When we purchased the ‘Van, we had a tow ball added because we have a tow ball mounted bike rack. The rack carries three bikes and tilts back to allow access to the boot. This was fine on the car we had at the time but unfortunately, it is no use on the van because the larger tailgate comes into contact with the tilted rack and will not open.
The solution? The Fiamma Carry Bike for T4. This was purchased from Agent Fiamma on-line and arrived, as promised, the day after ordering.
As standard, the rack carries two bikes but can be extended to carry three or four. So, we purchased the necessary extension to carry our three bikes.
The rack was very easy to fit and stays on the van as a permanent fixture. The actual rack folds up when not in use, so the whole unit lies almost flush against the rear door.
The plan now is to adapt the old rack.
This fits onto the tow ball and has lights and a number plate since the bikes on it would obscure the back of the van. Once in place, there is a horizontal section that the bikes sit on and a vertical U bar. With the use of a clamp, the cross bar of the bike is fixed to this U bar.
If the U bar is removed, the boot door can be opened! So, we now have a tow ball attached rack that can be used for pretty much anything! At the moment the plan is to come up with some sort of protective bag that the awning can be placed into. Then we can secure the awning to this ‘lower rack’ and save a lot of space inside whilst travelling.
I know this last bit is a little difficult to get your head round. When we know what we’re doing, we will load up both racks and publish some pics.
