Bike rack solution for Northstar TC800 with wrap around bumper

Shake-n-bake

New member
I have a Thule T2 bike rack but unfortunately with the Northstar on our GMC 2500HD, it would not fit. Having had many bike racks over the years, I really like the hitch mount and needed to find a solution for our upcoming trip to SW Utah for carrying the Mtn bikes. I wanted a rack that would swing away from the camper to allow easy access and still be a tray mount for easy on/off access of the bikes. I settled on the Rockymounts Backstage 2. It fits a 2" receiver and swings and locks in place. They are apparently in high demand and have been backordered from a few suppliers. I found ours on Amazon. Here is a video review of the assembly and bikes loaded. I'll upload another with it on the back of the camper.
Screen Shot 2018-02-26 at 11.55.16 AM.jpg
[video]https://youtu.be/TYCDVqc_RSE?t=4s[/video]
 

Shake-n-bake

New member
Thanks for the info. I've been looking for a swing-a-way that will fit my Tundra with a Cache Camper. I do want to find one that does not hold the bikes with an arm on the wheels, that is the problem I've been running into. I've been looking at the Rakattach http://rakattach.com/from Utah or Wilco Offroad https://www.wilcooffroad.com/shop/hitchswing/ as an option to mount up a 1up or North Shore Bike Rack.

Hey Co-opski. Rak Attach may work for you. I reached out to Walter at rakattach.com to discuss the issue we had with the wraparound bumper and the distance/clearance we were looking for as I was trying to use my existing Thule T-2 rack. Unfortunately, he said that after consulting with his engineer, they could not help. I would have rather used my T-2 but after getting the Rockymounts, I have no regrets. Great rack and serves our needs with the clearance needed. I had to put an 18 inch hitch extension and rig a bolt inside to tighten it up.
 

Co-opski

Expedition Leader
Thanks again. I used to use the T2 on my truck but I ran into problems with fatbike forks like the Lauf and Manitou getting in the way of the arm that wraps around the wheel. Adding the camper to the truck has turned it into a year round adventure rig. 20180114_144535.jpg
 

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