Rear Bumper Hitch - Page 2

Nannuq · 08-04-2019, 03:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kylesmith3021

I had these on my last 2 trailers and they work great..had my bike carrier and spare tire on the bumper and never an issue.

https://www.amazon.com/Mount-n-Lock-...+bumper&sr=8-4

They have great customer service and if you email them a picture of your bumper to frame attachment they even tell you what model to buy...I upgraded to a different camper this year and my old set would not work and they even sent me a brand new one for free that woukd work with new setup

I have these on my 2016 Cougar 33RES as well and have been carrying a Champion dual Fuel Inverter on a bumper shelf for a few years. I have towed it from Michigan to Texas. Up to Oregon back to Texas. Then from Texas to Las Vegas about 4 times now. The inverter has road back there for over 10k miles. The bumper hasn't twisted, the welds are perfect, Zero Failures. the genset weighs about 100 pounds. I also have a spare tire mounted on the bumper.

mwemaxxowner · 08-05-2019, 10:04 AM

I'm no metallurgist, but surely not ALL RV bumpers are incapable of shouldering any kind of load (when referring to the actual bumper tube after welds have been reinforced one way or another.)

What gauge of metal should we have in order to expect it to handle some weight?

**JRTJH** · 08-05-2019, 10:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mwemaxxowner

I'm no metallurgist, but surely not ALL RV bumpers are incapable of shouldering any kind of load (when referring to the actual bumper tube after welds have been reinforced one way or another.)

What gauge of metal should we have in order to expect it to handle some weight?

Your first statement is correct. The "rub" comes from the fact that there are, for the ENTIRE RV industry, only two major suppliers of RV chassis. One is Lippert the other is Norco Industries (NXG frame). Both come with "attached bumper" supplied by the chassis manufacturer. None of the RV manufacturing companies install their own bumper, so "what's there is what you get" meaning that there are only three choices, Lippert, NORCO or none.

There are some (limited) RV manufacturers that do build their own chassis. Typically, those brands are "far more expensive" than anything Keystone produces, expecially in the entry level or mid level market.

So, pretty much, "industry wide" the bumpers are the same because the suppliers are limited to two brands.

As for "what gauge metal do we need" ??? I'd say, for the most part, "much thicker than what's installed on virtually every "Ultra-Lite" or "X-Lite" RV. They have "cut the weight" so much that not much on any RV in those categories has any reserve, even in the bumper...

mwemaxxowner · 08-05-2019, 10:33 AM

Mine isn't an ultra light, but I'm also sure it doesn't have any sort of premium features.

travelin texans · 08-05-2019, 02:43 PM

This topic has been cussed/discussed since the first bumper landed in the middle of the highway. It's like tires, trucks & several other things those with experience have spoke up so take what you want from the advice & do whatever makes you happy.
I will add one more thing, don't be too shocked that one of these trips you arrive at your destination & low & behold your bumpers gone along with whatever was on it & hopefully no one got hurt behind you when it hit the highway.

mwemaxxowner · 08-05-2019, 02:56 PM

That's why I asked the question I did. When I was growing up we personally had a camper with a bumper fail due to a bike rack.

However, you have just as many folks who say they had one fail, as folks who put a generator or whatnot on one for years and no problems. I wouldn't DREAM of doing ANYTHING without beefing up the welds though.

It sure stinks though that you'd never know until it was too late. I think, for me, that's the biggest con.

**JRTJH** · 08-05-2019, 03:29 PM

Mitchell,

We all have life insurance. Some collect on it (well their survivors do) and for some, it was a complete waste of money as they lived longer than the payments....

It's the same with bumpers on travel trailers. Some abuse them with never a problem, some lose their bumper with just the factory installed spare tire. Which is which? Fate more than anything else, I suppose. Who is going to be the next "lucky one" or the next "victim" ??? That's the part where "insurance comes in"... If you don't know if you're going to survive, then buy insurance or don't risk anything that might cause a problem. For me, it seems that "only the fool" would risk it all, without insurance and argue, "But, he did it and it worked".....

Remember, even with insurance, if your bumper injures or kills someone following behind you, insurance or not, you're the one that's got to live with the consequences... Can the guy you see in the mirror every morning be OK with that? Mr Old Fart (that I look at every morning) wouldn't be able to cope with hurting someone else's family, or my own for that matter.

If you're feeling lucky, hang two generators on the bumper. If you're the kind that stubs a toe at every rocky trail crossing, I'd find another place for the spare and know that the bumper is a good place to set a wrench when working on the tail lights...(as long as you don't forget and leave it there).... YMMV

mwemaxxowner · 08-05-2019, 03:49 PM

I don't want to mount a generator on it. You're picking and choosing words to listen to (that was just an example to show a point. I don't have a genny). The point was, there are stories where bumpers fail, and there are stories where they supported weight (after weld reinforcement), and don't. I don't buy that it's just up to chance. I think some can, and some can't. Maybe it's older campers before the Uber light movement. We don't all have newer campers. I wish I knew more about the engineering and calculations required to determine what gauge of steel is necessary to support a bike or a spare. I'm not sure I've ever seen an account where the bumper metal failed instead of the weld from bumper to frame.

All I'm saying is, there IS a gauge of steel where the bumper is adequate. We can certainly assume none of them are as they come, and maybe that's accurate.

**sourdough** · 08-05-2019, 05:35 PM

We have ascertained that the OE bumper is not up to the task. From my hundreds of visits to RV dealers I can tell you the metal in the bumper on newer trailers is about the thickness of a beer can. Regardless of what the bumper says it won't hold squat in severe service. I've seen them going down the road...tilted sideways, bending over 45 degrees, completely fallen backwards because folks just insist that they "should" hold whatever they want....they don't, and won't.

Is there a gauge of metal that won't fatigue or bend in the "bumper"? Sure, fabricate one from 1/4" plate. Now, the supports will fail, so, replace those with heavy gauge steel and plate reinforcements. Lot of work.

rohish · 08-05-2019, 07:12 PM

I recommend this.

CURT 13703 Camper Adjustable Trailer Hitch RV Towing 2-Inch Receiver, 3,500 lbs. Fits Frames up to 72 Inches Wide

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0033WNJV4..._O8osDbPKD74V3

**JRTJH** · 08-06-2019, 03:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rohish

I recommend this.

CURT 13703 Camper Adjustable Trailer Hitch RV Towing 2-Inch Receiver, 3,500 lbs. Fits Frames up to 72 Inches Wide

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0033WNJV4..._O8osDbPKD74V3

This warning is at the top of the installation sheet for the CURT 13703 hitch:
"WARNING: ALL NON-TRAILER LOADS APPLIED TO THIS PRODUCT MUST BE SUPPORTED BY AUXILIARY STABILIZING STRAPS.
** FAILURE TO PROPERLY SUPPORT NON-TRAILER LOADS WILL VOID PRODUCT WARRANTY**"

https://assets.curtmfg.com/masterlib..._13703_INS.PDF

There is a CURT 13704 hitch that carries a 500/5000 pound rating that does not have that warning on the instruction sheet. https://assets.curtmfg.com/masterlib..._13704_INS.PDF

The fact remains that the hitch "strength" is only as strong as its weakest link. In many cases, it's the extreme end of the Lippert chassis rails or the extreme ends of the NORCO stamped steel chassis component to which the hitch is bolted with 4 bolts and some pretty big washers.

mwemaxxowner · 08-06-2019, 05:06 AM

Either way, I'm personally just going with a frame mounted receiver, and any attachments I ever want will be there. Be them bike rack, cargo carrier, etc. I just wonder at what gauge of metal that a 4" square tube would then be considered adequate to support a bike rack or a spare, cargo carrier with a cooler, or what have you. And if absolutely no RV ever produced has a bumper of said gauge or not.

rohish · 08-06-2019, 02:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JRTJH

This warning is at the top of the installation sheet for the CURT 13703 hitch:
"WARNING: ALL NON-TRAILER LOADS APPLIED TO THIS PRODUCT MUST BE SUPPORTED BY AUXILIARY STABILIZING STRAPS.
** FAILURE TO PROPERLY SUPPORT NON-TRAILER LOADS WILL VOID PRODUCT WARRANTY**"

https://assets.curtmfg.com/masterlib..._13703_INS.PDF

There is a CURT 13704 hitch that carries a 500/5000 pound rating that does not have that warning on the instruction sheet. https://assets.curtmfg.com/masterlib..._13704_INS.PDF

The fact remains that the hitch "strength" is only as strong as its weakest link. In many cases, it's the extreme end of the Lippert chassis rails or the extreme ends of the NORCO stamped steel chassis component to which the hitch is bolted with 4 bolts and some pretty big washers.

John has a valid point of it being as strong as the weakest point. Make sure you do your research on the hitch and your attended use. If you plan on adding a hitch, I would recommend a frame mount over a factory bumper mount over and over again.

There are other differences between the two models.

CURT 13703 hitch will fit most travel trailers with a C-Channel, I-Beam, or Box frame chassis.

CURT 13704 hitch is designed for a Box framed chassis which will not fit most travel trailers.

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