At Bush Chook RV & Leisure we offer a complimentary assembly and fitting service for customers in the Perth Metro area. You will need to take your van to our fabricator who is based in Wangara, the factory is easy to access with a van.
Don’t pay $400-$500 to fit your Gripsport van rack. No other dealer offers assembly and fitting for free. (NOTE: Does not include fabricating cross member or custom mounting).
Fabrication of the cross member is usually around $150, this can be paid directly to the fabricator. We plan the location of the cross member, assist the fabricator with setting up and install the completed member and rack for no charge. Installation usually takes about 1 hour and customers can wait at the factory whilst fitting.
On some occasions items on the drawbar may have to relocated and some alterations made, on these occasions an extra charge may be applicable.
Check out our van rack gallery for yourself.
We have received many queries regarding Gripsport van racks and some customers are a little confused about what exactly is included in the contents of a Gripsport van rack purchase.
There are three main components required for the Gripsport van rack kits, the rack itself, the bolt on mount and a cross member.
NOTE: The rack does not include the bolt on mount in its price, they are two separate items. Mostly the bolt on mount can be utilised to hold the rack but on some occasions is not compatible, so a custom post/mounting system will have to be fabricated.
The rack consists either the non-tilting or tilting mechanism, wheel hoops, taco channels and associated hardware including tie down gear.
The engineered bolt on mount consists of the mounting bracket which fixes to the draw bar crossmember (cross member not supplied with van rack kit), saddles to mount the required cross member and the mounting post which is available in three sizes, short, long or quick release. More information on this further below.
Bolt on mount and van rack assembly (above)
The third component required to fit a Gripsport van rack is the cross member. A cross member is required to house the Gripsport bolt on mount. Some RV’s may already have something suitable, but on many occasions a cross member made from rectangular hollow section (RHS) will have to be fabricated.
Note: The RHS is NOT supplied with the bolt on mount kit.
The RHS is cut to size to the position required on the drawbar, then welded onto the Gripsport “U” shaped saddles that are supplied with the bolt on mount. This can be done DIY or we can organise our fabricator to do this for you. More information on the fitting process below.
Before purchasing Gripsport racks please read the information further below and check out the fitting guide. This will give you a better understanding on how the van racks fit and what accessories you may need. If you have any questions or are unsure where the rack will fit on your caravan or camper, please contact us. Note: the prices listed on the van rack page do not include the bolt on mount, add this and any accessories to your cart before checkout.
The weight of the rack plus bikes will effect pretty much everything with your vehicle or van. For example a 2 bike rack weighs 16kg and the bolt on mount 13kg. Add 2 bikes and all of a sudden you have an extra 50-60kg up front. Check all of your van and vehicle weights including TBM (Towball mass). GTM (Gross trailer mass), GVM (gross vehicle mass) and GCM (Gross combined mass).
carrier weights
- 1 bike – 14kg
- 2 bike – 16kg
- 3 bike – 29kg
- 4 bike – 34kg
bolt on mount weight
- 13kg
Many vans have extended draw bars these days so fitting extras is usually a fairly simple task, however if your draw bar is short you may find that fitting just 2 bikes maybe a squeeze. You will need to take into consideration whether the bike nearest your tow vehicle will be impacted when doing a tight turn. If you are attempting to mount a 3 or 4 bike model it is important to account for the distance between the bike closest to the caravan and the bike closest to the towing vehicle. If the bike furthest from the caravan ends up less than 850mm away from the rear of the vehicle, your turning circle may be slightly affected and we recommend a ‘spotter’ be present when jack-knifing or turning sharply. You don’t want to damage the rack, vehicle or bikes.
4 bikes take up close to 1 metre of space not including the width of the handlebars
the bolt on mount
The engineered bolt on mount consists of the mounting bracket which fixes to the draw bar crossmember, saddles to mount the required cross member and the mounting post which is available in three sizes, short, long or quick release. The recommended 50 x 75 or 50 x100 RHS (minimum 3mm wall thickness) cross member is NOT INCLUDED with the bolt on mount as this will have to be cut and either direct welded to the draw bar or welded to the supplied saddles (preferred method) to suit the location on your draw bar.
gripsport van rack assembly
The rack consists of the following components:
- Either the non-tilting or tilting mechanism
- Van rack arm
- Wheel holding options such as standard setup (front hoop rear taco), all hoop setup or fat bike setup
- 2 x outriggers, 1 x post
- 2 x hooks, 1 short, 1 long
- All bolts and related hardware included
- Tie down gear including quick release pull down carrier strap and rear wheel cinch strap (supplied with rear wheel taco only)
- Van racks are available in either 1, 2, 3 or 4 bike configuration
- Weight capacity – 30kg each bike
no direct welding required on drawbar
The best and easiest method of mounting Gripsport racks to your drawbar is to use Gripsport’s fully engineered bolt on mount. There are rare occasions where the bolt on mount is not compatible with the van or camper so a custom made mounting system must be fabricated. For most vans however the engineered bolt on mount can be fitted to the draw bar and is by far the most popular mounting method (and the most robust) for the Gripsport range of van racks.
When purchasing a Gripsport van rack ensure that you select the items (if required) like the bolt on mount or tow bar adapter in the drop down menu at checkout. This is also where the preference of the wheel assembly types (hoops, taco channels) and post size (if also purchasing the bolt on mount) are to be selected.
For a comprehensive guide on how to fit the bolt on mount please select the Gripsport fitting guide:
Sometimes it’s not possible to fit the Gripsport saddles onto drawbars, some have extra supports on the underside which inhibits installation of bolts or there are components on the drawbar that cannot be moved to make room for the saddles.
warning
If direct welding the cross member to your draw bar, ensure that the house batteries are disconnected (along with your vehicle) as welding may affect electrical components in your van or car.
Galvanising will have to be removed, also double check if you have internal wiring running through your drawbar, extreme heat from welding may cause the wire coating to melt causing an electrical short.
This is one of the main reasons Gripsport recommend utilising the supplied saddles which also makes the cross member removable. Also check with your van manufacturer as direct welding may also void your warranty.
If you find your “A” frame lacks the room required to install a cross member or use the Bolt-On Mount (extremely rare), or if you simply prefer to DIY, you can still fit your Van-Rack by fabricating (or having us fabricate for you), your own custom mount for it.
The post has to be made from 50 x 50 x 4 minimum SHS (square hollow section) steel and direct welded to a centre beam on your drawbar. This will also have to be braced with extra supports as a single fillet weld on the base will not be sufficient.
warning
If direct welding the cross member to your draw bar, ensure that the house batteries are disconnected (along with your vehicle) as welding may affect electrical components in your van or car.
Galvanising will have to be removed, also double check if you have internal wiring running through your drawbar, extreme heat from welding may cause the wire coating to melt causing an electrical short.
This is one of the main reasons Gripsport recommend utilising the supplied saddles which also makes the cross member removable. Also check with your van manufacturer as direct welding may also void your warranty.
If you already have a suitable cross member to suit the Gripsport Bolt on Mount it’s a simple process to install the rack DIY. If fabrication is required our fabricator is based in Wangara industrial area, generally we install racks over weekends as this makes it a lot easier to get vans in and out of the premises and is more suitable for customers.
The complete installation process usually takes about 1 hour, vans can be left hooked to the vehicle and customers usually wait around until the job is complete.
fitting a rack to your rear bumper
IMPORTANT – MUST READ
Even if it LOOKS like your van has a nice, solid chassis and rear bumper-bar across the back and even though it may SEEM perfectly logical to carry your bikes there… be aware that the amount of “bounce” at the rear of a van is surprisingly severe… even if you don’t notice it.
You should also check what your rear overhang limits are. Extending items on the back of your van may make your rig illegal. Check with your road authority regarding overhang limits in your state.
This can result in damage to bikes, bike rack, and even the van itself. In fact, some van manufacturers will void their warranty, and you may find insurance claims are denied, if a bike rack is fitted to the rear against the advice of the van or rack manufacturer. So our advice is as follows…
1/ The correct, proper and safest place to carry bikes is on the “A” frame.
2/ We recommend against fitting bike racks to the rear of caravans & camper trailers.
But it IS possible… in SOME cases GripSport Van-Racks (1 & 2-bike ONLY) should only be fitted to the rear of a van…using the GripSport “Bolt-On Mount” to a rear bumper made of 50mm x 75mm rectangular steel box section after determining the rear of your van is strong enough – consult your caravan dealer or manufacturer for advice.
