Rear hitch boxes / carriers?

[KFS]

We have a 21' Fleetwood Wilderness 5th Wheel c. 1995.

We are looking for something to hold folding chairs (4), folding table on the rear. Hitch, weld to frame, whatever seemed sturdy and safe.

Currently we slide it all in between the sofa and dinette but it makes for an unwieldly load and unload.

I'm usually good with Google but I'm not sure what I should be looking for.

ETA No ladder.

[KFS]

All great! Thanks!

We really don't have much and it DOES fit between the dinette and sofa. Four large folding chairs, a table and a canopy. I don't like climbing over it to load and unload food (above the sofa and dinette). I think I may be expecting a "no storage" interior when that maybe just isn't how people do things in the RV world. 😉

I stepped into a beautiful Montana with multiple slides and realized that with the slides IN they can't get anywhere any more easily than I can. It may just be the nature of RVing to have to run a short obstacle course to load/unload sometimes? (I'm burning calories for wine).

The first trip we realized that the chairs had left a small dent in the floor. I now stack rugs before setting the chairs in to help cushion the floor.

[mlts22]

If one has too much stuff for a cargo carrier, there is always a small trailer. This helps get rid of the weight distribution problem, although it does add length and can complicate backing up.

[LLeopold]

I had a Class IV hitch receiver professionally welded to the frame of my FW so that I could attach a cargo carrier that contains my generator and sound box. The cargo carrier could have just as easily been used for items such as folding chairs and the like.

The cargo carrier came from Harbor Freight.





Just make sure that the items are tied down using bungees or ropes.

Also, after adding the items, recheck your weight distribution at truck scales. The new weight at the rear had me redistribute items so that the hitch weight remained the same in the bed of my truck. I did not want to be rear-heavy.

Hope this helps.

[amandasgramma]

For those that say they see bikes on the roadway, parts falling off rigs.....how do you know they just weren't tied on right? We watched a John Deere tractor tumbling front over end headed right toward our MH one time. The guy had put it on a flatbed trailer.....NO tie-downs! He started up a short incline off an off-ramp.....and disaster (it was a new one!!!!!). So, I still stand by that if you attach items correctly, have stabilizing rods attached and attach to the frame, you can carry quite a bit on the cargo carrier.

[KFS]

We saw a bike by the roadway on the way home. Perhaps a sign?

"Bumper" was my clunky way of saying "behind." I think DH would be looking to add hitch / weld to frame at the rear.

[Martyn]

tvman44 wrote:
I'd be very reluctant to add anything mounted to the rear bumper. If you ever follow a trailer with something on the bumper More than a spare tire you will see why. 🙂

x2. I would never mount anything on an RV rear bumper in addition to the spare wheel (if manufacturer installed). Accident waiting to happen. 🙂

I've seen quite a few bikes racks with bumpers attached lying on the side of I-25 here in Colorado. Fortunately one has yet to fall off in front of me!

[tvman44]

I'd be very reluctant to add anything mounted to the rear bumper. If you ever follow a trailer with something on the bumper More than a spare tire you will see why. 🙂

[KFS]

amandasgramma wrote:
KFS -- when you consider how much gunk splatters up on the back of rigs (in spite of tire flaps), it's a good idea to have enclosed. 🙂 good luck on the welding. So far, mine has welded the door shut on my quilt shop....LOL LOL

Ha! 🙂

[amandasgramma]

KFS -- when you consider how much gunk splatters up on the back of rigs (in spite of tire flaps), it's a good idea to have enclosed. 🙂 good luck on the welding. So far, mine has welded the door shut on my quilt shop....LOL LOL

[KFS]

We are thinking less rack carrier and more shelf / box. DH has a welder too - which is what I'm afraid of 😉

We saw one today that was a metal/mesh box with everything set down inside it - fully enclosed sides. I liked that.

[amandasgramma]

We have a cargo carrier like what downtheroad linked to. DH welded it to the frame of our 26' fifth wheel, then put a side bar on each side to hold it steady. Good thing he has a welder!! We tested it.....put two 50 gal barrels on it, and some other small things (sat. dish tripod) and he drove around on bumpy roads and the highway and I followed. That is one reason he put the side bars on it to stabilize. 🙂 🙂 So far we haven't had a problem! However, I do believe the bike rack is a better option for you for what you're carrying. It would be hard to get a table "tied" to the cargo carrier, I'm thinking.

[RoyB]

My fear would be that sure is along way behind you using the rear bumper/ladder area of a fifth wheel.. You are sort of at the mercy of flashing lights and finger pointing from passing cars haha... I've pulled up behind alot of fifth wheel trailers with things swinging in the wind mounted to the rear area. This has got to be the worse place possible vibration wise for mounting things... The driver has no idea what is going on back there...

The advantage of the travel trailer style at least you can store thing on the front of the trailer where you can keep some sort of eyes on it...

A rack over the truck cab and extending out over the truck hood might be good idea as well. Like some of the kayaks that are being transported with fifth wheel hookups.

You certainly see most everyone just loading up the hallway or the couch areas in the fifth wheel trailers with their larger items to transport... I even saw one guy load his two kayaks inside the fifth wheel once. Guess he had a rack over the couch or something like that...

The fifth wheel toy haulers sure would help out this situation big time...

Roy Ken

[KFS]

Great leads. Thank you 🙂

[rockhillmanor]

Or if you don't have a ladder. This one is a square bumper RV bike rack/spare holder.


I strap the chairs on the back side where the tire is pictured and I use the front to haul my ex-pens for my dogs.:C