Rear generator rack for 2018 193BHS??

[Ben999]

Hi all, hope all is well!

We just got our first TT 2018 193BHS and joining the community! Very excited!

Has anyone tried to mount a rear generator rack (preferably fordable, as we probably will not need a generator for every trip)?
The generator we have is a bit more than 100 lb.

Any suggestion on the hardware? I would prefer to DIY it.

Thanks in advance!

Best,
Ben.

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by Ben999

Hi all, hope all is well!

We just got our first TT 2018 193BHS and joining the community! Very excited!

Has anyone tried to mount a rear generator rack (preferably fordable, as we probably will not need a generator for every trip)?
The generator we have is a bit more than 100 lb.

Any suggestion on the hardware? I would prefer to DIY it.

Thanks in advance!

Best,
Ben.

If your bumper is a standard 4" square bumper the GennyGo platform sold on Amazon (and other) sites is good unit. Mounts with two bolts in clamps that encircle the bumper. Easy to remove or reinstall.

Best used if the Safe T Struts are also installed to reinforce the bumper, also available on Amazon.

I considered DIY but in the end I'm glad I didn't. With the GennyGo unit no engineering required, no trial and error, no welding, no painting, and in the end it's a well finished and light weight unit. Glad I passed on the DIY option.

[Ben999]

Originally Posted by TitanMike

If your bumper is a standard 4" square bumper the GennyGo platform sold on Amazon (and other) sites is good unit. Mounts with two bolts in clamps that encircle the bumper. Easy to remove or reinstall.

Best used if the Safe T Struts are also installed to reinforce the bumper, also available on Amazon.

I considered DIY but in the end I'm glad I didn't. With the GennyGo unit no engineering required, no trial and error, no welding, no painting, and in the end it's a well finished and light weight unit. Glad I passed on the DIY option.

Thanks TitanMike. Have you considered as simple as a cargo carrier? Thanks!

[GGB]

Originally Posted by Ben999

Hi all, hope all is well!

We just got our first TT 2018 193BHS and joining the community! Very excited!

Has anyone tried to mount a rear generator rack (preferably fordable, as we probably will not need a generator for every trip)?
The generator we have is a bit more than 100 lb.

Any suggestion on the hardware? I would prefer to DIY it.

Thanks in advance!

Best,
Ben.

You have the Apex Nano trailer. I would not mount anything on the bumper it isn't strong enough to hold up a carrier and a generator in my opinion. Also not a good idea to add weight to the back of a trailer it may remove just enough weight from the tongue to cause problems towing. The metal bumper tube gauge thickness is not much and it is just welded to the frame I-beam. You will need to reinforce the bumper somehow. Here is a couple that has a 213RDS model where the bumper failed on a trip. They have a YouTube channel "No Worries RVing" and her is the link where they describe what happened

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DG3vALV_QI

to their bumper. They did have a cargo carrier mounted on the bumper not sure the amount of weight on it though.

If it was me I would get a carreir that mounts on the tounge of the trailer like this one https://www.strombergcarlson.com/pro...-model-cc-255/.

[Ben999]

Originally Posted by GGB

You have the Apex Nano trailer. I would not mount anything on the bumper it isn't strong enough to hold up a carrier and a generator in my opinion. Also not a good idea to add weight to the back of a trailer it may remove just enough weight from the tongue to cause problems towing. The metal bumper tube gauge thickness is not much and it is just welded to the frame I-beam. You will need to reinforce the bumper somehow. Here is a couple that has a 213RDS model where the bumper failed on a trip. They have a YouTube channel "No Worries RVing" and her is the link where they describe what happened

to their bumper. They did have a cargo carrier mounted on the bumper not sure the amount of weight on it though.

If it was me I would get a carreir that mounts on the tounge of the trailer like this one https://www.strombergcarlson.com/pro...-model-cc-255/.

Thanks a ton GGB!!! For the removal of tongue weight, will that be solved by using a weight distribution hitch? I will look into more on the tube to see what happened there.

[TitanMike]

Install these to beef up the bumper:

https://smile.amazon.com/Mount-n-Loc...s%2C855&sr=8-1

They support the bottom of the bumper so the weight of any added item, a generator platform, by the bottom rather than the welds which can tear out of the bumper metal.

I have them on mine and am completing a second year of carrying a generator and doing so over 10,000 miles.

[rsdata]

For the removal of tongue weight, will that be solved by using a weight distribution hitch?

A weight distribution hitch has little to do with tongue weight... tongue weight should be between 12-15% of total trailer weight. By putting 100# on the rear bumper you are removing tongue weight and can get into dangerous sway conditions demonstrated by this youtube...
https://youtu.be/w9Dgxe584Ss

100# is a serious amount of weight for light weight trailers to carry on the stock bumper. Bumps in the road cause tremendous force on thin steel of the bumpers and cause them to tear away from the frame at the welds.

The Genny-go and the Mount n Lock safety struts are the minimum you would need to get that genny on the bumper and even then keep an eye on it and avoid washboard roads that would stress that bumper and cause you to lose that bumper and genny.

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by rsdata

A weight distribution hitch has little to do with tongue weight... tongue weight should be between 12-15% of total trailer weight. By putting 100# on the rear bumper you are removing tongue weight and can get into dangerous sway conditions demonstrated by this youtube...
https://youtu.be/w9Dgxe584Ss

100# is a serious amount of weight for light weight trailers to carry on the stock bumper. Bumps in the road cause tremendous force on thin steel of the bumpers and cause them to tear away from the frame at the welds.

The Genny-go and the Mount n Lock safety struts are the minimum you would need to get that genny on the bumper and even then keep an eye on it and avoid washboard roads that would stress that bumper and cause you to lose that bumper and genny.

Washboard roads aren't all that bad if people slow down. Good idea to keep from damaging all parts of the trailer, not just a bumper with a generator on the back.

Some people are of the opinion that when on the washboard roads it's "smoother if you go faster".

[B and B]

That is a lot of weight on the back bumper. Let us know how you make out once you head down the road.

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by B and B

That is a lot of weight on the back bumper. Let us know how you make out once you head down the road.

Depending on the generator it's usually a max of 110 lbs. If a 180# person can stand on the middle of the bumper, jump up and down without bending or breaking a weld, the bumper is a lot stronger than you think.

[babock]

I have a coachmen trailer. If your bumper is the same as mine there is absolutely no way I would be putting that on the bumper unless you have some welded bracket fabricated that comes up from the frame on both sides.


Put it in the bed of your truck.

[GGB]

Not all trailer bumpers are made the same. They may all be 4" square but that is where the similarities end. For the Apex line to make the trailers as light as possible the bumper tube thickness is ~ 1/16", good to carry sewer hoses. The few I looked at even have stickers on them to not put any weight on the bumper.

Each to their own people will do as they please. I know its anecdotal but I have seen at least a couple of dozen bumper failures in my nearly 30 years of RVing and they were all due to installing cargo or bike racks, generators, and other heavy items that should have never been there.

As for the tongue weight adding "only" ~110 lbs is actually more weight than that as it is being cantilevered out further behind the bumper and not right on top like when a person standing directly on top of it. Different forces being exerted so not a very good comparison.

A WD system will not correct a light tongue weight as some one has already stated. Removing weight from a single axle trailer is a lot more serious than on a double axle trailer. Sway is not to be taken lightly as it can result in deadly consequences.