Spare-Tire-Mount Bike Rack for Use on Rear of 2014 Aliner Scout Travel Trailer

Question:

I have a 2014 aliner scout and i would like to put a bike rack on the spare tire at the back ....which bike rack would u recommend that i could use

asked by: Alfredo E

Helpful Expert Reply:

Thank you for providing a photo of your Aliner's spare tire mount on its rear bumper.

Any bike rack designed for use on the rear of a camper or trailer has to be specially built to withstand the forces encountered at the rear of such vehicles. Much in the same way that the last seat in a school bus or the last car in a roller coaster gets a rougher ride than those up front, any accessory item installed at the rear of a trailer will be subjected to strong lateral and vertical forces that would destroy a standard bike rack meant for use on a car. The Surco carrier you referenced, their part # BT300, is not intended for use on trailers. None of the trailer-approved racks we offer can use a spare tire mount since these are intended only to handle the weight of the tire, but not the weight of that plus a rack and bikes.

The link provided will take you to our main page for all the rack types that are approved for use on trailers. These come in several varieties, including for example hitch-mount, bumper-mount, ladder mount and others.

Since your spare tire may interfere with a bumper-mount rack, such as the Swagman 4 Bike Carrier # S80600, you may want to consider a towing rack like the Swagman Traveler XCS # S64664 which slips over your 2-inch ball mount. This rack will ride between your tow vehicle and your camper and it offers a 2-bike capacity.

Another option is to use the Stromberg Carlson Bike Bunk Trailer-Mounted Bike Carrier # CC-275 along with a compatible 2-inch hitch-mount bike rack, that you may already own. A standard bike rack for automobiles can be used in this holder since it will not be placed at the rear of the trailer. You will need to consider the type and size of bikes to be carried to determine if there will be enough clearance between the tow vehicle and trailer for the bikes while still allowing a suitable turning radius.

For another option you could install a bumper-mount hitch on your Scout's rear bumper (next to the spare) and then use an RV-approved hitch type rack in that hitch. If your bumper measures 4- x 4-inches then you can use Ultra-Fab bolt-on hitch # UF35-946402 along with a bike rack like # S64152-2 from Swagman or one of the others shown on the included link.