Key things im chasing:
- Stability = given the bikes are treking 3500km i dont want them to be flopping around chafing them selves to death or fatiguing mounting hardware etc.
- Security = Need to be lockable, allthough not a major component as i can loop a bike chain through them etc and lock them down, but the less enviting it is to steal something the lower the chance it will actually happen!
- Useability = Along my trek i plan on stopping off and riding as much as possible, hence i dont want to have to undo a chinese puzzlebox to get the bikes out! (if you live along this path and want to go for a peddle send me a PM! and you can show me the local trails etc)
I envisage mounting them across the top of my hardtop lid and using a rock deflector to offer some protection from the 4wd throwing shit at it.
So my question is:
Full bike mount? or Fork mounted?
DIY bike mount? or off the shelf? (remebering i have built the rest of the trailer allready, and have the equipment available....although not always the patients)
Any suggestions or ideas would be greatly appreciated, i have attatched a photo of the trailer to give you some perspective.
Cheers.
Timrob, well done on the trailer!
Firstly, what a trek you have ahead of you. Depending upon how adventurous you are, there are some decent tracks along the railway line service roads along the Nullarbor - but some stone patches can be brutal on tyres. Wouldn't do it alone though. There are also some sensational beach camps where you can kick back, ride, fish and walk - but he sharks can be pesky if you swim.
Carrying bikes on the trailer is a whole new world. Trailers vibrate a great deal without you really noticing it in the tow vehicle - particularly along the Nullarbor where you can spend hour after hour at a harmonic frequency that induces vibration upon the trailer roof assembly.
You have awesome bikes Timrob so it's worth the effort to protect them during your journey. It's best to avoid supporting the bikes with rigid mounts that support the bike by the cranks or secure the wheels with the frame unsupported. The support forces and vibration is taken up in the bearing races and without the bearings rotating, the balls and races end up wearing and failing prematurely. It's a pain when you're in the middle of nowhere and you want a ride.
What we do for our customers in cases such as yours is to use the Extreme Duty carrier because of it's inherent strength and vibration safe mounting but with a special mount that is fixed to the top of a trailer.
The horizontal tubes, wheel hoops, vertical frame support post and double padded frame support cradles are slipped out of the main carrier beam assembly and transferred to the special trailer mount.
I don't have a picture of the Extreme Duty trailer mount but it essentially raises the horizontal tube off the roof of the trailer and slips into a pair of standard 25mm RHS tubes (orientated North/South) that you can mount to the trailer top. The CAD model below is of the Town and Country trailer top mount and will give you an idea of what it's about.
Be aware though that the Town and Country uses a common horizontal tube - unlike the Extreme Duty which has one horizontal tube per bicycle and allows for greater clearance and zero sideways offset when carrying the bikes on the back of the car.
Not that this is going to matter on the top of the trailer, but it will when carrying the bikes on the back of your 4WD through tight tracks or those with overhanging vegetation. I hate having to offset one bike to the left and the other to the right in order to make them fit on a bike carrier.
The net result is a safe, secure and very convenient bike mount to the trailer. You can be riding within seconds of stopping - zero hassle.
The other option is to have a strong and rigid tow bar mount on the rear of the trailer. One that picks up more than one chassis cross member. You can slip the Extreme Duty carrier into the trailer receiver and with the carrier's 40 degree departure angle, never have to worry about dragging the bum.
Plenty of our customers do this but you do need a trailer with a rigid tow hitch receiver and trailer dampers with a fair bit of rebound damping.
If they're safe, you're not stressed. If they're easy to load and unload, then you'll actually hop on and ride during the trip. I'm all for zero hassle travel and happy to help Timrob.