Electric bike carrying
We've got 2 electric bikes and with the batteries removed, together they weigh 39kg. I've got a 4 berth Bailey Unicorn and a swan neck towbar and the advice there is, you can't mount them on that towbar hitch whilst towing a caravan. Most UK 'A' frames are too short for them to be fitted there without potential damage to the caravan when turning. Roof carriers are not advisable for anything over 30kg in weight so I'm resigning myself to carrying them inside the caravan. There is obviously a risk of damage so does anyone have any ideas/tips on how best to do this? Any advice would be gratefully received.
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I can only apologise on behalf of the CAMC for it taking so long for your post to appear. The first posts need to be approved but they used to be a lot quicker, 4-5 days.
We've been carrying bikes inside the caravan for years.
At the moment we have a Coachman 460 VIP and the configuration allows us to load the bikes (2 electric) weighing about 14 kgs each by being able to turn the front wheel and swivel them around. We have an old square piece of carpet that is placed against the front table and the bikes, once loaded and placed against it, are turned leant away from each other. Obviously we have a large piece of waterproof material placed on the floor that drapes over the squabs. the bikes travel in this V formation quite securely but we chock them anyway.
The only real difficulty is getting them out as you need to do everything exactly in reverse.
Our payload can cope with the weight.
If you have a smaller van then we have taken the front wheels off to make the payload lighter and to fit more easily. Wheels went in the car.
Hope this helps.
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I spent a deal of time considering how to carry my Specialised Levo, taking into account its weight, but never considered carrying it inside the van.
As it is just me that cycles the most suitable option, having dismissed the A frame/Maxxrack/ Thule Upride options was to put the bike in the car with the displaced car contents in a roof box.
However, giving further consideration to the issue I decided that it would be better to spend the time I would have been biking doing other more inclusive things!
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Allan ....like getting a tandem?🚴♀️
being bikers (and MHers), it was always going to a major consideration to the layout of any MH we bought. To avoid rear racks etc, we plumped for a van with a decent rear garage and can just wheel the bikes straight in.
for caravanners, I realise their isn't a similar choice, but my daughter has just bought a caravan and they spotted a Weinsberg and, being a continental van, it had a longer draw bar complete with fitted bike rack...job done.
lve also seen bikes on caravan rear racks, a poster on CT uses one for their e-bikes..
there are choices but I guess each needs to be carefully considered and matched to weight and carrying capacity.
good luck.
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I noticed that all new Swifts, from the Sprite range upward now have fixing bars already in place to add a bike rack. I'm not sure of the weights but have seen a number of two bikes being carried this way but may not have been ebikes.
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Hi YT, As you say, a bit more difficult with a caravan than a MH.
To be more accurate I should have said that I would not consider putting the bike in the van and even if I could use a rear mounted rack, that does not appeal due to the weight and a very expensive piece of kit being "out of sight" and potentially vulnerable.
The Thue Upride was looking good, but my bike shop were very clear that they would never trust a roof mounted rack with ebikes, due to the weight, and having had a couple of trial runs even with the battery removed getting the bike onto a roof mounted rack, we have a Q5, was doable, but not desirable.
So the in car/roof box option is the best solution for us-especially as we already have a roof box-as the weights in the right place and its as secure as possible.
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This is what I used and still do even though I have changed to a motorhome. The bars simple slot into a metal plate which is bolted between the tow bar and the ball. Hang your bike on the hooks and lash down with straps around the tow bar. It still allows a trailer to be coupled up.
I have looked around on the internet but cannot find this type for sale any more?
peedee
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They don’t sell them anymore because sandwiching their mounting between the ball and the towbar renders the towbar’s type approval invalid. Which contravenes the law. You may not be alone in feeling that it’s a silly ruling, but following plenty of towbar failures, including homemade ones, type approval became mandatory.
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My towbar predates the requirement to type approve towbars for motorhomes which I think was introduced fairly recently. I have been using this mounting method for the best part of 30 years without incident, I even use it to carry a spare motorhome tyre as well as a bike. I will add it does not overload my rear axle which is rated at 5 tons.
It would be relatively easy for any metalwork shop to make one of these up.
peedee
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Hi, I carry an e-road bike (11.5kgs) inside our caravan (Coachman Laser 575). I use small sections of expanded foam pipe insulation on the bikes front forks and rear stays and use a strap fed through the front LHD divan seat frame to secure the bike. no damage to bike of caravan in about 3500 miles of touring
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Spacers breach type approval but I agree with you that 1998 did not bring type approval for MH towbars. In fact, I think it didn’t even apply to ladder chassis 4x4 towbars at that time. 🤷🏻♂️
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Whilst in Powburn, we compared notes on carrying E-bikes with a couple with a Basecamp (we have a Discovery D4-2). Now obviously both these vans are designed to carry bikes - on the A frame for ours, internally for the Basecamp. The BC owners put their towbar cycle rack in the van, strap it down, and then strap the bikes to the rack. I don't know if this would be possible with a Unicorn though of course.
One major question to be answered is the payload - 39 kg for the two bikes plus about 16 kg for the towbar rack (heavy beasts themselves) means you would probably have to be very careful not to exceed the MPTLM - accepting I don't know what weight upgrade if any you can get.
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When we carried our 2 Ebikes with the caravan it was on a Witter ZS99. it was a plate that you fitted to the towbar. This was in 2018 we bought it and fitted it. We carried the bikes that way no problem. We had previously carried bikes like that years ago.
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The OP has a caravan, not a Motorhome. He has a swan neck, which precludes the addition of auxiliary figments sandwiched in front of the ball.
The requirement for type approval for motorhomes dates from 2012. Foundation steps commenced in 2010. Type approval precludes;
‘all accessories that move the towbar rearwards from the towbar’
From which I assume they mean the towball mustn’t be moved rearwards. I understand that some towbars are type approved with a spacer between the bar and ball. The spacer can be removed and replaced with an accessory mount which is no thicker than the spacer.
I don’t make the rules and if I break them, I do so knowingly. In fairness to our readers, I think that we need to ensure that any advice which we give is accurate and legally conforment.
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