How to transport bicycles on a Hi-Lo ???

After many days of research I purchased the Advantage two-bike hitch mounted carrier. Works great by clamping onto the hitch that is installed into the vehicle receiver by a scissor-action. However, it looks like the support bars that hold the bikes in place may hit the propane tanks (OMG) when performing a sharp turn. It also looks as if the bike tires may have the same problem since there isn't a lot of room between the vehicle and the tow-ball and tanks. Does anyone have any ideas for transporting a couple of bikes with a Hi-Lo? Seems like anything constructed or bought to have the bikes above the propane tanks will stick up higher than the trailer itself. Strap-on the back of my Suburban leaves me with little security (and not much more room). I'm stumped , , , other than putting two bikes inside, but that seems to be a bit of a hassle. Thanks ahead of any ideas. Almost ready to leave for "everywhere" in a couple of weeks , , , leaving chilly Buffalo behind. Jeff

I bought a spare tire bike rack that mounts to the center of the spare. My spare tire carrier is welded to the rear bumper. The trailer is not here or I would post a picture. I have to admit though that I have not used it so I can't attest to how well it works. I should put the bikes on it the next time I tow it out of the driveway because it has a slant to it that would be a good test.

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Love to see more pics and info from folks on how they transport their bikes and kayaks. Thanks for any sharing up front.
In our case we have small folding bikes that could be put inside the hilo or the truck. But we can't do that with our tandem bike or kayaks.
So any ideas folks??

Later Tim

Might be able to take the wheels off the bikes (front and or back ones) which will just leave the bike frame to attach to the rack. Put the wheels in the camper.

Ray

Bike Rack

Rolff said:

I bought a spare tire bike rack that mounts to the center of the spare. My spare tire carrier is welded to the rear bumper. The trailer is not here or I would post a picture. I have to admit though that I have not used it so I can't attest to how well it works. I should put the bikes on it the next time I tow it out of the driveway because it has a slant to it that would be a good test.

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So have you tried it out. AM looking at the above possibility but have been told that it may be too heavy for the rear bumper, spare tire rack. I own a 17 ft - 2005 Hi Lo trailer.

I purchased a spare tire mounted rack to take our bikes from Va to Austin, Tx. Many in trip checks were made to assure a secure mounting with no issues. Bikes and rack are somewhere between Monroe, La and east Texas. Won't have one of that type again. I plan on securely welding a receiver to the frame and rear bumper of the trailer and using a typical receiver type rack next time.

Bike rack

On our visits to our HiLo dealer I have seen them welding underneath. This is how a bike rack is put on a HiLo. Call Steve Brandall at Mantelli trailer for the details. 1-(716)625-8877.

Transporting bicycles???

If I'm understanding correctly, the best and safest way to transport our bicycles is to have a receiver permanently mounted to the back of our Hi-Lo? Can someone tell me if there a specially made one that is long enough to clear the spare tire and accommodate two bicycles? Thanks!

Did you see this post?

http://www.hilotrailerforum.com/f17/bike-rack-224/

piperjim said:

Did you see this post?

http://www.hilotrailerforum.com/f17/bike-rack-224/

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Yankee, you will note in the link (see pictures) which piperjim provided that the state license plate is mounted to the far left. This allows the plate to be seen when the Hi-Lo is in travel position and the bikes are mounted on the camper. Some states you will be traveling through will require the plate to be seen for identification. My 2009 Hi-Lo Classic has its lighted license plate mounted in the center on the rear of the camper, and I have a mounted spare tire on the back bumper to the far right. My situation makes it hard to mount bikes on the rear of the camper without blocking the view of the license plate. Do you think that situation will present a problem to you?

Dee
2009 Hi-Lo Classic
Summerville, SC

I've got a rack that mounts into the receiver hitch welded to my rear frame. However, I had to get an extension to get it to clear the spare mounted on back.

I have a HiLo with a rear-mounted spare tire. I have seen an over-the-tire bike carrier that looks very doable. However, when I reviewed the carrier on the manufacturer website, it said not to use it on the back of an RV. Any ideas why?

Jannah said:

I have a HiLo with a rear-mounted spare tire. I have seen an over-the-tire bike carrier that looks very doable. However, when I reviewed the carrier on the manufacturer website, it said not to use it on the back of an RV. Any ideas why?

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Anything mounted to an RV rear bumper is at the mercy of the bumper. The bumpers were not built for carrying things. The spare tire is probably safe because it isn't that heavy and it sits low and close to the bumper. If you would add a bike carrier you would want to attach to the trailer's frame with a hitch mount. There are brackets made for doing that.

Jannah, Also, keep in mind that if you need to change a flat, you'll have to remove those bikes in addition to everything else in an already anxious situation. Manufacturer must know it's not so safe to install it back there. A hitch receiver should be welded to both the frame and the rear bumper, that'll work.