Anyone know the carrying weight capacity of a 4' bumper Rookwood Signature Ultra Lite?

[upontop]

Pardon me if I posted this in the wrong area. I'm new to this forum.

I have a 2015 Rockwood Signature Ultra Light FW (8280ws). It has the 4' rear bumper that carries my spare tire. I would like to install the Curt RV Bumper 2" Trailer Hitch Receiver E-100 and use that to install a bicycle rack. (That receiver attaches to the bumper as opposed to one that attaches to the frame). I prefer the 2' hitch so I can use the same bike rack on my truck as apposed to the 4' clamp on bike rack which would only be used on the FW. I have no intentions of towing anything.

Does anyone know what the limits are of the 4' square bumper?

Thanks for your help!!

[Happy Vibe]

You should do a search for this topic as you will get answers from 0 lbs don't do it to I have done it with no problems.
My personal opinion ( that Costs you $0 and is worth every penny) is the ultralight bumpers are not strong enough to handle the forces a bike rack puts on the bumper.

[Flybob]

The key thing to understand here is the term ultra lite. It means much more that light weight. It also refers to the frame composition. Most if not all ultra lite RVs use a manufactured I-beam frame meaning three pieces of steel are welded together to form an I beam. This results in a lighter frame but also less strength. The limiting factor here is not the bumper itself, but the frame. The torque of a bike carrier on the bumper could damage the frame. In addition, the carrier is less stable and will move around a lot and possibly damage your bikes. You will find people who do it, but that in itself doesn't make it right. Check the bumper if new unit, it should have a sticker with the weight limit.

[bikendan]

PLEASE do a search here on bike racks.
There are thousands of posts about what you're asking about.
FR was putting stickers on ultralight bumpers, warning that any modification to the bumper would void the frame warranty.

[lakejumper]

I agree with the above posts as you will get many opinions from others. One thing I did to lighten the bumper so that I could carry other items is move the spare tire under the front frame behind the front jacks. You can use a truck style crank-up holder with a cable for the tire mount. My dealer carried them. You can also do a search here and find more information. Once the warranty is over, I will have a regular receiver hitch welded to the frame which takes the weight off of the bumper.

[upontop]

Thanks for the info! Seems like the thing to do is the frame hitch. I guess I knew that really was the correct thing to do, just thinking I could save a little if I could get away with a bumper hitch!

[Arn]

I started a thread here a couple of years ago stating that I wasn't afraid of heresay & I was going to go ahead & install a bike rack on my bumper. By the time my forum friends had posted stories & pictures I was pretty much convinced it wasn't just heresay. Needless to say I still carry 2 bikes in the trailer...

[bowebow]

Visited factory where windjammers and v lites are built. Engineer who showed us models we wanted to see said that bumper are built to handle bracket and weight of spare, about 70 #. Remove spare add bike up to that weight. He was proud of what they were building there!

[upontop]

I've been doing a search on "Bike rack" ( like many of you suggested ) and see all the different solutions although it's seems like the real solution is to attach the hitch to the frame.

Seems like that's the way to go!

Now to figure out the warranty issues that may cause.

Thanks everybody!!

[Evereddie]

What we did.

http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...tml#post954968

Amazon.com: Stromberg Carlson (CC-275) Bike Bunk for Cargo Tray: Automotive

[Rsharrer]

I have a 2014 8289ws and researched attaching a bike rack to the rear bumper. I was also told that I could remove the spare tire and trade that weight for a same weight bike and rack. Still wasn't comfortable considering the light weight nature of the construction. I ultimately purchased a front mount hitch for my Ford F-250 and a bike rack. It works quite well and I like the idea that I can see my bikes. They are very stable and there is no wobble.

[Waynedeer]

I think you should consider yourself lucky if the bumper does not fall off under its own weight; nevermind void the "warranty" as if a couple pounds is going to warp the minimal frame on these RV's.

[rockfordroo]

upontop:

See my Post #4 here for what I had on my Roo 19. I've now got something similar on my Micro Lite.

http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...hod-91660.html

If you want to get the spare off the bumper, see my post here on installing a Bal Hide-a-spare:

http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...ite-91088.html

[Joe-Barb]

We have a Rockwood 2608ws ultra lite and there was a sticker on bumper stating do not put anthing on bumper other than spare tire. I was told by some other rver's that the bumpers have cracked in half from the stress of the bikes bouncing up and down. Bumpers are for show and hose storage only. I purchased a length of angle iron and had it welded to the top of bumper and frame an added a2in receiver and I haul 300#of bikes and fuel with out any problems

[DocRob]

The newer bumpers have continuous weld like a pipe in place of the old ones that while thicker were just folded closed. I wouldn't think twice about putting the bike rack on the bumper with one, no two issues. First you might mount the receiver upside down to maintain your clearance under the bumper and second keep the weight down to a hundred pounds or so. If your still concerned you can remount the spare up front with something like the hid a spare kits.

[frozen]

My Rockwood 8289 came with a sticker on the bumper saying that any alterations or additions would void the warranty. That sort of hints at the strength and durability of the bumper. I installed a 2" receiver on the front of my truck. The bikes get a little buggy up there; otherwise it works well.

[asquared]

Be aware adding a hitch to the frame also void the warranty. Double check with FR before doing any such mod.

[Islander]

My guess it that they should be able to hold the weight of a couple of bikes (then I could be very wrong)...
However... it's the wobbling and shaking the bikes do during travel that will cause the damage. IMO

In my case I have one of those fold down spare tire carriers on my
WC bumper.
For anyone that has one knows how much they wobble and shake during travel.
I eliminated most of that with a very strong / sturdy bungy cord from the top of the tire holder going down to the bumper (in a 'V') at right angles pulled very tight.
Thinking of doing the under mount for the spare.

Islander

[itat]

It's not the weight. I can stand on my bumper no problem.

With bikes mounted on a receiver type of rack, the bikes will sit on a supporting arm that extends away from the back of the trailer and when the bikes bounce the rack exerts a twisting force on the bumper. That twisting force will bend or buckle the thin metal bumper and the bumper will break away at the welds that hold it onto the frame.

The spare tire doesn't exert the same twisting on the bumper.

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by itat

It's not the weight. I can stand on my bumper no problem.

With bikes mounted on a receiver type of rack, the bikes will sit on a supporting arm that extends away from the back of the trailer and when the bikes bounce the rack exerts a twisting force on the bumper. That twisting force will bend or buckle the thin metal bumper and the bumper will break away at the welds that hold it onto the frame.

The spare tire doesn't exert the same twisting on the bumper.

EXACTLY!