Roof Rack Capacity and Move to Rear of Camper

[TennesseePA]

I am looking at the T12RBTH or equivalent and was wondering what the capacity of the roof bars are. I do understand that I will have to unload them to set up. Also can they be moved to the rear roof panel to offset tongue weight on the front rack?

My tow vehicle will be a 2020 Jeep Gladiator with a 2 inch lift and 37 inch tires so capacity is fine but I already get plenty of dirty looks because my headlights shine into peoples rear window. I would like to be able to utilize the entire cargo carrying capacity of the camper but some of that weight needs to be behind the axle.

[Laughing Doc]

I just took possession of a 2021 A122S.

My roof rack has a little sticker on at least one of the bars that says “Max load 150 lbs”.

Each bar is held in place by 4 metal screws on each side. So moving them would entail drilling 16 holes at whichever location you would want. And doing so would likely void your warranty, or at least part of it. They’re clearly not intended to be moved.

[TennesseePA]

Thank you! That is what I was looking for. I tried looking everywhere for the 150 lbs limit. I even downloaded the owner’s manual and couldn’t find it. As far as moving it to the rear and potentially voiding the warranty I noticed that some of the other units have the racks on the rear over the single bubble rather than the double bubble on the front. I am forced to ask myself if anyone would even notice that it was in a different location. Not to mention that they would have to prove that moving it is what caused any potential problem. I’m not a trailer builder but I literally have hundreds of thousands of miles as a trailer tower and putting a every bit of cargo space on one side of the axle is an oversight by the factory. That 150 pounds goes from direct tongue weight to as much as 100 pounds off of the tongue depending on where the center of mass is in relation to the axle.

[Laughing Doc]

The front A wall lays down / overlapping on the rear A wall. With the rack mounted on the front A wall, aerodynamic drag is going to want to “close” the A wall onto the rear wall. The only concern I can think of if you move the rack to the rear wall is that the opposite would be true - aerodynamic drag would want to lift the rear wall. The weight of anything mounted to the rack would want to close it though, so how big of a problem it would be depends on how fast you are going. And of course, assuming you forgot to latch it closed.

On mine, the rack is almost exactly mid point between the axle and the end of the tongue. If it were moved towards the rear to the end of the front wall, it would be located almost directly over the axle. That would be 75 lbs off the tongue.

[wecoopers]

My rack is located on the rear A wall and sticker says 150 lbs max. my dealer told me not to bbn place a bike rack on the rear of my A213HW, as thy hat added weight would cause too much rear sway. odd that 150 lbs won't, but two bikes weighing perhaps 50 to 75 lbs total will? shrug/sigh.
Bill&Sue Cooper
2020 A213HW
2020 Subaru Ascent premium.

[NormTn]

We too have a 213HW, I am currently making a mod to mount a rear bike rack. I will reach out if there are any issues, Between the bikes, the mod and the bike rack I anticipate placing 200# to the rear.

[TennesseePA]

Originally Posted by wecoopers

My rack is located on the rear A wall and sticker says 150 lbs max. my dealer told me not to bbn place a bike rack on the rear of my A213HW, as thy hat added weight would cause too much rear sway. odd that 150 lbs won't, but two bikes weighing perhaps 50 to 75 lbs total will? shrug/sigh.
Bill&Sue Cooper
2020 A213HW
2020 Subaru Ascent premium.

You really do have to wonder where salesman get their product education some times. Just like Doc said a while ago it all depends where it is positioned in relation to the axle and where everything else is loaded.

[Gramps42]

I took my 214HW to an Amish welder and he installed a 2” hitch on the rear for my two bikes. Drove 1000 miles with no sway.
2019 214HW towed by Toyota Highlander

[Midnight Rider]

Royboy, do you have a picture of this? I would really want to add a bike rack to the back of the camper.

I know someone posted their addition when they clamped it to the subframe, but I would like to see some other options.

[OYO]

Originally Posted by Midnight Rider

Royboy, do you have a picture of this? I would really want to add a bike rack to the back of the camper.

I know someone posted their addition when they clamped it to the subframe, but I would like to see some other options.

Here's a good solution several have employed (myself included): https://www.forestriverforums.com/fo...ml#post1031894

[Midnight Rider]

Thanks Oyo, that was the one I was thinking of!

[TennesseePA]

The solution presented in the thread does seem to be effective for moving some of the weight behind the axle. My vision for my camper is for extended trips to nowhere, so extended and remote that the reason I want the extra cargo capacity of the rack is to carry my 51 gallons of extra fuel. My Jeep Gladiator is well on it's way to go anywhere and I want to build a camper that will be capable of carrying what I need to stay anywhere. I already have most of what I need except the camper. My truck bed is currently full of my electrical system to include 2 100 Ah LiFePO4 batteries that I use to power my Dometic dual zone fridge. I could easily convert that to a single battery in the truck and apply multiples in the camper to free up space and cargo capacity of the Gladiator. The truck needs to be capable and equipped for day trips and the camper will be home base.

[TennesseePA]

Do the newer models even have that little poor excuse for a bumper in them anymore?

[Midnight Rider]

My 2017 does not have a bumper...

[OYO]

I would think hanging a 300lb motor cycle or 51 gallons of fule off the rear of the camper would shift some weight to the rear.

I think they got rid of the bumper.

The receiver is bolted to the rear frame cross member (not the bumper) and to an added cross member a foot or so behind the axel.

[TennesseePA]

Originally Posted by OYO

I would think hanging a 300lb motor cycle or 51 gallons of fule off the rear of the camper would shift some weight to the rear.

I think they got rid of the bumper.

The receiver is bolted to the rear frame cross member (not the bumper) and to an added cross member a foot or so behind the axel.

Yeah I saw how it was attached. My whole point of this thread is helping me decide how to get some weight off of the front of the trailer. The camper has over 1300lbs of cargo capacity that can't all be on the front rack. My fuel tank will have to be on the front rack for the delivery hose to be able to reach the back of the truck so other heavy items will have to be placed behind the axle to act as a counter weight to the fuel tank. I may have to compromise down to a 38 gallon tank to keep the tongue weight within what my Gladiator likes.

[bikendan]

Just remember that, if you're buying new, doing such modifications will void the frames warranty. Especially on a thin framed A-frame trailer.

[TennesseePA]

Originally Posted by bikendan

Just remember that, if you're buying new, doing such modifications will void the frames warranty. Especially on a thin framed A-frame trailer.

They have to prove that anything you did is what led to the failure before they can void your warranty. If I put a rack on the back and the frame fails in the front they cannot void the warranty. Just like an automobile warranty the burden of proof is on the manufacturer to prove that the modification caused the failure. As a Jeep owner I am very well educated on modifications and warranties.

[OYO]

Originally Posted by TennesseePA

Yeah I saw how it was attached. My whole point of this thread is helping me decide how to get some weight off of the front of the trailer. The camper has over 1300lbs of cargo capacity that can't all be on the front rack. My fuel tank will have to be on the front rack for the delivery hose to be able to reach the back of the truck so other heavy items will have to be placed behind the axle to act as a counter weight to the fuel tank. I may have to compromise down to a 38 gallon tank to keep the tongue weight within what my Gladiator likes.

I didn't realize you needed to keep the fuel up front. Yes, tongue weight is going to be your issue. Mine is 400 lbs with 2 6v batteries and 2 20 lb propane tanks. Cuts into your payload pretty quickly. Fifty-one gallons of gas is over 300 lbs. Not that it's all tongue weight.

[TennesseePA]

Originally Posted by OYO

I didn't realize you needed to keep the fuel up front. Yes, tongue weight is going to be your issue. Mine is 400 lbs with 2 6v batteries and 2 20 lb propane tanks. Cuts into your payload pretty quickly. Fifty-one gallons of gas is over 300 lbs. Not that it's all tongue weight.

My working plan at the moment is to carry the transfer tank on the front rack as close to the camper box as I can get it. I will build the rack on the back to carry my generator and extended run fuel tank and I also plan to move my propane back there as well. My batteries are only 30 pounds each so they are insignificant as to where they are mounted unless I go with a huge battery bank.

I know someone is thinking it so I will say it now. I still have to run the numbers on it but I need to make sure that as I draw down the transfer tank I don't have too much weight to behind the axle and make myself light in the tongue. Hopefully at the end of one of these trips I will have an elk or a couple deer to make up the difference and it won't be an issue.

And that leads me to another question for the experts, how long do the propane tanks last? I can do the math on the BTU and how much I can carry but that isn't accurate since the furnace only burns when heat is called for. Are these little things well insulated or are they a fancy tent that bears cannot get into easily?