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Old 01-31-2014, 10:55 AM   #1
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Default Bike Rack

Anyone have a bike rack mounted on a funfinder trailer? we have a 266KIRB 2014.
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Old 02-05-2014, 07:59 AM   #2
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We added a bike rack to our FF-210X by attaching a bolt on bumper adapter like this one on Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Then we added a 2 bicycle hitch mounted rack and off we went.

One problem for a beginner like me, hanging 100 pounds of rack and bicycles off the back of your trailer will seriously decrease tongue weight so you will need to compensate. Otherwise, it works fine an no issues after a couple of thousand miles.
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Old 02-11-2014, 09:29 AM   #3
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Great idea and find. Thanks. Just ordered mine from Amazon.
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Old 02-11-2014, 09:46 AM   #4
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You are welcome. I love these forums for ideas.
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Old 02-11-2014, 11:14 AM   #5
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Here's my set up!

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Old 02-11-2014, 07:01 PM   #6
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I have a 2011 viewfinder and am thinking about adding a bumper hitch like the one described. But have read on this forum as well as other about the nightmares for using this hitches with out upgrading the bumper.

Did you reinforce your bumper before installing the bumper hitch? If yes, what did you do? If not, how long have you used it?

Thanks.
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Old 02-17-2014, 12:41 PM   #7
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Believe the "horror" stories. I've been doing this quite a few years and have seen first hand many torn bumpers, missing bumpers and talked to folks that had lost $$$$$ having their thousand dollar mountain bikes dragged down the highway...

Take a real hard look at the bumper, both the thickness of the metal and the weld points at each end. Now picture a torqueing force of several hundred pounds (I know the bikes don't weigh that much at a static load, but, the torque effect of the rear end of the trailer bouncing up and down magnifies that static weight immensely) repeatedly and picture the welds into that thin bumper metal. I had a frame mounted bike rack that had the bikes supported from the wheels up. The frame mount held up just fine, but, in one 3,000 mile trip, the constant up and down force broke a weld on the bike rack and that weld was on two 3/16" thick plates. Fortunately, for me, the break wasn't in a spot that held the bikes off the ground, but, even then, I had numerous paint scars on the bikes where the break allowed them to bash together before I caught the problem. I had a local weld shop in Tucson fix the break and add two additional braces to the area.

Most manufacturers will state in their brochures that the bumper isn't designed to support more than 100 lbs. What they don't tell you is that the torgue multiplication of a bike mount will take your lightweight bikes of 50 lbs and easily make that several hundred pounds of on and off torque on the welds and thin sheet metal of the bumper.

There are many that can use them just fine (short trips) and others that use them and destroy their equipment and learn their lesson. Those device manufacturers stay in business because of those folks, but, you'll also find disclaimers from them that deny any responsibility for damages incurred from their use. My bikes are cheap, only $700 each, but, expensive enough to me not to take chances with them.



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Old 02-17-2014, 02:15 PM   #8
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Really did not want any welding around my camper, so my solution, mount the rack in the front of truck. I ordered a custom fit receiver hitch to install on the front of my truck. The hitch is rated for 500 lbs of tongue weight. We never camp more than 60 miles from home.

Thanks for the help and advice...
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Old 03-05-2014, 02:06 PM   #9
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OK now I am a little concerned. I read the Swagman description and it specifically states to not be used with aluminum or SPOT welded bumpers. I;m not standing in front of my bumper right now, but I am pretty sure it is a spot welded bumper. Crap. I have two adult mountain bikes, total weight about 40-60 lbs. The rack itself is probably 30-40 lbs. The spare tire is mounted to the bumper with the same design. Is there anyone who has actually used this setup successfully?
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Old 03-07-2014, 10:24 AM   #10
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Default Bike Rack

Our camper came with a small frame mounted receiver hitch from FunFinder to be used with a bike rack. We bought a Swagman rack to use with the receiver, but found the setup had a lot of pendulum motion. I added a second attachment to the bumper and thus had a two point mounting system. I think I described how I built it on a previous post. It moves a lot less now, but I really haven't used it much since the modification to really test it. The whole set up including bicycles adds a lot of weight, and the two point mounting is harder to attach to the camper. A bike rack that is rated for a camper can weigh more than a non-rated rack. I am not convinced a rear mounted bike rack is good option. Also, it is hard to tell from the tow vehicle just what is happening to the bikes on the back of the camper.
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Old 03-07-2014, 04:04 PM   #11
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Default Mount it to the frame only

I installed a curt rv hitch on the back of our 2010 189FDS. I cut the side plates that came with the hitch to slide through slots I cut in the back plate and bolt onto the I beams. Hitch:

http://www.curtmfg.com/part/13703

Some pictures(not great):

https://picasaweb.google.com/tompreusser/NewTrailer
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Old 04-06-2014, 03:47 PM   #12
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Default Bike rack / bumper concerns

Just came across this thread and for those of you still considering how to carry those bikes... I know this has been discussed in other threads as well and the points made by webslave are definitely to be considered! Our 2012 214WSD also has the standard 4" square bumper that was welded, even wit a full line weld, just to the ends of the frame I beam. We also had those very inadequate motorized stab jacks that were far too small/weak for the trailer. Here's what we did. Note that our spare is attached via bracket to the rear wall of the trailer, not to the bumper. I'll try to get some pics posted once I get the TT unwrapped this Spring.

1. After consulting with BAL technical staff regarding our specific trailer measurements , I bought 4 BAL Model 23231 C jacks (over kill, but with the frame to ground distance, a 30" jack is really the best way to go.) After removing the 4 little tent trailer jacks that Cruiser used on this trailer, I bolt/screw mounted 2 of new BALs on the front frame, but the rear was going to take some custom welding to get it mounted.

2. Went to a certified weld shop, described what needed to be done and that I wanted some substantial reinforcement added to the real bumper to help support the Swagman XTC-2 - 2 Bike Platform rack we had that is attached with the Swagman clamp/bolt on receiver. Welder essentially repeated everything that has been warned in the forums about bumper strength and the torsional force to be expected. He also said we RV owners should be checking our welds annually because he has seen too many poor factory weld jobs and, in fact, inadequate x-member bracing on many newer TTs in the effort to make them 'lighter'!

3. I had welder inspect the bumper design & welds and then he incorporated new channel brackets welded to rear frame X-member to support the much longer C jack frame and welded brackets to frame I beam to support new jacks and incorporated an extension that is fully welded to bottom of bumper. These jacks made a HUGE difference in stability and they go down 4X faster!

4. What about torsional twist you ask? I have a bracket on the Swagman rack that bolts to the spare tire bracket on the TT rear wall, pulling the bike rack firmly and solidly to the trailer. Since there is no 'wiggle' or slop to the bikes, the full 100lbs (2 x 35lb bikes + 30lb rack) is borne vertically by the bumper rather than having the bikes trying to flop backwards with every little bump. Scares us when we pass rigs carrying their bikes that way, seeing them 'bob n weave' as they travel down the road! I likely would do something a bit different - more substantial - if the spare we also attached to the bumper!
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