[pdxkid]

The thing I hate about most tray style bike racks is that they almost completely obscure your brake lights and turn signals. And license plate. All of these things can and will eventually get you pulled over or in an accident. I had a Kuat and noticed this then switched to a North Shore Rack to solve the problem. The next problem solver will be a bigger van so no more bikes on the outside, after all, isn't that the point of the van? Additionally, having the bike on the back exposes it to some pretty nasty weather. I didn't buy a super sweet Yeti to have it blasted with salty water at 75mph.

 

[Ghostshaper]

All good points.

Us: family of four, long road trips, lots of gear, not just bikes, no Yetis. Would love to have em inside, but no room. We have a 4 bike tray hitch rack now and I'm not happy w how much it sways on bumpy roads. Handle bars have actually hit the rear windows and cut our perf vinyl. Easier to add bar plugs than replacing cracking doors, though.

 

[pdxkid]

We have a 4 bike tray hitch rack now and I'm not happy w how much it sways on bumpy roads.


Try to determine if the play is in the rack itself or, more commonly, at the interface of the rack and 2" receiver. Even with the "anti rattle" hitch pin that came with our Northshore Rack, there was play. I installed this anti rattle hitch clamp which eliminated all slop-

https://www.etrailer.com/Hitch-Anti...8.html?feed=npn&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIjvrElKiO4QIVBbXACh1DVwbdEAQYASABEgKOnfD_BwE#/

If it's your rack itself that has all of the play, it's probably time to shop for a new rack.

 

[Ghostshaper]

The saris rack I have actually has a nice hitch bolt system that tightens the rack in the receiver, so I guess the problem is the rack itself.

Also don't like how far off the rear bumper the bikes are, yet still manage to hit our rear window.

One benefit to having the bikes off the rear hitch, is that we could use a cargo rack and box to hold anything we don't want inside w us (gas, trash, poop, etc).

The door cracking has me concerned though.

Probably should've just bought a vertical hitch rack to begin with.

 

[yelnam]

Ghostshaper: do you have the bike rack on top of a hitch mounted cargo box?

I’m tempted to build such a thing. Would help to know if that isn’t a good idea. Thx.


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[Ghostshaper]

Ghostshaper: do you have the bike rack on top of a hitch mounted cargo box?

I’m tempted to build such a thing. Would help to know if that isn’t a good idea. Thx.


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No, right now we have a saris tray hitch rack in our wilco swinghitch.

I would like to have bikes and cargo box, if possible. I remember seeing one that was already built, but the bike rack was a hanger style, which isn't my first preference.

I'm considering using the Lolo racks hooks and building a vertical bike rack w a cargo rack below.

 

[yelnam]

Cool. I'm in the process of building a hitch mounted cargo box with three bike trays mounted to it's lid. Sort of like the used one sold a while back on the sportsmobile forum. RakAttach swing away adapter, Lund cargo box, with a cargo carrier I'm modifying to mount directly to the box. Then three 1Up trays on top. Hopefully it won't sway too much ... . Definitely will use hitch tighteners at those junctions.

 

[Ghostshaper]

Here's the combo one I saw but didn't particularly like:

link for DIY inspiration:
https://www.pinkbike.com/forum/listcomments/?threadid=136031&pagenum=1

 

[guzbikes]

Ford Transit Bike Rack - Saris Glide EX 5 - Open Both Doors with Bikes Loaded

I found it! I believe this is the only bike rack that allows you to open, lock open, and *fully fold back* both doors on the Transit, with up to 5 bikes still loaded on the rack! Saris Glide EX 5 (also available in 2 and 4 bike models: https://www.saris.com/product/glide-5

The reason this works is that they put all of the locking and pivot mechanisms on the top of the arm, the bottom is just two small pivots and a small plastic cover. The pivots easily clear the bottom of the doors since the pivot top is level with the bumper:

The overlapping portion of the door seal that sticks out from the driver's side door, does touch the main arm as it goes by, but the arm is a rounded triangle shape so the seal easily moves out of the way without getting caught:

Overall I think this is a great bike rack for the Transit, since you retain full function of both doors with the bikes loaded on the rack. I got a good deal on it using my REI 20% off coupon and some dividend money, and I can't wait to take the mountain bikes out with it!
@Chatski, I think this one definitely needs to be added to the round-up post, and I think it may be in it's own category, since I don't think there are any else like it out there.

 

[Ghostshaper]

Finished my vertical rack using Lolo racks hooks. It's mounted on the Wilco hitchswing, so I can swing it out and open the doors. If I use a double receiver, then I can also add a cargo rack below the bikes. Total cost for materials for the rack was around $200 (I suck at welding, so don't look too closely at the welds).

Loaded up w/ my sons' 24" and 26" hardtails, my wife's and my 27.5s:

 

[perchancetodream]

Bike Racks Inside

Finished my interior bike racks today. The rear rack secures my mini velo (The Corgi) across the back between the D-pillars. The side rack can hold either the mini velo or my standard bike (The Mule). There's plenty of clearance to deploy the lengthwise murphy bed, even with both bikes loaded. I'm building a drop-down work shelf for the side wall, so most trips I'll take The Corgi on the back rack. It's more compact and handy for mixed mode travel.

I used 3/4" thin wall conduit (EMT) and steel compression couplings from Lowes. The racks are attached using dual hole threaded L-track fittings that come with a thick 1" o.d. washer and 3/8" fine thread bolt. The 1" o.d. washer fits inside the coupling nut perfectly for attaching the coupling to the track fitting. The track fitting has a 1" o.d. bearing surface with a central shoulder which fits 7/16" washers. I used a 7/16" SAE washer (1" o.d.) to take up some of the shoulder, and a 7/16" stainless steel washer with 1-1/8" o.d. to take up the rest and provide wider bearing for the coupling nut.

The bike holder is a 3/4" PVC compression tee with 3/4" female thread. The shoulder needs only a little bit of sanding for a 1" PVC tee to be solvent-glued right over it. I cut about 1/3 of the tee circumference off to make a cradle for the bicycle top tube. This holder can be shifted and tightened down by hand to any location along the rack as needed. The tee is padded with inner tube and the top tube secured with a strap. A bungie in front holds the front wheel steady.


I tried to make the side rack out of one piece of conduit using a bender, but the track and fittings demanded more precision in length and dead squareness than I could provide. Instead, I used pre-bent 90's (also Lowes) and a straight section of conduit, which worked much better by providing some play for adjusting the track fittings before hand-tightening the coupling nuts on the straight section. All the other coupling nuts are wrench-tight.


The rear rack similarly has a little play to allow the overall length to vary a little so the coupling / fitting assembly can be removed from or set into the track. Again, all but one coupling nut is wrench-tight. I greased the threads of the coupling nuts that are hand-tightened.

 

[dustboy]

I haven’t seen a good solution for full access at the back doors. Rakattach with a 4-tray setup hangs waaaay out there, just begging to get smashed by a negligent driver (or snagged on a gas station bollard). North Shore-style racks are sweet but access to the rear door sucks, if you can open it at all.

I’m giving some consideration to through-bolting some L-track along the top and bottom of the rear doors and attaching fork mounts. Wonder how the doors would stand up to 70 lbs of weight on a bumpy road? Not sure I want to be the guy to test it but it would be cheap, simple and VERY permanent.

 

[DaveInSeattle]

Given that ambulance doors are cracking with nothing on them, I would expect that adding 70 pounds would be a problem.

What about implementing that bump stop fix that someone posted pix of? Basically supports the inside edge of the door when closed and takes some of the stress off the skin and hinges.

 

[Ghostshaper]

I haven’t seen a good solution for full access at the back doors. Rakattach with a 4-tray setup hangs waaaay out there, just begging to get smashed by a negligent driver (or snagged on a gas station bollard). North Shore-style racks are sweet but access to the rear door sucks, if you can open it at all.

I’m giving some consideration to through-bolting some L-track along the top and bottom of the rear doors and attaching fork mounts. Wonder how the doors would stand up to 70 lbs of weight on a bumpy road? Not sure I want to be the guy to test it but it would be cheap, simple and VERY permanent.

I was going to do this but with yakima roof racks so I wouldn't have to take the front wheels off. Was also prepared to add bracing inside the doors.

Chickened out after seeing all the cracking from a spare tire. Seems like ladders are fine. Ended up w a home built vertical rack on a swing out.

 

[Dad Camper]

What about implementing that bump stop fix that someone posted pix of?

Are you referring to this post:

https://www.fordtransitusaforum.com....com/ford-transit-general-discussion/59585-rear-door-cracking-4.html#post999810

I remember reading that thread and not really understanding the problem. Seems like it might have been caused by slamming the doors, which were not carrying weight. I have not sorted out bike storage yet but would really like to mount them vertically on the door(s), either on ladders or directly to door. No off roading planned. Is the concern that the doors can't handle the weight even when closed?

 

[DaveInSeattle]

I agree it's not totally clear. My interpretation: Since the block rests on the floor of the van when the door is closed, it would support the door. The tire carriers cracked the doors due to driving and weight while the door is closed. I think the ambulance people cracked the doors due to repeated opening and closing. But it seems that the cracks were often in similar locations.

 

[Campervan Man]

Has anyone mounted an upright roof rack type bike attachment to a rear cargo rack? I want to be able to carry the family's bikes and our collapsible kayak.

 

[yelnam]

You want to put both the collapsible kayak and bikes on a hitch-mounted cargo tray at the same time?


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[dustboy]

It’s a little mysterious what caused the ambulance doors to crack, I would think the Amazon drivers would have done it first, they are paid a few peanuts per delivery and are in as much of a hurry as an ambo driver. Perhaps the gurney was loose and smashing against the doors as they sped away.

Anyway, hanging bikes off the door doesn’t seem like a great idea unless there was some significant reinforcement. I think the hinges and closures could handle it but the sheet metal is engineered to be lightweight and not for carrying a load.

 

[Amber Farmer]

Have you had a problem with it dragging anywhere? We have the Kuat NV 2.0 and a Transit 350 HD extended.

Here's some pics with the Rackattach and Kuat set up. You can open both doors 90 deg with just the rack but no bikes. Handle bars stick out too far. It's a little lopsided cause I didn't tighten everything.

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