Habious

Now THAT'S an elegant solution right there!

Yes

The reasons I decided not to do a hitch were 1) I was worried about the bike getting slightly loose and scratching the paint. Whoever did the rack you posted likely has issues with the front tire rubbing the bumper. 2) The rack acting as a lever and bending whatever it's attached to. 3) Clearance. I used to have a jeep and came close to hitting my bike a couple times. Our cars are much lower to the ground. 4) Looks. I saw the one you posed before and didn't like the way the plate stuck out. That's the least conspicuous option I've seen.

Overall, I think the best option is your backseat. Just put a blanket down like I did to prevent any rubbing. I keep my bike clean, so dirt is never an issue.

VIPNiSS

iTrader: (2)

you could just remove the front wheel each time

Z3NK1

iTrader: (2)

Or both wheels

JohnnyCake

Habious

Wow!! That's great!

How'd you do that!!??

By the way, what's that sharp-looking car in the background?

bfigard

Anybody else want to save yourself the trouble? You can now purchase a completely installed receiver for bike rack and the SC to which it's attached!
Just put it up for auction today, item number 160576691208.

JohnnyCake

bfigard, dude, you were my inspiration. Can you answer some questions? I spent lots of time trying to figure out your setup.

Did you have to drop the bumper for the install?

What did you attach to in the license plate area?

Is this correct: receiver comes in, then bracket goes straight down behind bumper, then turns and bolts to spare tire area and in front of muffler?

Does the piece which goes forward beyond the muffler attach to the suspension bolts?

Are there any other attach points?

Do you have any more pictures?

Thanks -- sorry to see you're selling. A one-off SC for sure.

bfigard

Not sure, but I do believe that the welder at Eckhart's trailer hitch shop in LA (Pico and Sepulveda) did remove the bumper to install the receiver. I dropped the car off, and he did the job in about 5 hours.

In the plate area, there are two mounting ears that come off the bottom side of the box beam that is the receiver bolted into holes drilled on the top of the bumper frame.

I believe you've correctly described how the receiver goes in. I had two separate Lexus mechanics tell me that it's overbuilt. Ekhart's of course wants to be conservative and not have their product fail. I think it would be possible to have reduced the amount of sleeve in the receiver so the license plate would sit flush, but they have their specs to maintain safety margin. My rack does swing a little with bike(s) on the road, but no sign of yielding anywhere on the car.

I believe the piece that continues forward under the gas tank is welded or bolted to the frame up there. I haven't been that far under the car.

I don't think there are any other attach points. Get this: I'm a structural engineer by education, but have purposefully paid to have everything done to this car. I've wanted to avoid carnal knowledge of my baby to keep it special.

Haven't any more pictures, sorry. I actually went back and used the ones here in my listing to sell the car.

Time will tell if this scares away any buyers for me. In hindsight I did like the utility, but despise the protrusion of the rear plate. Most people don't notice it, but as the owner I certainly do.

JohnnyCake

I know exactly what you mean, but I've gotten over it. Something about seeing the car in pieces kinda spoils things.

Doesn't seem like there is much room in front of the license area so maybe they had to extend it out.

If you don't mind one more question, if you stick a ruler into the receiver, what's the length? That will answer a LOT of questions for me about doing it this way.

P.S. Congrats on the second child -- I have a "auto notification" set up for LuxLink on eBay, so your listing triggered it. Someone's gonna get a great deal on your ride.

bfigard

The receiver is 5.5" deep. There is a back welded on...so the bike rack doesn't get rammed into the body? I stuck a tape measure down, and it bottomed out at 5.5.

Also the mounting "ears" are not ears welded to the side of the box beam. Rather, the ears are formed by one piece of extruded bar that passes all the way under the box beam. The hollow box beam that the rack slides into is welded to the top of this single piece, and that single piece has the holes for bolting into the bumper frame. Did I 'splain that goodnuf?

JohnnyCake

A search will show many threads on how to add a bike rack. Seems like the topic comes up pretty often. I've received several PM as to how I did mine, so I figured I’ll do an ultimate thread.

There are four known options. These rankings are just my opinion:

1. Behind license plate
2. Standard underbody
3. Tow bolts
4. Back seat

(A fifth way has been reported -- the strap to trunk lid type. No pictures of that yet)

JohnnyCake

OPTION ONE: BEHIND LICENSE PLATE

Advantages: Could be completely concealed. In the photos below, there is a 5.5 inch receiver, but I think it could be substantially shorter for just a bike rack. My rack requires only two inches. If it were shorter, the plate would be flush and it would be completely invisible.

Disadvantages: Fairly complex install, not easily done or removed. You would have to drop the bumper, which adds a level of complexity and re-fitment issues. High center of gravity / rack swings a little bit with bike on the road; substantial rear visibility blockage; undercarriage piece straddles muffler -- possible transfer of heat.

======


License plate sticks out due to length of receiver as implemented:


BUILD NOTES

In the plate area, there are two mounting ears that are formed by one piece of extruded bar that passes all the way under the box beam. The receiver is bolted into holes drilled on the top of the bumper frame. The hollow box beam that the rack slides into is welded to the top of this single piece, and that single piece has the holes for bolting into the bumper frame.

JohnnyCake

OPTION TWO: STANDARD UNDERBODY

Advantages: Few modifications to car; easy install/easy removed; low center of gravity / rock solid, bike never moves; minimal rear visibility blockage.

Disadvantages: Appearance. While not awful, it does look a bit like a third exhaust pipe.



BUILD NOTES

This consists of two pieces, one outside the car, one inside the rear tire area. The idea is to distribute the load across a larger area.

The receiver is mouted to the outside piece, which follows the contours of the rear tire area and also has a flat piece which attaches to the side of the rear tire area. The flat piece which goes inside the rear tire area is being held in this photo.


Note that the joint for the flat piece is gusseted for added strength.








Next picture is inside the rear tire area; this is the inside piece of the "sandwich."




It's a trade off between form and function. No doubt this is not an appearance improvement, but definitely improves function.



If you live on the east coast, Southside Hitch just outside Richmond, Virginia has now done two of these and so they have experience. Ask for Charles -- good people.

JohnnyCake

OPTION THREE: TOW BOLTS

Advantages: Could be completely concealed; no modifications to car whatsoever.

Disadvantages: Only theoretical -- never been tried in practice. Substantial additional design/work needed to fabricate and add receiver; Threading in assembly each time you wanted to use it would be a major hassle. Tow bolts are designed for horizontal strength --vertical strength questionable.




Designed by Z3NK1