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YEAH, NO
I have a van with the lock and load system and have been loading the bike the normal way as long as I can remember (front wheel forward). I’d like to start loading in reverse for space sake. In 15 or so years of loading bikes in trucks and vans, I’ve never done it backwards so it seems like a mystery process to me. Does anybody do it this way and is there some kind of trick?
Always load backwards, in my RV garage or Trailer.
Bike can sit up against the side of the van, have a bit of wood for the bar to sit against, one strap from the bars up to the roof .
Channel for the rear wheel helps , but not a neccessity.
Once you get used to it , its easy, the bike on the right is held with one strap, and has a wheel channel for the rear, the one on the left is full lock, with one strap to the front corner , and the one in the centre has a channel that is set 3 inches more away from the trailer front, so the footrest sits between the brake pedal and footrest of the other bike, and it has 2 straps, bike in the middle goes in last.
Nothing on any bike, touches another, and a big towel on the bar ends stops you trashing the grips.
Nothing in the middle of the floor to trip over, and no load on the suspension .
Unrelated to loading backwards but on the 'grips against the side of the van' thing...
I'm still a fan of the old tennis ball thing. Stick a hole saw or a stanley knife into a tennis ball, make a vaguely grip sized hole, then put the ball over the end of your grip before strapping the bike in, it won't fall off or fall down and it lasts practically forever and protects the end of your grip and the side of the van... Though most of us obviously ply line (or something fancier) the inside of the van anyway.
Little things, but handy.
We always loaded ours backwards when we had a box van. With two people it was a cinch. With one person it was a little tougher to keep the bike balanced while pushing backwards until you got the hang of it. Unloading was quick and awesome lol.
I Always loaded my bike in the van backwards with a steel ramp that was just long enough to then turn it sideways between the front tire and door. I also only used 1 tie down with handlebars turned all the way to the left so grip was square against the side wall.
My van was an old Krispy Kreme Chevy delivery van with a 6 cylinder and 3 on the tree. Acceleration was not its strong point but then again it got 30 MPG.
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Also unrelated to loading backwards because I need a run up to get up my ramp and can't coordinate it backwards so I'm no help.
But the tennis ball is a really good shout, I've dented panels, smashed through plastic and ply linings and destroyed more sets of grips than I can count. Pillows, cushions, blankets, old carpet etc never helped me but a tennis ball will.
These days I use a product made for it, I don't remember who makes it but it was one of those free shipping over £50 things where you've spent £48 so I got it and it's really good, basically just a rubber sleeve that goes over the grip and a big ball to dissipate the load... Exactly the same concept as a tennis ball.
I do the same thing and load the van depending on how I need to use the space!
These pics are the same 2006 Ford E350 with the seats removed…( I still have all the seats and can put ‘‘em in and haul the wife, our son, his wife and grand kids church van style too! 🤪 )
I am 6’1 and pretty lanky so I guess I am just lucky to be tall enough to push the bike up the ramp backwards into the van, balance it while attaching the tie downs then pushing the bike back into place while putting a wheel chock under the front wheel?!
I would suggest if you have never loaded backward, having someone help you get the feel for pushing a bike backward up a ramp and getting the bike into the van! Then get your positioning and wheel chock tie down setup all sorted out and after a little practice I bet you’ll be able to load “backward” just as quickly as pushing the bike in forward! Good luck! 😎 👍❗️
I have an E250 van and often load one backwards if I am carrying two bikes. The first bike goes in forward on the left side and then the second bike rests its front wheel against the left door. Both bikes take up only half of the van space. For the backwards one, I hook both tie downs up to the bars and then roll the front wheel backwards with my hand and this compresses the forks, then I close the left door and release the wheel. It's been a good method. Not too hard to push the bike up a ramp rearward by the bars, too. Then I can finish loading my gear with the other door open.
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