Can a receiver Hitch be mounted under

Brooky

Can a receiver Hitch be mounted under the rear of my Tab Max CS-S, where the spare was mounted?

JandJ92010

I wouldn't, it's way too far under the trailer. Any load would have a lot of leverage and would probably cause damage from going over bumps and from the normal bouncing that the trailer does. The frame is not braced for it.

Nomad

What were you thinking of using the hitch receiver for? The back of the T@B is the bounciest part so lots of up/down motion.

Brooky

I was going to use it for a two bike, bike rack. I was thinking I could transport the bikes on back of the tab, then when I unhook the tab, I could use the same rack in the receiver on my vehicle. 

Cyclonic

I had originally thought of doing this as well, but when I did some measurements and talked it over with my neighbor the welder, we both agree that it would put too much stress on anything back there.  A receiver would have to stretch way out and then up a little to allow for clearance.  It would bounce too much with the weight of a rack and two bikes on it, and cause the frame to twist.

Verna

There have been four of us with Little Guys who have had broken bike racks that were attached to the rear receiver of our teardrops. All of the bike racks were quality bike racks that failed. 

My Swagman bike rack broke in AZ last winter, damaging my bike. I chose to donate it to Goodwill and bought a 7-speed folding bike, which serves me well. I transport it in the rear of my truck. Susie damaged both bikes, I think very badly, and Lisa was able to stop in time to prevent a lot of damage. She now has a folding bike for her son.

There is a great sling-shot effect with anything on the rear of our Camper's, whether the Little Guy Teardrops or our larger T@B's. You hit a bump, the T@B goes up and comes down, but the bike rack continues up and is suddenly jerked downward. If you do this enough times, the metal fatigue will begin and it won't end with a good result. 

If you look at the warranty on most bike racks, very few are warranties to be used on the rear of a camper or trailer. 

So, this is the history over the past couple of years. A good reason to look at other ways to transport your bike, or to leave it at home. 

Anyone can search on the Little Guy forum to see these results. 

Brooky

Well I can see that it's just not a good idea. I will just listen to everyone's feedback. What's your thoughts on the rack that fits on the tongue, by the propane box. Driving a Dodge Journey. 

JandJ92010

Saw a couple of them at Tear Stock, where the bikes are carried above the tank cover. That style should work much better. Maybe someone who has one can add a comment. We use folding bikes, carry them in the van.

Verna

Brooky said:

Well I can see that it's just not a good idea. I will just listen to everyone's feedback. What's your thoughts on the rack that fits on the tongue, by the propane box. Driving a Dodge Journey. 

There are quite a few satisfied users the this style of bike rack over the front tub. BUT, you need to look in your manual to see how much weight you can tow and how much tongue weight you can have. I'm not familiar with the Dodge Journey's tow and tongue capacity.