Well we have only had our TT a little over 2 weeks now and have been to 2 campgrounds and love it! We would, however, like to make better use of space for additional items like 4 mountain bikes, a cooler, our fire pit and possibly a moped or two. We pack up the bed of my Dodge which along with the TT sags my rear pretty bad.
My question... has anyone had a hitch welded to the frame of their TT and if so, how much weight can you put in a cargo carrier? OR added a bolt on bumper hitch receiver and a bike rack? OR ...... any other options....
Thanks!
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U.S.A.F.
2015 Rockwood 2607A Ultra Light Emerald
2014 Ram 1500 Mega Cab Black Express Edition
I think what Mr H is referring to is what we would call a divisive issue. Some will claim that it's fine, others that it's an invitation to disaster.
I'm in the latter camp. Most bumpers are neither made of strong steel nor securely mounted. Add slack between the bumper-mounted receiver and the bike rack and the amount of bounce the back of a trailer sees and it's an oscillating situation.
Personally I have never seen bikes, rack and TT bumper lying in the ditch or on the highway, but I've heard stories. I'm not willing to chance it, myself.
Any chance of adding a front receiver to your truck?
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2012 Rockwood Ultra-Lite 2701SS, Goodyear Endurance LRD, ProPride 3P 1400 hitch
2013 F-150 FX4 7700# GVWR SuperCrew 3.5L EcoBoost 157" WB Max Tow 3.73:1 John, Dawn and Emily... and Bella the camping kitty
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__________________ 2016 Grey Wolf 26DBH following a 2014 RAM 1500 Outdoorsman
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Nights Camped - (2014) - 16 in 6 trips (2015) - 20 in 6 trips
(2016) - 21 in 7 trips
(2017) - 12 in 3 and going seasonal for at least the rest of the year!
I guarantee if you use the search field you can read for days about the to bumper mount or not to bumper mount. I would recommend closing this thread and just reading others. Dont say we didn't warn you....
The words "Ultra Light" in the model of your camper tells you that the frame, nor bumper, are strong enough for this type of addition. Your frame is most likely a welded I-beam frame, made to reduce weight. We've all seen the pictures of torn off bumpers and bent frames. These are just words of caution.
We would, however, like to make better use of space for additional items like 4 mountain bikes, a cooler, our fire pit and possibly a moped or two. We pack up the bed of my Dodge which along with the TT sags my rear pretty bad.
Four mountain bikes indicates four people in the truck. That, plus all the stuff you indicate you pack and around 800 lbs tongue weight on a 1/2 ton equals probably way over payload and most likely on passenger tires. I'm not one of those weight police guys, but it sounds like you may be quite a bit over before it's all said and done. Just make sure you do a lot of research on your weight limits before you start bringing everything but the kitchen sink with you. Also, make sure your WDH is properly set up (verified yourself and not just the way the dealership or someone else set it up).
EDIT: Actually....according to FR on the new 2607A dry TW is 814. Sounds high, but if that's the case, you're pushing 1000-ish lbs on the truck right there.
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2015 Chevy Silverado LTZ - HD tow package
2017 Rockwood 2703WS Emerald Edition
I went for one of these and mounted the bikes in front of the trailer. It gets them out of the box of the truck and safer on the front with less bounce and no worry on how strong is the back bumper and frame. The dodges are soft on the back end so hopefully you are already using a wieght distribution hitch but you may need air bags as well. As already stated you can search the forum here with more topic than you can read on both the hitch on the back and air bags.
I have had a bike rack break on the back of a trailer and don't trust them back there no more. As well on a trip together my brother in law ripped the whole bumper off a trailer. He did have to pick up his bikes rack and bumper off the side of the road.
Well we have only had our TT a little over 2 weeks now and have been to 2 campgrounds and love it! We would, however, like to make better use of space for additional items like 4 mountain bikes, a cooler, our fire pit and possibly a moped or two. We pack up the bed of my Dodge which along with the TT sags my rear pretty bad.
My question... has anyone had a hitch welded to the frame of their TT and if so, how much weight can you put in a cargo carrier? OR added a bolt on bumper hitch receiver and a bike rack? OR ...... any other options....
Thanks!
You have a dodge 1500 so probably coils and not springs. This does not change your weight ratio's but you should add some type of air ride control system (timbers) this will help with the sag. I recommend the type of bike carrier Canadian crew shared or search Arvika bike carriers. I personally am not a fan of anything on the bumper
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Essex County
Southern most area in Canada
2017 F250 Lariat 6.7superdutyTurbo Diesel
2011 Flagstaff classic 31.5'BHDS
With my wife and I and 2 sons, firepit, cooler and wood, we are about 700 lbs give or take. The boys BMX bikes and our mountain bikes are around 20-30 lbs each so right around that 800-820 lb mark. This is why I posted this thread, and I appreciate all the great feedback.
I am using the Blue Ox distribution set up and just met with the dealership this morning about adding air bags in the rear. Doesn't look like I am going to add anything to the rear of the trailer, it just doesn't make sense safety wise. There is a 4 bike rack I found that mounts in the bed of the truck. If I did that I guess I can load the other goodies in the TT, maybe even in the bathroom to put a little weight towards the back of the TT.
I was really hoping someone who was a lot more experienced in TT (our first) would have a trico up thwir sleeve or at least an option for us. I am going to research the receiver for the front of the TT thia afternoon.......
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U.S.A.F.
2015 Rockwood 2607A Ultra Light Emerald
2014 Ram 1500 Mega Cab Black Express Edition
This looks like a great option... except... it is only rated for 100 lbs. With the addition of the bike rack we may only get 2 bikes mounted safely. I think our best option still may be to buy a rack to mount in my truck bed and put all 4 bikes in my bed for a total of around 120 lbs with the rack. Then find inside room for the fire pit (super light) and cooler. We are going to ditch the wood in place for the plastic leveling blocks which will save some good weight. Only thing when camping on the beach we will need the wood for support as well as the Honda eu2000 genny and fuel. But then again, 5 gallons of fuel and the small penny could easily fit in the bed with the bikes and still be under the weight capacity. Ughhh
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U.S.A.F.
2015 Rockwood 2607A Ultra Light Emerald
2014 Ram 1500 Mega Cab Black Express Edition
Used these for a 3 bike rake, but removed the spare tire and put that underneath with the BAL Hide-a-spare. So far so good. Says 400lbs, but I wouldn't do more than a bike rake. I also added eye bolts for straps to keep the rack from moving up and down. I check for weld cracks every trip. None yet.
We have a tt and we had a piece of angle iron welded across the top and back of bumper also welded to frame and we use a cargo carrier/bike rack which can hold up to 500lbs . we carry about 200lbs on that bumper using a bolt on receiver and have not had any problems or issues in over three years of use and 12000 miles of traveling.
My buddy bought the Swagman carrier. I told him he should AT LEAST use the Mount-n-lock arms, seems to me it could twist off. His bumper has a 250lbs sticker on it as a rating.
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2016 Rockwood 2702WS
2016 Chevy 2500HD Duramax 4x4 High Country
I think our best option still may be to buy a rack to mount in my truck bed and put all 4 bikes in my bed
I think the bikes in the truck bed is the best option (and probably the cheapest). We're in a similar situation and after a trip to the scales I've been careful to keep the firewood and other heavy stuff to a minimum. We put 3 bikes in the bed and the nice thing is they are nice and secure & I can see them while traveling.
When it comes time to get the next truck, I'm really leaning toward a 3/4 ton gas. They price out about the same as a comparable half ton in a lot of cases and then the payload worries go away. Our current truck has plenty of towing capacity, but all 1/2 tons get light on payload quickly when towing a travel trailer.
2016 Grey Wolf 26DBH following a 2014 RAM 1500 Outdoorsman
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