Bike rack?

[howiebean]

Hi All

We have a 1977 Argosy and we are trying to figure out how we can put a bike rack on the back bumper? Any suggestions on make and model? Will the bike rack that came out with Airstream a few years ago work with the Argosy? We put our bikes on the roof of our SUV but have two boys and would love to stop putting their bikes inside the camper....

[Bex]

I do not know of any racks that might be available but I did wonder if a person could get a receiver welded on the underneath of the box/bumper and buy a receiver type rack. I just bought a couple of cargo carriers (not for the trailer) that are similar, in principal, to the bike carriers.

FWIW

Bex

EDIT Just found this: http://www.airforums.com/forums/f238...ack-93715.html

[HowieE]

I made my own. The secret is removing the rotational moment from the bumper. The Airstream bumper will support the vertical weight but can not resist the rotation a rack produces.

But securing the rack to the window sill this component is removed and the rack works great. The clips are made from old rain gutter hardware and screwed to the sill.

Simple wooden blocks and bolts are used to fit the rack to the bumper.

[mtbguy]

I have some very expensive bikes that I want out of sight and to minimize the chances of damage or theft. My Argosy 26 is a twin bed configuration and I removed the screws that hold down the plywood for one of the mid section twin beds. I put the plywood on a piano hinge on the (outer wall) edge of plywood and a small set of cup hooks on the ceiling where I can pivot the board out of the way, and hook it in a vertical position exposing the metal framework underneath.

Underneath the plywood there are four strong aluminum cross bars that you can drill/mount a traditional fork mount rack for $15. Its strong, out of the elements and relatively theft resistant by virtue of keeping bikes out of sight. You do have to toss the mattress on the other bed when using the rack, but that is no big deal.

I also don't have to worry about backing into a tree or something and destroying them this way.