Bike rack on bumper failure

MorMJS wrote:
Great..I just last week purchased and mounted a receiver to our rear bumper for our 3 bike rack.

I tried everything, inside the camper, bed of the truck, rear bumper adapter with supporting straps, and then finally I decided I was going to solve the problem once and for all, so I custom built mine. I wanted to call it "Nice Rack, LLC" but I have a feeling that is already taken.

MorMJS wrote:
Great..I just last week purchased and mounted a receiver to our rear bumper for our 3 bike rack.

Wouldn't you rather know before mounting it and having trouble?

MorMJS wrote:
Great..I just last week purchased and mounted a receiver to our rear bumper for our 3 bike rack.

Watch it flex and rock back and forth as you go down the road. The bumper's beer can thin ready to crack. They can barely carry a spare tire.

It's possible to do what you want to do but it requires welding and reinforcement. I did that on my old trailer and will be doing it on the new one.

downtheroad wrote:
...and then there is the, "mount my generator, cans of spare gas, and fire wood to the bumper.".....:E

You forgot to include the 800 lb Harley, 1,200 lb golf cart, TWO 800 lb quads...

Just for the record I am a "member" of the almost lost my bikes which were hung on a bike rack on the back of my trailer club (guess I need to abbreviate the club "name")..

Something like A.L.M.B.W.O.A.B.R.O.T.B.M.T. Club might work?

NOTHING belongs on the standard issue trailer "bumper", 1/16" steel just is too thin to take the abuse.. I learned and wised up.

After reading so many posts arguing about the bike racks on the bumpers of TTs, I finally saw a failure today on the side of the road. They had a rack with two bikes on it, the bumper had torn around where it was welded to the frame, the bottom part was still barely attached. I don't know how far they drug the bikes before they realized it. I just saw it as I drove by, it was in the middle of town and looked like they had everything under control

We had a bike failure of our own. Same deal. Bought the racks online. Mounted them according to instructions. The welds tore loose after about 60 miles. Dragged the bikes down the street for about a mile before a passing motorist flagged us down.

I won't tell others what they can/can't do. As so many others like to do. But for me, I'll never put bikes on a bumper again. Ours go in the camper.

I still firmly believe that there is not a good way to haul anything more on the back of a trailer than the bumper will safely carry already… and that is NOT MUCH THAT IS SECURLY ATTATCHED…
Adding a heavier bumper with bracing, or receiver hitch with the required bracing in addition to the bike rack to a cambered frame rail is no better or less destructive than a bumper rack itself…

The problem with the bike racks are the are cantilevering the weight which exaggerates their effect…

My bumper carried bikes and spare tire for thousands of miles over several years. Even the generator for a few hundred miles at times. Welds were made at the very top and bottom edge and held just fine.

Then we got some nice bikes and decided to stop playing bumper roulette. Installed a proper class III welded to the frame. Bumper still carries the spare. No longer carry the generator with solar power.

I carry 4 bikes, but the weight is carried on the straps and the eye bolts that go through the back vertical wall stud and the horizontal bunk stud. this setup has seen thousands of miles with no signs of failure. I have the hitch receiver that bolts to the bumper. the key is to take any bounce out the bike rack assembly!







In the last pic I have a set bolt that goes through the top of the receiver and tightens against the bike rack to stop any vertical movement. I have a rear view camera and can see the bikes along with the road behind me. the bikes have almost no movement. only the biggest bump in the road will make them jump a small amount.

I`ve seen bikes on the back of trailers in campgrounds without any reinforcement and when they go over a bump at 5 mph I`m amazed they don`t come off right there. If people new how much leverage was applied 10-15 feet out past the rear axle they would rethink how they attach them to the back of a trailer!

colliehauler wrote:

MorMJS wrote:
Great..I just last week purchased and mounted a receiver to our rear bumper for our 3 bike rack.

Wouldn't you rather know before mounting it and having trouble?

Absolutely. Glad I saw this thread.

I've got close to 5000 miles in one year with my bikes on a rack I made for them. They don't wiggle and are rock solid. My 5'er came with the spare on the bumper. All the welds where the bumper meets the frame are high quality. I've been welding since I was in high school (1970) so I know what good connections are. My guess is the bumpers that fall off are poorly welded with thin tubing and cheap bike racks attached to them.

Do it right with good welds on better bumper material along with a high quality bike rack and there should be any problems.