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Old 09-21-2008, 11:05 AM   #1
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TT A Frame Mounted Bike Rack With Pic's T-310SR

Fellow Campers

What to do with hauling bikes is always a topic and pending TV type can be an issue. Here is what I ended up with for hauling the bikes along. Hopefully this may spark some ideas for others.

I now have a PU as the TV. I also have a tilting Tono cover that covers up the entire bed rail. PTHutch had a great solution on his which used the bed rails, and fit on a rack behind the cab but his Tono rolls up and leaves bed rail exposed. (I would link it here but can’t find it.) So that option was out for me as I did not want to re-buy the cover. Plus some day a truck cap will arrive.

I already did the TV front receiver on my older Suburban which worked well but did not want to repeat that on the F350. And the rear of the TT has negatives as well. Been there tried that. The inside of the TT is out as my slide about cuts off any walk space when in. The top of the roof on the F350 is just way to high up there...So I ended up with a TT tongue mount. EMAM did a very similar thing on his, see here

While this bike rack option may not work for everyone, it may for some with the larger campers/TV’s. Top Rail in Canada actually sells this type of bike rack however it is in the $300 plus range. It is the rack plus the mount.

The actual bike rack I used is my prior Swagmen double bike rack I allready had with the older camper that use to go on the front of the Suburban. Cost about $130 a few years ago. Looks like this


The metal for the TT frame I had laying around from years ago so no current day money spent here. Paint and hardware from the misc. everything pile of stuff I have. So while there is investment, I did not spend anything new, which helps on these kinds of projects.

In my case a TT tongue mount fit the bill. And again in my case, my TV, TT and WD hitch can handle the extra 100# of tongue weight the 2 bikes and rack add. That combo does not fit everyone. My TT tongue weight is now 1,390# when fully loaded, both bikes and full propane. This comes out to be just slightly over 15% tongue weight per loaded GVW of the TT. As you can see a lot of numbers need to be pre-thought and fall in place to make this option work. I would not recommend this option for any of the 2005 and newer 7,000# GVWR Sunline TT’s that have the A frame tongue issues as they already have enough going on. EMAM's has the final Sunline fix on it. Others may not. However the 8,600# GVWR TT and the 10,000# GVWR TT’s with the 6” wide A frame this should fit on the TT at least.

So here is what I did. I’ll do this with pic’s to cut down on the words.

First is to start out cutting up metal for the frame. To do this yourself your shop has to have metal working tools and such to make this easier, or have a buddy do you a favor.


Then the start of mounting to the A frame.


Then the frame fabrication


Then the test fit


While this fab’ing looks like a lot, there are only 2 pieces I made new. The 3rd squre tube is from the Swagmen rack. This is the parts painted that will be added.


Here it is on the truck ready to roll.



This also has a quick mount setup. I pop 2 pins out and the entire bike rack part comes out and I have the original Swagman rack back. While camping we can put this in the truck receiver and go for a day bike hike in another location. I also take the rack off for storage when not camping to keep the rack out of the weather.

A normal 5/8 receiver type pin on one end.


A wing nut with safety clip in place.


Next to make sure it you can turn and not hit the camper/TV. My hitch setup extends long enough to allow this and the bikes are high enough. Again this needs to be checked.

Here is a side shot so you can see the room between TV and TT.


Now to the full turn. Here are few pics of the same turn.






Here is the just about max I want to go. If I go much past this (about 5 to 8 degrees more) I can break the WD hitch given the right circumstances. This amount of turn does not occur often but I wanted to make sure the rack would not hit and take out a truck tail light.


Once I take the bikes off at the CG, I fold the rack down like this. I can also get into the LP valve cover with the rack on.


And at home I take it off and this is all that is left. This also allows me to take the LP cover off with the mount still on to change LP tanks.


I have used the rack now on 3 camping trips and it works well.

Thank you for following along and hope this helps spark some ideas for others.

John
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Current Sunlines: 2004 T310SR, 2004 T1950, 2004 T2475, 2007 T2499, 2004 T317SR
Prior Sunlines: 2004 T2499 - Fern Blue
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Old 09-23-2008, 03:16 PM   #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JohnB
… PTHutch had a great solution on his which used the bed rails, and fit on a rack behind the cab but his Tono rolls up and leaves bed rail exposed. (I would link it here but can’t find it.) …
John couldn’t find it, because I never got around to posting it.
Sorry John.

Since John mentioned it here, I thought I would at least post some pictures of my solution to coming up with a method of taking our bikes with us camping.

My primary objective was to build a bike rack that would keep the bed open for other supplies. With the help of JohnB (contributing as a design consultant - thanks John), we came up with an above the bed / behind the cab bike rack design.

While designing it, I also expanded it so it would have the capability to carry our camping recliners.

Here’s a picture of it, loaded with bikes and camping recliners.



And a side view:



I designed and built it modularly, in 4 sections, so it could be easily installed and removed, as shown here:



The rail supports are bolted in the truck bed’s front post holes to secure the whole unit. We used it a few times now and it’s very stable, even traveling on expressways.

The cost of it was very cheap. Used wood I had around the house, just had to buy the hardware and paint for it.

If anyone is interested in more information or pictures of my top of bed bike carry, PM me and I would be happy to share any information you would like.

Hope you enjoyed – and again sorry John for not posting this earlier.
Hutch

P.S. John - Excellent job on your bike rack - professionally done.
Do you plan to start reproducing and selling them? :P
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Old 09-23-2008, 09:23 PM   #3
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Hutch

Thanks for posting up the pic's. I knew somewhere on the forum I saw the 1st pic.

Now we have at least 3 linked options (EMAM, PTHutch & mine) for folks on bike racks that are different options for those who may be in the same boat we where. How to carry the bikes along....

Thanks for the kind words. Marketing them? Well no not right now but if a fellow camping buddy needs help, always open to help a fellow camper and even better, a Sunline Camper.

John
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Current Sunlines: 2004 T310SR, 2004 T1950, 2004 T2475, 2007 T2499, 2004 T317SR
Prior Sunlines: 2004 T2499 - Fern Blue
2005 Ford F350 Lariat, 6.8L V10 W/ 4.10 rear axle, CC, Short Bed, SRW. Reese HP trunnion bar hitch W/ HP DC

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Old 09-24-2008, 12:36 PM   #4
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Looks great guys, both of them!

Kathy has been getting the bug that she wants a bicycle, so I'm sure there's a rack of some sort in my future.

John, I like the Lincoln spark box, I learned to weld on one of those. They're great workhorses, but once you go mig you'll never go back! Now if I could only find a spare couple of grand for that tig setup..
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Old 09-24-2008, 07:57 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by frank
Looks great guys, both of them!

Kathy has been getting the bug that she wants a bicycle, so I'm sure there's a rack of some sort in my future.

John, I like the Lincoln spark box, I learned to weld on one of those. They're great workhorses, but once you go mig you'll never go back! Now if I could only find a spare couple of grand for that tig setup..
Frank

Thanks for the good words. Yes bringing the bikes along is cool. Most of our CG’s here in Ohio are paved and going for a ride is an every camping trip thing. We missed them since last October since the new camper and TV came. But now they are standard carrying along equipment. Use to haul them on the front of the 2500 Suburban.

Last I remember you where still trying to figure out what to do with your Tono. Well now you have a choice before you buy it if you have not. Hutches works on the bed rails where my Full Tilt Tono covers them up. And I thought you where looking at golf cart batteries on the tongue. So now you can go round and round like the rest of us on how to haul the bikes….

The spark box, yes I learned on one too. My Uncle taught me on his. A Lincoln 180Amp with the complete rheostat crank for heat. The real old ones….. And that one weighed about 2 times what my 225 Amp does. The older ones had a really fine wound transformer in them that weighed a ton but welded smooth. That one in the pic, I bought when I was 16. About 2 years later they also had a AC/DC version which I wish I would of had in place of, but it has been good to me all these years. I have never had anything thicker that it could not weld for me. The MIG, yup they are fast and quick. The TIG, they make a lot of 110 TIG units now. Lincoln/Miller both have them. We have contractors at work use them all the time on stainless tubing, sheet metal etc. Not that expensive and does a good job, plugs in a 15 amp 110 receipt. And they are portable for sure. A tank of gas and this little big lunch box over you arm and you are good to go. Just do not try and do some ½ plate with them…

When you get your bike hauler done, be sure to post.

John
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Current Sunlines: 2004 T310SR, 2004 T1950, 2004 T2475, 2007 T2499, 2004 T317SR
Prior Sunlines: 2004 T2499 - Fern Blue
2005 Ford F350 Lariat, 6.8L V10 W/ 4.10 rear axle, CC, Short Bed, SRW. Reese HP trunnion bar hitch W/ HP DC

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Old 09-24-2008, 09:51 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JohnB
Frank

Thanks for the good words. Yes bringing the bikes along is cool. Most of our CG’s here in Ohio are paved and going for a ride is an every camping trip thing. We missed them since last October since the new camper and TV came. But now they are standard carrying along equipment. Use to haul them on the front of the 2500 Suburban.

Last I remember you where still trying to figure out what to do with your Tono. Well now you have a choice before you buy it if you have not. Hutches works on the bed rails where my Full Tilt Tono covers them up. And I thought you where looking at golf cart batteries on the tongue. So now you can go round and round like the rest of us on how to haul the bikes….

The spark box, yes I learned on one too. My Uncle taught me on his. A Lincoln 180Amp with the complete rheostat crank for heat. The real old ones….. And that one weighed about 2 times what my 225 Amp does. The older ones had a really fine wound transformer in them that weighed a ton but welded smooth. That one in the pic, I bought when I was 16. About 2 years later they also had a AC/DC version which I wish I would of had in place of, but it has been good to me all these years. I have never had anything thicker that it could not weld for me. The MIG, yup they are fast and quick. The TIG, they make a lot of 110 TIG units now. Lincoln/Miller both have them. We have contractors at work use them all the time on stainless tubing, sheet metal etc. Not that expensive and does a good job, plugs in a 15 amp 110 receipt. And they are portable for sure. A tank of gas and this little big lunch box over you arm and you are good to go. Just do not try and do some ½ plate with them…

When you get your bike hauler done, be sure to post.

John
I should have something sooner or later. Probably sooner as we're making a serious effort at getting out and want to try some winter camping too.

I did pick up a fulltilt tonneau back in July. I towed the car out to Iowa for a show and I needed the bed covered so I could haul clothes, cooler, etc. I have an idea in mind to make a bike rack support that will work with the tonneau and get the bikes over the top. Need to find some aluminum and time Although I very well may go for the on the tongue setup. We shall see, I guess.

I also did spring for the pair of golf cart batteries, just this past weekend. That's a long, amusing (at my expense) story I need to post up, maybe tomorrow.

Finally, John, you can convert that buzz box to ac/dc pretty easily. It's just a rectifier and a smoothing choke. If you're interested, shoot me a PM and I'll help you with the details. I built my spark box from an old scrap transformer and junk bin parts. Then built my mig machine from a couple of old junkers. With the cars, I run into a lot of stainless and aluminum, so tig is what I really need to get in the garage. I'd love to make myself a tig setup, but building the high voltage arc starter is a tough nut to crack.

- Frank
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