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Old 09-25-2012, 03:55 PM   #1
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Rear Bumper "Receiver"

The rear bumper of my T-1350 has a clamp-on Reese type receiver for accessories. It's rated 200 pounds or the rating of the bumper, whichever is less. I'm thinking about looking for a spare tire carrier for it.

Thoughts?
Recommendations?
Caveats?

Thanks,
-Dale
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Old 09-25-2012, 06:04 PM   #2
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Most bumpers have a 100 lb rating (my T-1950 was 100#) but keep in mind that leverage could greatly reduce the limit. For example a carrier attached to your receiver could stick out a couple of feet reducing the capacity by increasing leverage. A spare tire carrier should be okay or even a bicycle rack to your receiver if tied back to the trailer to eliminate torque (leverage again).
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Old 09-25-2012, 07:46 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pwb01 View Post
Most bumpers have a 100 lb rating (my T-1950 was 100#) but keep in mind that leverage could greatly reduce the limit. For example a carrier attached to your receiver could stick out a couple of feet reducing the capacity by increasing leverage. A spare tire carrier should be okay or even a bicycle rack to your receiver if tied back to the trailer to eliminate torque (leverage again).
Couldn't have said it better. A spare tire and carrier is about at the limit for torque and weight by itself.
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Old 09-25-2012, 08:11 PM   #4
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The rear bumper on our Cougar is rated at 200# and I just removed the spare from that for the same reasons. It's too much weight for the construction of the bumper and the slide-out bike rack that it's attached to underneath the trailer.

The 100# limit on the Sunline bumpers is that much more of a problem.

Best advice is to go around or under the factory bumper and connect a hitch system direct to the frame of the trailer.

FWIW, we're having the same discussion over in the Keystone forum. Both the problems and the solutions are the same.
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Old 09-25-2012, 08:28 PM   #5
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Thanks for the advice, guys. I guess I'll scrap that idea. I'll have to figure out something else to do with it.

-Dale
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Old 09-28-2012, 08:26 AM   #6
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Here is how a receiver is hooked to the rear of my TT. I'm not saying it is a good thing to use/do because of the weight concerns but it is done and seems solid. I did try a receiver rack in it and jumped on it without give. Since I do not travel with much in the holding tanks I have been tempted to try it but finding a place for the spare in our Expedition doesn't suit me.

The first picture is showing the receiver as it is welded to a piece of angle and then the angle welded to the bumper. Sloppy welds with penetration issues so I do not use this receiver for anything but the Chevy emblem.


This shows the angle welded to the bumper and how the bottom support is added to the other side.


Next is showing how the bumper was fastened to the frame. This piece of steel from the bottom of the TT frame to the bottom of the bumper is stout and should support some weight if the TT is setup to balance properly. There is also a weld at the top of the TT frame to the bumper.
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Old 09-28-2012, 10:15 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jim-Bev-2363 View Post
Here is how a receiver is hooked to the rear of my TT. I'm not saying it is a good thing to use/do because of the weight concerns but it is done and seems solid. I did try a receiver rack in it and jumped on it without give. Since I do not travel with much in the holding tanks I have been tempted to try it but finding a place for the spare in our Expedition doesn't suit me.
I can understand that. I did find a bracket that is pretty low profile to minimize torque/twisting due to leverage.

Spare Tire Mount

It would easily mount on my tongue channel, but I'm not sure I want to do it. It would take up some space and make it a little awkward to work around the tongue, not to mention the aesthetics issue. I could mount it on the TT bumper towards one side or the other to keep the torque/twisting down on the bumper, but I'm not crazy about messing up my load distribution too much. For now, I think I'll just leave it inside the camper or bed of my S-10 while on the road.

Thanks for sharing.
-Dale
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Old 01-17-2013, 10:08 AM   #8
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I finally have a bike rack mounted to the rear of our 2363. Several pictures showing how it looks when inserted into the receiver on our rear bumper. First shows the receiver on the bumper with carrier inserted.


Here it is with two bikes on the carrier. One will have to have the handlebar turned during travel.


A view from teh rear showing how high the bikes ride above the roar. They should never scrape the ground.


The way we will normally travel with only one bike on the rack.





I revisited the idea of carrying the camper spare in the tow vehicle and have decided to carry the tire there. I have the room for the tire, the sway bars, the hitch with load bars, all in a small area to keep it all in one place. That means the load change over carrying the spare tire back there should only be about 30/40 pounds above just the spare tire. I don't think this will make much difference in handling. Not enough to readjust anyway. I will double check the ride of the tow vehicle to make sure.
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Old 05-06-2013, 12:07 PM   #9
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I tried to attach a receiver to my bumper for a bike rack. The top heavy nature of the bike rack caused the bumper mounts to bend. They are only welded on the sides and not all the way around. We were on a 5+ hour trip and its a good thing I checked them when we stopped to meet friends we were traveling with. I threw this question out there awhile ago and someone mentioned a hitch receiver that bolts to the frame of the trailer. I never bought one but it looks like a good product. Here's the link to that thread:

http://www.sunlineclub.com/forums/f73/bumper-bike-rack-11654.html
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Old 05-14-2013, 10:34 AM   #10
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I recently found a solution that I think will work over the long haul. I removed the clamp-on receiver and got a low profile clamp-on tire carrier from Harbor Freight. I mounted it to the TT bumper, but offset to minimize torque on the bumper. (Having the little 13" tires helps, too.) It looks like it will work ok there. I'll get a pic of the actual installation after I get off work.

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Old 05-14-2013, 03:55 PM   #11
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Here are a couple of views of my spare tire setup. A tire cover is on the way.



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Old 05-14-2013, 04:03 PM   #12
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I had a support welded from frame to frame to attach my bike rack. When I put the spare tire carrier on I made sure U bolts were straddling plate bumper was welded to as not to put torque on bumper.
Attached Images
File Type: jpg IMG_0333.jpg (57.4 KB, 6 views)
File Type: jpg IMG_0337.jpg (55.6 KB, 4 views)
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Old 05-14-2013, 04:06 PM   #13
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Looks like a real nice job, Jim.
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Old 05-14-2013, 04:44 PM   #14
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Thanks,
It works but I have to watch my tongue weight.
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Old 05-14-2013, 06:23 PM   #15
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FWIW...I have lost or severely damaged three bumpers trying different types of bike carriers and hookups...two on Sunnies and one on a motorhome. In two of the cases I had previously had reinforcements welded to prevent it and still had issues. The last instance was close to being a real accident so I don 't advise anyone to bumper carry them. Tire carriers are fine IMHO.
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Old 05-14-2013, 07:12 PM   #16
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I get the impression from all of the experience here, that no matter what is attached to the rear TT bumper, it would be wise to check it regularly - whether it's for loosening nuts/bolts, bumper torsion effects, or whatever else might happen. I'll entertain that impression.

Thank you all for your input.
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