Toyota GR86, 86, FR-S and Subaru BRZ Forum & Owners Community - FT86CLUB - View Single Post - Custom Tow-Hook Bike Rack

robsch77 · 06-20-2013, 10:07 PM

I came up with an easy solution for making a tow hook bike rack like the one designed by "Thatguy" in an earlier post. He used the tow hook receptacles and machined two galvanized steel rods and threaded the ends to screw them into the tow hook receptacles. Then put a roof rack bike rack across the two rods and you are set.

I don't have machine shop and couldn't find a machinist who would bother with such a small job. They typically wanted a lot more money as a "set up" fee. If you know a machinist or can find one who will cooperate you could use this approach.

What I did (after a first failed design) is pretty simple and elegant: Just buy two 16 mm x 1.5 threaded rods. The 1.5 refers to the number of threads and the tow hooks require this thinner size thread (as opposed to 2.0). Since it's metric, I couldn't find these at Lowes or Home Depot. I believe I ordered them from Grainger or another similar fastener company. They came 3 feet in length and I had an auto welding shop cut down so that once screwed into the tow hooks they extended an additional 16" beyond the bumper (I believe the total length was around 24"). This provided plenty of room for the single bike rack without adding unnecessary length. The auto welder also soldered two metal beads around each rod to mark where the bike rack should go so one doesn't have to measure the distance from the bumper each time (or have the rack sit crookedly).

I used the same bike rack the other person did: UpOne USA roof rack. It's the best rack I have used–easy to get the bikes on and off and very stable. I've used it around town and so far there seems to be less movement of the bike than with the previous hitch bike racks I used to use, perhaps because it has two supports rather than just one center support pole.

The rods were $40 each and the bike rack was $180, so the overall cost was not more than most hitch racks and probably less than roof rack set up. And of course, there is the expense of installing the hitch in the first place. (The only shortcoming is that it is only designed for 1 bike. I am not sure how it work if you made the rods longer so there was room for 2 bike racks. The increased length and added weight of another rack seems like pushing it to far).

It takes me only 3 minutes to screw in the threaded rods and put on the bike rack and clamp it to the rods. I have taken it apart in 2 minutes.

It's worked great on very bumpy Pittsburgh roads and in few weeks I will let you know how it works on the longer trip to North Carolina and Georgia.

The pictures look the same as those in ThatGuy's post, so I am not bothering putting them up. The only difference is that the threaded rods have threads throughout. I capped them with plastic caps at the end.

06-20-2013, 10:07 PM	#51
robsch77 Junior Member Join Date: May 2013 Drives: Subaru BRZ Location: Pittsburgh, PA Posts: 1 Thanks: 0 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post Mentioned: 0 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	Subaru BRZ Bike Rack I came up with an easy solution for making a tow hook bike rack like the one designed by "Thatguy" in an earlier post. He used the tow hook receptacles and machined two galvanized steel rods and threaded the ends to screw them into the tow hook receptacles. Then put a roof rack bike rack across the two rods and you are set. I don't have machine shop and couldn't find a machinist who would bother with such a small job. They typically wanted a lot more money as a "set up" fee. If you know a machinist or can find one who will cooperate you could use this approach. What I did (after a first failed design) is pretty simple and elegant: Just buy two 16 mm x 1.5 threaded rods. The 1.5 refers to the number of threads and the tow hooks require this thinner size thread (as opposed to 2.0). Since it's metric, I couldn't find these at Lowes or Home Depot. I believe I ordered them from Grainger or another similar fastener company. They came 3 feet in length and I had an auto welding shop cut down so that once screwed into the tow hooks they extended an additional 16" beyond the bumper (I believe the total length was around 24"). This provided plenty of room for the single bike rack without adding unnecessary length. The auto welder also soldered two metal beads around each rod to mark where the bike rack should go so one doesn't have to measure the distance from the bumper each time (or have the rack sit crookedly). I used the same bike rack the other person did: UpOne USA roof rack. It's the best rack I have used–easy to get the bikes on and off and very stable. I've used it around town and so far there seems to be less movement of the bike than with the previous hitch bike racks I used to use, perhaps because it has two supports rather than just one center support pole. The rods were $40 each and the bike rack was $180, so the overall cost was not more than most hitch racks and probably less than roof rack set up. And of course, there is the expense of installing the hitch in the first place. (The only shortcoming is that it is only designed for 1 bike. I am not sure how it work if you made the rods longer so there was room for 2 bike racks. The increased length and added weight of another rack seems like pushing it to far). It takes me only 3 minutes to screw in the threaded rods and put on the bike rack and clamp it to the rods. I have taken it apart in 2 minutes. It's worked great on very bumpy Pittsburgh roads and in few weeks I will let you know how it works on the longer trip to North Carolina and Georgia. The pictures look the same as those in ThatGuy's post, so I am not bothering putting them up. The only difference is that the threaded rods have threads throughout. I capped them with plastic caps at the end.