TT Rear Bumpers

[HGL]

Ok...so being a bit new to things and only having our Outdoors RV Timber Ridge, I have a question. I see threads all over the place about not putting your bike rack on the bumper because the bumper will fall off....how?

When I look at my bumper, its at least a 1/4 thick steel with solid welds back to the frame. I would have to look under it to see if it has extra bracing, but curious minds want to know.

Thanks for all of the questions.

ps. Our bikes ride in the back of the trailer strapped to the wall where the bottom bunk folds up.

[wanderingbob]

Most bike racks hold the bikes a long way from the back of the trailer , this will make the bikes " weigh " many times more than the 150 lbs . I have successfully mounted a piece of 3/4 plywood on top of bumper and then snugged the bikes tight into the back of the trailer , not any bounce . Used boat cleats to tie off .

[mileshuff]

I've seen many RV'ers use folding bicycles. They are very light weight and fold up in seconds small enough to store away in RV or TV.

[shotgunner]

HGL,
Check out the Safety Struts from Mount-n-Lock
Mount-n-Lock

We saw them at the RV show in Hershey and it looks like just what you need. The brackets support the thin-walled bumper from the frame, so the torque isn't on the welds.

ShotGunner

[K3WE]

gcloss wrote:
***The only use of the square light gauge steel bumper is to store the cheap sewer drain hose you get with a new RV.***

Wrong.

Spare tires are quite often mounted successfully with "official approved" spare tire mounts and do reasonably well.

That being said, I will testify:

1) I made a home-made bike rack and took a somewhat scary trip where the bike rack slowly sagged backwards and the thin metal bent(bike racks generate more "torque" forces than a spare tire mounting.)

2) I then purchased a 5" square genuine steel 'tube' (I think it's 3/16" steel) and bolted it to the frame (retired the official bumper)....It now holds the bike rack beautifully (and still stores the sewer hose).

[Ron3rd]

If yours is 1/4" steel, that's unusual and you're lucky. Most are about 18 ga sheet metal which means it's not really a bumper at all but a square sheet metal tube for a dump hose. Those are the ones you don't want to mount a bike rack to; too much flex and they crack quickly. Kinda like working a beer can back and forth.

[gcloss]

In the last year I've seen two TTs with the rear bumpers torn off from bikes. The only use of the square light gauge steel bumper is to store the cheap sewer drain hose you get with a new RV.

I just ordered a 2015 Jayco Eagle 284BHBE with the bike rack/cargo tray system. When I saw it on the dealer's lot it looked pretty substantial. If I have any issues, at least Jayco should take care of me for 2 years.

[Bull_Rider]

In my thirty years of RVing, I've never seen a bumper that's built with 1/4" steel. They are always made of thinner, lighter, cheaper metal. They are usually designed and built to minimum standards.

Almost always, a new bumper with structural connections to the frame would have to be designed and built to provide a safe platform for mounting a bike carrier.

[ChooChooMan74]

The new Roo I was looking at had a sticker that specifically said not to add anything to the rear bumper besides the spare tire. Possibly, some older units had more robust bumpers.

[ScottG]

I think it's both the weight and the movement that do the damage. The bikes do indeed create a perfect storm scenario though. If you reinforce the bumper and use a bike rack, also make sure it's rated for RV use. The common racks meant for auto's will break in short order - I destroyed two of them before getting a RV specific "Swagman" brand rack.

[BurbMan]

It's not the weight, it's the motion of the cargo as the TT goes over bumps in the road. That bumper will flex at its connecting points and break like a beer can.

[dodge_guy]

With about 150lbs of bikes hanging 2 feet out past the bumper, all that leverage will twist and tear the bumper apart! Now I have 4 bikes on the back, but they are secured so they do not bounce which is what will tear a bumper and/or rack apart! even if you put on a trailer specific hitch to the frame you still need to secure the rack so it will not bounce!

[ScottG]

Check again, I think you'll find that steel is no where near 1/4" unless someone has replaced it. It will be more like 16 or 18 gauge and now days, it's not even a true steel tube but just a formed square with a few spot welds.
The welds are another story. Do they look like caulk that has been laid down in a smooth bead on top of the metal? Most of the time the welds like like that and have no penetration.
In my own case the bumper simply peeled itself away from the weld in some places and in others, the weld snapped free.