Purchased 17MKE

**Dusty Mark** · 02-15-2021, 12:10 PM

dkayak:
Don't use a bolt-on hitch on the bumper. Our neighbors lost two bikes going down the road when their bumper tore off from stress it wasn't designed for with that setup. Nobody behind them was hurt (lawyers would love that scenario!) We bought an Ultra-Fab 2" Trailer Hitch Receiver, Item # UF35-946403, from e-Trailer and had it welded onto the rear frame of the camper. It welds solidly onto the bottom of the frame drops that come down from the main frame that the bumper is mounted to as well. We travelled from MN to WA to CA and back to MN with two plus bikes with no issues last fall using the Swagman Escapee rack, which is RV approved. I feel strongly enough about this that I went out at -5 degrees F and trudged through unplowed snow to measure the trailer and be sure I was recommending the correct model.

The hitch, bike rack, and bikes will take weight off your tongue and could affect your trailering stability. Mine was counterbalanced somewhat by the extra battery I put on the tongue for boon docking.

**Ynot4me2** · 02-15-2021, 03:24 PM

There's a few options. Roof rack on tv, bike rack that goes over the propane tanks, bike inside tv or tt and a tt bumper rack. You can get bumper support brackets or have a hitch welded on the tt frame. We carry 2 bikes on our bumper with a bolt on hitch but we have zero movement rack and the bikes are also strapped back diagonally back to the frame. We know its not recommended but we've never had any issue. We have an rv backup camera that's always on and there's zero bike movement when going over bumps. What bends the bumpers is when the bikes are bouncing up and down and side to side.

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**dkayak** · 02-15-2021, 05:29 PM

Originally Posted by Ynot4me2

What bends the bumpers is when the bikes are bouncing up and down and side to side.
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The Thule T2 is pulled tight into the receiver by a bolt, rather than being held by a pin, so it never wiggles or bounces. It becomes part of the car. For now though we’ll carry bikes inside the TV, as we have the space and they weigh just 20-25 lb each (depending on bike type). In my previous experience bikes on the roof are like hoisting a sail in terms of wind resistance!

As a Metallurgical Engineer, I believe the welds could be protected from fatigue by bolt-on reinforcements and use of a snug rack. However, I remain concerned that the bumper itself could yield in torsion or fatigue from its longitudinal weld. Beyond all that, looking closely today I see the bumper is very close to the body, with little space to install reinforcements or even a clamp-on receiver. Welding a receiver assembly to the frame as Dusty suggests seems best if I ever want to hang bikes off the back.