New to me Trailer and some mods
Hello, New to the forum. Now that I've retired I decided to get back into some part time camping. I recently purchased a used 28' GulfStream Innsbruck and have been working on it the past month. Of c...
Forum Discussion
George3037 wrote:afidel wrote:
On the generator mount, did you tie it directly to the frame? Did you make sure your frame can support the kind of torque load a bouncing generator on a torque arm can generate? Also did you check your tongue weight with the generator on the back and other camping stuff loaded to make sure you're at at least 10% tongue weight.
The first couple questions are mostly about the safety of whomever is behind you if the generator decides to rip a chunk out of the frame (happens all the time with bikes and rear bumpers). The last question is about both your safety and everyone else on the road with you, having too little tongue weight has a severe negative impact on handling and can lead to dangerous sway.
The mount is a standard 2x2 Curt receiver. I welded brackets on it and bolted it to the frame with grade 8 hardware, not the bumper. Then I built an 18 x 28 carrier that slides into it. The carrier will not be on the trailer during travel. Only for use when it is parked. Tongue weight is not a problem. Specs say empty tongue weight is 1030 lbs plus I use a weight dist. hitch. Its not my first trailer, I tow trailers all the time. I also have an 16' 14K dump and a 24' 14K PJ full tilt and have towed campers on and off for almost 35 years.
More power to you then =) Without any background just wanted to make sure you and those around you were safe. The number of crazy unsafe things I see on the road almost every day often frightens me so I figure if I have a chance to potentially educate someone I'll take it. I did once see a camper with a generator on a bumper connected tray and I was afraid to drive behind them because I had seen what a couple of light bikes can do to a bumper let alone a relatively heavy generator. That same trailer was about 35' long and they were towing it with a half ton without weight distribution so I'm sure they were over just about every possible weight limit. The trailer was at least 10 years old so perhaps they had been doing that for years without a problem, I didn't want to be around when their luck ran out =)
