| rear bumper modifications [message #282457] |
Sun, 19 July 2015 11:35  |
lqqkatjon
Messages: 2324
Registered: October 2010
Location: St. Cloud, MN
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Senior Member |
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I am getting to the point of needing to do something to my trailer hitch. I have just a flat bar, with a ball on it now, that I bought when I first got my coach. It is supported by the plate holding the two pieces of bumper together and it is bolted to the rear frame rail. I switch between the trailer ball, and I end up bolting a bike rack to the thing as well on some trips. The last trip the weight of the bikes(kids bikes I think got heavier this year), bent my flat plate down over the trip. It has always just been meant to be a temporary thing, but now I need to either bend my trailer hitch back, or actually fix and complete my hitch.
I am not going the blaine merril route, because partly cost, even though time is money, but mostly am really thinking of adding some more features to the back of the coach. a frank jenkins rear box, is also out of budget.
I do own or have access to metal working tools, so I intend on fabricating something on my own. I do not want it to take a year to build, but I am just now trying to really think out what I want and need to do.
So cost being somewhat of a consideration, who has pictures of what they have done, and how has it worked for you?
right now I am planning on installing a 2" receiver tube through the bumper(for trailering/towd hauling). with a second 2" receiver tube coming out between the bumper and spare tire.(for 2" reciever bike rack or cargo tray). The second tube, I will have to cut and move my spare tire bracket up a couple inches to make better clearance for the tube, and installing pins and to allow tire cover to tie on., and I think I am going to try to push the bumper out from the coach as far as I can reasonably do it, by just making up some brackets to go on the outside of the shock mounted bumper. I am hoping to get enough outward on the bumper to maybe be able to haul a small generator, or our weber Q bbq on either side of the spare tire. I want to keep that outward distance to a minimum, because the more out I go, the longer the 2" tube for the hitch has to be, and that tongue weight leverage could end up being a problem. I think just a couple inches might do it.
So just fishing for ideas, without going too crazy.
Jon Roche
75 palm beach
EBL EFI, manny headers, Micro Level, rebuilt most of coach now.
St. Cloud, MN
http://lqqkatjon.blogspot.com/
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