Rear racks Research

johndeerefarmer wrote:

otrfun wrote:
I think the OP (from the previous thread) did an outstanding job painting and welding that generator platform. Looks professional. Although I have my doubts, it may very well be a safe and well-engineered solution for carrying his generator.

FWIW, about a year ago I approached a local trailer repair facility that specializes in trailer welding, frame, and suspension repair. I asked about welding two receivers to the rear of our toy hauler frame (I-beam). He asked what I planned to use the receivers for. I told him we wanted to mount a platform on it to store no more than 300 lbs. of gear. He recommended against it due to dynamic loading. Explaining that the up and down dynamic loading caused by the inherent slop/play found in all receiver inserts is magnified dramatically by the length and weight of the platform. According to him the issue was not so much a concern about a sudden, dramatic failure, but the potential for a gradual, permanent (unrepairable!) bending of the rear frame members over time. I respected his opinion---especially since he talked himself right out of a job.

Being the guy that built the generator rack I figured I needed to respond to this. My rack has no slop and play due to the set screws that I made out of bolts. (my idea of stopping the slop is not new, there are several companies that sells items to do this. I just designed and made my own) So basically I have a rigid extension of the frame. If you shake it up and down there is no slop- the entire rear of the rv moves with it.
The factory built folding 500 lb capacity bike/cargo rack on my previous Columbus had slop because the holes where you inserted the pins to hold it down were oversized so that you could insert the pins easily.

As we all see, everyone has an opinion and can do what they want. I exercised my freedom and designed and built my own.

To the OP of this thread, thanks for starting it. You might check with Lippert who makes the 500 lb fold down rack and see if they have any records of failure.
I suspect that most failures will be items falling off from not being secured properly, or those that buy the single receiver mount Harbor Freight cargo carriers and load them heavy.

Well, have to say it certainly sounds like you have all the bases covered. I'm impressed that you had the foresight to realize how important it was to make that platforum rigid as possible. With it loose---even slightly, all the weight on that platform acts just like a jack-hammer slowly taking its toll on the receiver and frame. From afar, I think it's hard to really appreciate all the work and design that went into your project. I'm confident if we saw it in person we'd change our tune. Again, looks like you did an outstanding job fabricating that rack!