Tandem Rack ATOC or Thule or ????
 

We are going to get a rack to haul our tandem on our Chrysler Pacifica.

What are your recommendations/suggestions/experiences?

Thanks in advance,

Wayne

Draftmaster from the ATOC people. Very well designed and extremely easy to use. We've also had a Thule roof rack (albeit , not the type that swings out) and the Draftmaster is easier to use by an order of magnitude.


You just let the rack down, roll the bike up, clip in the front fork, strap the rear wheel, push the rack up and your done.

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i1...t/porsche2.jpg

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i1...rt/porsche.jpg

I have the Thule tandem carrier. Unless you get a really, really good deal on one, I suggest avoiding it. The riser does not have enough clearance for the front fender, the whole system is kind of clunky, and there is no integrated security like most other bike trays.

We use an ATOC tandem topper on our Sienna minivan.
Works great but takes two of us to take the bike on and off.
If you are tall and/or your vehicle is low enough you might be able to do it by yourself.

We have same rack and car setup. I can do it by myself and I am not tall. But I do agree that it is about a 7 difficulty (1-10). Two people is easier but I would still rank it a 5 or 6. The hardest part is getting the forks into mount without scratching the car. The rest is not too tough. Removing the fork without scratching is another crux. I can't think of any carrying system that is simple if you have to work at head height or higher.

I'm very pleased with our ATOC. We have a low car, but I did at first use the pivoting fork mount. I found it easier to just lift the tandem up, put the rear wheel in the tray, fork in the fork mount and (!)done. If I had a taller car I'd probably carry a step stool.

Were I buying a rack again I might look at the draftmaster since a tandem fully in the slipstream really causes the mileage to drop - from 42 to about 32 at75 mph. I'd assume a Draftmaster doesn't take such a big bite out of mileage.

I have a Thule V-rack that mounts on a Thule or other square bar roof rack. If you are not familiar with it, it mounts the front fork via the dropouts and the rear is held by the axle (with the wheel mounted) via its own quick release. It is, of course, a 2 person job to get the bike up on the roof, but is substantial and reliable.
You can have it for $150 plus shipping.

After posting this question, I woke up and realized that I have a rear rack that will haul a lightweight motorcycle that attaches to my trailer hitch. I will simply modify it to haul the tandem.

Thanks for the input,

Wayne

Wayne, The reason that I stopped using the Thule roof rack is because I have been using a Rhode Gear Shuttle trunk rack. I take off both wheels and the width across the back of the car is only an inch or so wider than a single bike! And...it also doubles as a work stand in the parking lot!
Because this setup is so much easier to use, I find that I am much less reluctant to take the bike to remote start rides.

We have a 10-year old Thule tandem rack which I understand is the same as the ATOC Tandem Topper. Haven't used it a lot since we got a minivan. (She goes right down the middle of the seats)

Actually both work great as long as it get to were you want thats what matters! both are easy to use.

I'm very pleased with our ATOC. We have a Eurovan, we have to use a step stool to load, a little tricky.
Were I buying a rack again I agree with Rickt, maybe a draftsmaster. top loads do hurt milage but one reason we use a top load is driving to locations that requires some gravel roads, a bike on the back turns into a dust bunny.
R&J

We have a Draftmaster on a Ford Focus and it does not hurt the gas milage much. It is a Jumbo/Large frame and does it get the looks on the road and at rides.

A vote for the Yakima Sidewinder. We've been pleased with ours. It differs from the Atoc/Thule in that the pivoting arm is designed to cantilever further out over the side of the car, making it a bit easier to load IMO. (Yes, I've tried an Atoc.) The only complaint I really have is that, due to the cantilevered arm design, the tandem sits a bit further back on the roof than it would with an Atoc, but it hasn't caused a problem.

We still use the Yakima occasionally on our Subaru, but the Honda Odyssey minivan handles most of the hauling of our tandem and triplet since we can fit it inside.

One thing you may want to check into is if these racks will allow you to use your rear hatch when the rack is on the car.
We have a Subaru wagon and needed to still be able to use the rear hatch with the rack mounted. I don't think the ATOC will allow you to use your hatch if the rack extends past the end of the car. The Thule has a removeable rear section and the Yakima mounts the Tandem at the rear crank area so there is no rear wheel tray like the others.
We opted for the Rocky Mounts Tandem R4 http://www.rockymounts.com/TandemMount_R4_p/0512.htm
it has a retractable rear section so it can be moved in and used as a single bike mount or out for a tandem. All it takes is a couple of turns on a large wing nut then the rear section will move in or out as needed. If we use the tandem and need to use the hatch area we just take the bike off first before using the hatch and when putting the bike back on the car after the ride the bike goes back on the car last. We don't have to deal with the loose rear section like the Thule has.

It's excellent quality with beautiful welds and has a pivoting head mount. The only thing I don't like is it's painted silver instead of black.

Hey Merline?
How about pics that show more rack and less car, tho I love your car
R&J

Yakima Sidewinder. I got one on Craigslist two months ago for $125. Love it. Its mounted on an Audi A4 wagon and there's plenty of room for the cranks to stay out of the way when the front fork is in the swing-out arm and the back wheel is on the ground. This particular piece of geometry is critical to your particular car. The taller the car, the closer the crank will be to the car when mounting the tandem in the swing-out arm. It can be cured by using wider bars on the roof rack and mounting the Sidewinder OUTBOARD of the roof rack towers. The Sidewinder has to mount on the driver's side because the timing chain will prevent you from being able to put the boom tube in the rear support of the Sidewinder. All of this supposes that you already have a Yakima roof rack although those can be had on Craigslist pretty cheap, too. The Sidewinder does put the tandem back further on the vehicle but we are still able to get to our rear hatch and open it a little more than half way before it hits the tandem's rear tire which is enough room to access stuff.
Jeff

With the fork mounted, I just grab the bottom of the rear wheel and push the timing chain completely over the cradle. OR
Mount the carrier backwards. If the load bars are far enough forward to see the back wheel, then I can keep an eye on the bike. This also keeps the rear wheel away from any opening rear hatches.

Another point about mounting on the driver's side: I believe it's safer to do so because of clearance issues, as sometimes on the passenger/curb side you may find lower heights on tunnels, overhanging trees, etc. Probably not an issue with smaller cars, but with an SUV, van, etc. the bike is a lot higher up.

Just watch out for canopies over drive throughs. Don't ask how I know.

Don't have to ask. Been there, done that. >-<

Yakima Sidewinder.

It is such a good tandem rack that we have two. If that's not a ringing endorsment, I don't know what is...

Carry it inside your vehicle, then you don't have to worry about low overhangs, garages, wind storms or having to lift your bike up on the roof! ;) I don't trust any roof rack after having two single bikes, the bike rack and the roof rack ripped off the roof by a gust of wind and splattered on the freeway.

I second the Draftmaster. I have it set up for two tandem trays (travel with friends) and 2 singles, so we can switch off if the stokers are tired or one needs to drive. Or we can carry 4 singles.

The best thing is it stores in the garage rather than on the car all the time.