Hitch Cargo Hauler

[surgtech56]

We have a hitch on the back of our TT and have been thinking about getting one of those cargo haulers for that hitch to carry some kindling, cooler or chairs, etc.... Are these a good idea? How much weight can a TT bumper handle? I originally got the hitch so we could use a bike rack but found we don't take our bikes.

[chip_litch]

surgtech56 wrote:
Thanks everyone. The 'good idea fairy' is gone on this one. 🙂

You just made me realize I used the wrong fairy in my good idea ferry fairy! I'm done with doing homework while watching tv while surfing the Internet - well at least until next time.

[surgtech56]

Thanks everyone. The 'good idea fairy' is gone on this one. 🙂

[carpetguy2]

Had a friend put about 100# on one.By the time we got 50 miles away it was already sagging.
I would get a regular hitch to be safe and to be safe to others

[mlts22]

I'd probably consider having a frame mounted hitch receiver mounted to the back of the camper (preferably by bolting, not welding), then stick the bikes or other hitch racks in that.

[Bumpyroad]

If I were to use one it would be a lightweight aluminum one from Harbor Freight at a good price.
bumpy

[chip_litch]

It seems you have made the right decision so I will just briefly add icing on the cake to ensure any lingering thoughts from the good-idea-fairy are put to death.

I just picked up my trailer from a fabricator yesterday because he was what? - welding a new custom hitch and bumper on the back of the camper. I had a very nice bike rack and two above average quality adult bike and an above average quality kids 20 inch mountain bike rack on the back of the trailer when we hit the wrong bump and ripped the bumper off and dragged the bikes. Fortunately, we were only a mile from out destination when it happened. We had been on the road for 500 miles when the wrong bump jumped up and got us.

The stock bumper welds held ripping two holes in the bumper each the size of a softball. The bike rack, spare and bumper stayed attached to the trailer because I rope cable locked the bikes to the trailer frame.

To fix this neat little disaster would have been 275 or so for the same stock bumper and then a who knows how much for labor to have it installed. At this point I would have been back in the same position I was in - weak bumper that would not support a bike rack. I paid 600 to have a custom hitch fabricated and new bumper built and attached. The fabricator warrantied his work to 500 pounds.

The point of this ramble is those bolt on hitches will get you through trips - mine did from Utah to Ohio via Texas and then Ohio to Maryland and then the wrong bump caused enough force on the bumper to rip it off.

DON'T DO IT

[shortbus_driver]

surgtech56 wrote:
I'm getting a bad 'visual'. I think I'll 'nix' this idea. Thanks for your input.

Your TT thankss you, so do the people traveling behind you...

[surgtech56]

I'm getting a bad 'visual'. I think I'll 'nix' this idea. Thanks for your input.

[handye9]

If this hitch is one of those, that bolts onto the bumper, it is not a good idea to use a cargo hauler. Any weight placed on the hauler, plus the weight of the hauler itself, is intensified by distance it sticks out from bumper. Besides the posibility of ripping the bumper off, it could take away enough tongue weight, to cause sway problems.

TT bumpers are not designed to carry any significant weight.

Many folks get away with the bike rack idea, because, the weight is more vertical to the bumber. Not so much leverage as a cargo hauler.

I know this from experience. The thin metal walls of my bumper, could not withstand the weight and bouncing of an empty cargo hauler. Couple broken welds, and the hauler was dragging on the ground. That was several years, and a couple trailers ago. No more haulers for me.

[Jayco23FB]

I was thinking of doing the same thing until I saw a failure of one. It was a factory square tubed bumper on an older Jayco TT. The owner had the factory spare tire mounted to the bumper as well as an add-on bike rack mounted to the bumper. He was using a 2" bolt-on receiver type hitch that attaches directly to his bumper with no reinforcing. He had 4 bicycles on the rack. The bumper failed on the freeway, the bumper gave way right in the center where the bikes were mounted (the bumper twisted). All of the bicycles where damaged and one came dislodged and hit a car on the freeway. Luckily no one was hurt. Soon after that I have a friend that had the same thing happen on his motor home. If I were to do it I would get an actual receiver hitch made for a TT.

[Hondavalk]

JMO but if the hitch is only attached to the bumper I wouldn't put much of anything on it.