Will this RV Bumber 2 Bike Rack, part # S80605, Obstruct the Visibility of my RV Tail Lights

Question:

I could use the bumper mount bike rack on my Aliner pop-up. It has 4 steel square bumper but the bike wheels are right in line with tail lights on the trailer. I think this is dangerous and possibly illegal. What do you think?

asked by: Ron S

Expert Reply:

If you used the RV Bumper 2 Bike Rack, part # S80605, there is a chance that your tail lights would shine through the spokes of the wheel allowing them to be visible, and therefore safe and legal.

What I would recommend you do, is hitch up your trailer to your towing vehicle and have a friend hold a bike with the bottom of the wheels as high as the top of your bumper to simulate where the bike would be if you had this rack mounted with bikes on it. Next, have another friend activate your brake lights and turn signals, while you stand behind the pop-up trailer and see if the tail lights are visible while the bike is in the simulated mounting location.

If they are obstructed significantly you probably should not use this rack. It will be up to you to what degree of visibility you are comfortable with.

If you are not comfortable with the amount of tail light visibility you have, you could also purchase a Draw-Tite Cargo Carrier Light Kit, part # 6504. This kit gives you an additional set of tail lights that you can mount on the back of the bike rack to ensure you have proper tail light visibility.

If you do go with this rack you may be interested in purchasing a 10 inch Cable Lock, part # CAB-10, to secure your bikes and complete your setup.

expert reply by: Jameson C