Towing with cycle carrier

[Sailor2]

I have a Maxraxx 2 bike carrier which i am thinking of using on the towbar of my Kia sorrento which has a 120kg noseweight,and also tow my caravan which is a 2008 abbey GTS 418 with a MTPLM of 1500kgs.

does anyone tow with bikes, particularly with this sort of combination, and has it been successful

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hi sailor ( i'm not falling for my usual greeting causing mirth!)

I can't answer your specific enquiry, but there have been reports of other tow-bar mounted cycle carriers physically fouling the caravan when reversing and turning. - one to watch.

As for the load on the tow-ball, you have to assume that combined weight of the rack and bikes is carried by the towball. That means the tow bars available nose load for a trailer is diminished by the weight of bike/rack.

Most caravans can be towed successfully with a nose load of 75Kg or less (the typical limit for most saloon cars) adn I see no real reason why your caravan should not fall into that category, so the will leave you with about 35Kg for the rack & bikes.

Most caravanner's tend to use a roof mounted carrier when towing.

 

[Steve L]

Hi Sailor.

I have a tow bar mounted rack on my Laguna estate. I only carry one bike occassionally. I can see what your saying as the hitch head is very close to the rack mounting. To overcome this I have fitted a spacer of 25mm (max permited)between the cycle rack mount and the tow ball. This gives plenty of room for you to tow without fouling the hitch head on the bike rack mount.

John is quite right in stating that you must reduce the hitch weight by the weight of the rack and bikes, so that you do not exceed the 120Kg tow bar weight limit of your sorrento.

Depending on how much of the gap between the car and caravan is occupied by the bikes, you may have to watch how tight you turn to avoid contact with the bikes and van.

Personally I can't see why people struggle to lift bikes above head height to get them on the roof racks of tall cars like yours when they can use hitch racks. If you can't use the hitch rack, why not secure the bikes inside the caravan. Carefull loading will not end in chipped furnature.

Regards.

Steve L.