I have the premier 4 bike rack on the Land Rover swan neck towbar (non detachable). there is about 2" between the rack upright and the rear bumper of the car. I ordered the rack from maxxraxx, so they delivered it to the local towbar company who fitted it.as you know there are only three bolts that clamp the sandwich plates together over the towbar,so I dont see why you cannot fit it at home!anyway I drove the car up through the highlands and over a multitude of road surfaces and there are no marks on the bumper from contact, I did not use the included additional restraining straps as the car has the rear spoiler fitted.TBH I was pleasantly surprised, I did wonder if it would foul.
I am in Brazil with work at the moment,but if you want i can send you some pics if that would help.
Sorry about the delay in replying I didn't check this post again... FL2 HSE Tonga Green and Clio Sport 182 (Hers!)Milltek exhaust ,Speedline Turinis.

Thanks for the reply. The tow bar I have is the type where the towball is attached with 2 bolts to the flange and the foot of the rack is sandwiched between the flange and towball and held by the 2 bolts as I want to tow at the same time. It sounds as if yours attaches on to the towball which would explain why you have a much bigger clearance on the bumper.

I can still tow should I want to ( I dont,as yet!). The mounting bracket is positioned below the towball possibly slightly towards the ball in relation to the start of the curve up towards the car,if that helps.
I dont know about you, but I had to send MR photos of the towbar,taken from the sides of the vehicle and showing the gap between the towball and the bumper,they used the known diameter of the ball to scale the distance between the bumper and ball,and then work out whether I could fit the rack before I bought it. As I say, should you still want a picture I can mail you you one,but I shall not be back in the UK before the end of next week. I found the bloke at MR very helpful,try contacting them and see what they have to say.
Hope that helps FL2 HSE Tonga Green and Clio Sport 182 (Hers!)Milltek exhaust ,Speedline Turinis.

New2LR I guess this is the mounting that you have, they make this one for the flanged towbar

http://www.maxxraxx.co.uk/racks/prem_max5_flange.html

If you lack clearance I see no reason why a local engineering firm could not very easily ( or you could do it yourself,without much drama,just use the mount plate as a template, and get some ally plate cut to shape and the required depth) make you up a spacer plate, and as long you got longer bolts of the same tensile strength you should be ok. I think! FL2 HSE Tonga Green and Clio Sport 182 (Hers!)Milltek exhaust ,Speedline Turinis.

Many thanks for the replies koevoet. MR have been very helpful with me as well. I sent pics and their view was that the flange should be upright. They had fitted to other Freelander 2 + LR towbar without problem. I'm concerned the tow bar hasn't been fitted correctly. If the type approval allows 35mm for the spacer I should be OK - still wating for LR & Brink to come back to me on this. If all else fails I think the upright could be cut & welded to give clearance.

Thanks for your help and offer of pics but as bar is different don't think they will be of much help

I have recently bought an F2 and need to buy a new cycle rack so that I can unhitch the caravan without ripping my arm open on the chain rings, Pendle have just released a higher version of their system which would solve this but I am getting conflicting info on which to buy (offset or straight up?) The one in your photos looks like its straight up and the bikes are well clear of the boot. Could you tell me if this is correct? Cheers

gstd4-e wrote:

I bought my rack second hand in 1997 for £15 including the light board. I’ve used it with 5 Land Rovers with fixed tow bars.

Here you go………

Click image to enlarge

Click image to enlarge

The bracket sticks out enough to cause serious damage to those who want to park bumper to bumper! I’ve lost count of the number of broken number plates and cracked bumpers on return to the car from the weekly shop!

I also have a Thule 903 which clamps to the ball, but as an engineer I prefer no movement so a fixed tow bar and mounting bracket is safest.

IanM,

I’ve no idea when it comes to caravans. Land Rovers and rugby maybe! The only reason I have a tow bar is to fit the bike rack which I’ve had for 13 years. I’m sure someone on here will have the answer for you. Don’t worry about some of the comments that will be made about caravans on this site. Good luck with your FL2, great choice  A Land Rover owner since 1988

From a 1974 series III to a 12MY XS FL2 with help of a 1995 D1, 1996 D1, 2005 D3, 2007 D3 and a 2009 FL2.

Thanks for the tip, will be careful not to mention the 'C' word in future

If you have a frictional stabiliser you need to make sure that there is room for the head to rotate. Land Rover specifically say that their cycle rack is not suitable for use with frictional stabiliser hitches.

Also you need to make sure there is room for the lever used to apply the stabiliser. There is more detail on the ALKO web site.

What type & make of towbar do you have?

I expect that they say it is not suitable due to the clearance required for the head of the hitch but could you not use the extended Alko towball

Its a tow-trust towbar with a flanged towball. I am going to try the pendle higher rack. I will post some photos if it works.

New2LR wrote:

If you have a frictional stabiliser you need to make sure that there is room for the head to rotate. Land Rover specifically say that their cycle rack is not suitable for use with frictional stabiliser hitches.

Also you need to make sure there is room for the lever used to apply the stabiliser. There is more detail on the ALKO web site.

What type & make of towbar do you have?

For carrying and towing I have just procured a Maxxraxx 2 bike (they do 4 as well) Premier carrier that is a really solid and well engineered piece of kit. The foot is clamped between the spacer and tow ball (in order for vertical tube to clear the bumper). The foot is designed for use with an ALKO stabiliser to give sufficient clearance for turning with the van. I have only just fitted it and only carried one bike solo so far but it is as steady as a rock. I have yet to hitch up the van and try it out. I also purchased the vertical extension which should make sure the bikes are clear of the A frame protrusions e.g jockey wheel shaft. The rack is designed to be self supporting with 2 bikes and no extension. With the extension or more than 2 bikes auxiliary straps are required to steady the system. The rack with bikes will hinge down for access to the boot. Not cheap (£165) but I think worth it. Couldn't find a better designed system for what I wanted.

Please can you tell me what make of towbar you have and what thickness of spacer you used?

It is a fixed ball tow bar fitted by the Landrover dealer so I presume it is a Landrover tow bar. It came fitted with a 1 inch thick spacer.

New2LR. I have received a pm from you and sent a reply back but don't know whether you have received it as it seems to be stuck in my outbox rather than the sentbox. Not very familiar with the way these pms work