How much weight can my bumper support?
I am looking into mounting a toolbox to put batteries in on by back bumper. The bumper itself looks to be pretty solid and the weight will be distributed over 4' of the bumper. Anyone have anything he...
Forum Discussion
If you google "travel trailer bumper storage rack damage" or variation, you will find all kinds of stories and recommendations on why not to do it as in the below examples. It depends on how you would attach it to the TT frame and what weight you are going to carry. A bike or two is one thing, but300 lbs is a LOT of weight to be hanging way out past the axles and there will be a LOT of vertical up/down movement and stress as you drive down the road. Bicycles have been thrown clear off a rack at the rear - imagine what a battery or two could do...
http://www.forestriverforums.com/forums/f27/bike-rack-21076.html
http://www.jaycoowners.com/showthread.php?12502-Rear-Bike-Rack-Storage-for-2013-Whitehawk-28DSBH
http://www.keystonerv.org/forums/archive/index.php?t-4936.html
http://forums.woodalls.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/24602838/print/true.cfm
There's only one TT manufacturer that I know of that provides a receiver at the back for a rack and that's Nash. And it's only because they build their own heavy duty off-road frame that can handle that weight and stress at the rear.
If your TT is still under warranty, you'd void it if anything happened to the frame.
There's enough reports of TTs having frame cracks, failed welds and other damage even without any weight added to the rear. I wouldn't do it. If you want to add batteries or relocate them, you could always put them inside in vented battery boxes somewhere. I've even read about some putting them under the frame near the front axle.
There's nothing wrong with your 15.7% tongue weight as far as a percentage figure goes. Our TT has 14.5% with only one battery and without filling the fresh water tank which is just aft of the A-frame. With a 2nd battery and full tank of water, I expect the percentage to be well over 15%. We have NO issues towing at near 15%.
I recently started a thread here "Downside to tongue weight over 15%?" and the answer is nothing. I also searched all over the internet and found nothing wrong with being over 15%. Being under 10% is bad, but being over 15% is okay unless the amount of weight is too high for the receiver rating, it's too much weight for the TV payload and/or too much for the WDH rating. The normally quoted 10-15% range is because for one, it needs to be above 10% and secondly, 10 - 15% is the range that TTs usually end up in after all loaded up for camping.
Downside to tongue weight over 15%?
http://www.forestriverforums.com/forums/f27/bike-rack-21076.html
http://www.jaycoowners.com/showthread.php?12502-Rear-Bike-Rack-Storage-for-2013-Whitehawk-28DSBH
http://www.keystonerv.org/forums/archive/index.php?t-4936.html
http://forums.woodalls.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/24602838/print/true.cfm
There's only one TT manufacturer that I know of that provides a receiver at the back for a rack and that's Nash. And it's only because they build their own heavy duty off-road frame that can handle that weight and stress at the rear.
If your TT is still under warranty, you'd void it if anything happened to the frame.
There's enough reports of TTs having frame cracks, failed welds and other damage even without any weight added to the rear. I wouldn't do it. If you want to add batteries or relocate them, you could always put them inside in vented battery boxes somewhere. I've even read about some putting them under the frame near the front axle.
There's nothing wrong with your 15.7% tongue weight as far as a percentage figure goes. Our TT has 14.5% with only one battery and without filling the fresh water tank which is just aft of the A-frame. With a 2nd battery and full tank of water, I expect the percentage to be well over 15%. We have NO issues towing at near 15%.
I recently started a thread here "Downside to tongue weight over 15%?" and the answer is nothing. I also searched all over the internet and found nothing wrong with being over 15%. Being under 10% is bad, but being over 15% is okay unless the amount of weight is too high for the receiver rating, it's too much weight for the TV payload and/or too much for the WDH rating. The normally quoted 10-15% range is because for one, it needs to be above 10% and secondly, 10 - 15% is the range that TTs usually end up in after all loaded up for camping.
Downside to tongue weight over 15%?
