Bike Rack/Cargo Rack

[brj1593]

Hello,

My wife and I are purchasing a Reflection 323BHS. We have 3 kids and are wanting to mount a bike rack and/or cargo carrier on the back bumper. We spoke to the dealer and asked them to give us the capacity of the back bumper and this is the reply we received:

Yes, you can mount a bumper bicycle rack, or have a receiver installed. It's up to you. The bumper can handle about 500 lbs....

We have researched this forum and found where the manufacture said the bumper is only rated to carry 100 lbs. Just wanting to make sure we don't over load and don't want to assume anything. Did the dealer quote correctly? Or, did Grand Design beef up the bumper for 2014?

I know we can add a receiver hitch to the frame but would prefer bumper mount.

Thank you,

Brett and Rachael
Parker, Colorado.

[Shamu]

I just bumped up a couple of threads for you.
I don't know how to link them here
Look in Reflection/General Discussion & Reflection/Hitches for some good ideas

[Glazier]

Bicycle racks put tremendous stress on the attachment to the trailer. The way they are constructed to hold the bikes creates a big lever at the tip end. I would not trust the bumper to hold more than 2 bicycles, and that would be attached at the tube welded to the main frame. In the center of the 4" thin wall sewer storage tube, 100lbs on a bike rack could cause some damage bouncing around on the highway.

[Tumbleweeds]

We decided to go with a front mount receiver and bike rack that mounts to the front of our Ram 2500. The receiver is rated for up to 500lbs tongue weight and 9000lbs towing/pulling. Ther are carriers that will handle up to 4 bikes made for such mounts?