Swing away bike carrier for rear of Patrol

Submitted: Sunday, Mar 09, 2008 at 23:02

ThreadID: 55378 Views:7705 Replies:4 FollowUps:3

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G'Day All,

Have some fabrication in mind but need to overcome a problem.

We want to take a couple of mountain bikes on our next central OZ trip but do not feel comfortable with any of the aftermarket bike carriers we have looked at, especially when you consider they may need to do many K's down corrugated roads.

The last resort will be to put them inside the Patrol but space is at issue here.

I was thinking of trying to fabricate a heavy-duty swing away bike carrier to fit in the hitch receiver.

The bike wheels would sit in a "U" channel and be tied to an upright post.

I am comfortable with the idea but am unsure on how to fabricate a pivot point that will stand up to this type of travel.

I have seen some made with trailer stub axles and bearings but the finished unit looked a lot neater than anything "off-the-shelf" that I have been unable to find.

Any ideas on how to fabricate a pivot most welcome?

Regards

Rolande

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Reply By: Member - Sam (NSW) - Monday, Mar 10, 2008 at 07:47

Monday, Mar 10, 2008 at 07:47

What about a stub axle or hub from a trailer?

I fabricated a wheel carrier for a Hilux I owned a few years back. Used some heavy duty angle welded to a plate and then at the end of the arm, welded some tubing that sloted between the angle with a bolt running down the middle of the lot. the frame of the carrier rested on the tongue of the towbar so that the towbar was taking most of the weight of the wheel and the carrier frame. it lasted over some very nasty corrugations.

As far as i know, its still in use by the new owner.

AnswerID: 291861

Reply By: Crackles - Monday, Mar 10, 2008 at 10:01

Monday, Mar 10, 2008 at 10:01

Seen this one
Any of the units that simply plug into the tow hitch reciever would most likely move around too much for offroad use. I made one that came off a stub axle on the rear bar (like a Kaymar spare wheel) but even then the bikes shook around a fair bit requiring a strap onto the roof rack to help brace it. The other problem I found is when driving through a dip I buckled a wheel as the departure angle was insufficient so if building it yourself mount the bikes up high.
Cheers Craig......

AnswerID: 291883

Follow Up By:- Monday, Mar 10, 2008 at 12:05

Monday, Mar 10, 2008 at 12:05

G'Day Craig,

I have seen the Thule one, the problem with it is that over corrugations all the stress is transferred onto 50mm of the frame tubing. Here is a pic of the result of using these types of carriers

The bikes need to locate by the wheels with an upright to hold them firm. That is the easy bit, the difficult bit is to get them to pivot.

I was thinking along the stub axle lines. Can you provide any more details on how to fabricate the pivot?

Much appreciated

Regards

Rolande

FollowupID: 557251

Follow Up By: Crackles - Monday, Mar 10, 2008 at 13:46

Monday, Mar 10, 2008 at 13:46

Rolande here's a couple of shots of my rack & the pivot point.
From the reciever hitch 50x75 RHS to the stub axle would be strong enough. A 2nd brace tied back under to the chassis would take alot of slop out although not as convienient to remove. My bike rack is attached to a universal arm which I can bolt to a jerry can, bike or spare wheel bracket depending on what I need. I do like your idea of supporting the bikes by the wheels with a post to tie to.
Cheers Craig..........

FollowupID: 557262

Follow Up By:- Monday, Mar 10, 2008 at 14:39

Monday, Mar 10, 2008 at 14:39

G'Day Craig,

Thanks for the pics, it all makes more sense now.

My previous pic didn't work, so here is the link to the story

It is on the right hand side of the page

gripsport frame crack

Regards

Rolande

FollowupID: 557270