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molotovd
Thrashed
Joined: Apr 27, 2006
Posts: 1,279
Location: Good question!
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 Posted: Mon 1/Dec/08 11:20am Post subject: RE: Re: Re: Re: Re: Original |
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| Spokes wrote: | | molotovd wrote: | | radiusq wrote: | | molotovd wrote: |
I use this one.. Trademe - RV-RAK
It's as good as the Qspear. But better. The major problem with the qspear is it takes up so much room when storing. This version swings down and ends up flat. Great for leaving on the car or taking up less room in the shed. I've had 3 full DH bikes on it and i'd say it was worse for the towbar then the rack. Plus still heaps of room left on it!
Bloody good price too  |
The design looks good. Storage space is an issue for me. Does it seems strong enough for 4 heavy bikes? |
Yeah man, i had three on my rack and it was as rigid as a school boys hard on!
But just like any bike rack it would pay to check what the towbar tongue weight loading is, as 3 DH bikes are quite a vertical weight on it and often more then they are designed for. |
This is very true. Most drawbars seem to be rated for 65 to 75 kgs but by the time you have the weight of the rack and 3/4 bikes you are way over this rating. My buddy that does WOFs says he has failed cars that have been caring bikes this way and they have bent the drawbar mounts badly....... |
The one i was going to get for my wagon was only 40kgs!! so i passed on it thinking i might make one a bit gruntier.
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Spokes
Wrecked
Joined: Nov 13, 2005
Posts: 5,784
Location: Skyway
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| Posted: Mon 1/Dec/08 11:21am Post subject: RE: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Original |
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| molotovd wrote: | | Spokes wrote: | | molotovd wrote: | | radiusq wrote: | | molotovd wrote: |
I use this one.. Trademe - RV-RAK
It's as good as the Qspear. But better. The major problem with the qspear is it takes up so much room when storing. This version swings down and ends up flat. Great for leaving on the car or taking up less room in the shed. I've had 3 full DH bikes on it and i'd say it was worse for the towbar then the rack. Plus still heaps of room left on it!
Bloody good price too |
The design looks good. Storage space is an issue for me. Does it seems strong enough for 4 heavy bikes? |
Yeah man, i had three on my rack and it was as rigid as a school boys hard on!
But just like any bike rack it would pay to check what the towbar tongue weight loading is, as 3 DH bikes are quite a vertical weight on it and often more then they are designed for. |
This is very true. Most drawbars seem to be rated for 65 to 75 kgs but by the time you have the weight of the rack and 3/4 bikes you are way over this rating. My buddy that does WOFs says he has failed cars that have been caring bikes this way and they have bent the drawbar mounts badly....... |
The one i was going to get for my wagon was only 40kgs!! so i passed on it thinking i might make one a bit gruntier. |
NO!! The rating is set by what the car can take not the drawbar.
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Conners
Seeing Double
Joined: Jul 09, 2003
Posts: 4,083
Location: bjcfilms editing suite, Welly
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| Posted: Mon 1/Dec/08 11:22am Post subject: |
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 It's not just vertical weight you've got to worry about - if that weight isn't strapped back to the car they can get some nasty swaying action going on when the speed/wind/bumps increase.
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Spokes
Wrecked
Joined: Nov 13, 2005
Posts: 5,784
Location: Skyway
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| Posted: Mon 1/Dec/08 11:28am Post subject: |
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| Conners wrote: | | It's not just vertical weight you've got to worry about - if that weight isn't strapped back to the car they can get some nasty swaying action going on when the speed/wind/bumps increase. |
Hense they have the overload rating on them......
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Conners
Seeing Double
Joined: Jul 09, 2003
Posts: 4,083
Location: bjcfilms editing suite, Welly
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| Posted: Mon 1/Dec/08 11:30am Post subject: |
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The car?
The drawbar?
The rack?
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Spokes
Wrecked
Joined: Nov 13, 2005
Posts: 5,784
Location: Skyway
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| Posted: Mon 1/Dec/08 11:31am Post subject: |
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Drawbar and the car. Read your owners manual.....
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JacobRjett
Thrashed
Joined: Nov 17, 2006
Posts: 1,642
Location: Wellington
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| Posted: Mon 1/Dec/08 11:34am Post subject: |
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Q - spear FTW. I have one and its great. I have a 3 bike one, and we have managed to get 4 dh bikes and a hardtail on. i guess the hardtail doesnt count as it was sitting on top of the 4 bikes sideways, but still! 
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Conners
Seeing Double
Joined: Jul 09, 2003
Posts: 4,083
Location: bjcfilms editing suite, Welly
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| Posted: Mon 1/Dec/08 11:35am Post subject: |
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| Spokes wrote: | | Drawbar and the car. Read your owners manual..... |
And the rack.
Read your common sense manual.
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molotovd
Thrashed
Joined: Apr 27, 2006
Posts: 1,279
Location: Good question!
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| Posted: Mon 1/Dec/08 11:38am Post subject: RE: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Original |
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| Spokes wrote: | | molotovd wrote: | | Spokes wrote: | | molotovd wrote: | | radiusq wrote: | | molotovd wrote: |
I use this one.. Trademe - RV-RAK
It's as good as the Qspear. But better. The major problem with the qspear is it takes up so much room when storing. This version swings down and ends up flat. Great for leaving on the car or taking up less room in the shed. I've had 3 full DH bikes on it and i'd say it was worse for the towbar then the rack. Plus still heaps of room left on it!
Bloody good price too |
The design looks good. Storage space is an issue for me. Does it seems strong enough for 4 heavy bikes? |
Yeah man, i had three on my rack and it was as rigid as a school boys hard on!
But just like any bike rack it would pay to check what the towbar tongue weight loading is, as 3 DH bikes are quite a vertical weight on it and often more then they are designed for. |
This is very true. Most drawbars seem to be rated for 65 to 75 kgs but by the time you have the weight of the rack and 3/4 bikes you are way over this rating. My buddy that does WOFs says he has failed cars that have been caring bikes this way and they have bent the drawbar mounts badly....... |
The one i was going to get for my wagon was only 40kgs!! so i passed on it thinking i might make one a bit gruntier. |
NO!! The rating is set by what the car can take not the drawbar. |
Yes and no.. There is 2 ratings, You have max load ( heaviest pulled weight ) and you have tongue weight ( weight just sitting on the towbar tongue ( the little part that sticks out that the ball is mounted to and you always whack ya shins on ( for those that dont know what the tongue is )
The tongue rating is the important one here as they are usually not designed to have alot of downwards weight on them. This weight rating varys depending on the length, the bends, angles and if they can be gusset'd (sp) or not. eg. if you get 3 dh bikes all say weighing in at 20kg for example. thats 60kg, multiply it by the height that the rack makes them, then you get a leverage effect, ( like a tight bolt too tight to undo so you get a pipe on the ratchet and then you can undo it ). This actual weight that you are putting onto the tongue is alot more then the length number of bends and angles it has are designed for. You will often see it bouncing when going over a bump. that is not the rack bending... It is the tongue flexing / bending under the extra duress ( sp ) the tongue is being put under just like Conners mentioned..!
Then you also have variants on this depending on how it is mounted. If it is mounted onto the chassis rails or across the boot floor in 3 positions.
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radiusq
Scuffed
Joined: Sep 29, 2005
Posts: 478
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| Posted: Mon 1/Dec/08 11:48am Post subject: |
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Interesting. So all those cars I see at the top of Vic Park with 4 big bikes on the back of Q-Spears are likely causing some serious chassis damage to their vehicles?
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molotovd
Thrashed
Joined: Apr 27, 2006
Posts: 1,279
Location: Good question!
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| Posted: Mon 1/Dec/08 11:51am Post subject: |
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| radiusq wrote: | | Interesting. So all those cars I see at the top of Vic Park with 4 big bikes on the back of Q-Spears are likely causing some serious chassis damage to their vehicles? |
Possibly.. if they're bigger cars the could be fine, but to generalise the samller the caar possibly not so good for them.
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Conners
Seeing Double
Joined: Jul 09, 2003
Posts: 4,083
Location: bjcfilms editing suite, Welly
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| Posted: Mon 1/Dec/08 11:52am Post subject: |
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Or their drawbar.
Unless they're tied back to the roof racks etc.
Spokes will be able to tell us wht the ratings of our roofracks are...
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Spokes
Wrecked
Joined: Nov 13, 2005
Posts: 5,784
Location: Skyway
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| Posted: Mon 1/Dec/08 11:52am Post subject: |
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| radiusq wrote: | | Interesting. So all those cars I see at the top of Vic Park with 4 big bikes on the back of Q-Spears are likely causing some serious chassis damage to their vehicles? |
Yes.
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Rider-man-Cam
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Joined: Aug 19, 2007
Posts: 1,471
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| Posted: Mon 1/Dec/08 11:53am Post subject: |
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Iv got a 4bike q-spear and had 5 bikes on it from auckland to the mount and it didnt do anything that I can see but we did have straps from the end of the rack to the boot
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Spokes
Wrecked
Joined: Nov 13, 2005
Posts: 5,784
Location: Skyway
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| Posted: Mon 1/Dec/08 12:04pm Post subject: |
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| Conners wrote: | | Spokes wrote: | | Drawbar and the car. Read your owners manual..... |
And the rack.
Read your common sense manual. |
There's only one brand I have seen that puts a load rating on the rack (and its not one thats being taked about here). But I have not had a close look at a q-spear.
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