I have a 25000 HD Silverado with the Duramax and Allison transmission . We are towing a Cameo fifth wheel which does not have a bumper. I am interested in hauling two bicycles. How difficult is it and what problems does it cause to have a front hitch receiver mounted to the truck and use a bicycle carrier on front? Where does one have this done? I don't think they will fit well in the bed of the truck as it is a short bed with a slider hitch. Any thoughts?
Thanks,
Ted and Carol
2008 Cameo RE373S
Chevy Silverado 2500 HD Diesel
Yamaha 2400i generators
Goldwing Motorcycle
Four Winns Boat
Z3 BMW
Retired Educators
No problem at all having a front hitch on the truck. I have a Draw Tite front hitch on my F350. It is very useful. No problem carrying bicycles on the front hitch either. Just mount them low enough that you can see over them and if the wheels block the headlights, take off the wheels. Most bicycle wheels have quick release levers on the axles that allow them to come off easily in a matter of seconds.
SoCalDesertRider wrote: No problem at all having a front hitch on the truck. I have a Draw Tite front hitch on my F350. It is very useful. No problem carrying bicycles on the front hitch either. Just mount them low enough that you can see over them and if the wheels block the headlights, take off the wheels. Most bicycle wheels have quick release levers on the axles that allow them to come off easily in a matter of seconds.
What type/brand of bike rack are you using? The wife wants to take our bikes more often and I hate putting them in the trailer. The front receiver is a concept I've been chewing on for some time, but didn't like the thought of buying yet another bike rack. Our current rack is like those found on transit busses. With 4 bikes on it, it is at extends at least 4'.
I tossed this around a bunch as I'm in the exact same situation. I havn't really made any decision yet so I had to throw the bikes in the 5ver and it really wasn't bad at all. I threw down a blanket used a couple bungee cords and it was painless. I thought it would be much more of a hassle.
Maybe at least give it a try once while your deciding what to do.
I bought a Hidden Hitch (just a regular receiver)www.hiddenhitch.com for on the front of our '03 Dodge dually. We have carried 2 bikes there for 4 years and it works out great. Several years before I bought a Reese bike carrier for a receiver that WallyWorld wanted rid of badly. These by the way are full size cruiser bikes.
If you are willing to have a receiver mounted to the front of the truck, why wouldn't you consider having a receiver mounted to the back of your camper? I had an RV repair shop reinforce the existing bumper and weld two receivers under it. One for the bike rack and the second for my generator. It's rock solid and protected from bugs, road debris, rocks, and stray deer. I've never liked the idea of a front receiver with a bike rack. It hinders parking, gets bugs all over the bikes, and creates a completely different air-flow over what was a somewhat aerodynamic designed front end, meaning lower gas mileage.
There are a number of ways to attach bikes to a camper. Talk to a welder or go to camping world and see what they suggest.
Offline
