Mr. Tony... absolutely genius 💡s‼️ It's just 🤯 when I see how he can take something so fairly cheap and make it work 3x's better. Very helpful video guys and thank you for some reall great suggestions 🤜🏾🤛🏻😊
Great video guys! So helpful. We use pool noodles where you use a cloth. We also cover our whole bikes with a cover like yours, but the key is to put a cargo net around it to keep it from flapping.
Pool noodles - great idea - we may incorporate it! Yeah, we do not cover them when traveling just when at the campsite, but a cargo net is a great idea. Thanks for watching!! 😃
We don't worry about it when traveling; we put plastic bags over the display screens and remove the seats and batteries. When at the campsite we do cover them with the bike cover at night and when raining. Thanks for watching and commenting. 😀
@@jimcady2362 when the bikes are on the back rack, we always remove the key. When riding the bikes, the key is not removable when switched on. Thanks for watching & commenting!
Thanks for the tip! We take them off the rack at the campsite, chained and covered when not in use. When they are on the rack for travel, we take the batteries out and cover the electronic screen. (We sometimes even take the seats off if we have to drive through weather.) Thanks for watching!
Great and thorough video! You made it look easy. In other videos & forums they mention bumper support(s). Any thought on doing that or did you mention it in a previous video.
Thanks for the comment! Our receiver is attached to the frame not the bumper, the receiver could use a little additional welding in areas for more support but we feel comfortable that it will hold. I do regularly look it over and so far all is well.
You guys are great! I'd like to know where you got your large decal on the rear of the trailer. We have named our trailer "Stella" and are looking to get a decal made.
Do you still use this rack? When looking for one they seem to say that they dont work on travel trailers. Something about the vibrations causing the metal to break after time?
We still use ours regularly and have had great luck with it. That is correct about the shock & vibrations on the back of other travel trailers. Fortunately, we have a Rockwood that comes standard with torsion suspension, nice and smooth. Appreciate you watching and commenting.
Hello Tony & Tina, have a question to run by you on using the Minilite receiver for carrying two E bikes. I saw your totes video and was curious if that was your choice earlier because you didn't want to put that weight on the 350 lb rated receiver, or you just hadn't got a bike rack yet? I am in the same situation as you and Tina. I have two Lectric bikes and a 2023 2205s Minilite. I do have a KAC bike rack which is a great rack but I haven't used it on the Minilite. I also use a no wobble setup and they are secure on the rack. Some say don't use a trailer hitch for heavy ebikes but you seem to be comfortable doing it. Just wanted your thought process in going from totes to the bike rack setup? I appreciate your very informative videos!
Great question! The advantage we have over other RV’s is we have dexter torsion axles. Independent torsion suspension is going to tow way smoother then leaf suspension. I have had Tina drive behind me on shorter trips to verify how the bikes ride, they ride very smooth. I will say that they are a little older now so we don’t mind them getting a little dirtier from riding in back. Thanks for watching, safe travels!
Thanks Tony! I am going to give it a try. We will watch it closely with the rear trailer camera and keep an eye on the welds. The welds appear adequate to me, coupled with the no wobble setup and dexter torsion axles, hopefully that's sufficient. Also on another note, I saw your video on the fresh water tank weight issue. I'm not sure they resolved the problem between the time you bought your Minilite and May of '23 when I bought mine, so I called Forest River and they sent me an engineering blueprint of the change they made. I believe they went to a heavier guage steel and an additional support to distribute the weight better.
try attaching the hook bar to the frame BEFORE you tie down the wheels. This method will secure the bike so it doesn't have to be held while you tie down the wheels.
We have a similar setup with our Lectric bikes. Our dilemma is moving the rack back and forth from the camper to the truck if the bike trails aren’t near the campground. We have to take the rack off the camper, the ball off the hitch on the truck and put the rack into the receiver and it’s a lot of unsecuring and then ratcheting everything back down. What is your method when transporting them with your truck? We have the totes but can’t close the bed cover with them in the bed and it’s pretty high to be lifting the heavy totes into the truck bed.
We only had to move them once in Door County Wisconsin. We ended up making room in the bed of the truck and layer them down. It wasn’t a far drive so it worked for us. Agree, it can be a pain to shuffle the rack to the tow vehicle and back to the trailer when done.
@@TNTRVing We’ll give that a try. Thank you! We really enjoy your channel. You have some great ideas and appreciate your ideas, and sharing your journeys with us.❤️
My wife and I just purchased 2 Lectric Bikes. We travel 4 months of the year. We took our first ride yesterday. Watched your video on packing your Lectric bikes in tubs. Didn't care for that idea, as we travel in a motorhome and it didn't seem practical. Have been considering how we were going to transport them and found this video about 1/2 hour later We tow a car, so I'm going to purchase a receiver for the Toad and get the bike rack that you purchased from Walmart. Thanks for great information---RON
That great, be sure to wrap a microfiber cloth (pool noodles are to squishy) around any contact points and tighten with the strap. You want the bikes as tight as possible, no wiggle = no chafing of paint. Appreciate you watching and commenting. Safe travels & Happy Camping!
It's been 7 months, how is the bike rack holding up? My wife and I have the same bikes and have an Imagine 22 mle with a hitch. I have been leary of spending 600 bucks for a bike rack. I would be willing to buy a rack like you did and modify it if it is holding up.
The bike rack has been working great! Belle is in storage now, looking forward to getting her out and start camping again. Thanks for watching & commenting!
@@TNTRVing Holy moly, thanks for the quick reply. Looks like we will be trying it. An idea for added stability I had, instead of using the hitch pin, try a hardened bolt.
I used the locking bolt to keep it tight along with the hitch bar tightening thing. It’s key to have the bikes and rack as tight as possible. Also, be sure to wrap towels around bike when you strap them to keep the straps from rubbing through the paint. Best of luck!
Not at all, that’s why we don’t cover them. We also tested on a local trip where Tina drove behind me. All is good no obstruction. Thanks for watching and commenting..
Only one flaw I see. You do not have a lock on your receiver. Someone can just pull the pin and yank out the whole setup. I actually saw this happen at a truck stop, two guys walked up, pulled the pin and yanked the bikes off with the bike rack, threw it in the back of a pickup truck and they were off. I was able to get a picture of the license plate of the truck and they did get caught later I was told. But why take the chance.
No offense, but that rack doesn’t look like it will support 200 lbs. Is this rack approved for trailers, 5th wheels, toads and Motorhomes? Where is this rack made? I would assume it’s made in China. I think I’ll pay the extra few hundred on a Hollywood RV rider rack, that is approved for Motorhomes/5th wheels and made in the USA. I wouldn’t take a chance on this rack.
For us this rack works well. We are fortunate that our RV has torsion axles, the bike rides real smooth. We have taken multiple trips with vehicles following to confirm how they ride. The rack is rated for 200 lbs. you guessed it made in China.. I have also upgraded some of the hardware. Appreciate the comment & you watching. Safe Travels
That rack is not rated to mount on the rear of a trailer, only a car or truck. Do you realize how much the rear of a trailer bounces? One day it will break and you'll lose your bikes on the road and possibly cause a bad accident for the person traveling behind you. You should have kept using the large bins and kept the bikes inside the trailer.
The bike rack has a 200lb. Capacity. We are fortunate that our RV has torsion suspension not leaf springs. We have driven behind the RV multiple times while they have been back there. They ride nice and smooth. Appreciate you watching & commenting!
Mr. Tony... absolutely genius 💡s‼️ It's just 🤯 when I see how he can take something so fairly cheap and make it work 3x's better. Very helpful video guys and thank you for some reall great suggestions 🤜🏾🤛🏻😊
Thanks for watching and for the kind comments! Safe Travels!! 😃
he's been a genius since he was 18 :-)
LOL!
Thanks for watching!
Great video guys! So helpful. We use pool noodles where you use a cloth. We also cover our whole bikes with a cover like yours, but the key is to put a cargo net around it to keep it from flapping.
Pool noodles - great idea - we may incorporate it! Yeah, we do not cover them when traveling just when at the campsite, but a cargo net is a great idea. Thanks for watching!! 😃
Pool noodles are great idea! Many uses for those.
Awesome
Thanks
Excellent job on the bike rack 👍🏽
Thanks for watching! 😃
Great idea! Always looking for ways to make things easier and more convenient!
Always looking for improvements! Thanks for watching! 😃
❤❤
Great tips. Thanks
Thanks for watching!
What do you do when it raining?❤❤❤ Thank you for answering my question.
We don't worry about it when traveling; we put plastic bags over the display screens and remove the seats and batteries. When at the campsite we do cover them with the bike cover at night and when raining. Thanks for watching and commenting. 😀
Thanks for the tips. Good video
Appreciate you watching & commenting!
Awesome video, I've saved your video for future modificatios. Just curious, do you leave the key in or take it out when traveling?
@@jimcady2362 when the bikes are on the back rack, we always remove the key. When riding the bikes, the key is not removable when switched on. Thanks for watching & commenting!
Keep in mind, most thefts of ebikes in the camping world are from bike racks, most electrical issues are from weather exposure due to ebikes on racks.
Thanks for the tip! We take them off the rack at the campsite, chained and covered when not in use. When they are on the rack for travel, we take the batteries out and cover the electronic screen. (We sometimes even take the seats off if we have to drive through weather.) Thanks for watching!
Great and thorough video! You made it look easy. In other videos & forums they mention bumper support(s). Any thought on doing that or did you mention it in a previous video.
Thanks for the comment! Our receiver is attached to the frame not the bumper, the receiver could use a little additional welding in areas for more support but we feel comfortable that it will hold. I do regularly look it over and so far all is well.
@@TNTRVing Gotcha'. We have a MicroLite and plan to buy the same eBikes, so this video is perfect. Thanks again for the tips.
Love the video and the mods that you made to the bike rack. Would really like the name of the rack so that I can get it at Walmart.
Check out :39 in the video, I show a screenshot of the bike rack. Thanks for watching, safe travels & Happy Camping!
(Rolling with J and A) Nice way to carry your bikes
Big improvement on how we used to travel with them! Thanks for watching! Safe Travels! 😃
Great job on the video. Where did you buy the velcro straps?
The straps came with the bike rack. Thanks for watching!!!
You guys are great! I'd like to know where you got your large decal on the rear of the trailer. We have named our trailer "Stella" and are looking to get a decal made.
Thanks! We had it made by a friend…
I was told Sticker mule and the sticky brand are good to use..
Hope it helps..
Do you still use this rack? When looking for one they seem to say that they dont work on travel trailers. Something about the vibrations causing the metal to break after time?
We still use ours regularly and have had great luck with it. That is correct about the shock & vibrations on the back of other travel trailers. Fortunately, we have a Rockwood that comes standard with torsion suspension, nice and smooth. Appreciate you watching and commenting.
Hello Tony & Tina, have a question to run by you on using the Minilite receiver for carrying two E bikes. I saw your totes video and was curious if that was your choice earlier because you didn't want to put that weight on the 350 lb rated receiver, or you just hadn't got a bike rack yet? I am in the same situation as you and Tina. I have two Lectric bikes and a 2023 2205s Minilite. I do have a KAC bike rack which is a great rack but I haven't used it on the Minilite. I also use a no wobble setup and they are secure on the rack. Some say don't use a trailer hitch for heavy ebikes but you seem to be comfortable doing it. Just wanted your thought process in going from totes to the bike rack setup? I appreciate your very informative videos!
Great question! The advantage we have over other RV’s is we have dexter torsion axles. Independent torsion suspension is going to tow way smoother then leaf suspension.
I have had Tina drive behind me on shorter trips to verify how the bikes ride, they ride very smooth. I will say that they are a little older now so we don’t mind them getting a little dirtier from riding in back. Thanks for watching, safe travels!
Thanks Tony! I am going to give it a try. We will watch it closely with the rear trailer camera and keep an eye on the welds. The welds appear adequate to me, coupled with the no wobble setup and dexter torsion axles, hopefully that's sufficient. Also on another note, I saw your video on the fresh water tank weight issue. I'm not sure they resolved the problem between the time you bought your Minilite and May of '23 when I bought mine, so I called Forest River and they sent me an engineering blueprint of the change they made. I believe they went to a heavier guage steel and an additional support to distribute the weight better.
Thank you for your great ideas! Larry from NE Indiana
Good idea guys! The bins work but I’ll admit it’s a pain in the you know what!
We are trying to make things easier for us. Thanks for watching!
You just created a Thule and much cheaper. Set up just like ours. Great job.
Thanks guys! Hope to go biking with you guys again soon!
try attaching the hook bar to the frame BEFORE you tie down the wheels. This method will secure the bike so it doesn't have to be held while you tie down the wheels.
Thanks for the tip! Appreciate you watching and commenting!
Great video guys, We were wondering how to hook ours on the back securely. Also why would you take the coveet off?
Thanks! Appreciate you watching..
The reason we do not want a cover on them is we do not want to obstruct the view of the taillights..Safe Travels!
Hey just wandering if bike's on rear effected towing very much?
Great question! We haven’t noticed any difference, keep in mind we had upgraded our mattress and it weighs considerably more than our old mattress.
Thanks
We have a similar setup with our Lectric bikes. Our dilemma is moving the rack back and forth from the camper to the truck if the bike trails aren’t near the campground. We have to take the rack off the camper, the ball off the hitch on the truck and put the rack into the receiver and it’s a lot of unsecuring and then ratcheting everything back down. What is your method when transporting them with your truck? We have the totes but can’t close the bed cover with them in the bed and it’s pretty high to be lifting the heavy totes into the truck bed.
We only had to move them once in Door County Wisconsin. We ended up making room in the bed of the truck and layer them down. It wasn’t a far drive so it worked for us.
Agree, it can be a pain to shuffle the rack to the tow vehicle and back to the trailer when done.
@@TNTRVing We’ll give that a try. Thank you! We really enjoy your channel. You have some great ideas and appreciate your ideas, and sharing your journeys with us.❤️
@@sherrieolthoff2570 appreciate the support & kind comments! Safe travels & Happy Camping!
Please let me know what brand of seats that are on the bikes. I really like them. Are they on Amazon?
The seats are from Lectric, they came with the bikes. They are ok but I would look at cloud 9 bike seats..
My wife and I just purchased 2 Lectric Bikes. We travel 4 months of the year. We took our first ride yesterday. Watched your video on packing your Lectric bikes in tubs. Didn't care for that idea, as we travel in a motorhome and it didn't seem practical. Have been considering how we were going to transport them and found this video about 1/2 hour later We tow a car, so I'm going to purchase a receiver for the Toad and get the bike rack that you purchased from Walmart. Thanks for great information---RON
That great, be sure to wrap a microfiber cloth (pool noodles are to squishy) around any contact points and tighten with the strap. You want the bikes as tight as possible, no wiggle = no chafing of paint. Appreciate you watching and commenting. Safe travels & Happy Camping!
It's been 7 months, how is the bike rack holding up? My wife and I have the same bikes and have an Imagine 22 mle with a hitch. I have been leary of spending 600 bucks for a bike rack. I would be willing to buy a rack like you did and modify it if it is holding up.
The bike rack has been working great! Belle is in storage now, looking forward to getting her out and start camping again. Thanks for watching & commenting!
@@TNTRVing Holy moly, thanks for the quick reply. Looks like we will be trying it. An idea for added stability I had, instead of using the hitch pin, try a hardened bolt.
I used the locking bolt to keep it tight along with the hitch bar tightening thing. It’s key to have the bikes and rack as tight as possible. Also, be sure to wrap towels around bike when you strap them to keep the straps from rubbing through the paint.
Best of luck!
@@TNTRVing I think instead of a towel I'm going to try a pool noodle cut down to the length of the cross bar. Thanks again for the replies
I tried the noodles, they didn’t work well with the straps. They were still a little loose.
Are you at all concerned with it obscuring your tail lights/turn signals?
Not at all, that’s why we don’t cover them. We also tested on a local trip where Tina drove behind me. All is good no obstruction. Thanks for watching and commenting..
Camping at SampsonState Park?
No this was at Seneca Lake Campground in Ohio.
Thanks for watching!
Only one flaw I see. You do not have a lock on your receiver. Someone can just pull the pin and yank out the whole setup. I actually saw this happen at a truck stop, two guys walked up, pulled the pin and yanked the bikes off with the bike rack, threw it in the back of a pickup truck and they were off. I was able to get a picture of the license plate of the truck and they did get caught later I was told. But why take the chance.
I actually have a locking pin that I haven’t installed yet, guess I will put that on top of the list. Appreciate you watching & commenting!
No offense, but that rack doesn’t look like it will support 200 lbs. Is this rack approved for trailers, 5th wheels, toads and Motorhomes? Where is this rack made? I would assume it’s made in China. I think I’ll pay the extra few hundred on a Hollywood RV rider rack, that is approved for Motorhomes/5th wheels and made in the USA. I wouldn’t take a chance on this rack.
For us this rack works well. We are fortunate that our RV has torsion axles, the bike rides real smooth. We have taken multiple trips with vehicles following to confirm how they ride. The rack is rated for 200 lbs. you guessed it made in China.. I have also upgraded some of the hardware. Appreciate the comment & you watching. Safe Travels
That rack is not rated to mount on the rear of a trailer, only a car or truck. Do you realize how much the rear of a trailer bounces? One day it will break and you'll lose your bikes on the road and possibly cause a bad accident for the person traveling behind you. You should have kept using the large bins and kept the bikes inside the trailer.
The bike rack has a 200lb. Capacity.
We are fortunate that our RV has torsion suspension not leaf springs.
We have driven behind the RV multiple times while they have been back there.
They ride nice and smooth.
Appreciate you watching & commenting!