Rear hitch on a 189?

[xizang2008]

We would like to add a hitch receiver to the back of our 189. We're not going to tow anything, just want to add one of those cargo boxes to back for firewood etc. Has anyone tried this? Do I need to take it to a dealer to have it added? Any thoughts on issues?

The only issues I can think of are:

- clearing the spare tire
- making sure it doesn't scrape if we go through a dip or rut.
- might have to mount the license plate to the box so its visible.
- If the box has lights, we'd need to get power to it somehow.




Any feedback appreciated,
David

[jb_bb]

I would advise against adding a hitch to the rear of the trailer.

If you really want to add a rack for firewood,build something above the tongue/propane tanks. or even add to the front of your Tow Vehicle.

That much weight ~150-200lbs that far out back of the trailer, even if it is built strong enough to handle it, will drastically throw off the balance on the trailer. ie.. your tongue weight will be reduced which will cause problems while towing.


edit::: Removed wrong info about hitch...

[xizang2008]

Thanks for the response.

That makes sense regarding the weight distribution. I'll check with CruiserRV to see what they say.

EDIT:

If anyone else is interested in doing this, here's a thread with some good info. Sounds like there's enough doubt that I'll rethink the box. Maybe more hassle than its worth.

http://www.rvusa.com/forum/mbbs22/fo...=5884&posts=16

[keyser soze]

Originally Posted by jb_bb

I would advise against adding a hitch to the rear of the trailer.

There is a post somewhere that someone had talked to a CruiseRV rep and they strongly advised against adding a bike rack (hitch type) to the back of a FF. And a bike rack would be alot lighter than that rack filled with fire wood.

I will try to find it.

If you really want to add a rack for firewood,build something above the tongue/propane tanks. or even add to the front of your Tow Vehicle.

That much weight ~150-200lbs that far out back of the trailer, even if it is built strong enough to handle it, will drastically throw off the balance on the trailer. ie.. your tongue weight will be reduced which will cause problems while towing.

I believe you are mistaken on this. There was a post a few weeks back where someone asked about adding bikes to the spare tire mount and a FF rep said the spare tire rack was limited to 200 lbs. See... http://www.funfinderclub.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=143

You can mount a hitch receiver onto the bumper of a FF and you will not exceed structural loading of the bumper.

Check out... http://www.etrailer.com/pc-UMH~E-100.htm

jb_bb is absolutely correct on weight being added to the rear can throw off the balance of your trailer but you can reposition items inside the trailer to maintain the proper balance. You can loosen the spare tire mount and slide it sideways and mount a bolt on receiver. Depending on what you want to attach, you can flip the receiver to gain ground clearance.

[jb_bb]

I believe you are mistaken on this. There was a post a few weeks back where someone asked about adding bikes to the spare tire mount and a FF rep said the spare tire rack was limited to 200 lbs. See... http://www.funfinderclub.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=143

No wonder I couldn't find it.. Sorry for the misinfo..