Bike rack on front of GM 4108

[richard5933]

Any suggestions on attaching a bike rack to the front of a GM 4108?

Our 4106 had a receiver hitch mounted to the front which bolted to the underside of the two tow hooks. I could do again on the 4108, but since the hooks are not in the same place I can't just reuse the old one (which I have).

Since I will have to remake the thing, I thought I'd check and see if anyone has a novel or creative way of adding a couple of bikes on the front of a GM bus. Photos would be really great.

Thanks.

[windtrader]

Seems like many options, some quite simple depending on the rack itself. Mount the rack right on the bumper with a couple bolts and brackets, maybe a small mod to the rack. No matter how the bumper is attached it should easily support a couple bikes and rack. If you are handy with a welder you could weld mounts onto the bumper too. Hardly seems worth the effort to put a receiver setup on the front just for biles, may be worth it for some other worthy purposes.

[KevinHornbuckle]

I have a folding one from a city bus which I intend to adapt to the front of my MC8. I welded a square tube onto it for the purpose of mounting it into a receiver on the rear of my truck. So having the option of using it on the front of the bus will be useful. Being able to fold it up when not in use is important.

[chessie4905]

Why not mount to receiver on rear? Awful chinzy for a beautiful bus conversion. Sort of like roof warts.lol

[buswarrior]

Yup, the transit bus ones are a good choice for a busnut.

Adapted to transfer between vehicles is a sweet idea, KHB!!

Lock yer bikes to the thing, and lock the thing to the coach. Too many stories of sticky fingers and busnut bikes over the years...

Happy coaching!
Buswarrior

[richard5933]

Why not mount to receiver on rear? Awful chinzy for a beautiful bus conversion. Sort of like roof warts.lol

Don't have a receiver on the rear, which is why we want to carry bikes. Actually electric assist bikes, so we can get around the local area without a toad. Also, a receiver on the rear would make opening the engine bay impossible.

[chessie4905]

Add a rear hitch. Modify electric bike holder to swing out for tailgate access if needed. You could get a mobility scooter lift, shorten the platform by half. Get a used one on craigslist. Find one with the swing away option and then you can also lower to ground.

Heres an example. Just find a Harmar lift with the swing arm option

[windtrader]

Just curious, other than ease of mounting rack on the rear if using a trailer receiver, what's the tradeoffs between having bikes in front and back? Unless one create some swing for rear rack, it would require removing bikes and racks to open engine bay doors, quite the hassle IMHO. Having them on the front might be safer in case of backing up and smashing the bikes into something.

[richard5933]

Add a rear hitch. ...

Aside from the engine access issue, it seems that adding a receiver to the rear of a GM bus is much more difficult to do than adding one to the front.

If I add one to the front it only needs to be strong enough for the task at hand (carrying bikes). If I add one to the rear, someone down the road is going to assume it can tow a trailer or car, so I'd be hesitant to add a receiver if the capacity wasn't not what one normally expects on a rear receiver hitch. And, adding a receiver to the rear of a GM properly involves fabricating lots more than what I need (or want) right now.

[DoubleEagle]

Looks like you will have bug spatter on the bikes when on the front, and oil spatter on them in the rear. I have folding bikes that go in the bays easy, and you don't have to worry about sticky fingers so much. 

[luvrbus]

Richard, I offset the receiver on ours to passengers side I didn't want bikes under the drivers windshield and interfering with the headlamp on the drivers side,I use the receiver for a Thule Parkway 4 carrier.If we are parked for a time I pull the pin and slide the carrier underneath with the cable and lock in place and I use the lockable pin and cable on the receiver to secure the bikes from theft
   

[pd4501-771]

It's a crime to cut or weld on that beautiful GM bumper!

[chessie4905]

In order to spare modifying front bumper, you can extend it forward on it's mounting points enough to allow bike rack assembly to mount behind. Just allow enough spacing to avoid any potential damage to front of coach.

[richard5933]

Right now the best option for a front-mount bike rack that doesn't damage or modify the front of the bus is to do something similar to what was on our 4106. It was a piece of 1-1/2 angle iron that bolted to the top of the two tow hooks under the bumper, and perpendicular to this was a 2" receiver tube which extended slightly past the bumper with the rest of it going back under the front of the bus.

I could do the same on the 4108, but since the tow hooks are further way I'll have to have a new one made. I'll post a photo of the old hitch for reference in a few minutes.

Question - I assume that the tow hooks are designed to have a load applied to them when pulling the bus. Any one see any problems with the weight of the receiver, bike rack, and a couple of electric bikes bolted to them?

[richard5933]

Solved!

We opted for a pair of folding ebikes. They easily fit in a bay and can go 30-60 miles on a charge, depending on how much we feel like pedaling.

No rack needed. Nothing visible to steal. These are now our toads now.