Broken Bumper, Common RV Mistake & Tips (RV Living Full Time)4K
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 23 ก.ค. 2024
- What common mistake do campers make often? especially a full time Rver? Overload the bumper on the trailer. With a blue boy, a bike rack, canoe, kayak, and more. The bumper that often comes standard is not designed to carry heavy loads.
When we bought our used Grand Design Fifth Wheel, it came with a bumper mounted receiver hitch adapter to mount things like bike racks and cargo carriers. We used it to mount our old bike rack to haul our bikes and blue boy around for our first year. When we were preparing for our long trip back to Florida from Canada last summer, I noticed huge cracks in the welds between the bumper and the RV frame. The constant bouncing of the bike rack combined with too much weight created metal fatigue on the welds and they had finally failed. This is a common mistake.
If the bumper had completely broken off while on the highway, it could have been disaster.
We will go over what happened, how we solved the problem and a few bumper tips at the end including, sewer hose caps, and a bumper mounted vice. Look for links to the products below.
0:00 Intro
1:01 Bumper adapter
1:39 Bumper Failure
3:03 Diagram
4:10 The solution
5:13 Installation
6:06 The Cost
7:38 Bumper Tips
9:25 Vice
10:54 Conclusion
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Ultra-Fab products weld on RV hitch amzn.to/3bkEylg
Camco Magnetic bumper cap for sewer hose amzn.to/3bomLK5
Camco Magnetic bumper cap for 4 in 1 amzn.to/3uUmnL3
4 inch Vice (amazon) amzn.to/30jL71a
4 inch Vice (harbor freight) this is mine
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Texas Trailers in Gainesville Florida
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We are a married couple in our mid 50s who downsized and sold our house so we can see the sights and enjoy every day to live deliberately as full time RVers - traveling with our dog Scrappy - in our Grand Design Solitude 310 GK fifth wheel.
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#rvliving #rvbumper #hitch #bikerack
I cannot even tell you how many of these "bumpers" I have reinforced or replaced altogether for fellow campers over the years, or how many custom-fabricated receiver hitches I made!! Fundamentally, the tube and its attachment to the frame are not load-rated, and does not really act as a bumper either. My wife and I have seen lost bikes, lost coolers, lost spare tires, and the worst I've seen yet was a large generator that broke off and destroyed the wife's car who was following behind her husband and kids in the truck with 5er. Please folks, don't use these bumpers to hang any thing from!
Hey Rob, it’s good to hear this from someone who has a lot of experience fixing these bumpers. The generator story is crazy, I guess they are lucky it destroyed their own follow behind car instead of somebody who would have sued them. I felt fortunate that I caught the break before it broke off and endangered others. Thanks fir sharing your experience. Larry
Also the frame itself isnt heavy enough to even build off of.
@@MADDOG100ful Very true for many models, especially lites! Fortunately, the frames on the higher end 5ers are real beams and can be reinforced.
Use Mount-n-lock reinforcements and you won't have any problem whatsoever!
*I drove 20 hours across state with a **Latest.Bike** on this rack never budged. Highly impressed. Easy install one two go!*
Good to hear. Glad it worked for you 🤗
I love your channel. I don’t feeling like you guys are always trying to sell me something like many other channels do. Your info is just very helpful.
Steve, that is a great compliment. We don’t ever want to be “product pimpers.” We are always trying to find ways to help,
Alice
We are glad y'all noticed it in time and were able to prevent an accident on the road! Thanks for sharing! ~ Shion and Matthew
We were definitely lucky. There are some stories in the comments of the unlucky ones.
We hope that we help at least one person avoid a mistake,
Alice
@@DownsizingMakesCents We so some of those comments! Very scary!
Another great video filled with helpful advice. This one is a "MUST SEE" . Thanks guys! Happy trails!
Pam, thank you so much. We have learned that many RVers overload the bumper. We hope to save someone so many and worse.
In a comment, someone wrote that their follow behind car was damaged 😬
Alice
Great information for every rv’er. Very happy you noticed your welding cracks in time to correct. Several years ago this same thing happened to my brother-in-law‘s 4” bumper using the same bolt on receiver as you used. Going down the interstate with two brand new bikes for him and his wife his bumper broke from the weight of the bolt on receiver, bike rack and the 2 bikes. The brand new bikes were destroyed on the interstate.
I do carry up to 3 bikes on our 5th wheel using the factory installed 2” trailer receiver hitch rated for 300 lb tongue weight. Thanks
Bill, wow. Sorry that happened. GD does the hitch now to avoid mistakes like we made.
Alice
This is so good to share because some folks might not look at these welds too often! We are lucky the Lance has a factory receiver on the back attached to the frame and a bumper for hose storage. Glad nothing bad happened! The vice is a nice touch!!
Thanks guys. We hope we don’t have too many more “mistake” videos 😂. The welding place said it is a common problem they have to fix. Newer Solitudes just have the hitch.
Alice
I’m a trauma rep going through a lot of the same thought process you did. I’m a little younger with young kids but you and your wife are an inspiration. Watching the video on why you did this and seeing that picture with you and 8 pans going to surgery made my eye start twitching!! Glad to have found your channel. I’ll live vicariously through you guys for a while 😉
I did spine trauma for 10 years and it aged me 20. There’s no way I could carry a full load of trays in and out of hospitals anymore. But I do miss those big paychecks
Glad you found us, but sorry I made you twitch 😅
We hope you enjoy more of our adventures,
Larry
You're such a creative problem solver! I love those magnetic end caps for the bumper... I'll have to look into those for Bessie. Glad you didn't lose your bike rack while driving down the road.
Thanks Lisa, solving problems is a huge part of this lifestyle. If you don’t learn to constantly identify, address and solve problems this lifestyle could be very stressful. I love making videos where we tell a story about solving a problem. Larry
Definitely worth the peace of mind and safety. This is what I did to reinforce my bumper so I could carry a bike rack. I installed it before installing a hitch for a bike rack and you can do it yourself. Mount-n-Lock SafetyStruts Heavy Duty RV Bumper Brackets TM
Someone told me about those but I have never seen them. Sounds like a great solution to the problem. Larry
Yikes! Great catch and glad you were able to get everything worked out and fixed up. We don't have a bumper on the 5th wheel, we have a receiver, but when we added the motorcycle rack to the back, we took it to a place in CA (Broken Wheel RV) and they did a phenomenal job welding two additional receivers to the back as well. It's sometimes so tough to find a great place to take the RV for repairs, but sounds like you guys got lucky! Great video and information, Larry!
Texas Trailers were awesome.
I didn’t know you guys have a motorcycle? You guys are definitely cooler than us 😂
So many great tips! If we downsize rigs in the future this will come in handy!
We are glad we can help- we are always looking for helpful tips,
Alice
Thank you for this video! I’ve been shopping for a small bolt on “hitch” but after seeing this I will save myself the headache and spend the extra money now for a proper hitch.
Brian, it’s definitely worth it to know your stuff is safe and secure,
Alice
Brian, it’s definitely worth it to know your stuff is safe and secure,
Alice
I added 4 gussets to support the bumper and added a hitch tensioner to stop the wobble of the bike rack in the hitch. Now my end caps stay in.👍 I heard the horror stories from my neighbor and other campers. Great videos keep up the great work. 🙏
I can’t believe it took me so long to figure out why my bumper caps were loosening. Sounds like you have a great solution to the problem. Larry
So many great tips and we’ve never did that cause we know it wasn’t good. Thanks for sharing. And we will share this video to anyone we thinks need to know
Thanks, guys. It is a pretty common mistake.
Alice
First thing I did before doing anything on the bumper was crawl under and look at how it was installed. Our Arctic Wolf has a solid mounted bumper, not the welded one like the GD in the vid. An option on the Arctic Wolf is a receiver bumper with a 3K tow rating so the attachments are already there. If not, there are options for doing this with brackets that bolt to the frame and support the bumper, keeping it square and taking the load off the welds.
As always, an informative video Larry. Thanks for the "Common Cents".
Thanks Chaz, I appreciate the encouragement. Always working to try to get better at making videos. We need to use that “common Cents” line in a video, LOL. Larry
Love the explanation and tips. We attached our bike rack to the back of our fifth wheel for the first time this winter for the trip down to AZ. Before we even got out of our home town, one of the bike's handlebars had gone between the rungs of our rear ladder and broken out a window. Down the road, when we pulled into a campsite, I noticed that our sewer hose was hanging out and one cap was missing. Guess I need to find a different way of transporting the bikes..
Sean, oh no. I hate the idea of a window breaking. Yikes.
Larry really likes his magnetic bumper caps. We have lost caps in the past.
We definitely like the new system with the strong hitch,
Alice
Thank you for pointing out to not carry items on the rear bumper! I have seen one fail the highway, fortunately it was not busy!
If it’s light and stable, it might be ok. But we have seen way too many bumpers overloaded, poorly strapped and dangerous.
Our new hitch is very secure,
Alice
On our Forest River V-Lite the main I-beam frame members are actually notched to support the square tube from underneath as well as the typical vertical butt weld where the bumper abuts the I-beam. We also use a medium duty ratchet strap from one I-beam out and over the bikes and back down to the other I-beam to nearly entirely eliminate the usual "bounce" that occurs going down the road. I WILL BE checking those welds too, though, as well!
Sounds like you are on top of the issue. The bouncing was the problem, if you can eliminate the bounce, you shouldn’t have any problem. Larry
I love these tips Larry. It’s good to know you can put your sewer hose in the bumper. I wonder why you had bunker issues. Glad you found d a place to get you Rv fixed. Thank you Larry for the information. See you next week. Stay safe and have a great week and say hello to Alice for me.
Sherri, it’s amazing how common bumper issues are. But we still like having one. Our new set up is much better.
Thanks for coming to see us every week.
Alice
Sherri, it’s amazing how common bumper issues are. But we still like having one. Our new set up is much better.
Thanks for coming to see us every week.
Alice
Excellent timing, Larry! I've stayed away from mounting anything to our 4" Lance bumper for the reasons you mention. But I've been mulling how to take my 70# Juice e-bike with us and the trailer's rear end area is inviting. 70# of weight, cantilevered off its mounting point, coupled with the inertia of a downward/upward force generated by the lousy U.S. roads we suffer with these days will deliver tremendous loading on the mounting point. Helpful to see this alternative. And yes, doing a 'vice video', including how to functionally align it for different jobs, would be helpful. Suggest using Boeshield T9 or Fluid Film, not WD40, for your vice's surface protection. Thanks!
I should have mentioned that the proliferation of e-bikes and their increased weights will definitely overload this type of setup. I Used to use fluid film on my boat, I coated everything with that stuff. I need to pick one up for the RV, great idea. Larry
My Flagstaff TT has the square bumper with the spare tire already installed on it, it has C channel welded for extra support by the manufacture. I also have the plastic ends on my bumper too. I cut me .065" trimmer cord about 10" long, drilled a hole in the end cap and hole in the bumper, made a knot and threaded thru the bumper and end cap and tied the knot, now when it open the end cap just let it hang, also if it pops off when traveling it just hangs there. it never did come off when traveling. Nice job on fixing your problem bumper fix I would paid that price with no worries about bumper problems again. Nice Vise install. Travel safe...
Hey George, that sounds like a really good solution for keeping the caps from falling off. I may use that trick for the caps on my 5 x5 fence post diy sewer tube, I am always worried that i will forget to put the caps back on when we pack up. Larry
Another great video by you guys that helps to discuss a common problem and common solution that is cheap but also highly risky since it can lead to a catostrophic failure in the bumper and causes potential accidents! Thanks for showcasing Texas Trailers as a vendor that can do this type of work. Welders that are willing to do this type of work are hard to find! Since our rig is Keystone Outback Travel Trailer, our issue is similair but we use the lippert Jack-It bike rack that goes on the A-Frame. However, I have to install it backwards to get clearance from the front cap of the trailer and I have to raise the hitch all the way up to allow for the bikes to have enough height to clear the bed of the truck as I turn. A-Frame mounting sounds great but there are a lot of clearances to consider and work out to make it work. Jack it does not work for everyone's rig. And it also puts the bikes in the bug-splat central so a cover system is really needed for that type of froward-facing mounting. Thanks for the great lessons learned!
That sounds like a really cool solution for a travel trailer. Do you use a cover to keep the bugs and dirt off the bikes? I use a really big cover tha zips all around the bikes on long trips. Larry
We do not due to a bad incident with covers due to the covers not being secured very well when we had them in the bed of the tuck. If you can share the type of cover you use, that would be great. I haven't found a zippered one that's what I'm looking for to keep everything off the bikes!!
@@andrewk1916 We will put a link to the bike cover in the description. Great question.
Alice
I have put a bike Carrier on my bumper but I do tie them to the ladder also so there is very little bounce. I feel the excessive play and severe bouncing really magnifies the problem. And I am watching it closely. Thanks for your video.
I agree, it was the bouncing that broke the welds. If i had a way of controlling the bouncing I don’t think it would have broken so quickly. Other people in the comments have mentioned a bumper support kit that you can buy from e-trailer that can mitigate bumper breakage. Larry
I love Texas Trailers. They have serviced our RV as well and welded our bike carrier back together when a piece broke off.
Wendy, we found them when our leaf spring broke. We are so glad we did.
Alice
Great video Larry!!! We will be checking our bumper more often. Tell Alice I said Hi🤗
Lisa, thanks. FYI I handle all comments that aren’t technical 😂. Except his I Quit video
Hi back,
Alice
@@DownsizingMakesCents 🤣🤣 Oh I figured that out Alice!! I think you & I could possibly be really good friends🤗🤗
@@lisamcgrath3132 🤗
You're a man of many "vices" Larry 😉👍 Thanks for all your Ad-vice 😂
🤣😂 love the play on words,
Alice
Great video. I am about to mount a waste totter rack to my bumper and will ensure I check those welds! Thx. John
John, we should have noticed the welds earlier. Plus, the way the bike rack was damaged his expensive mountain bike so he started putting it inside the RV. But with all the work done, we are sure it’s safe and secure,
Alice
I have such a bumper on my trailer. I plan to carry two e bikes on a rack mounted above my truck bed. Then I'll add a cargo box to the trailer bumper to carry stuff I had in the truck bed. At least thats my plan so far. Very subject to change. Nice video!
Keep an eye on the welds on the bumper if you are attaching anything to it. You should see small cracks before it fails completely. Larry
My 2017 Forest River came with angle gussets welded to the frame and to the inside and outside edges of the bumper. I also put additional support from the frame to the outside edge of the bumper. There is also a kit made that supports the bumper to the frame that eliminates the twisting effect on the bumper. (I believe ETrailer stocks them).There are a few simple solutions to reinforce the bumper for just a few dollars.
Hey Gary, if i had identified the weakness in the bumper setup and did something to reinforce it before it broke, i wouldn’t have had to do such an extensive repair. The bumper support kit sounds interesting, i will have to see what’s out there. Larry
Great video Larry. I’m going out to check mine today.
George, if we help one person, than it was worth it,
Alice
@@DownsizingMakesCents I just checked my rig and I guess I got lucky. It has a hitch receiver mounted to the RV frame not the square bumper. It’s a 2019 Cougar TT.
That’s good. So you shouldn’t have issues. I would still see what the manual says is the weight limit.
Carrying bikes on a bumper is a big no no as you found out. I'm glad you didn't lose anything off the back. I had a local weld shop that was experienced in welding hitches on fifth wheels create one for me.
Dan, exactly. We are so glad we had a pro welder fix it up.
Maybe now I can get an ebike 😃
Alice
Rephrased Comment: We appreciate you letting us know about this risk. This is great information. We watch these videos to help us not make similar mistakes. "We love to share our mistakes so you can avoid them." Those who fail to study history (or mistakes) are destined to repeat them. :) - Bill & Nancy. Last comment deleted.
Thanks guys. We wish we saw a video about this when we first started putting weight back there.
Alice
I think dragging your sewer hose thru your metal bumper is scraping it a lot, and if / when it fails, you already committed to a open valve dumping some tank on your RV. The entire thing scares me. I got a PVC fence post the length of my bumper, mounted it, and put a 4" rain gutter inside it to stop chaffing. the rain gutter can also double as a way to keep your hoses off the ground and provide a better slope. Finally, the PVC post cover, it was white, so I got a spray can of black PVC paint at the auto store and painted it. Thanks for sharing your adventures.
Funny you should mention the PVC extra storage
th-cam.com/video/bghDjXdySxs/w-d-xo.html
We have the same setup as you bought, I set mine up so the opening was on top of the 4 inch bumper to keep from dragging on something,
I talked to Texas Trailers about mounting it that way but with my rig they wanted it mounted below to have better metal to weld to underneath. It would be nice having the extra clearance for big dips in the road like getting in and out of non level campsites. Larry
Wow, just finished a 700 mile trip with that bumper attachment. Luckily nothing happened will investigate your solution.
Thank you ❤️❤️❤️
Definitely fixed it before you see something in the road in your review mirror 😬
If you found this helpful, please share with someone else this might benefit.
Thanks for coming by. And let us know what you find,
Alice
Great! Texas Trailers is just down the road from us here in La Crosse. I will be looking into a hitch to attach to the frame of our trailer.
Both experiences with Texas Trailers were very good, hope you have a similar experience, Larry
Great informational video. Thank you.
Glad we could help. We will never be happy with the standard bumper found on an RV,
Alice
In 2018 we towed our brand new Rockwood Roo across Canada and I added a second spare tire and mount on the rear bumper. The welds let go and had to have the bumper repaired. It was done under warranty. The repair seems to be better than when new. So far so good.
Mike, thanks for sharing. Lots of stories like this. Yes. I bet new welds are much better.
Safe travels,
Alice
@@DownsizingMakesCents We met a couple in Manitoba that actually live real close to us. They were heading east and we were going west. We became friends in 30 min after meeting. We had supper together and Chris and Bonnie told us their RV literally peeled away on the driver's side. Chris had to steal screws from other parts of their camper to do a temporary repair. That was a crazy story.
Wow. That is crazy. Yikes 😳 We hope to get back up to Canada next summer. Larry has a nephew in Nova Scotia. We loved the Ontario Provincial parks we visited last summer 🇨🇦 ❤️
Alice
@@DownsizingMakesCents 👍🇨🇦
Awesome job. Keep up the great videos. We truly enjoy seeing all of your adventures. Maybe one day we will be at the same place you are. We would love to introduce ourselves and thank you in person. Take care - stay healthy, and now go wash your hands.
Bill, definitely say hi if you see us. We appreciate all the encouragement.
Larry constantly washes his hands. Probably our biggest expense. 😂
Take care,
Alice
Please do a video on the vice on the bumper. That would be interesting. Good video. Thanks for sharing.
I think i will do a video on some of my customizations and include how i mounted the vice. I need to find a source for the ubolts that anybody can get to do this vice attachment mod. I am considering having Texas trailers weld me a proper steel mounting plate to the top of the bumper so i would have more Room for the vice to swivel. Larry
The RV bumper problem is pretty well known. My Forest River Flagstaff actually has warning labels about placing too much load on the bumper and about placing too much load on the ladder. We mount our bike rack and bikes to a front hitch we put on our truck. We may put a hitch on the rear of the trailer at some point.
I want to put a receiver on the front of the truck to mount a support for a canoe. I should have known the bumper welds couldn’t take the constant bouncing of the bike rack. The new hitch is rock solid, no bouncing. Larry
I bought my trailer with the spare tire mounted on the rear extended bumper that will actually swing down to take it off, after watching your video i can see taking that spare off the back end will save the trailer from totally falling apart in no time
Those bumpers just are not designed to take that kind of stress, even a small spare trailer tire would be enough to crack the welds over time. Larry
We knew about these potential issues so we had a welder reinforce the bumper to the I-beams. We now carry a cargo tray with empty tanks.
Oscar, we hope more people will look into doing that before it’s too late,
Alice
I bolted and welded Mount n Lock Safety Struts to the frame/bumper and use their Shaker Stopper receiver for my 2 ebike carrier. Still evaluating performance. Will report back.
I’ve heard in the comments that those are effective. Larry
Check out some of our other videos about "when things break" and what we did about it:
th-cam.com/video/EWMVOm_JCaU/w-d-xo.html Broken Leaf Spring
th-cam.com/video/WA-1OdoTZf0/w-d-xo.html Broken Slide
th-cam.com/video/qm48bpXdNdk/w-d-xo.html Replace leaf springs & Defecting Ram Truck Tire
Nice. Thanks Larry
We are always trying to help
My 2022 Starcraft Autumn Ridge came with a 2" receiver installed but a clear warning against overloading it or towing ANTHING. It is also welded to a second crossmember ahead 9f the bumper. That might be a way to increase the carryin capacity without adding the extra weight of the hitch described here.
I think if anyone uses common sense when using a bumper reciever to carry stuff, it should work ok, but i was surprised on the damage we did to ours with just a couple of bikes. Larry
Hey Larry, Larry here great video as always. Just wondering how you have that mast/flagpole mounted to your ladder. Might make another how to video. Thanks Again, was nice meeting both of you in the Campground last week
Thanks Larry, the flagpole is used for mounting our directional antennas for our cellular router for our internet. It is just zip tied to the ladder when we need it for hitting cell towers that are really far away. I am just deciding today what video we are going to do next week, one of the choices is an overview of how we are connected to the internet and all the gear we use to do it. It was really nice meeting you and Norma at the campground, hope to run into you guys again. Larry.
Thanks for sharing!
We just hope we save someone some money and stress,
Alice
Ours fell off with our bikes on I-75 south of Tampa on the way to the Everglades. Luckily no cars hit it, but the bikes were a complete loss.
Chad, wow. Sorry to hear that. But I’m glad it wasn’t worse.
You are not alone. This is a common problem. That’s why we did this video,
Alice
I've bought a platform to put my generator on and hang it from that same type bumper. I knew that I'd have to reinforce the bumper somehow . I called a welder up and sent him pics of what I want done and he says he can reinforce it easily. Hopefully it works out.
That a great idea to reinforce it so your generator stays put. Larry
you probably saved me money because I was getting ready to buy that same hitch for my RV bumper to mount a generator (sighs)
Mike, believe me, we wish we saw this video earlier haha.
Glad we could help.
And as always, if you know if any of our videos can help someone else, please share- it helps our channel a lot,
Alice
Didn't know those bumper end cap upgrades existed, and they are cheap ! I'll be picking those up.
They are awesome, before I got them I never used the bumper to store stinky slinkies. Larry
I needed to mount 2 spare tires and a generator to the back of my travel trailer with a 4in hollow bumper. I used "Mount-n-lock" reinforcements that bolt through part of the travel trailer's frame that holds up the hollow bumper which is welded to the camper itself. Problem solved for less than $100 and the drilling of six holes! The bumper can now hold up to 500 lbs!
Sorry for late reply - just saw this. We have heard those are a great solution for that weight. But ours was broken.
Thanks for sharing.
Alice
My toyhauler doesn't have a bumper. I added a tube to the frame underneath to hold the stinky slinky.
I have too many stinky slinkies. I have three storage tubes, I don’t like to put any of the dirty stuff in the truck or RV. Larry
Great video, thank you, new sub
Thanks. We appreciate the follow. We just try to help others,
Alice
The factory bumper is the first thing I cut off and get rid of if it came with one. Our new Montana didn't have a bumper on it because of the rear cap. I belt and welded my own. Never use the factory bumper ever.
Robert, many many people agree with you. Larry can do lots of things, but welding isn’t one of them. Plus we just don’t have the tools we used to.
Being able to fix your RV yourself is awesome.
Alice
Welded one of the hitches on you couldn't fit. Cut 18 inches of bumper out of middle still fit 2 lengths of hose in it. Moved spare underneath.
How’s it working for you? Our hitch now is solid. But bike rack has to be replaced. It’s old and hangs too low
@@DownsizingMakesCents haven't taken it out yet going 8 hrs to Phoenix for championship weekend in November. Excited to shake it down.
"And the only thing that can satisfy my hunger when I'm RVing is a fresh, delicious, classic Subway sandwich. Head in to your local Subway to enjoy a Subway sandwich in a 6 inch or 12 inch. Get your Subway, today!"
Thats funny, are you saying we are promoting something here, we have never gotten paid to promote but if subway is offering i would only accept if they start offering gluten free options. Haha Larry
We just picked up our new RV and haven't even used it yet. It has a factory installed hitch that is supposed to be rated for 300 lbs. I'll have to look at it to see how it is attached. I wonder if it can truly handle 300 lbs? Thank you, I've subscribed to your channel.
Most of the Factory attached hitches I have seen are properly bolted or welded to the I-Beams of the RV. If it is welded i would take a good look at the welds to see if they did a good job. It’s not really the weight, it is the stress of the constant bouncing that broke ours. The bumper was so flexible it was like a spring bouncing up and down. Larry
I have been in RV repair for 40 years and have told so many people about their sewer bumper receiver hitches. A few have listened and thanked me for the advice to have at least 4 frame contact welds. Others just are sarcastic know it alls. I’ve seen guys on the side of the interstate with their bumper, bike rack, bikes all on the highway. I got tired of talking about it. Basically, you can’t fix stupid!
Tony, love the last sentence. As a former teacher, I can relate. Obviously, Grand Design knew it was a bad design because they changed it.
We know when to let the pros handle it.
If you have any common mistake, please share. We will listen,
Alice
They make some hooks that screw to the frame and go up under the "bumper" to reinforce it. What they really do is bring them up to their rated specs. A real hitch is the right answer!
I agree, the number should only be Used for sewer hoses or mounting a vice, lol. Larry
Place I bought my Grand Design trailer from said adding a hitch to my frame would void my warrantee.
I doubt they would void the warranty for adding a hitch, but I would ask GD, just in case. Larry
Larry.. I gotta say that I think you short-change your videos. You not only share RV DIY and campground reviews.. you also cover bird watching and how to buy stickers in all your stops :-) well now that I have the Sass out of the way.. I gotta say this video will absolutely save people from big mistakes!! I’ll be looking out for this !! Good stuff !
Darisan, sticker buying and bird watching is important RV activities 😂. We obviously love a bit of “sass.”
We do hope this saves people some money and heartache,
Alice
@@DownsizingMakesCents yah.. I can see how people would use that bumper to carry too much.. that could really be dangerous
I built a custom frame... it holds generators and bikes, I need to make a video about it but I’m just not as charismatic as Larry & Alice.
I KNEW it! 😂. Maybe we can be guests on your video.
Alice
@@DownsizingMakesCents I would love that!
I did at a friend's shop.
That’s so helpful. When we had to quarantine for two weeks in Canada, we were lucky we had a friend to let us moochdock- plus he had some awesome tools, but not for welding.
no i dont thanks be safe have fun
Vincent, to be safe, don’t put anything heavy back there.
Take care,
Alice
done this. the bumper cracked on both ends. the insurance company paid for a new bumper.
Wow. Great insurance company. We never thought of asking our insurance?
Alice
Given all the horror stories about rv frames etc i dont think i wd attach anything to any rv frame...i wd put a bike rack on the front of the truck instead; much sturdier your rad still gets plenty of air and no bum is going to try n steal it when its plainly in your sight. sewer cart can b put in truck bed or trailer underbelly.
I have three places to store sewer hoses and attachments. A super tube, my custom 5x5 fence post tube, and the 4x4 bumper. I don’t like to keep any of that stuff in the Rv or the truck. I am going to add a hitch to the front of the truck for a bike or canoe support rack. I feel confident on our new Rv hitch, but I will be watching those welds periodically. Larry
@@DownsizingMakesCents I think stowing the sewer hoses in the rv rear bumper is a brilliant idea; it seems to be made just for that purpose; front truck hitch for bikes n heavier stuff would b the way to go for sure; watching welds is a bit of a pain eh!
Awesome video. I hope that wasn't there head welder that laid that bubble gum tho.
I’m guessing that bubble gum is a welder term for a poor weld bead. It isn’t super pretty but i feel confident the weld is strong. Let me know if I’m correct about bubble gum. Larry
@@DownsizingMakesCents ya, that's that's weld term.
You need thicker sguare tube
I think all the rvs use this same gauge steel tube, but you are right it should be thicker and reinforced better. Larry
Just curious, how were you able to cross the Canadian border during the summer of 2020?
Robert, Larry has dual citizenship. I was allowed to cross as his spouse.
Alice
@@DownsizingMakesCents
That’s awesome!! We are so looking forward to PEI this summer. Leaving Florida and heading to home base in VT the beginning of April. Love your videos!!!
Robert, thank you.
Sounds like a great trip. We hope to visit Larry’s nephew in Nova Scotia this summer
Alice
@@ourvlife1 Thanks. You have room for a moochdocker in VT? 😂
Alice
@@DownsizingMakesCents
That would be awesome!! That is our next project. Currently the entrance to our property is so tight we barely get our Tacoma and 15ft. Teardrop in. Our friends tried to attempt it with their Tundra and 28ft. Big Foot. It didn’t go well. We would like to get involved with Boondockers Welcome.
- I bought a forward hitch for my truck and carry my bikes on the front of my tow vehicle
I need to add a forward hitch to my ram for a canoe support rack, Larry
saybout- any noticeable issues with the the coolant? I've often thought about a front hitch for my 250# vespa and the 50# rack but I coming up with that thing it simply too heavy and too big.
@@andrewk1916 that’s a great question for @sayboat
Alice
" best welding fabricator" lmao.. I tell everyone " Joe's the best" same as Steve, Harvey, Lynne, Shelley etc.
Thank you for the helpful comment
No more hauling generator and fuel back there!
We have seen some heavy things put back there by other campers. Check your welds. Make sure your hitch is attached securely
Alice
Thanks for sharing with us! I am researching something like that for our future 310gk. I understand that GD changed the design on the bumper but I probably want to have two hitches to towing our two motorcycles. Your explanation gave us some ideas! We would like to get one of those (Freedom Hauler www.freedomhauler.com/ or Smart Trailer smarttrailers.com/product.aspx?productId=5) If you look up their videos then you will understand what we are trying to do. Thanks again!
I saw a solitude on the road with one of those freedom haulers, I actually stopped to take photos of it I was so intrigued. Obviously you would have to have someone attach. The double hitch to the frame. I wonder what backing up would be like with one of those attached? Larry
@@DownsizingMakesCents Oh boy! I would love to see your photos! Where did you see them? On the east coast where the Atlantic bans double towing? Thanks!
@@dalefine3329 I saw it near Orlando. It was pretty cool
This seems like something I have seen before. lol You could have just brought that thing to me and I could have welded it on. I did welding for about 4 years. Been a minute though. lol That is really not a bad price for getting both done. Plus great customer service means a lot. Ah you are touching the sewer stuff with no gloves. How nasty. lol I really don't care and do that myself just wanted to get that comment in before others. lol Nice vice and cover. Great info y'all. We don;t have a 4x4. We just got the full receiver hitch for the car towing.
Well, William, who knew you were such a jack of all trades. :)
William, if we were near you, we would have called me to you for help. We were very impressed with Texas Trailers. We are still working on the video about their axle service and leaf spring replacement.
I bet we will get lots of comments on the no gloves 😂. Believe me, he washes up a lot. Larry is so happy he found a way to have a vice with him.
We are glad we still have a bumper and now stronger and with a solid hitch.
You will have to inspect the welds when we see you next,
Alice
@@ThinBlueLaneRVLife It's been a minute but I could weld pretty good back in the day. Both MIG and TIG. TIG was always my favorite.
Seems like ur camper had bad welding to begin with
Very true
I’m no welder but I’ve seen enough to tell you that’s some shitty welding.
I’m no welder either and cant tell good welding From bad. I hope they did it well enough to hold onto the bikes and sewer tote. Larry
you are soooo lucky that didnt go ⤵️
Yes- so lucky. But now our bumper is very strong
the quality of the average RV is very poor
Definitely. You should see our video about what broke in 4 years th-cam.com/video/RbBvqkQsU6I/w-d-xo.htmlsi=7zBGozPO7TTzI25h
I guess I'm just really lucky have been raised around real men. I knew this kind of stuff by the time I was 16. I bought my first Travel Trailer at 18, a 19ft. '58 Arrowhead. I Knew Then...not to do stupid stuff like that. Who on Earth...What Adult...would hang something on a bumper on the back of a Trailer Bouncing Down the Road? The fact that you're even making this Video scares the Hell out of me....No wonder Biden got Elected...and that's why you will NEVER see my badass 32ft. Damon in an "R.V. Park".....yeah....I started doing this 45 years ago to get AWAY from Parks....why do people waste so much money, go in so much debt, and bother to buy Expensive FULLY SELF CONTAINED Motor Homes or Trailers...just to drive 500 miles to park it 6ft. from someone else in a Parking Lot? And PAY for that? Wow....ok...I'm no hater...everyone has their thing. But you people really do scare me knowing you all drive around with heavy stuff on the Highway....good luck...you'll always need it...it's just so funny. I bought a 32ft. Condo just so I WOULDN'T have to park somewhere to plug in 6ft from someone else...I do that at home....
You get a thumbs up just for being good people...
Hey Norm, I admit Hanging my bike on the bumper was a bonehead move, but you can see from the response we have gotten from this video that it is extremely common for this to happen. I made this video so fewer people would make the same mistake i did. Sounds like you have a bunch of RV experience, if we ever had a chance to meet up boondocking somewhere i think i could learn a lot from a conversation. I appreciate your honest feedback. Larry