Hauling wood on rear hitch

[bigtime_077]

Hey all,

Trying to compare my notes to last year camping when we had our hybrid. We now have a travel trailer and I am looking at doing some modifications to make hauling things a little easier. In the past we hauled our bikes in the camper and wood in the bed of the truck along with my folding bbq grill.

With the 5.5' bed I am a little concerned with the ability to haul the bikes and wood in there at the same time. Not sure if putting the bikes in the camper is an option because with the slide in there isn't really any floor space.

I always thought about it with the hybrid but there really wasn't anything to the rear frame so I scratched it but I am thinking about putting a hitch on the rear of the TT. This has an I-beam frame all the way back. I was going to weld together an actual receiver, not bumper mount, and bolt this to the frame of the trailer. I was going to drill a hole in the bottom of the receiver and weld a nut in there to be able to use a bolt to tighten down on the hitch carrier. So that was my plan was to use my hitch carrier that goes into a 2" receiver to haul my firewood on the back of the camper.

Now I know without a doubt that the actual welded hitch receiver bolted to the I-beam frame will support the weight of the wood.

My only concern is as you add weight to the rear of the camper it will essentially remove tongue weight from the trailer dependent on the position of the trailer axles in relation to the rest of the trailer, how much leverage the weight has. My axles are at a position in which approximately two-thirds of the trailer is in front of the axles. So what I am thinking is you put for sake of argument if I had 300# on the rear that it would essentially remove 100# of tongue weight all other things being equal. Reason I am looking to do the firewood is because I want to be able to lock the bikes under the tonneau cover and not be hauling wood in the bed of the truck if we go sight seeing.

So my thoughts to combat the effects of the weight on the back was to add a link to my weight distribution bars if I am hauling the wood on the back or just loading more supplies to the front of the camper to counter the weight.

[SDcampowneroper]

A sign of the times.
Of course a thread about hauling firewood by any manner will,appropriately, turn into discussion about doing so.
Build your carrier. Use it for anything but suspect wood. Please don't hurry death to our trees.

[dodge_guy]

That`s where I was going a few pages back!

[bigtime_077]

That is kind of the way it is looking.

[BurbMan]

Bigtime, maybe you need to start another thread titled "Hauling fill-in-the-blank on rear hitch" so we can keep the discussion focused on the mechanics of adding weight to the back of the TT and not about the Emerald Ash Borer.

[jbjuices]

I used to carry wood on the back of my hybrid, but with the new 32 footer, I figure it would have to much bounce to add that weight. We instead invested in a gas fire pit, which works great! I still have a real fire in the Spring and Fall for more heat, which we tow in the back of our Excursion.

I'm starting to like my gas fire better than the real fire since it doesn't make everything smell after your trip. Our clothes still smell like smoke after a wash and our camper doesn't have that new camper smell because of the smoke smell.

[dadmomh]

We've been areas where transporting from some counties to others was against the rules. When in doubt, just figure the cost of some firewood as part of the cost of camping and enjoy.

We haul firewood in the back of the PU...no bikes needed any longer.

[westend]

dodge guy wrote:
My post was aimed at the fact that the OP only got about 60-70% answers on how to safely load firewood. The rest were for reasons not to with out even knowing where and how far feom home he would be traveling with fire wood! I'm seeing that alot more here lately, answers to a question that was never asked!

As far as not being concerned about trees and what can happen. Well we just lost 15 trees between 6 houses in our town, 30 or so on our block alone! And a few thousand throughout the entire town due to the EAB!!!!! Am i using that as firewood?.......heck no hopefully they disposed of it properly!!!! These trees died not because some transported firewood, but because that is how nature works! Anyone that believes we (rv'ers) alone contribute to the death of trees is just finding an easy target for blame!

What you're not understanding is that the bans and quarantines are in place to slow or retard the spread of tree diseases, not eliminate them. In my area EAB is spreading Westward at a rate of 12 mi./yr. If I take infected wood to go camping at a point 50 mi. West, I may increase the speed at which it spreads.

I know you have a few posts on here about transporting firewood and the price of firewood at campgrounds is your main beef so you continue to do so. I'm hoping you can get beyond this and choose an alternative. Transporting untreated firewood, even in sealed containers or shrink-wrapped, can still be a vector for spread of tree disease.

I think discussion about the intricacies of transporting firewood is germane to the OP's thread. No sense building something if it can't be used.

[dodge_guy]

My post was aimed at the fact that the OP only got about 60-70% answers on how to safely load firewood. The rest were for reasons not to with out even knowing where and how far feom home he would be traveling with fire wood! I'm seeing that alot more here lately, answers to a question that was never asked!

As far as not being concerned about trees and what can happen. Well we just lost 15 trees between 6 houses in our town, 30 or so on our block alone! And a few thousand throughout the entire town due to the EAB!!!!! Am i using that as firewood?.......heck no hopefully they disposed of it properly!!!! These trees died not because some transported firewood, but because that is how nature works! Anyone that believes we (rv'ers) alone contribute to the death of trees is just finding an easy target for blame!

[boss_hoss_1]

Here's an easy solution-that I did.I put a front hitch on my F 150 for $125.Then I put a carrier basket in that-but I also run 1 on the rear bumper of the TT.No problems.

[Lynnmor]

Many trailers have a marginal frame. On my trailer, I would never add any significant weight out the rear.

[JJBIRISH]

Loading one end heavy, from the mfg. or otherwise, then compensating by overloading the other end is not a good way to balance the load or to haul a bigger load… added load should be distributed as evenly as possible and as low as possible with the heaviest items over the axles…

Considering the frame rails of your unit already need to be cambered to carry the designed load adding a heavy load at the end (especially the rear end) isn’t IMHO ever a good idea at all…

I suggest you talk to the mfg. about carrying

[bigtime_077]

I agree that we need to protect our forests. I also appreciate the discussions around the bug problems with the firewood. I guess all that aside I was really more into the idea of the logistics around me hauling it back there. I do like the tote idea. I guess my main concern isn't even whether or not the hitch will hold up because it will be mounted to the frame.

My question is to how this will affect tongue weight. If I build a hitch system and then add the weight of the carrier and the wood to it I will possibly be adding 300# to the rear of the trailer.

My thoughts about the tongue weight are to keep it between 10-15% of total trailer weight. I am at 14% tongue weight now so if adding 300# to the rear reduces tongue weight by 150# and increases total trailer weight by 300# I will end up with about 12% tongue weight.

Will this still work or would I be best to load a little more to the front of the trailer or will adjusting WDH bars be in order. Maybe measure the truck with the trailer on it before the wood is put on the back and then after?

[JJBIRISH]

W.E.BGood wrote:
"I don`t see anything in there about how to load firewood on the back of a trailer!"

Since it came up as part of the discussion and there were some questioning issues, I just thought I'd simply add a reference to a source of facts. (which at times tends to be lacking in some discussions). Sorry for the intrusion dodgeboy :R

Regards, BGood

you have to understand some are not concerened with the forest or the trees or the spreading of invasive pest… they are not concerned with saving the forest for others or even helping to do so… they believe it ( and almost everything else) is a big government conspiracy aimed at getting your money… the only thing important is saving a few bucks for themselves today… the same argument they have made for 5 to 10years now…
the link you gave is a good on that should be included in any thread that discussed the transportation of firewood…

“Sorry, I bring my own firewood and scrap lumber! I keep it in enclosed containers untill it goes into the fire. sure the ban may save a few trees, but they`re basically using it as a money maker!”


“Didn`t you here, ever since katrina all the firewood comes out of the gulf! the hurricanes devistated the trees, as well as the oil supply! hence higher wood prices. Everything thats in demand now comes from devistated areas.”

[westend]

W.E.BGood wrote:
HERE is a good source of information on the transport of firewood.

Thanks, that's a great link. When you click on a State, there is the particular information about the State rules.