Mobility Scooter Carrier
Continuation of Receiver Article: The Cargo Carrier and Ramp platform showed up and after unpacking and some minor assembly I ran into a problem. The Tube would not fit into the 2" receiver. The ...
Forum Discussion
Setting aside the weight distribution, front to back, I assumed nothing based on what you stated in your other build thread. Static loading is one thing. I am sure it will hold up to the 220 pounds of equipment sitting in the parking lot. Dynamic loading is where I think your rear frame support will be stressed and possibly fail on you. Going down the highway at 60 miles an hour, encountering some of the lovely highways I've seen around this country and hit a dip or bump in the road. A gentle bounce in the tow vehicle turns out be the rear end of your PUP augmenting the force and impact of those bumps, creating a strong dynamic loading situation. Think of the PUP's axle as a fulcrum. The further away from that point, the more travel is incurred at the very end. Heaven forbid you have a situation that the road is so rough that the entire trailer bounces and that point moves even further up towards the TV.
I only see one 16 ga. piece of pressed steel serving as the rear frame of your PUP holding your gear on beyond the piece of angle iron closer to the axle. From the pictures and description, you only have two anchor points, with the rear-most one carrying the most significant amount of weight and force. I don't mean to sound harsh but I would not want to be behind this on any given road even if it were only carrying around 60 pounds of water. I hope that I am wrong about this situation and that all is well for you. Regardless, you have to decide for yourself and enjoy the benefits or deal with what happens.
I had a somewhat related situation a couple of years ago with a dual-purpose receiver hitch adapter so that I could add a bike carrier to the receiver and still use it to tow my PUP. Ultimately, after spending time, money and some research that said all was good, I ditched it after hooking it up in the driveway. It did not instill any confidence. I am glad I removed it as it was later found that my tongue weight exceeded the capacity of the adapter when I was actually able to obtain real weight measurements. Care and caution is something we should all exercise even when doing "normal" things much less customizing.
I only see one 16 ga. piece of pressed steel serving as the rear frame of your PUP holding your gear on beyond the piece of angle iron closer to the axle. From the pictures and description, you only have two anchor points, with the rear-most one carrying the most significant amount of weight and force. I don't mean to sound harsh but I would not want to be behind this on any given road even if it were only carrying around 60 pounds of water. I hope that I am wrong about this situation and that all is well for you. Regardless, you have to decide for yourself and enjoy the benefits or deal with what happens.
I had a somewhat related situation a couple of years ago with a dual-purpose receiver hitch adapter so that I could add a bike carrier to the receiver and still use it to tow my PUP. Ultimately, after spending time, money and some research that said all was good, I ditched it after hooking it up in the driveway. It did not instill any confidence. I am glad I removed it as it was later found that my tongue weight exceeded the capacity of the adapter when I was actually able to obtain real weight measurements. Care and caution is something we should all exercise even when doing "normal" things much less customizing.
