The Expedition-Swingout-Bike Rack

[dustboy]

Just completed this build of a receiver-hitch mounted bike rack. It swings out to allow access to the tailgate.

Features:
-a bolt keys into the shackle mount on my bumper to prevent wobbling
-gas strut holds rack open or closed, regardless of incline
-barrel bolt prevents undesired opening
-2" .125 wall box steel construction
-3/4" grade 8 bolt for pivot

More detailed pics here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/dustboy/BikeRack?feat=directlink

 

[Superu]

Very nice

I like it. Clean and solid!

 

[Silver dude]

Wow nice work. I've been wanting to do something similar, my current rack makes it a chore to access the hatch. Not to mention I'd never wheel with it as it kills my angles. On some of my longer expeditions I wouldn't mind having the bikes along for both play and emergency situations. I've been considering making a custom rack for my tire carrier but I'm unsure it it could support such a load.

How hard is it to put on and how heavy.

 

[slooowr6]

:drool:Niiiiccceee.
Consider making another one? :sombrero:

 

[Ryanmb21]

awesome! is there a tread somewhere about your sleeping platform and mattresses?

 

[kellymoe]

Very cool. What is the max weight you think it could handle? I am thinking of doing something similar for a Honda Cub 90 scooter for my truck and I really like your design and build, maybe I could do something similar but just beef it up?

 

[T.Low]

Wow, I've been drinking tons of coffee and still haven't completed a bumper design that swings a spare tire to the drivers side, and Jerry cans and bikes to the passenger side.

Now I see that I simply need to do a bumper with tire and cans, then a receiver mounted swing away like yours.

I want to weld a receiver mount to the top of the bumper, though, as too increase departure angle while packing bikes.

Sweet set up, excellent work and thanks a ton for posting it.

 

[ThomD]

That's really nice. I'm especially impressed with those little details like the gas strut and using the shackle mount for stability.

 

[dustboy]

Thanks all for the props. It was really fun "engineering" the whole thing, especially figuring out how the gas strut would work. It was one of those things where I had the strut laying around the shop and I thought, "aha, I know where this would fit!"

The project definitely went through a sort of prototype stage. I took it on a 100 mile trial run with my 40+ lb Bullitt, and found some weaknesses. There was a draw hasp that failed, a strut bracket that bent, and some nuts that vibrated loose. Now all that's corrected and it should be trail worthy.

It's relatively lightweight, and easy to take on and off. I also don't have to use the shackle connection if I'm not going far. The goal was to be simple enough to install even for a quick after-work ride.

ryanmb21, here is the thread about the sleeping platform build.
http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=19439
also feel free to poke around my picasa page, you might find some more pics on that subject. The mattress is an Ikea, "Lycksele Lovas" futon mattress. Cheap, comfortable, fits perfectly.

kellymoe, I think you could put a significant amount of weight on it, I wouldn't hesistate to put two 50 lb DH bikes on it, so a little 90 scooter should be okay. I might beef up the pivot somehow, and anywhere you had a doubt, just throw a gusset on there. You can't see it in these pics, but just above the receiver, on the top of the stationary bar, is a delrin guide that keeps the weight off the pivot while the rack is closed.

 

[dustboy]

2500-mile update

The bike carrier just returned successfully from our 2500 mile roadtrip through the Pacific Northwest. Although it saw very little off-road time, it held together and handled the load well.

I am considering manufacturing this rack if there is a market for it.

Some issues I need to address:

-a better pivot. The pivot must have zero play, and be virtually impossible to break--if the pivot breaks your load is on the road.

-when the rack is swung open, there is a lot of torsion on the main bar, which allows the swingout bar to sag. The rigidity has to be increased without adding too much weight.

-the ball end of the gas strut broke off before we even left. the gas strut is too powerful and caused the swingout to swing open too fast with a sudden stop at the end, which popped the plastic end off the strut shaft.

Please speak up if you have any suggestions for improvement, or if you would be interested in buying one, and how much you might be willing to pay.

 

[tibaal89]

Awesome... definitely appears very stout!

I have a rear door spare tire rack from Thule on my FJ Cruiser... I like that location for the bike as it seems the least likely place for it to be damaged from brush and whatnot.

The biggest problem I have with it is that it takes very little time driving on dirt roads to completely destroy the bikes with dust/dirt. Once I brought an MTB on a several day trip hoping to bike up and down the trail from the campsite and rendered the derailleurs entirely nonfunctional, the chain a hideous mess, etc etc.

Could just be the way the air flows around my truck in particular - have you experienced this at all?

 

[dustboy]

Never had that problem, and I should know considering my nickname..:sombrero:

Next time you might try a dry lube for your chain, cables and derailleur, ask for one at a bike shop. It's usually paraffin based with a solvent carrier that will evaporate, leaving a lubricant that won't gum up with dust.

 

[T.Low]

Any production plans?

There is also interest for a swing away motorcycle carrier, although I can't fathom how that could work with my 250lb enduro.

http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/showthread.php?p=637761&posted=1#post637761

Cheers

 

[dustboy]

Not at this point T.Low. I got all fired up on the idea, but like so many other big ideas I've had, it was unrealistic.

If you're really interested, I could help you out with the design or maybe build a one-off.

 

[failsafefabrication]

Re; Swing out bike Carrier

Hi dustboy,

I have a prototype design of a dual tire carrier/bike rack; I think the idea is feasible for either MTB or Enduro...It is entirely a function of the length of your swingout, the amount of weight (either one or two bikes) and the type of pivot you choose. A trailer axle pivot works well for this type of set-up as the amount of force on a full sized truck swingout is in excess of 1,200# at the pivot with a 35" tire, gas cans, high lift and other miscellaneous gear. Aluminess fabricates bumpers that have all of the above on them. I have been dreaming of building one of these for the past year and a half for my rig. There are physics equations involved in calculating both the static and dynamic forces on the pivot and swing arm. Also what has to be taken into account is the locking mechanism, it needs to be both a draw latch parallel to the bumper and a separate draw pulling the swing back towards the vehicle to eliminate play in the swing from front to rear. Destaco makes excellent latches rated far in excess of what is needed to latch, but excess is good in the case of a $2K + mountain bike hanging off the back of the truck. PM me and I'll shoot you a design.
Hinge/pivot resources: http://www.comp4x4.com/1tire-carrier-hinge.html Comp 4x4 makes some excellent hinges.

Also what is important to take into account is the material and attachment of your base bumper and how it ties into your spindle/pivot. DO NOT just buy a trailer spindle and weld it to a steel bumper, it will work but when you do that you tend to work harden the point just above the spindle which is heat treated and it will lead to a fatigue/stress point. If you are concerned about the most bomb proof set up out there or one for an enduro; my recommendation is a double pivot with upper and lower pivots and latches to give you that extra strength you will get from a trussed structure. A good way to attach the spindles is the use of properly rated bolts, locking nuts and sleeving. Also to consider about hardware, bigger is not always better, do the math on your loads and potential stresses, it will likely show that a grade 8 bolt is not necessarily better for an application such as this since it is designed to hold a heavy static load. That is why grade 5 is often used in automotive applications except where necessary as grade 5 hardware is much more ductile than a similar Grade 8 piece of hardware and will stretch as opposed to snap. Happy building!