvanized carriage bolts in each
Drilled thru existing mounting holes in hitch into steel sewer hose carrier 3/8" inch holes. Will need a 6" long drill bit.
Cut a long slot in a 7 or 8 ft. length of pvc pipe. Slot only one side of the pvc and make the slot tight enough to hold a 1/4" x 3 and 3/4" galvanized carriage bolt on a steep angle.
The toughest part is finding the farthest hole, I used a light facing up at the tube to help locate the hole. The screws will hit the top of the tube but a slight tap should help them to drop in.
Slide a 1/4" x 3" piece of galvanized pipe onto the screw after it has dropped thru to the hitch, this is the spacer needed to pull the hitch up tight. I painted mine black to help hide them.
Reinstall the stabilizers
Not a lot of fun but it does work.

Don't suppose you took pictures? They would help.

- Jack

Didn't take photos while installing but as soon as the weather clears I'll take a few finished shots and post them.

Bike Rack

Here are photos of the completed DrawTite Class II hitch. 2 Bike rack with short extension should clear the spare tire.

Is your camper license plate hidden when you mount your bikes on the carrier?

Dee

I'm installing the Apex 2 bike carrier. I believe it will provide the clearance for the License Plate, at least that's the plan. Thanks for the excellent question though. It will be a while before we can use the Hi-Lo, taking care of an aging parent, when I'm able I'll order the bike carrier and take a picture with the bikes mounted.

Dee Tillotson said:

Is your camper license plate hidden when you mount your bikes on the carrier?

Dee

Click to expand...

Are you asking because of the legal requirements to have the plate visible?

bike rack change

Change in plans. A better fit (to clear the license plate) is the Swagman
Catalog # 49402 from Camping World. With a 18" vertical rise off the receiver it will clear the license plate.
Hope this has helped. I'll be glad to try and answer any questions someone may have on what I did.