markopolo-ClassB
Senior Member
Some progress today. I bolted the racks for the bike carriers in place. I used strips of eternabond on the topside and underside of the steel to weatherproof the holes.
It looks like my plan for the two front wheels will work fine. I'll probably use velcro straps to hold the two front wheels. They're cradled in there nicely.

Sorry for the poor quality photos. I'm using an ancient camera in my not so greatly lit garage at night.
These two photos will give an idea of what the finished project will look like:


There's plenty of space to open the rear doors of the van. I can load / unload a bike from the back or front of the box. I only have to lift the bikes a bit over 3 feet so that's very manageable.

My old hitch mount bike carrier had cradles for 4 bikes. I'm going to use 2 of the cradles mounted on the ABS pipe in the photo to tie the two bikes together. It should eliminate any movement. I'll probably run a cargo strap for added peace of mind. The cargo strap will run through the ABS pipe and either loop under the bike carrier tracks or attach to an adjustable cargo bar I have.

For security, I'll loop a cable lock through all 4 wheels, the two bike frames and under the bolted on rack.
I have 30 inches of space in the garage behind the box when it is the travel position so that's enough space to access the cargo box or get around the rear of the van etc.
I'll post better photos - outside the garage - once I've got everything set in their final positions.
It looks like my plan for the two front wheels will work fine. I'll probably use velcro straps to hold the two front wheels. They're cradled in there nicely.

Sorry for the poor quality photos. I'm using an ancient camera in my not so greatly lit garage at night.
These two photos will give an idea of what the finished project will look like:


There's plenty of space to open the rear doors of the van. I can load / unload a bike from the back or front of the box. I only have to lift the bikes a bit over 3 feet so that's very manageable.

My old hitch mount bike carrier had cradles for 4 bikes. I'm going to use 2 of the cradles mounted on the ABS pipe in the photo to tie the two bikes together. It should eliminate any movement. I'll probably run a cargo strap for added peace of mind. The cargo strap will run through the ABS pipe and either loop under the bike carrier tracks or attach to an adjustable cargo bar I have.

For security, I'll loop a cable lock through all 4 wheels, the two bike frames and under the bolted on rack.
I have 30 inches of space in the garage behind the box when it is the travel position so that's enough space to access the cargo box or get around the rear of the van etc.
I'll post better photos - outside the garage - once I've got everything set in their final positions.
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