Bike Rack On Bumper With Double Beams

ksting · 08-26-2015, 09:38 AM

I realize this has been addressed numerous times. I know, I know, everyone says to not mount a hitch on your rear bumper with a bike rack because a bouncing bike rack can break the welds if it's not reinforced. But my rear bumper on my Avenger has doubled up beams supporting the bumper on each side. A lot of trailers only have single beams supporting the bumper. My bumper seems like it's a lot more beefed up and is already supporting a spare tire. I was thinking of removing the tire and replacing it with the bike rack. I have included a picture here. Thoughts? Sorry the picture uploaded upside down but you get the idea.

aceinspp · 08-26-2015, 09:40 AM

Be a ware you will void your warranty by mounting a bike rack to your tt if your warranty has not expired. Later RJD

ksting · 08-26-2015, 09:41 AM

Manufacturer told me that the warranty is already expired as its only for one year. I purchased this 2014 trailer used.

Happy Vibe · 08-26-2015, 10:00 AM

How thick is the metal the bumper is made of? How far does the double beam extend under the trailer?

rsdata · 08-26-2015, 10:36 AM

I am a proponent of adding bumper hitches to TT responsibly. Please take into account the load you are putting on the bumper, any additional load-bearing brackets that you may add, and watch carefully for problems anytime you tow. I took off the factory mounted spare tire and bracket. I also have this mounted close to the right side closer to the bumper support.

I added to my Shamrock 183 brackets to help support the bumper (and help compensate for rotational torque from the bike carrier) from

Mount-n-Lockâ„¢ Camper & RV Bumpers, Cargo Carrier Trays and Accessories

to give me a little more strength. I added the Swagman hitch from etrailer.com which features a bolt on the side to help control bounce of the inserted hitch.

I then designed and with the help of a friend that could weld aluminum, built a custom bike rack out of aluminum and stainless. It weighs less then 20#. The stainless tube is inserted into the hitch. The tube is bolted to an aluminum rack that supports the wheels of my bike. It is very stable riding down the road and does not bounce by itself, unless the whole rear of the trailer bounces. My bike and carrier weighs about 45# total.

The attached pictures I just took... the uneven black paint near the welds is the result of spray painting black-rubberized paint in those areas to keep ahead of rust, although in one shot it looks like the weld is cracking... it is NOT...

This was my way of dealing with adding a bike rack to my HTT, and I hope it gives you an idea of what might work for you.

ksting · 08-26-2015, 10:57 AM

One beam is cut short and bolted to the side of the frame. The other beam extends underneath. The bumper is a standard 4" square.

ksting · 08-26-2015, 11:05 AM

I have a bolt on curt hitch I already purchased and a bike rack that holds four bikes. I would only use it for two though.

Telstar · 08-26-2015, 12:06 PM

Be advised that most bike racks warn that they are not designed for use behind a trailer. This is because of the bouncing, the welds on the rack may break. There are a few racks designed to withstand the stress, I find they all cost over $150.00.

ksting · 08-26-2015, 12:55 PM

I have a Yakima bike rack. It's at least 9 years old. It won't break. The trailer bumper is more of a concern.

mudman2 · 08-26-2015, 01:06 PM

Do yourself a favor. Get a front hitch. I did. Not only does it bring the bikes along it helps me tremendously to reposition the trailer in my side yard location.

djm560 · 08-26-2015, 02:36 PM

The problem is the bumper . Not the welds . I almost lost my bikes had it not been for someone passing me and mouthing "bikes" and pointing to the rear of my camper. The weld held up just fine. The bumper tore like a piece of paper. Your best bet is mount a receiver to the frame .

JoeNanMinn · 08-26-2015, 04:41 PM

you could always buy one of the cargo/bike racks from a dealer that are installed at the factories on the rear of RV's and add it to yours. They are designed and built to be mounted on the rear, to take the abuse, bouncing, etc. that folks are mentioning here. They are heavy duty for that purpose. On a previous RV we had after the factory warranty expired I did just this. Beefed up my frame a little bit and purchased a rack through a dealer and added it. I carried bikes, generators and "stuff" with no issues. Just a thought for you to consider.

ksting · 08-26-2015, 05:32 PM

But do I need to beef up mine anymore then it already is? I have two Beams welded to my bumper on each side. I get the feeling that most of the people who had issues where the welds break, etc, only had one beam welded to the bumper on each side. Mine looks to be already reinforced.

JoeNanMinn · 08-26-2015, 09:42 PM

your bumper looks to me like its pretty light weight metal like most are. Your brackets though look heavier. But Im not sure if your double frame lengths are long enough to accommodate the swivel brackets for the cargo/bike racks I mentioned earlier. My frame from the factory is a double frame also but sticks out much further than yours look. My rack does not use the bumper for any support at all. You would need to attach anything you ad to the frame brackets themselves and NOT to your bumper. If they are not long enough then I would look at adding a receiver hitch between the frame rails and under your bumper. and then find a rack that mounts into the receiver. Preferrably a 2".

duradiesel · 08-26-2015, 11:27 PM

On my old 5th wheel the square tube ripped ; the welds were OK .

CWSWine · 08-29-2015, 10:01 AM

Forest River put a spare tire and grill on my back bumper that weight 133 lbs that I removed to put my bike rack on. You say the bikes bounce to much -- get behind one that has that 40 lbs grill on the three piece swing arm bounce - About twice as much as bikes on rack. My bikes and rack weight 76 lbs and don't bounce near as much as the that 40 lbs grill did. The bike rack i got was the one from Camping World and they advertize it for use on RVs and even show pictures being mounted on RVs.

When I called FR about the issue the guy said that he couldn't tell me that it won't damage the bumper but several of the Forest River employees had one just like mine on their fiver bumper and hadn't caused any damage including one guy form development. LOL

DavidAndDonna · 09-07-2015, 09:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by djm560

The problem is the bumper . Not the welds . I almost lost my bikes had it not been for someone passing me and mouthing "bikes" and pointing to the rear of my camper. The weld held up just fine. The bumper tore like a piece of paper. Your best bet is mount a receiver to the frame .

Exactly, and there lies the initial problem. "The wall thickness of the 4" tube bumper"

A bracket attached to this thin wall 4" tube must cover a considerable "area" to distribute the weight.

DavidAndDonna · 09-07-2015, 09:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ksting

But do I need to beef up mine anymore then it already is? I have two Beams welded to my bumper on each side. I get the feeling that most of the people who had issues where the welds break, etc, only had one beam welded to the bumper on each side. Mine looks to be already reinforced.

your structural issue lies in the "thin wall thickness of the 4" tube". The tube wall is more likely to "tear" than a weld breaking.

Any bracket welded, or bolted needs to cover a considerable "area" to distribute the weight and stress.

I would suggest not less than 12" surface attachment, and this is for "bikes" only.

CWSWine · 09-07-2015, 11:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DavidAndDonna

your structural issue lies in the "thin wall thickness of the 4" tube". The tube wall is more likely to "tear" than a weld breaking.

Any bracket welded, or bolted needs to cover a considerable "area" to distribute the weight and stress.

I would suggest not less than 12" surface attachment, and this is for "bikes" only.

So how do you explain the 133 lbs of weight that mine had on it from the factory with the same type bracket. Far as bouncing that 40 lbs grill with it's 30 lbs tri fold swing out mount bounces lot more then bikes on decent rack. The spare tire weights 68lbs....

DavidAndDonna · 09-07-2015, 11:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CWSWine

So how do you explain the 133 lbs of weight that mine had on it from the factory with the same type bracket. Far as bouncing that 40 lbs grill with it's 30 lbs tri fold swing out mount bounces lot more then bikes on decent rack. The spare tire weights 68lbs....

the first thing I would do as a professional fabricator is refer you to one in your local area for any mods. A professional can assist you.

An additional area to consider also is a brace or gusset on the rack it self.

Rest assured if I can build this bed with a B&W setup a bicycle rack is not an issue.

A professional fabricator can assist you.

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