Homemade Bike Carrier
There are countless enjoyable places to go on a bike ride, but not all of them are within riding distance of your home. When transporting your bike, it can be difficult to cram the bike in your vehicle--a lot of disassembly and reassembly is often required. That's why bike carriers and racks were invented. However, a decent bike carrier can be an expensive purchase that might not payoff if you only go on rides every so often. If you have experience using a welder, you can make your own homemade bike carrier for a fraction of the cost.
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Things You'll Need
- Two-by-two square metal tubing
- Welding safety equipment
- Welder and accessories
- Pipe foam for insulation
- Hacksaw
- Bungee cords
- Vehicle hitch
- Drill
Instructions
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1
Cut two 24-inch pieces of tubing, two six-inch pieces of tubing and a 48-inch piece of tubing using a hacksaw.
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2
Weld the center of one 24-inch piece of tubing to the end of the 48-inch piece of tubing, forming a T shape.
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3
Weld the end of the other 24-inch piece of tubing to the other side of the T. This piece of tubing should be perpendicular to the top 24-inch piece.
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4
Weld the two six-inch pieces of tubing at the ends of the T-cross member. These pieces of tubing should be perpendicular to the T-cross member. You should now have completed an L-shaped bracket from the metal tubing.
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5
Attach the hitch to your vehicle according to the manual's instructions.
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6
Insert the bottom section of the welded bike carrier into the hitch to a level that feels appropriate. Mark the hitch pinhole and then use a drill to make a hole for the hitch pin in the bike carrier.
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7
Cover the arms and brace of the bike carrier with foam insulation to protect the bikes from getting damaged.
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8
Lift the bike onto the bike carrier until the crossbar of the bike rests on top of the six-inch arms of the bike carrier.
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9
Secure the bike using bungee cords.
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1
Tips & Warnings
If you don't have access to a hitch, you can also make a homemade roof bicycle carrier by following the directions in the Resources section.
Always wear gloves, protective eye wear and an apron when welding metal.
Resources
- Photo Credit bikes only image by gallagan from Fotolia.com
