Hitch extender for bike rack AND trailer?

[LowePro]

Hi, curious if any of you geniuses has ever used a hitch extender/splitter to tow a camper and simultaneously attach a bike rack. The hitch extender product looks like this (not an ad, just an illustration) and I'm hoping to use it with a Thule bike rack I already own. I'd be using it with an 80s camper trailer. Tips or experiences? Thanks!

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[JayBobBoy]

I haven't used that before but my only concern would be restricting your turning radius. I imagine two bikes parallel to the back of your truck sticking out and over a bit of the trailer tongue. In tight turns your propane tanks or the edge of your camper might be a problem.

Just thinking out loud!

PS...I put my bikes inside my travel trailer for the ride. It's crucial to make sure your license plates are NOT OBSCURED IN ANY WAY, if possible. Cops love using that as a reason to pull you over!

[Token]

I wouldn’t do that with a travel trailer.

First, you’re going to push the trailer load even further beyond the Tow Vehicle (TV) rear axle, making the load unbalanced.

Second, you’re towing that trailer without a load distributing hitch and no sway bars? So all the tongue weight and dynamic loading will be lifting your front wheels like a see-saw every time you hit a bump ...

And last but not least, your bikes stand a good chance of getting mangled on tight turns or if you have to back up, like JBB mentioned already. You know, gas stations, big box stores, grocery stop ...

Much better if you invest in a weight distribution hitch with anti-sway bars. That investment and a real good brake controller save lives. For real.

Figure out how to put the bikes in the trailer. Remove wheels and handlebar and they pack pretty tight.

What is your TV on this trip? Big ass American truck or ... ?

[LowePro]

Thanks, I have load distribution hitch and sway bars and the whole setup w/ brake controller integrated in ford F150 supercab.

[Token]

Right On!

In that case all you gotta do is figure out the extra tension needed on you LD Hitch to get 50/50 load and the clearance for the bikes.

[LowePro]

Thanks all. Ended up contacting the manufacturer, they did not recommend doing the adapter/bike rack combo with a camper trailer. The adapter adds tongue weight and reduce the tow capacity by a factor. It's made more for a flat cargo trailer or lighter towed thing for shorter distances. Just FYI if anyone finds this forum in 200000 years with the same question.

[Captain Goddammit]

I’ve run tow trucks, dump trucks, crane trucks, horse vans, etc. for 30 years, and in my somewhat qualified opinion, that would work just fine.
That’s a very short extension, and you have a tiny, lightweight trailer.
If it was a four foot extension towing a 10,000 pound trailer that’d be different but in this situation you’re nowhere near that kind of thing.
Adding tongue weight? That’s ridiculous. A case or two of beer in the back of the truck bed would add as much.

[LowePro]

Thx Cap. Just going by what the manufacturer (Curt and etrailer) recommended. But found this alternative solution anyway, a bike rack that clamps on to my existing equipment and keeps the bikes closer to the tailgate--I think this will get me what I need and a more elegant way to do it.

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[flyingron]

Here's a radical idea. Put a front hitch receiver in. You can hang your bike racks on that. The front receiver is real handy for moving trailers around as well.