family5th
Central Coast, California
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Joined: 05/25/2005
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I think I've finally decided on the roof option for transporting bikes. (after the horror stories on here about putting them on the rear of the 5er). For anyone who is doing this, does the bike rack interfere with the turning radius? Does it stick much off the rear of the cab? I figured I'd get the fork mounted with the "rail", mount it with the fork closest to the bed and just slide the bikes up from the bed. Sound right?
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silverfoxn
Georgia
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Joined: 03/06/2006
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How many bikes are you taking with you? If you only have two you can make a bike rack that attaches to your pin box extension where the bikes sit across the front of the fiver. I've seen some of these and they work just fine. You do not have to worry about truning or loosing one of them. The bottom of the wheels can be seen in the rear view mirror. As old as I am I can not lift the bikes up that far. That's the only drawback but if you can put them on a roof rack you should not have any problems.
Jesse & Karen Norris with Kirby our chow-chow
2005 HitchHiker II LS 29.5 LKTG
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Martinez, Georgia
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rick_niagara
Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada
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We use the Yakima system, check it out: Roof Rack It is real solid.
2008 Fleetwood Prowler 235RLS
2005 Dodge Ram 2500 4x2 5.9L Diesel 3.73Limited slip 6speed manual
Pullin' 5ers since 1988....Have a nice day
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ford truck guy
Pennsylvania
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Joined: 03/22/2008
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rick_niagara wrote:We use the Yakima system, check it out: Roof Rack It is real solid. Hey Rick, do they come in a 4 bike holder? how much did it set you back?
Joe and Lori
2005 Ford F250 SD 6.0
08 Montego Bay
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family5th
Central Coast, California
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Rick-
You have the exact set-up I'm looking at. How far does the rear of the system hang off the rear of the cab?
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tcr1
Raleigh, NC
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Joined: 02/29/2008
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We also use the Yakima system and it does not overhang the rear of the cab and does not affect the turning radius. The number of bikes depends upon the width of the crossbars and the with of the bikes. I can carry 4 mountain bikes or 5 road bikes with 58" crossbars, but it is tight. If you want to carry 4 or more bikes then I would get longer crossbars. The height of the bikes on the roof is still lower than the height of our 5er, just remember the bikes may still be up there once you unhitch!
2000 F250 CC 4x4 7.3 PSD
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Champ198
Lebanon, Tennessee
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Does the truck roof mount hurt or compromise the seals and allow leaks? Our 5th wheel has the fiberglass molded rear cap that does not have a bike rack hitch. Thanks for any feedback.
Duane & Amanda, a teenager, A golden retriever named Jazz, a crazy pet rabbit named Stew, and now Optimus Prime the hamster.
2008 Cedar Creek Silverback 30LSA
2008 Ford F250 Lariat SC 4x4 PSD 6.4, Timbren SES, Husky 16k Slider
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Alan_W
Longmont, CO USA
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Champ198 wrote:Does the truck roof mount hurt or compromise the seals and allow leaks? Our 5th wheel has the fiberglass molded rear cap that does not have a bike rack hitch. Thanks for any feedback.
Leaking has never been a problem, but it does allow more airflow through the seal which you can hear, particularly when there is a cross wind. In addition, there is some added wind noise. I'm always listening to the radio or music and it doesn't ever bother me but it is there.
Also, carrying bicycles does not affect turning radius at all. Even carrying a 17 foot canoe, there is no possible way to make contact between the two.
The nice things about roof racks: they don't obstruct your vision, they don't fall off the back or wreck your frame, they can go with you any where you take the tow rig. The bad: getting the bike up on the rack and some wind noise.
Alan & Cathy
Brittany 14, Cody 11, Brooke 9 and Allison 5 --  Rig and Trip Photos Website
2004 GMC 2500HD Duramax/Allison, Prodigy, Reese 16K Slider, Timbrens
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Patrick45
Cape Cod Massachusetts
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Joined: 09/04/2006
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We have a Yakima roof rack but use that for 2 kayaks (14 & 10). We have an Allen 4 bike rack that slips in a 2" receiver on the front of the TV. We have made 3 trips to and from Florida with no problem.
I may have a 2" receiver welded to the back bumper/frame for the bikes this fall. We have seen and heard of more horror stories when the bikes are attached to the ladder or insecurely attached to the back bumper.
I am sure that the bikes are fine on the roof but I need to carry the kayaks as well.
Have fun!
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Champ198
Lebanon, Tennessee
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Alan W - Excellent write up and you knew exactly what I had on my mind. I'm leaning that direction. We've got two bikes that can be used on fork mounts, and kids bike that may need a brace of sorts to hold it up. Thanks again.
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