# Rear Hitch For The Outback



## cwh

Has anyone mounted a trailer hitch on the back of thier outback? I added one of those hitches for the 4" bumper and mounted a bike carrier with two mountain bikes but it tried to tear the bumper off. I beat it back to near original shape and welded it back together. Then I welded angle iron on both sides of each frame stub. It looks like it will hold but with the added height from my axle flip I might try a whole new frame mounted hitch. Anybody have experience. I sold my Keystone Tailgator to buy the 5th wheel and kind of miss having the dirt bikes with us. I'm only looking to tow a two place snowmachine trailer with a few dirt bikes and less than 100# of tongue weight.

Thanks in advance,

Chris


----------



## BoaterDan

cwh said:


> Has anyone mounted a trailer hitch on the back of thier outback? I added one of those hitches for the 4" bumper and mounted a bike carrier with two mountain bikes but it tried to tear the bumper off. I beat it back to near original shape and welded it back together. Then I welded angle iron on both sides of each frame stub. It looks like it will hold but with the added height from my axle flip I might try a whole new frame mounted hitch. Anybody have experience. I sold my Keystone Tailgator to buy the 5th wheel and kind of miss having the dirt bikes with us. I'm only looking to tow a two place snowmachine trailer with a few dirt bikes and less than 100# of tongue weight.
> 
> Thanks in advance,
> 
> Chris


There are many threads about adding rear hitches. Here's a recent one: hitch thread

I'm very interested in your experience. Where exactly did the welds start to tear? Can you describe (or provide pictures better yet) how your bumper is attached to your frame?

I brought this up elsewhere but can't find it now. On my trailer my bumper is welded to 4x2 stock which is in turn welded to the bottom of my frame along a 6 inch or so weld. I'm pretty sure those 4x2 beams aren't going to rip off from the bottom of the frame (it's not too different from the way the tongue is attached), so does the bumper rip off right at the point it is attached? That still would be four 4" welds, which again I would think is plenty strong enough to hold a couple of hundred pounds of bikes bouncing around back there.

Hope you can help with my confusion. I just don't understand how those welds can be so weak.


----------



## clarkely

here is the one i built and put on.........I could pull another trailer and the hitch would handle it...........truck wouldn't










I do not like how much they can move around back there (5 of them) so i am exploring having one or two back there, couple on the tongue, maybe on top of the burb. I have a thule 5 bike Hitch rack.....i strap it down HARD, but it still has a lot of weight leveraged out on it on a trailer with a lot of length behind the wheels........I personally for my set up would like to get a couple over the Tongue upfront and maybe none, 1 or 2 off the back.........

Lots of options...............depends on how many bikes, where your weight is in storing and going camping.........


----------



## clarkely

BoaterDan said:


> Has anyone mounted a trailer hitch on the back of thier outback? I added one of those hitches for the 4" bumper and mounted a bike carrier with two mountain bikes but it tried to tear the bumper off. I beat it back to near original shape and welded it back together. Then I welded angle iron on both sides of each frame stub. It looks like it will hold but with the added height from my axle flip I might try a whole new frame mounted hitch. Anybody have experience. I sold my Keystone Tailgator to buy the 5th wheel and kind of miss having the dirt bikes with us. I'm only looking to tow a two place snowmachine trailer with a few dirt bikes and less than 100# of tongue weight.
> 
> Thanks in advance,
> 
> Chris


There are many threads about adding rear hitches. Here's a recent one: hitch thread

I'm very interested in your experience. Where exactly did the welds start to tear? Can you describe (or provide pictures better yet) how your bumper is attached to your frame?

I brought this up elsewhere but can't find it now. On my trailer my bumper is welded to 4x2 stock which is in turn welded to the bottom of my frame along a 6 inch or so weld. I'm pretty sure those 4x2 beams aren't going to rip off from the bottom of the frame (it's not too different from the way the tongue is attached), so does the bumper rip off right at the point it is attached? That still would be four 4" welds, which again I would think is plenty strong enough to hold a couple of hundred pounds of bikes bouncing around back there.

Hope you can help with my confusion. I just don't understand how those welds can be so weak.
[/quote]

mine ripped almost all the way off on my last trailer...............welds held..........welds are the strongest part of the rear bumper................the thin steel of the bumpers actually starts to tear away......it rips right next to the welds.....


----------



## tdvffjohn

http://www.outbackers.com/forums/index.php...si&img=6809

here s mine


----------



## Nathan

If you don't want to fabricate one, you could probably purchase one of these:
RV Hitch


----------



## Oregon_Camper

Almost any welding shop will be able to mfg one for you.

Here is how mine came out on my prior 28RSS
(few more pictures here)


----------



## BoaterDan

clarkely said:


> mine ripped almost all the way off on my last trailer...............welds held..........welds are the strongest part of the rear bumper................the thin steel of the bumpers actually starts to tear away......it rips right next to the welds.....


Thanks. That's just what I figured.

Talked to my buddy on that assumption, and he thinks a much easier and cheaper solution is to basically reinforce the bumper by welding some angle around the front and bottom of it, and also welding that to the frame at the ends, and weld the reciever onto that.

(Unless you're going to be doing tandem towing, which I never am (total length limits prohibit it with my 35' trailer), most of these custom hitches people do are way overengineered.)

Anybody see a problem with that idea?


----------



## clarkely

BoaterDan said:


> mine ripped almost all the way off on my last trailer...............welds held..........welds are the strongest part of the rear bumper................the thin steel of the bumpers actually starts to tear away......it rips right next to the welds.....


Thanks. That's just what I figured.

Talked to my buddy on that assumption, and he thinks a much easier and cheaper solution is to basically reinforce the bumper by welding some angle around the front and bottom of it, and also welding that to the frame at the ends, and weld the reciever onto that.

(Unless you're going to be doing tandem towing, which I never am (total length limits prohibit it with my 35' trailer), most of these custom hitches people do are way overengineered.)

Anybody see a problem with that idea?
[/quote]

Mine is over engineered







for sure.......... but after almost spilling the projectile off the back, i figured i would go overboard.........

I would say if you ran 1/4" along the bumper between the frame rails and then boxed around the bumper where you did the Hitch you would be fine.............but that might all be more work..............

I built mine for ~ $40.00 in steel, 5.00 in bolts and some black paint...............and 3 welds.............it is over engineered, but it is pretty simple...............and my rear Crumple zone of the treiler LOL







is now re-enforced as well


----------



## BoaterDan

clarkely said:


> I built mine for ~ $40.00 in steel, 5.00 in bolts and some black paint...............and 3 welds.............it is over engineered, but it is pretty simple...............and my rear Crumple zone of the treiler LOL
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> is now re-enforced as well


Yours I would consider on the simple and reasonably priced end... by overengineered I guess I really meant overly complicated. Two full 4x2 cross frame members like was proposed to me (and along the lines of what some others have done) is simply way more complicated and expensive than necessary for a bike rack.

I agree doing the angle might be more tricky than it's worth. Your design gives me another idea. Why did you do it with the bolted plate rather than just weld the 2x2 tube onto the frame? I'm thinking I can just put a 2x2 piece between my frame a couple inches in front of my bumper so it's flush with the bottom of the bumper and weld the reciever to that (and the bumper just for a bit more stability) and call it a day.

Looks like basically what Oregon Camper did.


----------



## clarkely

BoaterDan said:


> I built mine for ~ $40.00 in steel, 5.00 in bolts and some black paint...............and 3 welds.............it is over engineered, but it is pretty simple...............and my rear Crumple zone of the treiler LOL
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> is now re-enforced as well


Yours I would consider on the simple and reasonably priced end... by overengineered I guess I really meant overly complicated. Two full 4x2 cross frame members like was proposed to me (and along the lines of what some others have done) is simply way more complicated and expensive than necessary for a bike rack.

I agree doing the angle might be more tricky than it's worth. Your design gives me another idea. Why did you do it with the bolted plate rather than just weld the 2x2 tube onto the frame? I'm thinking I can just put a 2x2 piece between my frame a couple inches in front of my bumper so it's flush with the bottom of the bumper and weld the reciever to that (and the bumper just for a bit more stability) and call it a day.

Looks like basically what Oregon Camper did.
[/quote]

I bolted on..............because that is all that is necessary..................Class 5 Hitches simply Bolt on. The way i looked at it was i can take a 3/6" thick 2x2 square weld it to 2 1/4" thick plates, weld a short 2 1/2" receiver tube on it, all on stands where it easy to do, paint it, slide it into place, drill 4 holes and bolt on........if needed, i can simply unbolt to remove..........

Saved time IMO in a couple of ways............. no welding near the camper (no way to screw up the camper) no worries on plastic underbelly or any slipping







.....painting easier.........again working on a box in the driveway as opposed to on my back underneath it.......

AT first i was going to weld it on...........then i thought.......easier to work seperate and bolt on...........and then considered how a hitch is added to the truck........... Light bulb went off..............and i did it


----------



## forceten

I had lakeshore weld on a class 4 hitch to my rear frame. Looks pretty strong and has held up well for 3 months.

My first trips out with it I was a bit worried about losing the hitch and what was on it so i strapped and strapped it to make sure if it did break the straps would hold up a bit.

But now go without and its fine.

For 2 bikes I use a thule 2 bike carrier inserted. Works great! For times when my garage is full of motorcycles I have my scooter on it. Also works good. Except it a bit low and will once in a while scrape the ground. I was gonna bolt on a heavy duty wheel on the back to stop it from scrapping but instead found I could raise the hitch with a blue ox receiver. So thats what i did. Raised it up 8 inches and now no more scrapes.

I don't have a picture of the hitch/reciever but if you wanted one I can take one this weekend.

Here is one with the scooter on board (before i raised it up)


----------



## azthroop

When we bought our trailer from Lakeshore RV, we had them install/weld a hitch. It turned out very nice and we use it for the bikes. I have thought about possibly hooking a jet ski trailer to it, but I need to find out the rules to see if it is legal. If legal, than I can just use one vehicle to get to the lake and and not have to drive two!

azthroop


----------



## forceten

azthroop said:


> When we bought our trailer from Lakeshore RV, we had them install/weld a hitch. It turned out very nice and we use it for the bikes. I have thought about possibly hooking a jet ski trailer to it, but I need to find out the rules to see if it is legal. If legal, than I can just use one vehicle to get to the lake and and not have to drive two!
> 
> azthroop


You mean as a separate trailer? I had thought about doing that with the scooter. I have a small trailer that i thought I would just pull behind the outback till i got told no from dmv. So I got a rail and put the scooter there.


----------



## BoaterDan

clarkely, i think we're on the same page. For me I think welding the 2x2 straight on would be simpler, partly because i probably wouldn't bother painting it. Then again, I'm going to be doing the fabrication part at a friend's and doing it your way would remove the requirement to haul the trailer 40 miles to his place. hmmm. You'd have to be pretty darn precise on the length of that cross member wouldn't you?

azthroop, the legality of tandem towing varies by state. For example, here in michigan you can do it but only with 5th wheels and there's a 65 foot overall length limit. And then there's recommendations like "When driving a recreational double, avoid backing up. Trying to back two trailers at the same time can be extremely difficult and dangerous..."


----------



## cwh

My frame is boxed 2x3 steel and the bumper is 4 x4 x 3/32 steel. The frame is welded to the bumper on the top and sides. THe bumper started to tear at the weld on both sides. Luckily the traffic was horrible and was stop and go for basically 60 miles. If we were at speed I would probably have lost it all. What I did to repair it is add a 3.5 inch piece of angle iron on both sides of the frame rail. I fully welded them as well as welded up the cracks. I finished welding up botton where the factory didn't weld the bumper to the frame. I havn't yet tried the bikes back up there. I'll post a repaired picture when I get a chance. I looks a lot tougher. Thanks for all the ideas. I'm sure I can come up with something that'll work. AK state law limits doubles towing to 5th wheels with a total length of 65 feet. I can't imagine towing doubles very often. Just those times that we head to the hills to go dirt bike riding.

cwh


----------



## BoaterDan

great picture cwh. I would really like to see pics of the repaired/strengthened final product, as it sounds very similar to what my buddy and I were talking about.


----------



## clarkely

cwh said:


> My frame is boxed 2x3 steel and the bumper is 4 x4 x 3/32 steel. The frame is welded to the bumper on the top and sides. THe bumper started to tear at the weld on both sides. Luckily the traffic was horrible and was stop and go for basically 60 miles. If we were at speed I would probably have lost it all. What I did to repair it is add a 3.5 inch piece of angle iron on both sides of the frame rail. I fully welded them as well as welded up the cracks. I finished welding up botton where the factory didn't weld the bumper to the frame. I havn't yet tried the bikes back up there. I'll post a repaired picture when I get a chance. I looks a lot tougher. Thanks for all the ideas. I'm sure I can come up with something that'll work. AK state law limits doubles towing to 5th wheels with a total length of 65 feet. I can't imagine towing doubles very often. Just those times that we head to the hills to go dirt bike riding.
> 
> cwh


The new ones have that top plate.............mine has a plate on an angle welded to the bumper and to the frame..............I felt it should be enough to take the torquing motion out of it with rack on bumper..........but then i figured a couple hours, a case of beer, 40-50.00 and a night hanging with one of my friends (with the welding equipment) ....what the [email protected]# So i made one like a brick %^&* House


----------



## Oregon_Camper

clarkely said:


> ..........but then i figured a couple hours, a case of beer, 40-50.00 and a night hanging with one of my friends (with the welding equipment) ....what the [email protected]# So i made one like a *brick %^&* House*


...because you can!!


----------



## BoaterDan

clarkely said:


> The new ones have that top plate.............mine has a plate on an angle welded to the bumper and to the frame..............I felt it should be enough to take the torquing motion out of it with rack on bumper..........but then i figured a couple hours, a case of beer, 40-50.00 and a night hanging with one of my friends (with the welding equipment) ....what the [email protected]# So i made one like a brick %^&* House


I'm with ya. The angle piece idea seemed like it would work but not give me 100% confidence. Another $25 for peace of mind is money well spent.


----------



## Sayonara

Dan, keep me posted... I have been thinking about doing something as well. if you dont mind, maybe ill join ya and we can make 2 sets together.


----------



## clarkely

with all 5 bikes on..i swear i can feel a little wiggle.............from them moving around so much.............

Another idea i saw and liked was to, basically make a slide out rack like Keystone offered on some cougars...........

Basically welding 2 1/2 square tube to both frame rails, and sliding out 2" tubes from them with two different hitch pin holes..........then you have a platform that can be used for anything...and it is secured at both sides verses a pivot point........

for the bike rack they have two posts that either fold up and wing nut brace..........then strap the bikes to the post.


----------



## BoaterDan

Man, that's another great idea that I'd never thought about how simple it could be. Do have to be a little careful of the 60' overall TV + TT limit here though with that one. The hitch bike rack might not really stick out any less, but I think psychologically an officer would be more inclined to look twice at a "platform" like that than at a bike rack.

Crap, why not do both? I already have the bike hitch rack.


----------



## Carey

There are only just a few states that allow double towing using 2 trailer balls. Many allow towing a second trailer if the front one is a 5er hitch. Very few allow two ball hitches.

Carey


----------



## cwh

A couple of pictures of the repairs to my trailers rear bumper.

cwh


----------



## cwh

Well, the modifications that I made to the rear bumper of the outback held up to 250 miles of brutal Alaskan roads. The Parks highway specifically. Actually I'm sitting in the trailer in Denali National Park. The roads are rough this year and the repair held and held well. No bending or tearing. Just had to share my excitement.

cwh


----------

