Bike rack
Hello, I am brand new to the forum and just got my first travel trailer in May. I have a 22ft Coleman. My first trip out I installed a hitch reciever unit on the bumper of the trailer i but a 2 ...
Forum Discussion
The Springdale was manufactured in 2005, it was a 2006 model. We bought it in September 2006 (new). The tongue broke in September 2008 (no warning).
Tow truck company had to use a tow truck with the hydraulic lifts that slide under a car, then they attach the L part on both tires and chain them down, then simply lift the car with hydraulics and tow away.
They used one of those, but left the L off and pulled both ends out far enough to catch both frames under the camper. I still don't know how they did it, but somehow they were able to get one chain attached to the trailer and to the hydraulic lift. They raised the lift, raising the camper and drove VERY slow. They stopped about every 200 feet and got out and checked to see if the trailer frame was still resting on lift. It took over an hour to go 1/2 mile, (to my in-laws farm where we were originally heading). They had to make 2 turns (a gravel road and their driveway). The two turns took the longest, inch by inch. (and they charged me about $500 for that tow!) No.... I did not get reimbursed for it. Actually, at the time, I didn't even think about it!
Keystone fixed it. Sent the 2 man crew out with all the parts, and the only requirement was, they had to take the old A-frame with them. Evidently the 2 who did the repair had done this before, because they knew exactly what they were doing. It took them about 6 hours from start to finish. I painted the tongue.
The point I'm making about this whole thing is, I did have a lot of weight in the pass through. I didn't think it was that much, but maybe the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back was one ounce too heavy.
So the warning, before think the tongue is so much stronger than the bumper, please rethink it.
FYI... on this same camper we had a rear bumper mount 4 bicycle carrier attached. We traveled with it with a tandum 2 seater (bicycle for 2), and never had problems with the bumper. Who would have though?
We kept the camper another 5 years and towed it thousands and thousands of miles and never had another problem again with anything on the camper (except the broken fan blades on the ceiling vent in the bathroom).
Tow truck company had to use a tow truck with the hydraulic lifts that slide under a car, then they attach the L part on both tires and chain them down, then simply lift the car with hydraulics and tow away.
They used one of those, but left the L off and pulled both ends out far enough to catch both frames under the camper. I still don't know how they did it, but somehow they were able to get one chain attached to the trailer and to the hydraulic lift. They raised the lift, raising the camper and drove VERY slow. They stopped about every 200 feet and got out and checked to see if the trailer frame was still resting on lift. It took over an hour to go 1/2 mile, (to my in-laws farm where we were originally heading). They had to make 2 turns (a gravel road and their driveway). The two turns took the longest, inch by inch. (and they charged me about $500 for that tow!) No.... I did not get reimbursed for it. Actually, at the time, I didn't even think about it!
Keystone fixed it. Sent the 2 man crew out with all the parts, and the only requirement was, they had to take the old A-frame with them. Evidently the 2 who did the repair had done this before, because they knew exactly what they were doing. It took them about 6 hours from start to finish. I painted the tongue.
The point I'm making about this whole thing is, I did have a lot of weight in the pass through. I didn't think it was that much, but maybe the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back was one ounce too heavy.
So the warning, before think the tongue is so much stronger than the bumper, please rethink it.
FYI... on this same camper we had a rear bumper mount 4 bicycle carrier attached. We traveled with it with a tandum 2 seater (bicycle for 2), and never had problems with the bumper. Who would have though?
We kept the camper another 5 years and towed it thousands and thousands of miles and never had another problem again with anything on the camper (except the broken fan blades on the ceiling vent in the bathroom).
