biffsgasgas Posted July 10, 2014 Report Share Posted July 10, 2014 Good point. Although I'm not sure I could cope with that for 2 months! On a serious note, if both parents work and they only get 2 weeks holiday a year each (ok, I know some get more) then during the year you must be paying a lot for summer camps/child care. Up until a certain age yes a working family has to make that sacrifice. I know we are in different times now but 25 years ago my parents just warned me of consequences of a destroyed home and left me to fend for myself. That worked for me but I don't know if the law has changed. Again it will depend on the age and trust of the child in question. A lot of teenagers and college kids look for those neighborhood summer jobs. I don't believe my parents ever planned on using any of their vacation time to specifically look after me and its not common for anybody outside of the education system to take the summer off with their children here. Look into summer time afternoon activities sponsored by the community. Swimming lessons, day camps, activity camps and things like that are really not that bad. During the school year a working couple will also usually need to find some sort of after school babysitting for the children who generally get out of class much earlier in the day so its not exactly limited to the summer break. --Biff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smarty156 Posted July 10, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 10, 2014 Even with my wife only currently working 4 days a week and both of us getting 6 weeks holiday a year we still don't have enough to cover all the school holidays. We pretty much have the same amount of school holidays but it's spread out a bit more here (a week in October and 2 weeks at Easter instead of only 1 but then we only have a 6 week summer holiday). So this year the kids went to a camp (8.30am to 5.30pm) for a week at Easter and they'll be going again for 2 more separate weeks in the summer. Luckily it's not far from where I work but there are very few of these here. I guess there's more things like that over there? Not really a problem in the short term as I won't be able to work anyway so I can always do things with them but just trying to look a bit longer term in case I do want a job. Biff - what vehicle do you use to take your bike to trials? I currently have my bike on a bike rack across the rear of my Touareg. I've done some searching and see you can also get those out there. Your tow bars are different as you have receiver hitches - it looks like all the bike racks need a 2 inch receiver hitch (type 3 or 4?). I see that cars factory fitted with a hitch seem to have a smaller one. Is it just SUV type vehicles and pickups that tend to have the larger receiver or can you get them for cars as well. We'll obviously need to buy a car when we arrive and I don't want to get something that means I can't use a bike rack as it seems the best way to transport the bike, especially as the distances will be a lot greater. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
copemech Posted July 11, 2014 Report Share Posted July 11, 2014 I see many of the small 1.25 inch reciever hitches have a 300lb weight rating, so a bike rack would work, but I would ck in advance for a given vehicle. Small SUV may do better than a car. I was fortunate my daughter was in after school gymnastics. She became an instructor and tought the younger kids. Those daycare places are brutal, and here you would have to enroll for the given period and pay through the nose even if you did take the kid out for a week of vacation with the family. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zippy Posted July 11, 2014 Report Share Posted July 11, 2014 I worked the night shift for many years until my kids were old enough to be home for a few hours on their own. That way there was always one of us home with the kids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jreilly Posted July 11, 2014 Report Share Posted July 11, 2014 You can get a adapter to to fit the smaller hitch to fit the carrier.But that puts the rack back another 6 inches.Best to make rack with square stock that fits the smaller receiver hitch.Have seen many fabricated in different ways.JR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smarty156 Posted July 14, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 14, 2014 Thanks again for the hitch info. I think what I'll do is get an SUV (it would be useful for us to get a 7 seat vehicle for when family come over) so I'll get one with a type 3 hitch (2 inch). Looking at something like a new Ford Explorer, which seems to tick all the boxes. I'll bring my current bike rack over as well. This bolts onto a flange faced tow bar over here. I'll just get someone to weld a vertical plate onto a 2 inch removable ball mount bar with the 2 bolt holes in the right place for my bike rack (and bicycle rack as well). Are there any rules over there regarding tampering with the removable bar? Over here you're not allowed to change anything as they have to be type approved. You can't just make you're own tow bar up. Here's what I mean by a flanged towbar: http://towbars.co.uk/static/towbar-types Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
biffsgasgas Posted July 14, 2014 Report Share Posted July 14, 2014 (edited) Smarty156, You will find that the Americans are not as strict as EU or UK when it comes to hitches or trailers. There are weight limits but i use my Passat to tow and have a bike rack for it as well. I am not sure if I am the best to give this advice as I tend to "Reinvent the wheel" when it comes to transporting a trials bike. I have used just about every car i have ever owned to tow or haul a trials bike. I have towed an enclosed trailer with 5 trials bikes in the current Explorer and it didn't even realize something was back there. Few differences are: - We don't have the tow behind speed limits that EU and UK have. If your car can go that fast solo then they say it should be able to do so with a trailer. I know most in the UK or EU use a rack to get around that. No need here. - Trailer brakes are not mandatory up until a certain size. Most EU trailers that I have experienced have what we call "Surge brakes" where a master cylinder is connected to a hitch. Those are not as common here. Most of our larger trailers that do have brakes have electric actuated drums. If your combined trailer car weight is less than what we consider gross combined rating of the vehicle then brakes are needed. I would suggest brakes but my trailer does not have them. - There are multiple sizes of recievers (as you have found) along with multiple sizes of hitch balls. If you are going to tow you will either need a 2 inch or 1 7/8 inch ball size. - Yes our hitches are different here. You might be frustrated that our receivers do tend to have some "Slack" and movement. I am not sure if this is the case in the UK but the EU hitches that i am aware of have an upward insert to a pretty solid receiver with the ball integrated into the hitch. Most people tow and getting a hitch for a receiver is not a struggle. There are also racks available here as well so if it will cost and arm and a leg don't hesitate to search around here. In a pinch you can rent a Uhaul trailer for a day which will cost you less than 30 bucks. - Storage of a trailer may be your issue and if so there are many storage places around which are not that bad off site. Just make sure your stuff is locked up well. Mini storage is generally cheaper here because we are no where as space limited. - Most of our larger "Walmart" type stores stock just about anything you would need to get a trailer in a pinch. They are open 24 hours here. You will be shocked at how many stores are open even on Sundays. - Your Canvas sided aluminum trailers are very rare here. We call your version a stake bed trailer here in the states. Our enclosed trailers are much heavier with solid walls. My trailer is an open three rail. -Our tail lights are also much much different. We do not need to have an amber (yellow) turn signal which is mandatory in the EU or UK. Some of our vehicles use one of the brake lamps as turn signals. You might find that unique when searching for lamps. We also do not have the triangular lamps on our trailers as you do. -Finally you will soon realize that everything is bigger here. Our roads have curbs that are large enough to park a semi truck on with out interfering with any traffic. Our vehicles are much bigger here (you should research an Excursion if your worried). Our travel trailers (Caravans) are much bigger (28 foot long is considered small). Our stores are bigger . Our stair cases need to have a minimum amount of space that would never work in the EU or UK. If you feel that you are going to need to be space conservative just wait till you get here because most likely you won't be cramped. If you want more info on the Explorer PM me your email address. I can answer anything you would want to know because of where I work. --Biff Edited July 14, 2014 by biffsgasgas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smarty156 Posted July 15, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 15, 2014 Thanks for the info. PM sent. I have been to the US a few times (spent our honeymoon driving 2,500 miles from Vegas to Utah mountains, Death Valley, Yosemite, San Fran and then down the west coast amd eventually to LA) but it's obviously not the same as living there so it's good to speak to people that actually do live there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smarty156 Posted July 23, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 23, 2014 If you have a bike rack on the back of the car, do you need extra lights if the car ones are obscured (in the UK I use a small trailer board with lights, indicators and stop lamps)? I'm talking specifically New York State. If searched and can't find anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
htrdoug Posted July 24, 2014 Report Share Posted July 24, 2014 I did get pinched(just a warning though) about my license plate being obscured by my trials bike on the rack last week here in Indiana,so even if your lights are visible I'd rig up a way to get the plate onto the bike rack. My bike rack(modified J.C.Whitney to accommodate trials bike wheelbase) has a pinch clamp to steady itself onto the hitch receiver. If you can give up all pretenses about being cool and come to the same conclusion as I have that 4 wheels equals transportation device only then just buy a minivan,I wasn't sure I'd be happy driving one so I only spent $4000 on a 2002 Dodge Caravan,turns out I love driving it,can haul my mountain bikes inside and have them at the ready if I happen to get off of work early. I could easily sleep in it at a trials event as our events are usually two day events over here.Heck,I'm considering splooshing out for a new one :-) I like it so much(Stow and Go seating would rock as I have 4 damn van seats in the garage at all times) Or other option would be to go full 'Merican, enclosed trailer for security pulled by a Big Ol' Dually :-) can take all three of my trials bikes plus haul a dual sport to ride around after the trials,or use the trailer as a camper itself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zippy Posted July 24, 2014 Report Share Posted July 24, 2014 Full MURICAN! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
axulsuv Posted July 27, 2014 Report Share Posted July 27, 2014 I think there are only a few states that allow two trailers ...... And how do you back up ???? But I have seen even bigger set ups than above . Glenn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zippy Posted July 27, 2014 Report Share Posted July 27, 2014 I think there are only a few states that allow two trailers ...... And how do you back up ???? But I have seen even bigger set ups than above . Glenn I don't thing reverse is exactly recommended............ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d. sileo Posted August 8, 2014 Report Share Posted August 8, 2014 Of you are going yo live in NY, buy your bike in Pa. And save with no VAT.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smarty156 Posted August 9, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 9, 2014 Company is paying to have all our belongings shipped so I think I'll just get my current (4 month old) bike shipped over. Well, it's official now. Both my wife and I have handed our notices in at work (3 months minimum required) and the house is about to go on the market. Looking to arrive in the US on 24th November! So much to do, so little time .... Thanks for all the help and info, particularly Biff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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