Getting on for a 5 year old thread that has been dug up.....but.....
We are still using the bike rack from the earlier time, since then the rack and van has been to Darwin from the Gold Coast with our bikes another four times, including a 15K loop dodging Covid lockdowns in 2020. Plus plenty of other van trips including the Gibb and outback Qld.
Still very happy with the rack and setup, the wife's bike has changed to a 23kg Liv ebike that has done about 15K on the rack, the only thing I do different with that is to cross brace from lateral movement with restraint straps, due to the extra weight.
The rack itself is standard, and fits to the vehicle or van in exactly the same manner, except that the vehicle mount uses a 50x50 sq SHS tube that at one end fits the tow hitch, the other into a female receiver on the rack. Both ends of the SHS have grub screws which are tightened on assembly to make a very solid unit that doesn't move.
The van mount was fabricated very simply from 100x50 rectangular Aluminium tube, with a short 50x50 Al piece welded across the top. This tee supports a male 50x50 RHS stub facing back towards the van. This stub replicates the SHS piece used for the tow hitch mounting.
The vertical Al post is permanently bolted at the bottom to the drawbar cross brace, and at the top is braced back to the stone guard posts. Has never moved and is solid.
Simple to fit or remove or fit the rack and still going strong.
Hope you can make sense of the pics.
John
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2015 Laredo CRD with QL - that replaced our 2012 Laredo CRD Bright Silver with QL
Last edited by JnK; 22-08-2023 at 07:52 AM.
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