Hello, We have a 2013 Jaco Whitehawk. We'd like to install a receiver and a bike rack. I understand some RV bumpers are not strong enough to hold a bike rack. Any help would be appreciated. The bumper is a 4" square hollow metal bumper.

That 4 inch square tube is made out of 16ga sheet metal. Anything you hang off of it guaranteed will tear it to pieces within just a short time. They are not a bumber,but a sewer hose carrier and nothing more.

You don't want this to happenor thisThey do make a device that seems to work very well.something like this

Yes you're absaloutly right. I'll have to look for an alternative bumper

Maybe you can have a 2" receiver welded to the frame?

gbopp wrote:Maybe you can have a 2" receiver welded to the frame?^^^^ Yes this one!

Bumper strength | Good Sam Community

Huntindog
Explorer
Dec 12, 2016
rbpru wrote:
Look at how many TTs you see with spare tires hung on them?

My last TT purchased new in 2000 had the spare mounted on the bumper. It was fine for 6-7 years.

Then one day I was backing into camp. and DW was back there guiding me.... I saw a shocked look on her face in the mirror, and she came up and said I needed to see this.... You guessed it. No spare tire. I never did find it, and can only imagine the mayhem it may have caused... So I lost a never on the ground 16" Michelin XPS Rib, and its new rim. It was an expensive lesson, but it could have been much more so. If that tire had went thru a windshield of someone and caused a fatality, I hate to think of the consequences. And not just financially.
hppytrls
Explorer
Dec 12, 2016
I agree with welding on some reinforcement. I towed 6k miles with 3 bikes on the back bumper after have top and bottom brackets welded on. Stock bumpers just don't handle the constant weight shaking up and down.
rbpru
Explorer II
Dec 12, 2016
Look at how many TTs you see with spare tires hung on them?

Like any RV product some bumpers are good, others are cheap. I would worry more about vibration and torque on the mounting post.

The back of the TT is not a very clean environment for bikes. Still, that is where most of them reside.
IBcarguy
Explorer
Dec 11, 2016
A lot of you guys are convinced that rear mounted bike racks are dangerous. That's your opinion and that's fine, but I happen to disagree. Using the Safety struts takes almost all of the stress off the bumper. The weight of a small rack and a couple of kids bikes in my opinion won't throw the tongue weight off enough to have any effect on how my trailer tows.
Turtle_n_Peeps
Explorer
Dec 11, 2016
SoundGuy wrote:
IBcarguy wrote:
I installed the MnL Safety Struts and used my bike rack many times and haven't seen any evidence of bumper failure. The Struts seem to support it very well, and I haven't found any cracks on any of the bumper welds.

As well it should as 4Square Safety Struts are designed to move all that force of bike rack and bikes bouncing up and down from the bumper to the frame of the trailer. Nonetheless, it still doesn't solve the issue of tongue unloading - not as much of an issue for those with a 30' trailer but for those of us with much shorter 20 footers placing that bouncing weight so far aft of the axles is an invitation to sway. Better to install an A frame mounted bike rack such as one of those offered by Arvika, a Canadian manufacturer of quality bike rack systems designed specifically for RV use. Not inexpensive to be sure but it places that extra weight where it belongs, avoids unloading the tongue, and you won't end up with bikes strewn all over the road. :W

SoundGuy is 100% correct.

I see people all the time talk about the strength of bumpers on trailers. Very seldom do I see people talk about what happens to the tongue weight of the trailer after people weld all sorts of metal and put all sorts of stuff on the rear of their trailer.

Most of the time adding weight to the rear of a trailer is a bad idea and sometimes can be a deadly idea.
ScottG
Nomad
Dec 11, 2016
theoldwizard1 wrote:
ScottG wrote:
I would suggest adding a brace like this one:
It's the 2X2 by 1/4" thick angle iron cut at an angle at the end.

As you can see, this bracket runs from under the main frame to under the bumper. It not only supports the bumper but more importantly, it keeps it from being able to rotate and tear away. This is a simple and cheap mod and you don't have to replace the entire bumper.

Yep ! This is the best solution !!

With the 2x2 angle iron, you could use thinner material like 0.1875 or even 0.125. I would probably make it >24" long.

Funny story; my bumper was junk after it tore off so I decided to go with a thicker 3/16 material. Upon arriving at the supplier I mistakenly asked for 3/8".
I didn't realize my mistake until I got home!!
Needless to say, I have a bumper that is so strong I cold hang the whole trailer from it. (sewer hose wont fit in it though)
theoldwizard1
Explorer II
Dec 11, 2016
ScottG wrote:
I would suggest adding a brace like this one:
It's the 2X2 by 1/4" thick angle iron cut at an angle at the end.

As you can see, this bracket runs from under the main frame to under the bumper. It not only supports the bumper but more importantly, it keeps it from being able to rotate and tear away. This is a simple and cheap mod and you don't have to replace the entire bumper.

Yep ! This is the best solution !!

With the 2x2 angle iron, you could use thinner material like 0.1875 or even 0.125. I would probably make it >24" long.
SoundGuy
Explorer
Dec 11, 2016
IBcarguy wrote:
I installed the MnL Safety Struts and used my bike rack many times and haven't seen any evidence of bumper failure. The Struts seem to support it very well, and I haven't found any cracks on any of the bumper welds.

As well it should as 4Square Safety Struts are designed to move all that force of bike rack and bikes bouncing up and down from the bumper to the frame of the trailer. Nonetheless, it still doesn't solve the issue of tongue unloading - not as much of an issue for those with a 30' trailer but for those of us with much shorter 20 footers placing that bouncing weight so far aft of the axles is an invitation to sway. Better to install an A frame mounted bike rack such as one of those offered by Arvika, a Canadian manufacturer of quality bike rack systems designed specifically for RV use. Not inexpensive to be sure but it places that extra weight where it belongs, avoids unloading the tongue, and you won't end up with bikes strewn all over the road. :W
jamesu
Explorer
Dec 11, 2016
My last 2 TT's I had the local welding shop fabricate and weld a receiver to the frame where I insert my bike rack. My last receiver was in $700 range and it is money well spent. Strong and sturdy for our 2 bikes. Do not attach a bike rack to the TT back bumper.
Flapper
Explorer
Dec 11, 2016
But, also do your research on bike racks to use - there are almost none that are designed for RV use. You usually have to download the manuals for each make/model, and read the fine print, where it explicitly states that trailer/RV mounting voids warranties and/or even stronger language about possible failure of the rack itself.
Swagman is the most common one that does allow it, and they only have two of their many models that do not exempt RV's.

The greater distance from rear wheels to the bikes on an RV makes for a huge "force multiplier", that greatly amplifies any bump in the road. Hence the twisted off bumpers for bumper mounted bikes.

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