rear bumper pulling away from frame

[noonoo11]

2011 outback 301bq,,,,bicycle rack on read bumper. got home from a 6 hr trip and notice bicycles leaning. Turns out bumper pulling away from frame. Bicycles will ride in bed of pick up.....anyone else have this problem. I see people with bicycles all the time on the back. Having it welded.....

[Bucky_Badger]

noonoo11 wrote:
2011 outback 301bq,,,,bicycle rack on read bumper. got home from a 6 hr trip and notice bicycles leaning. Turns out bumper pulling away from frame. Bicycles will ride in bed of pick up.....anyone else have this problem. I see people with bicycles all the time on the back. Having it welded.....

Well this is no surprise...It's been said many times it's not a good idea, but people just keep doing it.:S

[christopherglen]

It is a bumper, a bumper that can hold a sewer hose, but a bumper none the less.
It won't stop anything much bigger then a loaded shopping cart, but then again grill guards bend pretty easily too.

[Super_Dave]

When is a bumper not really a bumper but just for show? LOL! It would probably help (but only a little) if they made it out of plastic. Someone would still try to bolt something to it but at least we'd know were the blame would lie.

[donn0128]

You are falsely thinking that is a bumper. ,in fact it is a sewer hose carrier, and nothing more. Anybody that places anything on it is simply looking formproblemsmssooner or later

[noonoo11]

2 bikes

[skipnchar]

Not uncommon. don't mount bike racks on the rear bumper. 100 lb. of bicycles carried two or three feet behind the bumper acts like a very effective lever to remove the bumper.

[Francesca_Knowl]

This is a common problem- here's what happened to one fellow that carried a few "extras" back on his unreinforced bumper:



Here's the whole thread on the subject.

[christopherglen]

Were the welds failing, or was the wall of the bumper tearing?

[dodge_guy]

I have my bike rack supported from the back wall. I use 2 ratchet straps criss-crossed and a set bolt in the hitch to take out any slop in the hitch. I also installed 2 stainless eyebolts in the back wall, through the horizontal bunk studs and the vertical wall studs. I have had them (4 bikes) on some fairly long trips. the longest was to Macinac MI. installed properly it can be done! even just installing a standalone hitch to the frame is not enough. the bike rack needs to be supported to eliminate the bouncing that happens at the rear of a trailer.

[TomG2]

noonoo11 wrote:
2011 outback 301bq,,,,bicycle rack on read bumper. got home from a 6 hr trip and notice bicycles leaning. Turns out bumper pulling away from frame. Bicycles will ride in bed of pick up.....anyone else have this problem. I see people with bicycles all the time on the back. Having it welded.....

Just curious, how many bicycles are we talking about? I have never had a problem with one.

[popupcamping]

not many are built to withstand the torture of a bike rack. It isnt what they are there for.

welding shops can make anything work if you tell them to do it.

[Markiemark32]

Good thing they were still there!

Have read many stories of the Stock Bumpers on Travel Trailers, not holding much weight.

Many suggest before mounting anything back there to have a welding shop reinforce/beef up the bumper.

I also see many with bikes on back, the ones hanging from the Ladders, make me cringe!!! Would think eventually this will cause issues.

I have a lot invested in bikes, and went this route:
Inside TT Bike Mounts

Markiemark