Lynnmor wrote:2manytoyz wrote:
My last camper was a 25' Rockwood Ultralite. I could have added one to the back of mine. Here's how...
This is the frame of that TT:
I'm not sure who's camper has a frame and/or rear bumper made as thinly as pop cans, but I've never seen one.
Take a look at those welds where the vertical piece meets the top & bottom pieces. If I am not mistaken, it appears to be just the type of flimsy frame that should be avoided. I would rather have a real I-beam, not something pieced together.
Glad to see the RV forum bumper thread foolishness and drama is still alive and well in 2019, which is not exclusive to RVnet.
What is the criteria that determines that a manufactured beam is flimsy and somehow weaker than a rolled beam of the exact same dimensions? Why, because its welded together from 3 pieces of sheet? Personal opinion or did someone run the structural calculations.
All the structural members in the picture below are manufactured by welding sheet together.
And below they hold up a 25T overhead crane.
Where are all the rigs that have true cold rolled beams for frame rails? They are few and far between, and even then it's going to be what is known as an "MH" beam, not exactly a Wide Flange. Very few RV manufacturers use them, and those that do only use them on the largest units.
I used to use a bolt on Curt bracket on a the factory bumper of a Rockwood similar to 2manytoy's, and carried full coolers or firewoodand other gear on a 2' X 4'cargo platform thousands of miles over 7 years. Never bent anything, cracked a weld, or caused a catastrophe despite the welded together frame and 12 Ga fabricated tube RV bumper. I never added anything to it either such as additional reinforcement.
Granted some of these manufacturers will take one of those tubes and butt weld it to the end of the frame rail, with no gussets, angles, or anything else. But some will notch the frame rail to receive it, and others will reinforce the connection with gussets or angles. Some will do both. Some will also use thinner bumper tubes.
Blanket statements based on nothing mean little.
2manytoyz wrote:
Of course it's been done successfully. Here's a link to the related Google images on this topic. Click any of them for more details. Whether it can be done to YOUR camper, is another story.
https://www.google.com/search?q=generator+on+back+of+travel+trailer&client=firefox-b-1-e&source=lnms...
My last camper was a 25' Rockwood Ultralite. I could have added one to the back of mine. Here's how...
This is the frame of that TT:
I'm not sure who's camper has a frame and/or rear bumper made as thinly as pop cans, but I've never seen one.
The square tube on the back is actually welded to the I-beam frame. I can stand on the middle of it, doesn't flex.
I would simply add a piece of angle iron under the square tube, and weld it along the tube, and to the frame rails. This way the weight can be supported, and more importantly, stop the twisting action of having a generator hanging off the back.
You can weigh your camper, then the tongue weight, then have someone stand on the rear bumper to see how it affects the tongue weight. If you're still in the 10% range, good to go. The rear axle is not halfway between the tongue, and the rear bumper. 200 lbs on the back doesn't equal 200 lbs less on the tongue.
Some states allow triple towing. People add hitches to the back of their rigs. Same idea...
YMMV, but it has been done successfully with other rigs.
I tend to agree that with your idea of welding a continuous angle iron across the back of the 4 " bumper. The generator I am looking at only weighs 100# and I could also do a test to keep the tongue wt in the 10% range.
2manytoyz wrote:
My last camper was a 25' Rockwood Ultralite. I could have added one to the back of mine. Here's how...
This is the frame of that TT:
I'm not sure who's camper has a frame and/or rear bumper made as thinly as pop cans, but I've never seen one.
Take a look at those welds where the vertical piece meets the top & bottom pieces. If I am not mistaken, it appears to be just the type of flimsy frame that should be avoided. I would rather have a real I-beam, not something pieced together.
Of course it's been done successfully. Here's a link to the related Google images on this topic. Click any of them for more details. Whether it can be done to YOUR camper, is another story.
https://www.google.com/search?q=generator+on+back+of+travel+trailer&client=firefox-b-1-e&source=lnms...
My last camper was a 25' Rockwood Ultralite. I could have added one to the back of mine. Here's how...
This is the frame of that TT:
I'm not sure who's camper has a frame and/or rear bumper made as thinly as pop cans, but I've never seen one.
The square tube on the back is actually welded to the I-beam frame. I can stand on the middle of it, doesn't flex.
I would simply add a piece of angle iron under the square tube, and weld it along the tube, and to the frame rails. This way the weight can be supported, and more importantly, stop the twisting action of having a generator hanging off the back.
You can weigh your camper, then the tongue weight, then have someone stand on the rear bumper to see how it affects the tongue weight. If you're still in the 10% range, good to go. The rear axle is not halfway between the tongue, and the rear bumper. 200 lbs on the back doesn't equal 200 lbs less on the tongue.
Some states allow triple towing. People add hitches to the back of their rigs. Same idea...
YMMV, but it has been done successfully with other rigs.
https://www.google.com/search?q=generator+on+back+of+travel+trailer&client=firefox-b-1-e&source=lnms...
My last camper was a 25' Rockwood Ultralite. I could have added one to the back of mine. Here's how...
This is the frame of that TT:
I'm not sure who's camper has a frame and/or rear bumper made as thinly as pop cans, but I've never seen one.
The square tube on the back is actually welded to the I-beam frame. I can stand on the middle of it, doesn't flex.
I would simply add a piece of angle iron under the square tube, and weld it along the tube, and to the frame rails. This way the weight can be supported, and more importantly, stop the twisting action of having a generator hanging off the back.
You can weigh your camper, then the tongue weight, then have someone stand on the rear bumper to see how it affects the tongue weight. If you're still in the 10% range, good to go. The rear axle is not halfway between the tongue, and the rear bumper. 200 lbs on the back doesn't equal 200 lbs less on the tongue.
Some states allow triple towing. People add hitches to the back of their rigs. Same idea...
YMMV, but it has been done successfully with other rigs.
