Bike rack on bumper failure

I also added anti-bounce straps by screwing eye bolts (2 per side) to the 'meat' on the corner of the TT. Satraps stop all wiggle of the bikes and rack.
I also bolted the back of the bumper hitch to the cross member with angle brackets to stop hitch from trying to 'twist' the bumper.

We put on over 9000 miles out east last summer on some rough roads with no bounce or problems with bikes or rack or bumper.

I also built this custom "hitch" to hold my lightweight diamond plate tool box. I only store light weight bulky items in the tool box such as my Camco yellow "lego" leveling blocks, sewer connections in small plastic tool boxes, water fittings and fresh water hoses, etc... It takes all the torque off the bumper. Denali actually makes a rear cargo carrier that comes on some of my same model camper that mounts to these same points, except they clamp horizontally instead of vertically.

I guess this type of hitch could also be used for a rear bike rack. I still think the torque from bouncing may be a concern eventually, but it's a million times better than just mounting to the sq sewer hose storage bumper. The receiver where the diamond plate tool box bracket mounts to my custom hitch sits 1/4" above the bumper and it does not touch the bumper. I prefer to mount our bikes on the tongue and just have my lightweight tool box on back.





(YES, I know I forgot a washer...)

I don't have any pictures of it, but I saw an interesting custom fabbed setup recently. It had three rear hitch receivers (center one, then one of each side), and the left receiver had a cargo rack (for propane containers), the center had a bike rack, and the right receiver had another cargo rack that held a 2000 watt Honda. Oddball, but it did maximize space back there.

CampinEarls wrote:
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...

I shared this story a few months ago on a similar thread, but I will again.

Several years ago we were heading Up North to where my username is located. We were on US 23 curving around to the north side of Ann Arbor, and there along the left side of the road was a bike rack laying right up against the concrete barrier. A few bikes were still attached, and another was a bit further up the road. All were smashed completely into a mess, and the bike rack was too. We didn't see the bumper, but there was such a twisted mass of metal laying there, and we we obviously rolling along at 65 mph so it might have been there.

As I said then, I wonder how that poor family felt when they discovered what had happened.

Convinced me then that hauling the bikes INSIDE the trailer (while a bit more work) was working for us just fine. Now that we have the truck with the truck cap some ride back there too.

I use a front hitch receiver on the truck.

My Keystone Cougar 294RLS came with the factory slide out bike rack/bumper and I'm still hesitant to use it for anything. Not so much because I'm worried about the weight it can handle, but because theres just so much bouncing that goes on back there I'm worried anything I put on it will rattle off sooner or later. I thought about strapping firewood back there but if a piece falls off someone could get hurt badly, and firewood is very hard to secure as pieces shift with all the bouncing.

As it is, I just throw the 4 bikes in the bed of the truck and still have loads of room for gear.

Exact reason we ordered our 32BHDS with the bike tray.

My first trailer was used. The bumper mounts were totally cracked. My trailer shop guy said most likely from a bike rack. Although it's a pain in the neck. Bikes go inside the trailer with us.

As far as your post, good thing it was in town and not the fwy where someone could have wrecked and been killed.

I put a bike rack on my bumper in 2006. No problems yet.

I've said this several times on this subject but here goes again. We have had Jayco trailers, I've towed across the USA many,many times, towed for 20+ years, towed over 140,000 miles, always with the bikes on the bumper, always had a small aluminum tool box on the bumper, first trailers had the spare on the bumper, no problems ever. Currently have bikes on the bumper, tool box, no spare, even better.

I always have bungeed to the trailer ladder to reduce the unit moving around, common sense.

Go figure.