bike rack

Bill & Netti
We need more information before we can make an educated guess. What material are the struts made from? How thick is it? How are they attached to the chassis? How far do they intrude or run along the chassis? How much weight is already on them (spare wheel)? How heavy are the bikes and bike rack? Bear in mind that the rear of the caravan is the most active area when you are travelling on gravel roads and outback tracks. The longer the radius from the fulcrum (axle) to the circumference (wheel rack) the greater the movement. As one who once lost a pole carrier off the rear bumper on a camper I can tell you it is more than annoying to get somewhere, walk around the back and find part of your load missing. Personally I wouldn't recommend carrying anything at the rear of a caravan you intend to take on outback tracks. If your struts are made of stronger material than the chassis, the chassis could possibly be a weak link. I spoke to a guy once in a well known brand of off road van. He was complaining of a crack in the chassis. I almost laughed when I walked around the back of the van and saw a b----y big heavy steel storage box welded right across the rear bumper.
teege

I was in the same predicament.We want to take two bikes with us to keep fit on our travels but where to put them ? I have decided to put the spare caravan tyre on the roof rack of the vehicle (it is still within the vehicle limits for roof loading) and i will be attaching a bicycle rack to the point where the spare tyre used to be.In doing this i am actually reducing the weight on the rear slightly as the two bikes weigh less than the spare tyre.Obviously you have to consider the implications of getting to the spare on the roof if you need it but hopefully that would only be on the rare occasion.