Bicycles & Rooftops
Don't go trying to walk around on the roof of your new Lance Trailer. I spoke with a customer service rep from Lance today who informed me that their roofs are not strong enough to support a human on them; you would "fall through".
Well, I'm not looking to fall through the roof of my RV, that would probably not be covered under any warranty, but I wanted to know how to clean the roof of my trailer. I was instructed that the best way is to use a portable ladder and a long scrub brush.
In the event that the air conditioner housing needs to be replaced or something like that, I was told to put a board across the entire trailer. I don't know how that will distribute the weight so I won't fall through, but...
So much for bringing bicycles around on the back during camping trips. Hmm. Well, how will I get them around now?
A rooftop carrier for the Tow Vehicle?
This sounds like a challenge.
Well, I'm not looking to fall through the roof of my RV, that would probably not be covered under any warranty, but I wanted to know how to clean the roof of my trailer. I was instructed that the best way is to use a portable ladder and a long scrub brush.
In the event that the air conditioner housing needs to be replaced or something like that, I was told to put a board across the entire trailer. I don't know how that will distribute the weight so I won't fall through, but...
So much for bringing bicycles around on the back during camping trips. Hmm. Well, how will I get them around now?
A rooftop carrier for the Tow Vehicle?
This sounds like a challenge.
If the roofs are that weak, what would happen if you had snow accumulating on the roof?
ReplyDeleteHmm,... that's a good question. I don't know. But that's direct from the factory customer service department. I wanted to know about installing a ladder on the back so I can put a bicycle rack on it, and wanted to know why they didn't factory install ladders on their trailers. The man I spoke with said that none of their trailers are meant for people to be up on them. They are made differently than their campers.
ReplyDeleteCan a hitch be added on to the back of the trailer to add a bike rack?
ReplyDeleteEve A,
ReplyDeleteThank you for visiting the site. This one one big downfall about the trailer that I'm unhappy with and forgot to mention in my 5 month review.
The rear bumper on the Lance 1685 is only a 4" high x 2" thick bumper rather than a standard 4" square bumper. I don't even know why they put a bumper on the trailer since it doesn't support a ladder, doesn't hold a bike rack or anything else. Having said that, many rv's even the ones with a 4" square bumper are not meant to withstand the added weight and jostling of bikes! This will cause the welds to weaken on the bumper and eventually may lead to the bumper coming off with your bikes in traffic.
I am now looking into tongue mount bike racks. These position the bikes over the propane tanks on the tongue. The website below is the only one I've found so far.
http://www.toppoprails.com/Traveltrailer.htm
I'm about to place an order for a 2011 Lance 1685. I've been doing a lot or research before I order so that I get a trailer I will be happy with for years. Thank you for starting this blog it's full of great information. While at the dealer I asked about a bike rack or hitch for the rear of the trailer and he mentioned welding one on. I found this website online that sells a ready made hitch for travel trailers that just needs to be welded on. The link for this is http://www.pplmotorhomes.com/parts/bike-carriers/bike-rack-receiver-hitch.htm Use this with any of the hitch mount bike racks out there and you would have a stong secure bike rack.
ReplyDeleteGood news for all of you that want to carry bikes on the back of your trailer. I spoke with a Lance rep at the factory who stated that a Thule bike rack will be an option starting on all 2011's. The rack mounts to the rear wall and can also be fitted to previous model years. I was told the rack will hold up to 4 bikes but was not given the cost.
ReplyDeleteWow that is great to know. I do not own a Lance, but if I did, I would definitely want to know this before purchasing. I could not imagine being an older man and falling through an RV. I sure hope that they have a large warning sign stating this. Do you ever need RV parts? I recently found out about Makarios and their prices are great. Try them out if you need any accessories for your Lance.
ReplyDelete