Car Racks for EBikes

[Jethro56]

Any recomendations for a car rack capable of hauling an EBike and one non-Ebike. Will be on a Economy Sedan 1 1/4" reciever available if necessary.

 

[Rassy]

Harbor freight has this aluminum cargo carrier on sale for $70.

http://www.harborfreight.com/500-lb-capacity-aluminum-cargo-carrier-92655.html?utm_term=92655&utm_medium=cse&utm_source=googlebase&mr:trackingCode=75730F9E-782A-E011-B31E-001B2163195C&mr:referralID=NA

and JC Whitney has a steel one for $64

http://www.jcwhitney.com/hitch-rack-cargo-carrier/p2030006.jcwx?filterid=j1

I purchased one of the steel ones and there was a bike wheel accessory that bolted on to it, sort of like a sidewalk bike rack. But never used it after getting the recumbents. The bike rack things are now bolted into my little cargo trailer.

Edit: And if anything you found needed a 2" receiver there is an adapter to allow 2" things to be used on the 1 1/4" receivers.

 

[Ykick]

pretty good selection of styles here:

http://www.bikerackshops.com/?gclid=CPiPhYXovacCFUdN4AodKyOwBA

I have something called a 2 bike tray rack - might be XTC or Yakima brand? Sorry, can't remember - works pretty good though and comes with adapter for different receiver diameters. Cargo trays could work okay but you'll need a good supply of tie-downs to secure bikes and even then it's nice to secure the wheels into something like a tray.

 

[dogman dan]

Love my swagman hitch rack. For lots of reasons, many ebikes don't hang from hooks well, or at all. So the sits in the tire holders design is the ticket.

Others of better quality out there, but pricy. The really big advantage for me is it's easier to load a heavy bike on. I do recomend lightening up though, buy removing the battery if possible.

http://www.bikerackshops.com/SG64650PS.html

 

[torker]

That Swagman does look nice. Looks like the first bike - between the post and the vehicle would be a little harder to load. Seems like a tray on the backside between hoops so you could sort of roll it on might be good.

 

[Jethro56]

Starting to feel like a lemming. Dogman says buy this and I comply. Thanks!!! This is much better than what I was planning on making.
When I first saw it I had objections. Then I watched the Video. It's a cool design and people like this are to be rewarded not copied.

Dogman if you start playing a flute I'm going to freak.

 

[John in CR]

Any recomendations for a car rack capable of hauling an EBike and one non-Ebike. Will be on a Economy Sedan 1 1/4" reciever available if necessary.

Recommendation- Sell the car and buy more batteries and/or convert a tandem for pulling a bike trailer.

 

[dogman dan]

A bike rack makes great sense though for many things. Before I had motors that could handle heat, I drove 6 miles into town, then rode the last 9. The alternatives were melting more motors, or driving all 30 miles. The rack solved the problem till I found the right setup to do the whole 15.

Or you might need to avoid part of a ride that's just too dangerous. Drive the car, park it, and ride to work on the remaining route where there is bike trail.

Or you might need to carry a bike to the races in Tucson. Or want to ride your bike when you get to Moab, Yellowstone, or the beach in San Diego.

Re the swagman design, loading the inner bike is a pita, but the vertical arm does swing to the side. Beware one thing though, the wheel loops can drop off the rack when driving around with no bike on the rack, so put some tape or hose clamps on the ends of the beam.

If you have a bike that can't use the clamp hooks on the frame, one bike can still be carried by taking out the pin, and clamping the arm on the front wheel. For looong trips, I bungee the wheels to the loops too.

 

[Alan B]

I recently got the Swagman rack, too. A few bucks cheaper at Amazon with free shipping.

Another reason to have a good bike rack is for the significant other to bring when you need a pick-up (after melting that motor, etc).

 

[Jethro56]

I have to move equiptment/trucks from field to field. Also wanting that mountain trail experience. ~400 miles away. I really like the hoop brackets for the wheels. I can make these for each tractor. I can go to a field, get on the bike, get another piece of equipment and so forth until I have everything moved. I can just see the look on the mega farmers faces when they see my bike mounted to my tractors.

Hey you know what? I can now write off the bike as a piece of farm equipment. Take that Uncle Sam. 8)