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It would also be worth just checking what spare capacity the rear axle has before proceeding too far, especially as you say the van has a long tail overhang anyway.

I'd fully load the van in "going away" trim(full tanks/passengers/"stuff" etc)and take it to a weighbridge just to make sure.....

Tentz..

Some of those Thule towbar mounted,"platform" type racks, do extend straight out,so may cause an issue on some ferry ramps etc.... 

Thule racks

(..I know if we had one fitted to our van, it'd clack on our driveway..and our overhang isn't that long).

hi i got an elddis auto 180 with a long over hang,(and i have dragged it on the roads/raps) it got a fiamma rack for 4 bikes but i been told that elddis DONT  like the 4bikes(75kgs max) on the backwall,i got a towbar fitted and use my old bike rack carrier from my car had the two bars cut down to fit under the fiamma rack and fitted to the towbar to take the some wieght( i hope),i hope you all understand,can take photos if it will help,

how do you keep the flies away when cooking out,thanks

Quote: Originally posted by jayare on 11/6/2013

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We are new to motorhomes and are buying a new Auto Trail Dakota. We want to have a rack to transport our bikes, one an electric bike, one ordinary one. Which type of carrier do you think is best and why? We were going to get a back mounted Fiamma, but have now seen a tow bar mounted Thule version which is easier to load. My one concern is that with a tow bar mounted holder on a long (7.6 mtr) vehicle, with a fairly long overhang at the back, would the carrier scrape the floor if going up a steep hill, or ferry ramp?

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Hi Jayare

Hope you enjoy your Dakota as much as we do (ours is an 11 model).

We had a Fiamma rear mounted bike rack fitted to ours by our dealer before collection.  Since then we have purchased electric assisted bikes that are much heavier than our old 'standard' bikes.  We were very apprehensive about transporting them on the rear of our Dakota due to the weight.  We contacted Fiamma, Auto Trail and our motorhome dealer to confirm that all would be OK.  They confirmed that the max carrying weight is 40Kg (our bikes together with batteries and chargers removed weigh just under the 40Kg mark) and they all said it would be OK.  Last weekend was the first time we took the bikes with us and everything was fine.  I still worried about them bouncing about and losing them down some small Devon country road but all was well.  However, other half has said that next time we change our motorhome that he will probably have a tow bar fitted and go for that option to transport our bikes.  Our friends have that system on their Swift and have no worries about it at all and say it's much easier to lift their bikes on and off than our 'higher up' rack!

Hope you make the right decision for you and enjoy every minute of your camping time.

Kernow Camper