Water Can 2.5 gal

[Gnarvan]

Originally Posted by JoeH

As it turns out the 2.5 gal Sceptor MWCs fit just fine between the rails on top of the galley box. I can fit three with a little room to spare. I just installed my rear bumper with the galley box and it has the bike rack option. There's not much space between the top of the rails and the top of the tubing/frame.

The Sceptor jugs are nice because they are easier to slip into the space. They are easier to manage since they are not as heavy. In order to fit the 5 gal Coleman jugs I think I would have to remove the bike rack to get the 2nd jug in. The only downside is that you can't pour from a spigot while the jug is still on the box.

I really like the way your galley box/bike rack turned out. I'm thinking about getting a Jerry Can box setup with a bike rack on top. If you could do yours over again and have the crew at Aluminess give you more room for the 5 gallon Coleman jugs how much higher would you have to raise the bike rack to get the second jug in?

[canyonrover]

Gnarvan, I just installed the Aluminess bike rack swing away and the Jerry can box. I really like the way it turned out. I will post up the pics when I get to taking some. I don't know how much higher I would want to go because that would also raise the level of the bike above the roof line even more than it already is. I was using the rRliance 7 gallon jug prior to this set up and loved that container. It's way to big now though. I don't like the quality of the Coleman jugs and that is why I am leaning towards the MWC even though they don't have a spigot. I will put comparison pics of that too.

JoeH I like those 2.5 MWC jugs. I think I will do that. I need to come up with a simple way to get the water out though. Maybe a small pump as described before. I like having water accessible on the rear swing away. I drink from that more than from the sink tap inside. Much easier to access while outside.

Gus

[Gnarvan]

I'd love to see picutres of your Jerry can-bike rack setup.

I ordered one just like it yesterday. I had a long talk with the folks at Aluminess during the ordering process. They warned me about putting to much weight on the swingarm. They said it wasn't a good idea to put 15 gallons of fuel on the jerry can rack, load up the top with water and then throw bikes on top of that. That much weight would stress the pivit points of the swing arm and could lead to problems.

I have tons of storage space inside the van so I'll probably keep the water inside. The rack will be very handy to keep the fuel smells outside where they belong.

[JoeH]

Gnarvan, I don't have the Coleman jugs to try a fit test but the dimensions are:
10'' x 15'' x 10''. I think the 15" also includes the handle so the jug is 10" in ht and 10" wide. The Sceptor Runt MWCs are 11.8" x 13.6" x 6.6". So, the Colman jugs are actually not as tall and might possibly squeeze in under the bike racks. But I think it might be less hassle to squeeze the 3rd Sceptor jug into the space than a 2nd Coleman. And the weight is a lot easier to manage. 5 gallons of water is heavy.

[canyonrover]

Finally got pics up of the Aluminess bike rack with the Jerry Can holder. Looks good. Excuse the dirt its been raining the last few days. Overall, I really like the set up. Only complaint is the spacing for the cross bars to mount your bike rack. Since I have the older style rack (Yakima Copperhead) the mount is flush with the bottom of the bike tray and therefore you cannot mount the rack level or offset the bikes for handlebars. I had to make a few changes to allow the rack to slide forward as I will show in the pics. Also, I have a bunch of the Reliance 7 gallon water jugs. I love these jugs. They are stout and I have not had any problems with leaks, cracks, or spigots breaking in over 15 years. So I show how that fits on top of the rack and how it slides into place with the bike rack.

Here is the whole setup.


Here is a closeup.


Here is the issue I have with the older style bike trays. The new Yakima Forklift will mount flush. I tried it today. When I purchase, I will post pics.


The view of the back of that tray.


Here is how the Reliance water jug fits in the rack. You have to slide it from one end.


Here is how it fits in the rack. You can still use the spigot when in the rack which was very important to me.


Here is how it fits in the bottom for size comparison.


I hope this helps. If you want some other pics put up let me know. I can put other items on the rack if you want to see the scale for something you might be trying to do.

[JoeH]

Canyonrover, can't you use the 6" offset on the double bars on either end to space two bikes? Or, does the tray slant that much because of the front mount setup? Will it work if you have the bikes face opposite each other?

I went with the 1UP system so I could carry two bikes without having to take the tires off. The fork mount system is more stable and the bikes don't stick up as high. Unfortunately, there's no wheel mount available for thru-axel hubs from Yakima, Thule or anyone else that I'm aware of. The downside to the rather burly aluminum tray on the 1Up is the mounting bracket sticks down below the bar a bit and that also limits the space available to slide a water jug in from the side.

Maybe your rack is slightly different but there's no way two Reliance jugs will fit in mine. Only one. So, you would rather carry the jug in the jerry can box while traveling and then put on top when your camping? Just for comparison, the ht between the rails and the rack on the front and side is 9.5" and 12", respectively.

edit to add: I reread your post and it appears the Yak Forklift will fit flush. The length on the forklift is 55" versus 48" for the Copperhead. The bars on the standard setup are 29" apart so that leaves quite a bit of unsupported tray that can bend. You might want to check that out first before buying but I'm interested in how it works out since I'm not quite sold on having my bikes that high with the 1UP.

[Gnarvan]

Thanks for the pictures. I'm not seeing the locking bar that locks the fuel cans on the rack. Does your rack have it? I've probably got another week or so to make changes to the setup that Aluminess is building for me.

Why does Aluminess use four round bars across the top for the bike rack. Having the two bars spaced 6" apart is going to be a problem for my older Yakima fork mount bike trays.

[JoeH]

Originally Posted by Gnarvan

Why does Aluminess use four round bars across the top for the bike rack. Having the two bars spaced 6" apart is going to be a problem for my older Yakima fork mount bike trays.

That's so the bikes are staggered. Handlebars will be in front of the seat of the other bike and so forth. If you look at a hitch rack like the Yak Holdup you'll notice that they are staggered as well. Most roof mount trays have a fixed location for the brackets and cannot be adjusted along the length of the tray. One rear tire side is typically adjustable to account for differences in bar width but the brackets near the head or front skewer cannot.

[canyonrover]

Gnarvan, yes I have the lock bar for the Jerry Can box. It is just a piece of aluminum that slides between slots at the front edge of the holder. I can take a picture if you like. Seems that it will work.

JoeH, ya I know I can only carry one Reliance jug and I only put it in the Jerry Can holder to show the size of the area in the holder. I will actually be carrying my rocket boxes that store my rafting groover in the Jerry Can holder and placing the Reliance jug on top. Two rocket boxes fit laterally in the box with about 1" of overhang past the front edge which I will hold in place with a cam strap through the jerry can bar slot on the box. I didn't want to change that box to accommodate the rocket boxes since I do sometimes carry the three Scepter MWC or fuel cans. Just seems that 95% of the time I carry my groover there.

The older style fork mount racks typically were made to mount flush so they are in line with the trays and that is why you cannot mount them on the outer bar of the Aluminess rack. I thought about opposing directions for mounting the bikes but that will allow the rear wheel of one of the bikes to hang too far past the side of the van. The Forklift will mount on top of the bars and evenly space the bikes so I can offset them. In all reality since my current bike tray is almost 20 years old, I don't mind buying new since that is the only thing holding by bike to the vehicle. I actually much prefer the mounts that you don't have to remove the front tire like the Thule T2 that I have on my car. That is the BEST rack I have ever bought. But I agree, that it puts the bikes too high up and prone to striking trees or other "stuff". Lastly, Yakima makes an adapter for the 20mm thru axle (actually 15-25mm options available) that bolts up through the skewer of all fork mounted bike trays. Here is the Yakima link.

http://www.yakima.com/shop/bike/bike-ac ... rk-adapter

The nice thing about that is you CAN leave the trays side by side on the same cross bar since it raises the handlebars about 3-4 inches which will clear the other bike, as long as that bike has the standard 9mm skewer.

I had a lot of trepidation about buying the RIGHT bike rack. We ride tons here and on trips and it was a huge part of the van. I tried hitch mounted racks, building racks, top mounted, etc. and I am very happy with this Aluminess rack. Sturdy and convenient. I love it.

[JoeH]

Canyonrover, I have a couple of the thur-axel adapters for my other vehicles but as far as I know there is nothing available to mount and carry a thru-axel wheel. So, you've either got to throw the front wheel up top or in the back. Or, have something custom fabricated and that might be the way to go.

I wonder if many on this forum know the reason your 20ml is called a groover? I trust you have a seat but my groover doesn't fit inside in my RB50 setup. I have one of the Thetford toilets that came with the van from the PO but I much prefer a groover with a wagbag. I wish I had seen your setup sooner but I'm sure I'll find something to stick in the galley box