Tom Stormcrowe

It turned out to be a lot easier than I thought.

Materials:
Universal Load Bars for the roof
2 12 foot 2X4's
24 3"deck screws

Cut the first 2X4 into 2 72" stringers
Cut the second into 2 30" crossmembers and 2 33" crossmembers.
Cut the remainder of the second 2X4 in half for the front wheel guides. You will use exactly 24 linear feet of 2X4 for this rack.

Make a box frame with the 72" and 30" boards, with the 30" in an inside butt joint. Use 2 scews/joint.

Set the front lower crossmember centered on 8" from the inside edge of the front crossmember on the bottom of the frame using a 2x4x33" board. Use 4 screws to secure it. Now you set the wheel guides. Find the center and the inside edge of each wheel guide will be 1 1/4 inches from the center of the lower crossmember (See photos) This will serve as the front wheel platform.





Set the rear lower crossmember (The other 2x4x33" Board) centered on the rear crossmember at 10" from the inside edge of the box frame. Use 4 screws to secure it. This will serve as the rear wheels support platform.





I still need to get the necessary hardware to put the rack on the load bars securely, but that cost will be nominal. I will be using shackle bolts to secure the trike rack to the bars. Since a Sun EZ 3 is tail heavy, you place the rear lower crossmember against the rear load bar to get even weight distribution, as well as a bit more stability front to rear.





Remaining hardware needed:

4 heavy eye screws to serve as tiedowns for the trike, in the rack, and the shackle bolts to secure the rack to the load bars. I will be using ratchet straps to secure the trike in the rack.

Tom Stormcrowe

I also still need to paint or varnish it to protect the wood. What ya think? Epoxy paint or Spar Varnish?

2manybikes

Spar varnish ! Show off the wood! Do you have a particular plan or method for getting the trike up onto the rack? I would guess that trike is in the 60-65 lb. range. I would love to see the finished version and how you get the trike up there. Bailey's trike 60 lb empty. I have seen a couple of trike racks that went into reciever hitches and tipped so the trike can roll on. The trike was carried perpendicular to the car. (Shorter upright trikes like Bailey's).

Tom Stormcrowe

Her trike weighs 52 pounds as it sits right there. I'm planning on us loading the trike on the rack and then lifting the whole assembly up. It'll weigh 67 pounds total, rack and trike togethyer.

Tom Stormcrowe

By the way, I've decided on a Mahogany Stain, deep red mahogany. That should bring out the wood grain and look really nice.

2manybikes

That's not as heavy as I thought, sounds OK, for two people. I forget everyone does not have a bad back like me. I assume you plan on putting your bike on the back and driving them both somewhere for a ride. Good idea.

Tom Stormcrowe

Yep, and here is the nearly finished product.

I think I'm going to add some Brass plate corner caps to strengthen the corners.

Tom Stormcrowe

2manybikes

I like that stain. Your photos also remind me that the weather now permits things like painting outside now !!!!!!!!!!!

Emmitt G

great for a pick up truck.......looks nice when I get a trike what ever it is...I'll make me one........

Tom Stormcrowe

Feel free, that's why I posted the design, as a gift. I set it up for the cartop myself, but it'll work for a truck bed very nicely, or a flatbed trailer, whatever.

2manybikes

Did the car roof rack state a maximum load weight?

Tom Stormcrowe

Yep, 150 pounds.

2manybikes

Some day I hope to come up with a way to transport Bailey's trike on a Corolla, and load it by myself. Maybe the answer is a pick up truck.

Tom Stormcrowe

OK, here's the mounting system attaching it to the roof bars:





It feels very secure. First trip, I'll stop and snug the shackles and straps, though after a bit.

I think the Mahogany finish looks pretty good, by the way





I'll post the loaded pics after the 4th.

2manybikes

I like that stain too.
I thought the plan was to put the trike in the holder, and lift the whole thing to the rack. Have the two of you loaded the trike onto the car yet? Or do you take the trike holder and the car rack off all at once? I have done that with a kayak tied to the the two rack bars. It worked great.

Tom Stormcrowe

I'm going to try both methods. This time, I'll load the trike onto the rack, on the roof. When we get home, I'll pull it all as a unit and unload the trike on the ground and put the rack in the shed. It won't be terrible, either way. I've loaded the trike on van roofs by myself, so loading it on top of a Ciera won't be bad at all.

2manybikes

Did you put the trike on some kind of rack on the roof of the van? Did you pick up one end at a time? If I were to lock the front wheel straight I could probably roll Bailey's trike up onto the roof of my Corolla by myself. With no rack I think. ?,

Tom Stormcrowe

Well, 250 mile road trip over the 4th, and the rack works quite well.





The trike rode stable, and the car's handling wasn't adversely affected, and the gas mileage only dropped from 27 MPG to 25.5 MPG. It's easier to load than I expected, too.

2manybikes

Did you try both loading with the rack already on the car, and then loading the rack and trike together as one package?

Bob_in_Midland

Very nice looking rack! I love the stain color. I'm considering a 'bent purchase and would need to put a rack on the top of the van for it, as the other four bikes we have will go on the trailer hitch rack. Some great ideas here! Thanks for posting!

JerriAnn44

Nice job. But I really don't want to lift a bike up on the top of our car. One store owner said he had a customer
just layed the bike sideways and strap it on top. But I still don't want to lift a bike on top. And we have two trikkes.
Thankyou for sharing your pictures.

EriktheFish

Build the next one out of PVC pipe and you won't need either, plus it would be lighter! Nice job!