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Old 02-10-2003, 08:43 AM   #1
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2012 25' FB Eddie Bauer
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Looking for advice about rear bumper

I am wondering if anyone has mounted a receiver hitch to the rear bumper of a trailer? Does the extra weight add to the sway while driving? Does the extra weight compromise the structure of the trailer?

I would like to use this for a bike rack, and/or a "crate" to carry a generator.

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

Curtis
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Old 02-10-2003, 09:21 AM   #2
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Rear Bumper

The weight is the main problem and the up and down action at the rear of your trailer would put a lot of strain on your bumper. I would try to go underneath and attach to the frame.

I attached a rack to my 34 foot trailer frame and it did not affect the sway.
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Old 02-10-2003, 12:28 PM   #3
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From what I have read, it is very risky to attach anything of much weight to the back end of an AS trailer. Go to search and type in "Saggy Bottom" for a thread that talks in detail about this. It is definitely "owner beware"!! Leigh
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Old 02-10-2003, 04:35 PM   #4
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Hello Curtis

Our previous trailer was a Coleman Pop up. I custom built a frame mounted hitch so we could use our bike rack on the rear or the trailer, and then transfer the bike rack back to the van once we were at the campsite. It was the smaller class II square type that I though it was tough enough because the bikes and rack weighed less than 75LBs.

Our first outting was a 2 day drive to Murtle Beach. All went well on the way down but on the way back going through Pittsburgh one of the components broke. (see diagram). We dragged two bikes and the rack down the highway for ???? miles.

Here are the things I learned from this experiance.

A. A 2 inch type III style of hitch is a must.
B. A safety chain is required ( which I did have ) on any device that is being carried.
C. Uhaul sold me a 2,000 LB lift bar hitch. I thought they were all 3,500 LB rated.
D. There is a large bounce factor on the back bumper of a trailer.
E. If you are going to use a bike rack I would suggest adding a support line of some kind to stop any up and down type of bouncing that will occurr.

Although it seems like a convienient spot to put bikes I would use it as a last resort. Our bikes go in the back of the van.
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Old 02-10-2003, 05:09 PM   #5
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Dam!!

Wayne,

How did you realize that you were dragging the bikes? Did someone pull next to you and let you know?

Good thing you had that safety chain eh!

John
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Old 02-10-2003, 05:58 PM   #6
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Hi John..

The Coleman was a 95 Rio Grande. Very low! From the van's drivers seat rearview mirror I could see back over the top of the trailer and see the top of the bikes. I would check often and sure enough when I looked the one time " THEY WERE GONE". Amazingly only one bike was heavily damaged cause it was on the bottom. It needed two new tires and rims and a few other parts. The safety chain was the important thing, as you said because it kept the pile all together behind the trailer. Note this happened on the expressway on a quiet Sunday morning. The Coleman had leaf springs with no shocks which also adds to the micro bounce effect causing the metal fatique.
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