Towbar/Bike Rack help please! Very Confused!

[Chris9181]

Hi,

After purchasing a couple of bikes for me and my wife, I got a towbar fitted and bought a two bike rack specifically for ebikes.

I thought I was fine as the vertical load/nose weight for the towbar/car is 80kg and the combined weight of the bikes and rack is 60kg . Then I happened to read in the towbar literature that they recommend

"We advise when using a bike rack that you halve this due to where the weight is positioned, or alternatively triangulate the weight by using straps from the top of the tailgate to relieve the nose load."

Can anybody help or advise on this please? Should I get straps and if so, where should I be attaching them on the bike rack?

Thank you for any help

[Jdsk]

Please can you add some photos of:

1 The towbar and ball/whatever

2 The rack fitted to the car with the bikes held alongside.

Jonathan

[Chris9181]

Thanks for your help but I will have to wait to get you those photos for when I next assemble everything. I have attached photos of the rack of that helps?

[Jdsk]

Which Peruzzo model is it?

And the does the towbar end with ball on a long stem or a ball with two bolts to a plate or something else?

Jonathan

[Chris9181]

Hi Jonathan

It is the Peruzzo Zephyr 2 Bike Towbar Mounted Carrier and the towbar is from TowTrust, a swan neck like the attached.

Thanks again!
Chris

[Paulatic]

With two ebikes on i’d definitely triangulate.
I always used a strap when carrying 2 or 3 bikes. I don’t bother now as its just one lightweight bike.
The strap i used was really simple. Thread through the top of the hatch door it was trapped there with the attached cylinder like baton. Then tensioned onto the rack.

Cant see what difference the type of ball will make. Its the leverage from the weight of bikes which i imagine gives an entirely different nose weight than from a trailed vehicle with its own wheels.

[Chris9181]

With two ebikes on i’d definitely triangulate.
I always used a strap when carrying 2 or 3 bikes. I don’t bother now as its just one lightweight bike.
The strap i used was really simple. Thread through the top of the hatch door it was trapped there with the attached cylinder like baton. Then tensioned onto the rack.

Cant see what difference the type of ball will make. Its the leverage from the weight of bikes which i imagine gives an entirely different nose weight than from a trailed vehicle with its own wheels.

Hi,

Thank you very much for your help I don't suppose you have a link to the type of straps you used please? Also, where would I attach on the bike rack, would it be at the back end of frame by the number plate?

So even though the nose weight is 80kg and the rack and bikes are 60kg, is it just a belt n braces job then, to be on the safe side?

[Paulatic]

The strap I used came with the rack, over 20 years ago, btw. It was a hanger type carrier and the strap tensioned to a hook near the top of the rack. Similar to these but with a tensioner https://www.amazon.co.uk/Saris-Hatch-Hu ... B0DWKDZ3GQ

Before I bought that rack I’d used a wheel mount towbar rack and it twisted and kinked the rear crossmember of my then Land Rover chassis. It was carrying mine and the kids bikes which we know aren’t too light. It was this experience which led me to think using a strap was a good idea.

[Chris9181]

Thanks for help so far but I think I'm back to square one and my original question if somebody can help please?

[Jdsk]

1 Please can you add those photos, including the rear of the car.

2 I'd like to read the whole of the guide that makes that comment about straps.

3 Are the batteries easily removed from the eBikes?

Jonathan

[Paulatic]

I suspect this is what the OP needs, comes with the Pure Instinct model. Shown coming out of the sides of the hatch and attached to buckles on the sides of the carrier.