Introduction
Deciding to fit a bike carrier to the caravan involves consideration of how your choice and positioning of a bike carrier might affect how your caravan tows. If you want to know more about towing weight and the distribution of such weight then please view the below video.
For me the following were considerations:
- Access to the towing vehicles boot
- Ease of use
- Portability of the carrier
- Single bike carrying capability
- Front mounted
So I decided to buy the Eriba Front Bike/Cycle Carrier Kit from Dom FOX at a cost of £95 including insured delivery. (click on the photo above to be taken to the site.) This was complimented by the Thule 970 Xpress Bike Cycle Carrier which I found new on eBay for £65 delivered.
Having a large Eribahound, Boris who is a golden retriever, I need access to the boot space when we are in transit with the Eriba. This is his domain and he needs to have access in and out whilst we are set up for towing. So a tow ball mounted bike/cycle carrier that is operational both and front and rear facing is necessary.
First things first!
The first consideration is where is the bike carrier actually going to be placed and what tools will be needed? You can see from the photo that the tow ball carrier assembly needs to fit into the mount that supports the jockey wheel housing. It is a tight space and the best tool for the job is two 17mm combination spanners.
You will need two 17mm combination spanners, the ring end of the spanner is required for holding the nut in the housing while the open end is required for loosening/tightening. It is almost impossible to get any other type of tool or socket into the space available. Also required is a 24mm spanner and a wrench or adjustable spanner for the tow ball attachment to the mounting plate.
MAKE SURE THAT YOUR STEADIES ARE DOWN AND THAT YOUR JOCKEY WHEEL IS RETRACTED AND NON-WEIGHT-BEARING. The first stage of the installation is to remove the 4 securing bolts that hold the jockey wheel housing. In the kit provided by Dom Fox, there are 4 replacement bolts and nuts. These bolts are longer and provide the length that accepts the tow ball mounting plate. IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO REMOVE THE JOCKEY WHEEL, make sure you replace the original bolts as you remove them.
Assembly
The first part of the assembly is to attach the tow ball to the mounting plate. Before attaching the tow ball take the mounting plate to the housing and make sure that you are aware of it will fit in place and make sure that the tow ball is positioned correctly. For the attachment of the tow ball to the mounting plate you will need your 24mm ring spanner and wrench/adjustable.
Having assembled the bike carrier tow ball to the mounting plate you can then insert the plate into the housing over the receiving bolts and then add the new nuts and washers and tighten up. It sounds easy but can be quite a fiddly little job and it takes time to tighten the new assembly because of the space available that restricts you to between 1/8 – 1/4 of a turn! You will get there!
The Bike Carrier Mounting
The mounting of the Thule bike rack/carrier is simplicity itself. Place the open end over the tow ball and then expand the frame off the carrier by pushing down on the cross members that will lock into place, closing the ends over the two ball giving you a secure and stable assembly.
As stated earlier, I want access to the towing vehicle’s boot so our Eribahound has unrestricted access while we are towing. So as you can see the bike is mounted between the Eriba and the carrier assembly. Most carry their bikes the other way round with the bike between the tow vehicle and the carrier assembly. There is little space between the carrier arms and the front of the Eriba which will cause a problem in hanging your bike. The way to get around this is to drop the carrier arm that will support the rear of the bike. Offer the bike to the carrier arm that supports the front and secure then raise the rear support arm up and through the frame and attach.
Conculsion
As they say each unto their own. For me, this is the perfect solution to carrying a bike with the Eriba. It means that I have access to the boot of the tow vehicle, and if for some reason I don’t need such access I can easily mount the carrier the other way round. Also if I need to take the bike(s) without the Eriba I can mount it directly onto the vehicle’s town ball. Total cost £150.
