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OKStream · 04-24-2018, 07:35 PM

Have a Ranch Hand grill guard on front of tow vehicle with hitch receiver on it. Have a Thule two bike fold up and down rack which fits in the receiver of grill guard.
Has anyone hauled their bikes on the front of tow vehicle? Like it or is it a distraction? Rack sits too high right now....will probably need a drop hitch receiver to lower rack down.
I am not sure if its legal to do or not. Have five bikes to haul. Tow vehicle is a Ford F250. Bikes on top of truck already. Using the truck bed to haul camping gear. Have no knowledge of how the airstream rack works on the back of the AS.
Any opinions would be helpful....Thank you.

GMFL · 04-24-2018, 07:47 PM

I see it all the time in camp grounds. I see no problem with it

YippieKiYa · 04-24-2018, 08:09 PM

The only issue with a front rack is to make sure the bikes don’t obstruct any of the lights, for both safety and legal (ticket) reasons. If you drive in the rain, be prepared to thoroughly clean, dry and lube the bikes.

Daquenzer · 04-24-2018, 08:32 PM

We put our bikes on the front. I put a receiver on the front. Works fine. One advantage is that when we aren’t hooked up to the trailer we can go to the bike trails with just the vehicle. Just slide the bike rack into the back hitch receiver. That’s a major problem if you put the bikes on the back of the trailer. What do you do when you want to travel to the trails? Also you can see how they ride. One time put the bikes in the trailer for traveling at night. Not sure we had to, but it was raining and didn’t want to take any chances.

frank nordyk · 04-25-2018, 09:20 AM

I put a four bike rack in my truck. Works great.

NY24 · 04-25-2018, 09:22 AM

I seen a motorcycle hung on the front!

synapticon · 04-25-2018, 09:22 AM

I carry one bike rack on the front of my F250 and another on the back of my Classic. Lots of flexibility and options when I'm camped in one place for an extended period. I don't haul the bikes in front when I'm moving the trailer (they stay on back of trailer because I want them more protected from road damage). Occasionally I will carry bikes on the front and it hasn't been a problem, although I do get to see how much they can bounce around and that can be distracting. Having the front receiver also opens up other options for a front carrier (not bikes), winch, or other accessories. I also have a roof rack for the truck and don't consider putting bikes up there a safe option; it's just too high.

SuzyHomemakr · 04-25-2018, 09:24 AM

I added a hitch receiver to the front of my RAM 2500, then put in the Thule rack. Then started dragging it when going into parking lots! The receiver sat below the front bumper, and the rack stuck pretty far out.

Now it sits in my shop, a waste of money and space.

mike28 · 04-25-2018, 09:24 AM

Kuat makes a top notch rack that I use in front. It is probably the sturdiest on the market. Folds up when not in use and can be expanded from 2 to 4 bikes with extra attachment.

ZoominC6 · 04-25-2018, 09:35 AM

We mounted our dual bike rack on the front of our pickup truck tow vehicle using a trailer hitch and found it to be very handy and not blocking our view in a dangerous manner. Of course, the bikes did catch bugs!
Happy trails.

bullet661 · 04-25-2018, 09:47 AM

Installed a hitch on the front of my F250. Originally had a Yakama rack but the bikes rode too high and blocked some of my view. I was mostly worried about getting pulled over. Bought the Kuat and I love it. It's pricey but worth it.

YippieKiYa · 04-25-2018, 09:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mike28

Kuat makes a top notch rack that I use in front. It is probably the sturdiest on the market. Folds up when not in use and can be expanded from 2 to 4 bikes with extra attachment.

We use a Kuat rack, too. Really well-built, able to lock the bikes on it either with a built-in cable lock or by using a lock on the wheel straps (granted, these can be cut off, but you’ll keep the petty thieves away).

I agree with another poster that the flexibility of being able to put the rack on the front or back of the truck (or another vehicle) is more useful than the rack on the back of the airstream.

rowdyATX · 04-25-2018, 10:59 AM

I installed a bike rack in front of my sequoia last summer for a trip to colorado; I haven’t taken it off in 9 months. Try mounting your bikes with the handle bars on the drivers side, at least for adult bikes.
It also frees up space for a rear rack or makes it easier to access rear cab or in your case, tailgate.
Rowdy

Quote:

Originally Posted by OKStream

Have a Ranch Hand grill guard on front of tow vehicle with hitch receiver on it. Have a Thule two bike fold up and down rack which fits in the receiver of grill guard.
Has anyone hauled their bikes on the front of tow vehicle? Like it or is it a distraction? Rack sits too high right now....will probably need a drop hitch receiver to lower rack down.
I am not sure if its legal to do or not. Have five bikes to haul. Tow vehicle is a Ford F250. Bikes on top of truck already. Using the truck bed to haul camping gear. Have no knowledge of how the airstream rack works on the back of the AS.
Any opinions would be helpful....Thank you.

Tschupp · 04-25-2018, 11:33 AM

I put two truck bed bike anchors into floor of Airstream . We inset threaded anchors and screw mounts into them. We put anchor on wal and strap bikes between wall and door. Only holds 2 bikes but kept bikes off the front of truck which was to distracting. Is working well.

Kennedy6009 · 04-25-2018, 11:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by frank nordyk

I put a four bike rack in my truck. Works great.

Do you have Pixs of your inside rack?

Thanks

Al and Missy · 04-25-2018, 12:17 PM

I have seen a post on here that says it is illegal in California. OP got stopped and ticketed, I believe. Other states, IDK. I mounted a receiver on the front of my Ram 2500 and use a Hollywood Rack. I guess I'm not taking my bikes to CA.

Al

3wd67rg · 04-25-2018, 12:32 PM

We don’t have a truck/trailer set up, we have an Airstream 1988 Classic Moho. At first the bikes were in the front, but they always covered in road filth at the end of 1200 miles, and watching them bounce around was a distraction. Chris, (morelach here), moved the bike rack to the back of our toad, which is a Jeep. Less dirt, no distraction. I might convince him to put the bike cover on them this time. If I can ride at all. Broken back, Steroid Injection soon.

banderabob · 04-25-2018, 01:26 PM

Just another option, Arvika is the mfg.

wildhorses · 04-25-2018, 02:51 PM

We put all 5 of our bikes inside our Van TV - lots of room and they stay dry & clean.

Adiredneck · 04-25-2018, 04:33 PM

I just received my order from etrailer for the following:

Curt Front-Mount hitch/receiver.

https://www.etrailer.com/Front-Hitch...leid=201564864

and a Swagman XTC-2 bike rack:

https://www.etrailer.com/Hitch-Bike-...an/S64670.html

I went with the Curt frame-mount hitch rather than the Draw-Tite hitch that connected to my tow-hooks, as it lowered the bikes another foot or so out of my line of vision.

Anyone have experience with either of these? Thanks in advance for the feedback...!