two berth Posted August 9, 2008 Share Posted August 9, 2008 I have read most of the posts on motorbike racks, and have obtained all the weighbridge data for my 2000 Trident and done the calculations on gross mass/overhangs/moments of force/axle loadings etc. Since the overhang on the Trident is small (90cms) the calculations suggest that I have more than enough capacity to carry a 100kg bike on a 30kg rack, without exceeding the total allowable mass, still having good balance on front and rear axles (nearly equal) and still having a new overhang of less that 50% of the wheel base. However, this post relates to the legal requirements. Most of the information I have obtained relates to towbar-mounted racks. As I understand it, for a T4 chassis built after 1998, any towbar fitted must comply with EEC regulations. For this chassis the max allowable downward load on the towball is 100kg max (ie not enough for rack and bike). This has been confirmed by helpful discussions with the leading towbar and bike rack suppliers. However, I don’t want a towbar – so two questions. Can I have a rack fitted permanently on a chassis extension, and carry a 100kg bike (Honda Innova) on this, and still be legal? If so, does anyone have any suggestions on firms who could design and make this modification? Many thanks, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clive Posted August 9, 2008 Share Posted August 9, 2008 If you have done the calculations and visited the weighbridge in "holiday weight" to confirm that your axles and overhang etc comply then you should be OK providing the construction does not fall foul of the Construction and Use regulations, and you have allowed for the weight of the rack as well as the bike. i.e its well engineered! If you have the existing chassis rails extended to provide the anchors for the rack then this is not a tow hitch so should not need to comply with the regulations applicable to tow hitches. But you also need to be sure that you have not transcended any rules or recommendations made by the chassis manufacturer. If you have the most perfect rack made and you then have an accident which might be attributed to the rack and the vehicle manufacturer says "we did not aprove this" then your insurance company might walk away. So you need to be very carefull and check with all parties first. I used Newark Vehicle Bodies for this type of work for me. Several other companies will provide a similar service. Spreadbury and Safe T Bar come to mind. None of it is rocket science and you should be able find a reputable local engineering company who can do the work for you. Keep on record all your calculations, the actual weight of the motorbike and slips from the weighbridge. The Engineering company and Insurance company should be given copies of these and a reciept accepted from them so thay cannot say afterwards they did not know. Good luck and wear a crash helmet! C. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
two berth Posted August 9, 2008 Author Share Posted August 9, 2008 Clive, many thanks for a quick and very useful reply. Regards, tb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted August 9, 2008 Share Posted August 9, 2008 tb: MMM publishes an annual directory of motorhome-related companies and I've listed links to three shown in the Towing section that may be useful to you (depends where you live of course). The first two firms have had plenty of satisfied motorcaravanning customers over the years (The 2nd company produces the renowned Safe-T-Bar range that Clive mentions) and I've added the 3rd because it looks promising and is in the North of England. http://www.pwsacc.co.uk http://www.hope-tecdev.com http://www.stsweb.co.uk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
two berth Posted August 9, 2008 Author Share Posted August 9, 2008 Many thanks Derek. I have contacted all of the firms mentioned, plus 'Chassis Developments' an engineering firm I found on the VW-Commercial website. If I find out anything useful, I will post it on the forum. Best regards to all, tb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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