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Post by crashman on Jun 6, 2017 13:06:11 GMT -5
Hello all,
I'm wondering if anyone has added a two inch receiver tube to the rear of one of trailers. I'd like to mount a bike bike and I understand the bumper is too flimsy for that kind of load. What I have available in the rear for mounting is two frame cross rails and the bumper itself. I'm considering welding some brackets onto the 2 inch tube so I can bolt them to the cross rails and possibly the bumper as well. If necessary, I suppose I could add some more cross rails. They appear to be fairly lightweight C-channel.
I'd be interested in anyone's thoughts.
Thanks,
Dave
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Post by joecamper on Jun 6, 2017 22:10:19 GMT -5
When I bought my Durango, I had them add a receiver hitch rated at 3,000 pounds ... it was installed by a local shop that does that sort of work. It looks really professional, and the bumper doesn't now "give" at all. You might consider the same solution. You are right, the factory bumper is all but useless as far as bike racks or similar loads.
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ed
Newbie RV’er
Posts: 44 
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Post by ed on Jun 7, 2017 6:26:13 GMT -5
I have a 14 Sportsman and bought a receiver from E-trailer for my bike rack. It works great and mounted easily on the bumper. The mounting bolts were a little long but I put the nuts all the way on the bolt and used a hack saw to trim the bolts. Just loosened the nuts which "rethreaded" the bolts and it worked great. Ed
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Post by crashman on Jun 17, 2017 12:56:25 GMT -5
Update: What I did was to use a 36" long 2" hitch tube ($48 on eBay) along with a 2", U-bolt mounted hitch tube ($13 on eBay, also available in eTrailer). I cut the tube section off the U-bolted piece and then welded the nice heavy pre-drilled plate to my 36" tube. I welded some angle iron near the back end of the 36" long tube so that it could be bolted to my cross member. I also added an angle iron "pad" that bridges the other two pieces of angle and rests against the underside of the camper floor. I installed it today, added the bike rack and jumped up and down on the rack. I was at least 24 inches rear of the bumper and it was rock solid and did not twist at all. Which, after all, was the point of this contraption. I've included two photos of the hitch before and one after install. Dave |
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Post by Chuck on Jun 17, 2017 13:12:55 GMT -5
nice job, well thought out  Safe Travels |
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Post by summitbeerowl on Mar 12, 2018 13:44:46 GMT -5
 So how’s everyone’s modified hitches holding up? I need to modify mine to handle a RockyMounts BackStage 2 Bike Platform Rack. I think it would be nice to have the receiver hitch above the spare tire/tail lights but not sure how feasible that would be. Any thoughts or suggestions? |
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larryo
Weekender RV’er
Posts: 82
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Post by larryo on Mar 12, 2018 19:48:16 GMT -5
I have a question for those of you that have added a bike rack on the back of your trailer and for those of you that are contemplating adding one.
Have you considered what the weight of adding the receiver and the weight of carrying bikes on the rear of your trailer will do to your overall weight restrictions? I’m not talking about added bumper weight, but added weight to the trailer itself.
Let me share here, my experience in attempting to add a 2 inch receiver and tray to carry my wife’s tricycle and my mountain bike (I could not find a bike rack that a manufacture would approve to carry this combination).
We have a 2016 Sportsman Showstopper (26 ft.) Dry weight is 4480 lbs. GVWR is 6000lbs. (I do not understand the manufacturer’s GVWR because this trailer sits on dual 3500 lb. axels). We tow it with a 2016 GMC Yukon XL w/max tow package. Towing capacity 8000 lbs.
The receiver and the structure required to mount it would have weighed about 50 lbs. The tray to carry the bikes, about another 60 – 80 lbs, plus the weight of the bikes hanging on the tray 100 lbs.
Prior to making a decision on this, I finally got around to weighing my rig after having it for almost two years.
Well, it turned out I was OK on weights as is, but by adding the 200 + lbs to the rear of the trailer would have put me over on GVWR for the trailer and probably affected (reduced) the weight on the hitch as well due to the added weight being so far back.
So, plans were scrapped and we continue to carry the bikes inside the trailer until we can upgrade to a larger camper that can carry more weight. That will probably require a TV upgrade too so it won’t be any time soon.
I strongly recommend you know your actual weights before adding anything like this.
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Post by johnr on Mar 13, 2018 7:17:14 GMT -5
summitbeerowl, are you talking about adding one of those bolt-on receivers to your bumper?
larryo, very good suggestion. Yes, adding weight to the back changes your tongue weight. That can affect any weight distribution or sway control system on your RV as well. I'm not sure if it would affect a 5er in the same way except for dropping the pin weight.
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Post by summitbeerowl on Mar 13, 2018 21:00:11 GMT -5
summitbeerowl, are you talking about adding one of those bolt-on receivers to your bumper? larryo, very good suggestion. Yes, adding weight to the back changes your tongue weight. That can affect any weight distribution or sway control system on your RV as well. I'm not sure if it would affect a 5er in the same way except for dropping the pin weight. No. Thinking of having a receiver welded on the trailer frame. The one issue I see with this is the TT is so low it will scrape easily. So from where it comes out from the back of the trailer I’d like to have it come up and then out. Not sure how this would stress the welds holding it all together. The rack I have must weigh a good 40 lbs and then adding 2 bikes we might be pushing 80??? id really like the bike rack which is a tray rack to be situated above the rear spare tire but not sure if this would work. A friend thinks we can reinforce the bumper and make it all work. So just checking all ideas. |
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Post by lynnmor on Mar 14, 2018 8:01:28 GMT -5
Putting weight several feet above the bumper or frame will cause a lot of leverage. Bouncing down the highway, there will be extreme loads put on the mounting points. If you go ahead with the idea, before taking to the highway, just grab a bike and push and pull while watching the movement, you might change your mind. Many RV frames are marginal and you shouldn't think of them as being some kind of strong, unfailing component. The frame on my trailer is way too light to even consider what you are suggesting. Folding bikes might be a viable option, I used them for years and they work reasonably well. Currently I use full size hybrid bikes carried inside the truck held by my special built rack. Sometimes I bring the folding bikes as well for campground use. Failed Frame |
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Post by summitbeerowl on Mar 14, 2018 8:54:06 GMT -5
Putting weight several feet above the bumper or frame will cause a lot of leverage. Bouncing down the highway, there will be extreme loads put on the mounting points. If you go ahead with the idea, before taking to the highway, just grab a bike and push and pull while watching the movement, you might change your mind. Many RV frames are marginal and you shouldn't think of them as being some kind of strong, unfailing component. The frame on my trailer is way too light to even consider what you are suggesting. Folding bikes might be a viable option, I used them for years and they work reasonably well. Currently I use full size hybrid bikes carried inside the truck held by my special built rack. Sometimes I bring the folding bikes as well for campground use. Failed FrameWhat's your thoughts about possibly welding something up to the frame bumper mounts? You would think those would be pretty strong. |
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Post by johnr on Mar 14, 2018 12:00:48 GMT -5
The bumpers on most RVs are really just for show and to give you a little space before you damage the back of the RV by hitting something. They won't hold much other than a spare tire. I wouldn't think the bumper mounts would be any better.
A receiver came on my 5er and it is tied structurally to the frame of the RV.
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Post by lynnmor on Mar 14, 2018 12:01:20 GMT -5
The bumper mounts are just an extension of the frame. If you intend to go ahead with this project, you need to extend framework forward several feet. It would be a big help if the spare tire was moved to a place under the trailer, preferably forward of the axle. Without the spare, the bikes can be carried as low as practical thus reducing the leverage.
Again, it is something that I wouldn’t do. If you search, you can find plenty of bumper and bike carrier failures.
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Post by summitbeerowl on Mar 16, 2018 14:55:02 GMT -5
Well, this gives me a lot to think about. I guess when I pull it out of storage I'll have to crawl under and do some serious looking. Hopefully I can extend the frame back as suggested and weld a receiver on to that. I think I could relocate the spare to the front by the battery/propane.
So much for great ideas of simply having the bikes on the back of the TT and then upon arriving at a park being able to move the bike rack to the vehicle receiver to transport elsewhere.
Guess there's no such thing as simple.🤪
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Post by rvdude on Mar 16, 2018 18:50:10 GMT -5
Jack-It Double Bike CarrierA guy had this installed at the rally last year. It was pretty neat. It goes over the A frame on the front of the trailer above the propane bottles. This link happens to be from CW, but you can get it anywhere. Maybe this will work for you.
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Post by summitbeerowl on May 16, 2018 16:54:37 GMT -5
Ok, so still determined to add a hitch to the back of the camper for a bike rack. Here's what I've come up with.  We cut a hole through the bumper to pass through the receiver Tube. This goes through both sides of the bumper through the c-channel and into a new 2×3 steel tube that we welded up inside of the c-channel. Here's the new 2×3 inside the c-channel.  And the receiver Tube passing through everything.  |
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Post by summitbeerowl on May 16, 2018 16:57:27 GMT -5
 Time will tell if this works. Hopefully it will. We got the receiver tube a little crooked and so the rack is a bit angled but I think it will work well for us. |
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Post by summitbeerowl on Jun 4, 2018 9:32:05 GMT -5
 800 miles and the new hitch for the bike rack and bikes worked well. No issues. |
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Post by rirish1 on Aug 31, 2018 8:20:09 GMT -5
I purchased an adjustable receiver from etrailer. I believe it was manufactured by Curtis. My Sportsmen 241RLLE came with the fold down rack in the back. I had a local welding shop weld the receiver to the frame (frame is a little longer than normal to accommodate the rack). I remove the rack when carrying the bikes and place the spare tire in the back of my pickup. My thought is that the spare tire and storage rack removal make up for the weight difference when carrying two mountain bikes. I just returned from a 4 month 21,000 mile trip to Alaska and back and had no problems with the bike rack. I use a high quality Thule rack which supports the bikes by the wheels. I can not use the storage rack and bike carrier at the same time (nor would I want to because of weight issues). I inspected the receiver and bike rack at every fuel stop and they were rock solid.
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