195BH Cruise lite bumper and bike hitch

[pawntan]

I want to install a hitch receiver like the following from Amazon,
and then be able to carry bike carrier.
I've read about horror stories that the bumper will buckle and bikes will be dragged on the highway.
but, really ? I look at the bumper of my cruise lite 195 BH, it looks sturdy enough.
After all at the most I will carry only 100 pounds, bike carrier + bike itself
Bikes are light these days.
is is possible that the ones that have problems just do not have steel bumper, just aluminium maybe ?

Robot Check


What is the official forest river from statement regarding the max bumper hitch carry weight rating ?

[Terier]

You are correct about there being some horror stories regarding bumpers and bike racks. I would suggest contacting FR directly to get answers to your questions regarding your particular Cruise Lite unit. Some bumpers are made better than others.

[bikendan]

Since your trailer has "lite" in its name, it probably has an ultralight chassis.
And it's the cheap and thin bumper welds that are the biggest issue.

Then there's possibly voiding the chassis warranty, doing any such mod.

So, you can do this by having a receiver welded and braced to the frame AND bumper.
But this probably puts the chassis warranty in jeopardy, if you have any future problems with the frame.

Unless the warranty has expired.

[Camp4two]

Point: Our 195BH bumper has the FR 15 inch spare tire and mounting bracket attached by a U clamp to the bumper. There is probably 60-70 lbs. of weight with the spare tire & bracket. FR has already determined the bumper can support their spare tire & bracket weight. No warranty issue.

Counterpoint: Our 2014 FR Travel Trailer Owners Manual, page 18, says "NOTE: Do not attach any type of rack or frame to any recreational vehicle frame, bumper, or chassis part. The alteration to length and/or weight distribution may result in unstable handling, be a safety hazard, or could damage the RV components. Alterations of the sort, without the RV manufacturer's express written consent, may affect the RV warranty. " A potential warranty issue.

FR should know the maximum weight the bumper/frame can support beyond the weight of of a 15 inch spare tire & mount. If you're trailer is under warranty, I suggest you get FR's written consent to install your bike rack.

Good luck. Let us know what you did. We may want to add a bike rack as well.

Camp4two

[daybreak]

We have a sticker on our 195bh that states mounting anything to the bumper voids the warranty. I wouldn't risk it.

[Camp4two]

I'm curious Daybreak......... did your 195BH come with a factory spare tire mounted to the bumper?

[daybreak]

No we didn't get a spare tire at all.

[bikendan]

Spare tire is an option on most TTs.
Generally dealers will order their trailers with the optional spare tire.
But some don't.

[pawntan]

Neither I get spare tire with my 195BH

[Camp4two]

We got the option spare tire. The sticker Daybreak mentioned must have been for trailers w/o a spare. Maybe FR reinforced their bumpers for the option spare tire.

If the bumper supports our factory 15 inch wheel & mount then it should be able to support a bike rack equal to or less than the weight of the spare tire and mount. How could FR dispute that? Still (per the owners manual) best to get FR written approval to install a bike rack on the rear bumper if the trailer is still under warranty.

[Camp4two]

Forgot to mention to add the weight of the bike(s) with the bike rack.

[Justice12t]

I have a different unit than you do but still a FR product. My dealer is going back and forth with FR about us adding a bike rack to ours. We ordered ours and told our salesman what we wanted to use our unit for and to carry bikes. Unfortunately they did not tell us until after the unit arrived at the dealership(Original salesperson left the company) that you can request "extra bracing and welding" from FR to not void the warrant or at least cause the headache to fight with them over repairs. As it looks now we are buying a carrier for the back from lippert that our dealer said they would step up and cover if anything ever happened...but the saga continues...good luck!

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by Camp4two

We got the option spare tire. The sticker Daybreak mentioned must have been for trailers w/o a spare. Maybe FR reinforced their bumpers for the option spare tire.

If the bumper supports our factory 15 inch wheel & mount then it should be able to support a bike rack equal to or less than the weight of the spare tire and mount. How could FR dispute that? Still (per the owners manual) best to get FR written approval to install a bike rack on the rear bumper if the trailer is still under warranty.

The physics of bikes being held out and away, from the trailer's rear, are different than the spare tire that's right up against the back and over the bumper.

Since most trailers don't have shocks, the bikes will bounce, causing the rack to flex back and down.

[Camp4two]

Great insight bikendan. Thank you.

[pawntan]

Found this :
https://www.mount-n-lock.com/
The safety struts looks to be the answer to my problem.
However it does not reinforce the entire length of the bumer from left to right.
What if the tear happens in and around the hitch receiver that is away from where the struts are ?
I'm asking the following q to the manufacturer "
"I'm intesrested in your safety strut.
But I have some doubt about how it works. Can you please help me ?
It looks like the struts only reinforce the area where the bumper meets the frame. However, if I put the hitch receiver (bike carrier) in the middle of the bumper, how does the struts prevent the twisting the middle section of the bumper ?
The bumper may still be attached to the frame, but the middle section of the bumper maybe twisted, ripped, or may not be hollow square anymore (hollow circle maybe )? "

[Golfnbike13]

Originally Posted by pawntan

Found this :
https://www.mount-n-lock.com/
The safety struts looks to be the answer to my problem.
However it does not reinforce the entire length of the bumer from left to right.
What if the tear happens in and around the hitch receiver that is away from where the struts are ?
I'm asking the following q to the manufacturer "
"I'm intesrested in your safety strut.
But I have some doubt about how it works. Can you please help me ?
It looks like the struts only reinforce the area where the bumper meets the frame. However, if I put the hitch receiver (bike carrier) in the middle of the bumper, how does the struts prevent the twisting the middle section of the bumper ?
The bumper may still be attached to the frame, but the middle section of the bumper maybe twisted, ripped, or may not be hollow square anymore (hollow circle maybe )? "

Did you get any answer? I've been considering a bike rack on mine but have all the same concerns.

[Gary G.]

I have the 261BHXL wich included the additional folding bike rack/tray and spare tire/holder. It's the drop down model. It's so heavy duty I can hardly handle it. The rack (which has the spare tire mounted on it) is removable with pins. The bracket that holds the rack were welded to the frame. I can't imagine adding a spare tire/holder would be too much weight. Just call the manufacturer or dealer to be sure.

[Gary G.]

My 261BHXL came with the bike rack/spare tire option on the rear of the TT. It's so heavy I can barely lower/raise the rack in order to hook up the city water which is just in front of the bike rack/spare tire unit. The bike rack/spare tire is removable by pulling two pins but the two brackets that the unit attaches to is welded to the bumper. I can't imagine adding a bike rack, as you mention, would be excessive weight. Just my two cents.

[Gary G.]

sorry for the double post. I didn't see my first one, so thought it didn't get posted.

[Camp4two]

During our recent camp trip we noticed a 2 bike bumper rack on the back of a small Winnebago trailer. Tried to contact the owner but there was no one at the trailer at the time. Took a closer look and saw the rack was made by Swagman.

A lot of positive reviews on Amazon: Amazon.com: Swagman 2-Bike RV Bumper Rack: Automotive

Took a couple pics. The two bumper racks are mounted with four large U-bolt clamps (2 for each rack). As you can see there is no spare tire.

Swagman has made these racks specifically for RVs with 4" to 4.5" continuous welded steel bumpers. This might be a more secure option instead of welding a receiver hitch to the bumper/frame.

We are thinking about putting this rack on our 195BH. Has anyone used this rack? Any comments about it are appreciated.