Recommendations for Carrying Bikes While Towing Trailer With Short A-Frame Tongue

Updated 03/31/2021 | Published 03/29/2021

Products Featured in This Question

Malone 2" Dual Purpose Hitch Receiver

(200)

$103.95

Adjustable Width Trailer Hitch Receiver for RVs, 22" to 72" Wide

(565)

$481.34

Rightline Gear Moki Door Step - 400 lbs

(132)

$34.99

Swagman Traveler XC2 Bike Rack for 2 Bikes - 2" Hitches or RV Bumpers - Frame Mount

(319)

$258.27

Swagman Around the Spare Deluxe 2 Bike Rack for RV Bumpers

(140)

$181.18

RV Bumper 2 Bike Rack

(72)

$131.77

Yakima CoreBar Crossbars - Steel - Black - 60" Long - Qty 2

(118)

$209.95

Yakima FrontLoader Wheel Mount Bike Carrier - Roof Mount

(112)

$258.95

TimberLine Towers for Yakima Crossbars - Raised, Factory Side Rails - Qty 4

(29)

$238.95

Question:

My Tow Vehicle can tow 7500 lbs, my bikes and rack weigh 150 lbs, and my trailer tongue weight dry is 328 lbs with gross weigh dry of 2956 lbs. The tongue on the trailer is short. I am looking for a dual hitch receiver that extend the lower receiver out far enough to allow the bike rack to fit between car and tongue jack. Also am getting mixed messages on the distribution of weight tolerance between upper and lower receivers. If a 750 tongue weight receiver is asked to carry a load with a trailer of an approx 500 lb tongue weight wet propane and water tanks full and a 150 lb loaded bike accessory will the hitch be able to support those weights? Thanks for any advice you can offer.

asked by: D J

Expert Reply:

The Malone # MPG544 you'd referenced has a 400 lb tongue weight capacity, which wouldn't be enough capacity for the trailer's tongue weight and the weight of the bikes and the rack they're carried on. Couple that with the fact that using a dual hitch adapter like # MPG544 will reduce the tongue weight capacity of your Expedition's hitch by 50 percent, carrying the bikes between the trailer and the vehicle very likely wouldn't work.

This leaves a couple of options for carrying your bikes. You could install a roof rack and carry them on a roof mounted bike carrier. In order to do this, you'll need to install crossbars like what you can assemble using Yakima 60 inch crossbars, part # Y00422 and Yakima TimberLine towers, part # Y33TR. With the crossbars in place, you could use bike carriers like the Yakima FrontLoader, part # Y02103. A door striker-mounted step like # RL100660 would make accessing the roof much easier.

Another option would be to carry the bikes on the rear of your camper. If the camper has a 4 inch square continuously welded (NOT spot welded or aluminum) bumper, you could use a bike carrier like the Swagman # S80605 RV bumper 2-bike rack. If the back bumper has a spare tire, there's a rack designed to fit around it, also from Swagman, part # S80501. The Swagman Traveler, part # S64663 would be another option.

If you don't have a bumper, or if it's not suitable for the bike racks mentioned above, you could install a hitch on the camper and use a hitch mounted bike rack, but you'll need a rack specifically designed for use on the rear of a towed camper. Bike racks mounted on the rear of a towed trailer are exposed to much more rattling and banging around than what they'd experience installed on a passenger vehicle. Using a typical bike rack won't work as it'd be shaken to pieces in short order.

If the frame members of your camper are between 22-72 inches apart, you could install the # 13703 hitch which is compatible for box, C-channel or I-beam frames. For a bike rack, you can use a RV compatible bike rack like the Swagman Original, part # S64152-2.

I've linked to the products mentioned above, as well as to some product demonstration videos that you might find helpful.