How Many Bicycles Do You Put on Your Hitch Carrier?

Timm, how are you attaching the safety chains for your boat trailer? I know my coastal doesn't have 'ears' for that...yet. I've seen pics of this from someone here on PrisChat.

I'm thinking of doing your (well, someone's!) mod for my hitch, adding that metal member that attaches forward of the main attachment points. Thanks for the pics and advice!

PS would U-haul do welding and modifying of hithces? Maybe a truck hitch place? I'm still researching that in my "new" hometown.

 

we did our maiden trip with our new coastal hitch and bikes the weekend before last.... it worked nicely... we could still get into/open the trunk with the bike on there! but we did notice a LOT of bouncing as were were driving along the freeway/highway!?!????

that, of course freaked us out a little.... we surely don't want to see our bike laying on the road behind us because the bouncing caused the hitch to break! YIKES!

and this trip was with our light road bikes! (well under 20 pounds per bike.... carbon fiber for those who know bikes....)

i think maybe we need to do the welding mod shown earlier in the thread!!!!!

and i most definitely wouldn't want to carry more than two bikes back there!!!!!!!

(and dummy me... who's been taking a gizzilion pics... FORGOT to take pics of the prius with the bikes on there! UGH! we'll have to put the rack and bikes on and "stage" a pic! and while we're at it... guess we can stage a pic with the mountain bikes, too! lol!)

 

I have the coastal hitch and use a 2" yakima 4-bike rack. I was looking at the reinforcement modification (welding the extension bar on) described here and I'm not sure I fully understand how it would help. It seems the problems people have seen are that the hitch extension from the cross-bar has vertical movement and breaks the welds to the cross-bar or bends. The modification described here only braces the crossbar, doing nothing to change the attachment of the hitch extension to the cross bar.

So I guess I can see that the extension would counteract torsion on the crossbar, and probably therefor reduce bouncing, but it wouldn't strength the attachment of the hitch extension, so do we think it really helps? Maybe just eliminating some of the bouncing takes a lot of force off...

Thoughts?

Thanks.

 

So I finally have the solution to how many bikes the hitch can carry. I suppose I could fit six on here if I were creative. And the tongue would only "feel" about 30 pounds. Purchased mainly to transport our tandem bike... but haven't used it for that yet!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(darelldd @ Jun 27 2007, 03:28 PM) [snapback]468983[/snapback]</div>

This looks interesting but why would the tongue only feel like 30 lbs? Loading up the trailer would require more stress on the tongue no?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(MickeyA @ Jun 27 2007, 01:19 PM) [snapback]469025[/snapback]</div>

There are stresses and there are stresses. I was speaking only of tongue weight. If I put a pile of bikes on a hitch-mounted rack, the whole thing would exert over 100 pounds on the hitch. I can tow 300 pounds of of trailer and only put 30 pounds on the hitch. Yes, it also must pull it - but that's more an issue of the drivetrain - no poroblem at all for the hitch.

 

Looks I came in several months late ... I should have read this thread before I went off on my recent trip. In any case, just wanted to add my 2 cents.

We had 4 bikes (2 adult Trek bikes, around 50 lbs), and 2 kids' bike (about 30-40 lbs) on a Thule 4-bike rack (another 30-40 lbs). The hitch was the 1.25" Coastal receiver hitch. In the 3 years I've had my car, the hitch has rusted out quite significantly -- but visual inspection didn't reveal any obvious structural or weld problems.

Less than half-way through a 300 mile drive on the highway, we stopped for gas, and noticed that the hitch was 2-3 inches below its normal position, and the bikes were now only inches from the ground. We also started noticing significant bouncing when going over bumps at slow speed. The hitch did not spring back to its original position after removing the bikes.

We ended up leaving the bikes at a self-storage facility, and picked it up on the way back ... after having installed a Thule roof rack to carry 4 bikes (costing a small fortune). The roof + bike rack, on the other hand, was extremely stable, albeit with a loss of about 10 mpg in mileage ...

I'm planning to ditch the Coastal hitch.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Mani @ Sep 5 2007, 11:00 AM) [snapback]507402[/snapback]</div>

Bummer!

To repeat, and for the record - I wouldn't carry more than two bikes on ANY hitch-mounted carrier with ANY hitch on the Prius. Simply too much weight and too much leverage on the hitch.

I'm glad you avoided disaster!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(darelldd @ Jun 27 2007, 12:28 PM) [snapback]468983[/snapback]</div>

Darell,

What brand of trailer is that? I am looking for an overall solution, and after reading the horror stories and considering the laws of physics I don't think a hitch mount rack is an option for me. So now its down between a trailer and the Saris roof rack.

On the Saris note, do I just order the cross-bars and towers as a bundle and add the #20 clips? Do I have to order Saris brand racks/rails to attach the bikes, or will thule/yakima stuff work too?

Thanks!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(PriusDiver @ Sep 10 2007, 12:08 PM) [snapback]510183[/snapback]</div>

See my page here, and follow the links for more info. It is a Sportsrig.
http://evnut.com/prius_trailer_sportsrig.htm

I wasn't aware that you could buy the cross-bars any longer. The towers are part of the bars, however. You just need the bars and the clips.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(darelldd @ Sep 10 2007, 12:42 PM) [snapback]510201[/snapback]</div>

A few places claim to have them available still. So their bars will accommodate the bike racks/rails from other brands too? Thanks for the link the trailer, I had seen your pics and other sites...just didn't stumble upon the trailer one.

If you were to do it again, which would be your top 2 options? I assume the trailer is one of them would you go right to a roof rack or the Saris Thelma? I really appreciate all you've invested in the various racks to get to where you are now Which had the lowest impact on your mpg?

I'm still debating which path to go. I hope I'm not just asking you the same questions that you've answered a dozen times elsewhere. If so, just tell me and i'll spend more time in the search.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(PriusDiver @ Sep 10 2007, 06:04 PM) [snapback]510357[/snapback]</div>

The Saris bars don't easily use other racks without some modification. But it CAN be done, certainly. The real Saris products work best on the cross bars for sure. One problem is the curve of the roof, however. The Saris attachements all want to stand off the cross bars at a right angle - and on a curved roof that can be a problem unless you also want to curve your kayak.

Ug. Can't answer the two top ones, as I use all three. But the Saris cross bars wouldn't be in the running after my experiences with all the clip-on racks. If I could pick three, I'd pick the three I use. Permanent rack pads on the roof. Thelma on the back. Trailer behind.

This question isn't my favorite... it is asked a lot, and I usually answer this way:
I don't give a flying fig about gas mileage when I'm hauling something. Most times I'm NOT hauling something, so for those 5% of the miles I add the extra drag it really doesn't matter if my mileage drops to 35 - that's still better than the HUGE majority of other cars on the road even when they're empty! The real answer though: the rack-mounted carrier is the easiest on the mileage. The roof is the worst. The ALL have their advantages and disadvantages (lifting overhead, extra weight of trailer, access to rear hatch, etc.)

Good luck. It is nice having options - and mine are now pretty much wide open. I use the option that works the best for my specific need at the time. I've had my bikes INside, on the back, on the top and on the trailer. I'm not a one-trick pony.

 

Darell,

Thanks again! I appreciate your input. I like the flexibility of the roof rack, but not sure I can justify its expense for the few times I'd use it now. Perhaps I'll reconsider if I take up a water sport that would fit on the roof. I'll go check out a Thelma at the local Saris dealer. For now, all of my water activities are submerged and it fits in the back...even if it does make the Prius squat a bit (amazing how quickly scuba gear adds up in weight).

I agree, that when it comes to carrying something....the worst the Prius can possibly get is still better than the average "SUV" on the road. I had a Jeep that could tow rather well, but I paid for that ability every day I wasn't towing with the guilt of 14mpg.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(PriusDiver @ Sep 11 2007, 10:53 AM) [snapback]510682[/snapback]</div>

I just think of it as part of the car that didn't come with the car. I spent $28,000 on the car. Another few hundred to make it really useful - even if just a few times - is money sell spent. Heck, I spent a bunch of money on having three seatbelts in the back, and I've never used the middle one, and have only used TWO belts in the back twice in a year. But I had no choice there! Wish they'd bundled a nice rack into the deal instead of all those extra seats!

Yeah... especially the *weights*! Doesn't matter how many times I've done it, when I start to walk out of the water, I think, hey this isn't so bad... and then I get the heavy bits completely OUT of the water I think DAMN! How can this stuff weight so much!? Weight is just one of the reasons that I don't own my own "heavy" stuff for diving. I rent the tanks and BC.

 

John1701a
I need to talk more to you about bikes and the +/- of storage inside and use of roof rack for storage on an existing Yakama rack as opposed to rear bike rack.
Bob

 

So where is the best price for the Curt hitch? I want to get one and then use the Thule T2 bike rack to carry our 2 bikes.

 

I'm not the one to answer. I don't typically shop for the best price. I try to buy from the best company. Costs me more in the short term, and less in the long term.

 

Yet you did anyway. :doh:

 

2" Coastal Hitch, Hollywood 2 bike rack.

 

I have an Allen sports 2 Hitch bike rack which I bought a couple of months ago from an online store. It can carry 2 bikes easily and it has a 1.25'' ad 2'' receiver hitch with folding carry arms. This is a very good hitch bike rack and very helpful for me to carry my bike on travel.