Chinook RV

Looking at a ladder mounted bike rack to carry two bikes. Is the ladder through bolted? Is it strong enough to handle 2 bikes? Anyone have experience. I don't have to worry about ingress because I have a side entry. Mark in San Diego.

You may want to check out the following link:

Bike Hitch Rack

markatherton wrote:Looking at a ladder mounted bike rack to carry two bikes. Is the ladder through bolted? Is it strong enough to handle 2 bikes? Anyone have experience. I don't have to worry about ingress because I have a side entry. Mark in San Diego.

I bought this from Amazon https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003D ... UTF8&psc=1.

It is quite secure, and I've had no issues with rubbing, etc. Also consider the ladder is built strong enough to handle a 200lb human bean, so it won't break a sweat on a couple bikes, unless you're talking about motorcycles.

I've ordered the hooks and blocks to make the bike rack clay has in the thread markatherton mentioned, mainly because the ladder bike rack blocks my rear entry door.

As far as I know the ladder is just "pointy screwed" into the fiberglass, which is not a very strong connection in the grand scheme of things (fiberglass is sort of breaky/crumbly). It obviously works for ladder use, I suppose because much of the load is in shear and that load (people) is never on the ladder while bouncing down the highway.

You could change that, by putting through bolts and backing plates in the closet, but then how strong is the ladder? I know some Chinookers do carry things on the ladder and there is probably no definitive answer unless the ladder pulls off or breaks in which case "that was too much"

Having recent experience with the shell where the ladder is mounted (the Concourse that i recently purchased had smashed ladder damage covered up), I can tell you that the ladder support points screw into areas that have 3/4 thick wood sandwiched between fiberglass layers, or at least mine does.

Thanks for the correction. Mine actually does too. I still feel similarly about what I posted above but its a personal judgement call.