rear bumper not to be used a a step??

[bruceb]

Hi, we are a new 2106DS owner. I read the owners manual and it says the rear bumper should not be used to mount ANYTHING other than the spare tire and that is should net even be used as a step. Seriously??
I cannot believe it is that flimsy. Sheesh, by the looks if it you should be able to carry a lot of stuff attached to it.
What is the deal??

[hank857]

most rear tt bumpers are thin wall tubing (not really reinforced for weight) and will eventually fail after years of carrying wet sewer lines. I have seen many tt's with add on stuff on the rear bumpers just need to be careful with the weight. 5th wheels generally have stronger bumpers if they have them as you can also tow behind one in most states.


When we had a TT we planned to go to alaska with it so I added a rear mount, but it was tied to the frame of the trailer. Got 2 receiver mounts that normally bolted to the bumper and some thick wall tubing and mounted UNDER the original bumper that was then bolted to the tubes. I added one of the receiver carriers to one side to hold a plastic in bed storage box. The other side I mounted a 3K generator after having some mounts welded up to bolt the thing down to. The spare tire I threw into the pickup bed, had plans to mount under the A frame up front but never got around to it.

[Bigbird65]

My Minnie is a 2250DS and has a spare tire mounted on the bumper. I always use the bumper as the first step when climbing the ladder. No problem. The problem comes in if you mount a bike rack in addition to the spare tire. All of that bike bouncing can break a bumper.

[Lowdie24]

Bigbird65 is right on. We were towing a 17' Bigfoot TT with three bikes strapped onto a rack mounted onto the trailers thin square tin bumper. We were just west of Banff Alberta on the Canada Trans Canada Highway when I saw something very much amiss in the rear view mirror. Bumper was splitting in two due to the bouncing bikes and leverage) Emergancy pull over and a quick bodge (repair) got us back on the road. Once home I had the trailer hitch receiver welded to the frame with a support bracket under the bumper.So, my adice (for whatever that is worth) do not ever expect a RV bumper ti support any weight unsupported. Always ensure you're tied onto the frame.

[KGs2108DS]

Yes, the rear bumper not made to support anything other than spare/rack. I removed the spare/rack and used a receiver mount to mount my bike rack and 2 bikes. By end of 1,000 mi trip the bike rack tilted about 10-15 degrees backwards. The bumper itself is fine, it’s the mounts that are only bolted to something - maybe part of the frame. I’ve seen quite a few modifications to strengthen the bumper mounts, and will probably eventually have a metal/welding shop do this for me. However, one other disadvantage of bike rack on back is that if you’re driving lots of dirt roads, the bikes will be so covered in fine dust and dirt they are unusable without a thorough cleaning first - hard to do when boondocking. Option would be a dust proof cover, but not cheap, not easy. In the case of bikes, keeping them inside the trailer, thought a pain in the butt, at least keeps them clean, and off the bumper.

[Fasttimes]

You can strengthen the bumper with an after market kit like this. I added this and a rear bike rack and have had no issues.


https://www.amazon.com/Bundle-Items-...omotive&sr=1-1

[sduff]

As many others have already stated, I had a receiver mounted on the rear of all 3 of my TT by the dealership before I even picked them up. It can be dangerous for the folks traveling behind you on the highway if that bumper and its contents were to let go....

[Marine359]

We mounted our thetford 27gal smart tote on the bumper using camco tote mount brackets. If you tighten the brackets so they squeeze the tote a bit, the mounting becomes very secure, and doesn’t move at all while on the road. The tote weighs about 25lbs empty, so I don’t think it’s going to stress the bumper at all. Plus we wrap and tighten the retaining straps around the ladder. Had to move the spare tire mount bracket to the right to fit the tote in.