Rear bike rack setup.....
....hi everyone...I had my dealer install this 2" receiver to the rear of our keystone passport TT last year and was wondering what everyone thinks of the design. Specifically, do I need be concerned...
Forum Discussion
JJBIRISH wrote:
maybe I am the lone wolf out there (no not maybe) but you are putting your whole trailer at risk… ya ya I know some do it maybe even most do it and claim to not have any problems, or problems that they know of…
but at the same time I know a welding shop that made frame repairs for several local dealers trade-ins…none that volunteered to knowing or admitted to knowing of the problems… he also made repairs to frames where other welders have guaranteed their hitch… and while they guarantee the hitch what they don’t guarantee is that the trailer the hitch is attached to is fit for its intended purpose…
nor do the manufactures recommend or guarantee it… manufactures do not build rear load carrying capacity into the chassis… in case you don’t know already, your trailer has camber built into its frame rails to make it strong enough to carry the box weight that is built on it… any extra rear load carrying capacity is only a consequence not a plan…
it is very well known that the suspension running gear and tires are undersized to the minimalist capacity for most trailers of any make or model…
the static load that is extended such as yours isn’t so much the problem… but the dynamic loads that travel causes so far from its fulcrum (the axles) equals many times their static weights plus the dynamic loads are sharp compounding the problem…
trailers that come with extendable bike racks all are connected at the two frame rails to better distribute the load, allow for the bike wheels to both sit on the rack for the same reasons and to minimize side to side shock…
so whether it a tire, axle, spring, or weld failure the risk is higher but all are repairable.. losing camber in one or both frame rails can also be repaired but are normally not worth the cost… and yes lose of camber and broken frames have been reported here and other websites…
so if the risk is 10% or 50% higher is unknown by anyone here because of the thousands of variables out there… when it’ your trailer all of those percentages mean nothing to you if yours fails…
Forgive my noobishness, but what exactly can happen to a camper if the frame loses its camber from repeated exposure to a sharp rear dynamic load? What would be the signs?
