Rear mounted Thule bike rack on Swift Challenger
We are due to take delivery of a new Swift Challenger 480 around March time. The caravan has the fixings for a rear mounted Thule bike rack which I am considering fitting. The Club advises against using such a rear mounted rack unless the caravan has been specifically designed to have one fitted, and then the maximum weight limits must be adhered to. The two bikes I would be carrying are well within any such weight limit so I believe that would be ok. My main concern is whether or not the stability of the caravan would be severely affected.
Has any member fitted/used such a rack on their Swift caravan and, if so, would you be so kind as to give me your thoughts and experience(s) please?
Comments
-
I'm sure there are lots out there thinking you must be nuts to consider bikes on the back of your van. Just like Deleted User User I carry bikes on the back of my caravan and have done so since 2003. If you can get a solid mount for the brackets you have nothing to worry about as long as you think carefully and load your van accordingly.
I also now have a front mounted carrier that clamps onto a towball I've bolted on the jockey wheel bracket mount. If I'm travelling light without a heavy awning etc in the van I have one bike at the front and one on the back. Before anybody tells me about the dumb-bell effect I could be producing my van is very stable.
Colin
0 -
We have a 2018 Challenger 480 and would have great hesitation in using the rear carrier fittings for a bike rack. We always carry two 6kg Calor gas bottles in the front locker as well other things. I am constantly having to move items forward of the axle to get sufficient weight on the towball. All of our heavy items are kept in the car to avoid overloading the van. Our van has a motor mover and a spare wheel and carrier. Our shower cubicle is always empty for travelling and minimal fluids are in the toilet.
0 -
I know what you mean about the paltry and dangerously low payloads on vans, a pet hate of mine. With a host of factory extras, motor mover and cycle carriers etc I had 235kg to play with. If I ordered now it would be 335kg. Another reason to buy one of those funny little Eriba pop top caravans.
Colin
0 -
The Swift 480 MTPLM is just about adequate for normal use. A leisure battery and motor mover plus gas bottles leaves very little remaining. However, if you are not adding those weights and sure you will have the payload, then why not? The bike rack with 2 bikes is going to weigh about 30Kg, You can offset some rear load by moving the spare wheel to the front locker and disposing of the dreaded Alko spare wheel carrier. We have a 480, the earlier and shorter model to yours. I have weighed ours accurately and found the off-side to be very close to the Alko axle nominal loading limit. Swift claim that +/-5% is an acceptable off-set axle load, but because of the way the caravan is designed with most of its weight on the off side, it is near the limit before you put a carton of milk in the fridge. For this reason, I would definitely not overload the caravan, wherever you locate the weight. We have already replaced the Alko axle on ours because the off-side rubbers failed, and the dealer refused warranty.
0
