Need ideas for transporting 2 ebikes and a spare tire on an Axis 25.3

[Pete'sMH]

Originally Posted by roadrunner255

Any issues with the rack bottoming out?

I am in the process of fabricating a 30" wide x 5' long basket.

Cheers

I’ve not had any issues on my Class A coaches. The particular carrier I have has about a 2 inch rise and my hitch is pretty high. When I used this carrier on my Freedom Elite Class C it bottomed out once or twice but only barely and briefly on a driveway apron. There is a skid plate on it so I never worried about it.

[RVwife]

OK, more ebike and spare tire carrier conundrums....

The cargo rack bike that we copied rather closely from Pete, works quite nicely. However, we are still wrestling with where to put our spare tire.

We were considering of trying the front hitch mount tire carrier that was suggested somewhere in this forum. DH isn't so sure that would work though as our wiper water reservoir sits right behind the bumper where a front license place would go. DH thinks we'd have to relocate the reservoir if we wanted to bolt the hitch mount to the frame and use the already in place holes. I do see his point.

I talked with our local big truck/RV repair shop that we use and have found very helpful to see if they carry and/or install the front mounts. (They don't but referred me to the local custom weld shop in town.) During that conversation, the fellow suggested that it would be better to put the bike cargo carrier on the front and the tire on back. One, he said the bikes wouldn't bound so much on the front and two, the tire would cut airflow to the engine in a way the bikes would not.

So, not sure how to continue. We'd have the same issue with the reservoir and the front mount if we moved the bikes. We'd have to see if the weld shop could modify the hitch mount to drop down just a bit and then come out underneath the reservoir. Maybe that would work.

Anyone here put a front hitch on their 2018 Axis/Vegas? How did that work out? Did you have to move the reservoir and where did you put it? Or did you find a good work around?

Also, if we put the bike/cargo carrier on the front, it looks wide enough to possibly be in line with/cover a part of the smaller headlight. Mainly it would be the bike tire that may be in line with the headlight. Any one have an issue with that and how did you overcome that?

Again, thanks for your ideas and experiences. They been a great help and food for additional thought. Here's to a hopefully busy 2021 and an ever reopening country.

[Pete'sMH]

Originally Posted by RVwife

OK, more ebike and spare tire carrier conundrums....

The cargo rack bike that we copied rather closely from Pete, works quite nicely. However, we are still wrestling with where to put our spare tire.

We were considering of trying the front hitch mount tire carrier that was suggested somewhere in this forum. DH isn't so sure that would work though as our wiper water reservoir sits right behind the bumper where a front license place would go. DH thinks we'd have to relocate the reservoir if we wanted to bolt the hitch mount to the frame and use the already in place holes. I do see his point.

I talked with our local big truck/RV repair shop that we use and have found very helpful to see if they carry and/or install the front mounts. (They don't but referred me to the local custom weld shop in town.) During that conversation, the fellow suggested that it would be better to put the bike cargo carrier on the front and the tire on back. One, he said the bikes wouldn't bound so much on the front and two, the tire would cut airflow to the engine in a way the bikes would not.

So, not sure how to continue. We'd have the same issue with the reservoir and the front mount if we moved the bikes. We'd have to see if the weld shop could modify the hitch mount to drop down just a bit and then come out underneath the reservoir. Maybe that would work.

Anyone here put a front hitch on their 2018 Axis/Vegas? How did that work out? Did you have to move the reservoir and where did you put it? Or did you find a good work around?

Also, if we put the bike/cargo carrier on the front, it looks wide enough to possibly be in line with/cover a part of the smaller headlight. Mainly it would be the bike tire that may be in line with the headlight. Any one have an issue with that and how did you overcome that?

Again, thanks for your ideas and experiences. They been a great help and food for additional thought. Here's to a hopefully busy 2021 and an ever reopening country.

Well, since you asked....when we first got our cargo basket carrier we used it with a Roadmaster 195225 spare tire carrier. It has a pass through for the hitch mounted cargo carrier. Has the added advantage of providing a 2 inch drop making the bike “lift” that much easier. Also it’s built like a battleship and easily will outlast your RV experience. It will handle any size wheel/tire and even lowers to the ground so you don’t have to lift a heavy spare (which is not so bad with a 16 inch but can get pretty challenging if you ever get a rig with 22.5 inch wheels)! The only drawback is that it’s expensive. Mine was about $500 on sale and I’ve seen them used for less but the “regular” price is now over $600.