Recommended Hitch Mounted Bike Carrier For Camper Trailer Hitch

Updated 03/03/2017 | Published 03/01/2017

Question:

Hi I just received a Yakima Swing Daddy bike rack from you to use on the back of my truck camper. I put it on today and it looks great. I noticed in the Yakima brochure that they say not to use on campers, RVs or trailers. I was planing on using this on my camper and I saw this product used on a camper on a camper website. What is the issue with using on a camper, I mounted it on a trailer hitch extension. It seems solid and I am not seeing anything that looks unsafe. Could clarify why Yakima has this warning on the product? Thank you.

asked by: Ron C

Helpful Expert Reply:

Bike racks like the Swing Daddy are not built strong enough to be able to handle the bouncing at the back of a camper. The product will fail and drag your bikes or worse.

Also using an extension in the trailer hitch reduces the capacity of the trailer hitch by 50 percent so you need to make sure your hitch has the capacity to handle the carrier with bikes loaded. This adds additional downward force on the carrier.

We do have a bike carrier that can be used at the back of a motorhome or trailer that I recommend. It is the Swagman Trailhead Bike Rack, part # S63381. This bike carrier can handle 1-4 bikes that weigh up to 35-lbs each, with a total bike capacity of 100 pounds. Thecarrier itself weighs 30 lbs.

expert reply by: Jeffrey L