25 replies to this topic

[Lighthawk]

Moving into our second summer with our 08 Hawk, we are fine tuning the various ways to lash gear to our camper. Our camper came with one set of Thule Hullivators, which are complicated, but do the job. Bikes were still a bit of a mystery, so we put them up top on our last foray into Yosemite, but I had to carry a six foot ladder to get them up and down

As with all things FWC, some online research was in order. I noticed DD had a nice rig for bikes, hanging them off their forks from the rear bar of the Yak rack system. Not bad. I had a spare Yakima Boa kit, so I tried it out, but not being able to deploy the top (pop the top) with bikes attached was a limiting factor. Somewhere in the archives, Stan had posted a shot of a guy in Utah (Canyon Creek?) with two bikes mounted vertically on the back wall. Hmmm.
To be fair there are some other shots of this mounting system at WTW. Thanks for all the good ideas!

I purchased a front fork mount similar to the Bike Tights I have used in the past. This brand is Delta. I chose it for the ability to put a lock on it. Scoping out the mounting locations I found that if I removed the drawer above the refrig, I could access bolts that come through the FWC frame and the 5/8" plywood cabinet panel. I considered SS bolts, but went with 1/4" x 2 1/2" std galvanized bolts with nylocks. Strong enough to support a bike I think. I put the nuts on the exterior, so it's easy to visually check or tighten on the trail.


The other side I could only drill the frame, so I backed the bolts with a piece of aluminum. All four holes were caulked with Silapreme (FWC recommends) and between the bike tight and the siding.





Loading the bikes is pretty reasonable. I have a nice three step ladder with wide steps, that we use with the camper (see my trick mounting system in other posts). So I can lift the bike fork into position, then clamp it down. Locking optional, but maybe a good idea for rough road?



My only concern is that the bikes somewhat obscure my tail lights. I'm thinking maybe I should get one of those hitch-mounted brake lights.

Still figuring out the strapping of the rear bike tires. I have a custom gas can / junk box mounted on the right side, so I will probably customize a short strap to that. Left side will likely just strap to the ladder when it's mounted. A cam strap will do the trick.

More to follow as I explain my solo kayak loading system next

[Lighthawk]

Stealth mode while not carrying bikes.



I simply pull the skewers and stow them until we want to mount up a bike (or two )

[billharr]

Stealth mode while not carrying bikes.



I simply pull the skewers and stow them until we want to mount up a bike (or two )

Thanks for the post, I have the same Delta mounts, just have not got around to mounting them. I am looking at making a U mount for the rear tire with a strap to hold them in place.

Bill

[chnlisle]

I got a Brand New Bodiak front hitch on eBay for $100. It will be perfect for the bicycles.

LightHawk I'm guessing you know that the security lock on the fork mount doesn't amount to much more than an inconvenience to someone that wants your bike. At least it didn't to the thieves that wanted mine. I use a thick cable with a large lock now and that probably won't stop someone who's motivated.

[Lighthawk]

Continuing on with ways to mount gear to the Hawk . . .

We like to kayak. We're not river runners, just like touring lakes for photography, swimming and just taking in the natural beauty in a quiet way. We've got a favorite beach on Tahoe that we like to visit several times a year. Our area is full of lakes between 3,000' and 5,000' of elevation, making it a mecca for boating. I just heard some good info on Snag Lake, up in the Gold Lakes basin, but suspect it's campground still buried under snow.

But I digress. The issue is how to get 'yaks up there and down safely from the Hawk. I mentioned we have a Hullivator system. I would never buy a $500 kayak lifter, but it came with the camper from the PO. It's a complicated, but functional way to get one boat up there. The boat rides high with this system. And I only have one of these expensive toys.

I bought a used Hully Roller kit with front saddles for half price on Ebay to see if it worked for us. Last night I mounted it up after bolting the bike tights thru the back of the camper. I set the back bar about six inches from the end of the track so the rollers were accessible. I was able to set the nose of a 12' long, 50# kayak into the roller by myself and using my camper steps, walk it up and roll it into place with relative ease. Yeah!
This is much easier than our other system.



And it's a much more reasonable (tho still expensive) cost. Retail on the rollers and saddles is about $90 per set. Now that I have one set, I'll be shopping for another so we can manage two boats. Then I'll be selling the Hullivator, hopefully for half retail which will pay for the roller investment.



Hope this helps someone else as they figure this stuff out. It took me a while to sift through the various posts and trying different methods until I decided this is what's best for us. I'm happy that I can now carry both bikes and 'yaks without too much fuss.

We'll be heading over to Caspar Beach in July for my birthday and it will be great to leave the truck in camp and hop on bikes or go paddling. The bike mounts are permanent (through bolted and sealed), but the rollers/saddles are modular, so they can come off seasonally.

[Lighthawk]

Thanks for the post, I have the same Delta mounts, just have not got around to mounting them. I am looking at making a U mount for the rear tire with a strap to hold them in place.

Bill

I should mention that where I mounted the Delta's leaves the handle bars of the bikes sticking past the camper about six inches. In heavy brush, this could be an issue. I did it because I have a porch light and a buckle on the right side, leaving only space to mount outboard of the buckle. That's vertically right above my tail lights, although I can swing the bike body inboard a bit (hope that's clear ). On the left side, I could have mounted inside of the buckle, but that would be pretty close to the camper door. As it is I'll have to bungie the door open since it can't meet the door stop with the bike mounted.

If you are concerned with extra width, you might want to play with the idea of mounting the bikes farther inboard than I did.

[Lighthawk]

LightHawk I'm guessing you know that the security lock on the fork mount doesn't amount to much more than an inconvenience to someone that wants your bike.

Sorry about the bike, Jay. I've got a cable too. I just figured a lockable fork mount is one more way to slow down a thief. I'm thinking more along the lines of running into a convenience store or other errand. I also like the security of locking off the mount while driving.

[DLN]

Hawk, if you are worried about brush or snags just turn the bars 90 degrees while traveling.

[sdmarkus]

Thanks for the write-up LH, I been wanting to go this route for some time.

"I put the nuts on the exterior, so it's easy to visually check or tighten on the trail."

Could the entire mount be removed by a would-be thief with the nuts on the exterior...just a thought.

Happy trails,

Mark

[HIKEMT]

Andy, nice write up. Let me know if you decide to sell the Hullivator.