Rear Hitch Receiver

[FlyboyTR]

Originally Posted by Wavery

This was on my Class A motorhome.

Welds must be done properly (these weren't) and inspected yearly.

There is a lot of stress on trailer rear hitches. I was following a travel trailer one time and it had 3-bikes on one of those hitches. As we wen down the freeway, those bikes were bouncing like crazy and suddenly, the hitch broke off, just after I changed lanes to pass him.

Wavery,
Oh my! That is scary stuff! Did the white car run into the trailer? Who was the manufacturer of the hitch? I'm glad to know there was no injury or additional damage.

[Shane826]

It’s pretty scary how much the bike rack bounces around. We have a rearview camera on the TM and it is really unnerving to see the bikes moving as much as they do. I keep telling myself as long as they are all moving together they are ok.

[Wavery]

Originally Posted by FlyboyTR

Wavery,
Oh my! That is scary stuff! Did the white car run into the trailer? Who was the manufacturer of the hitch? I'm glad to know there was no injury or additional damage.

Actually, the trailer rolled back into the car. I was sitting at a stoplight. When the light turned green I started moving forward and the trailer hitch just broke off.

That was the last straw for the MH, trailer and RZR. I lost a lot of sleep thinking about how someone could have been killed if that car wasn't there and the trailer picked up momentum, rolling down that hill.

Lesson for others......... do not attach safety chains to your trailer hitch unless you have absolutely no other option. Also, find a solid place under the tow vehicle to attach your brake emergency cable. NEVER attach the emergency brake cable to the trailer hitch.

[Bill]

Wavery -

Your hitch was installed as an aftermarket item, right? Would you feel that a factory-installed hitch would have the same problem, and should not be used as an attachment for the safety chains?

Bill

[Wavery]

Originally Posted by Bill

Wavery -

Your hitch was installed as an aftermarket item, right? Would you feel that a factory-installed hitch would have the same problem, and should not be used as an attachment for the safety chains?

Bill

This was the trailer hitch that comes standard on all "Fleetwood" "Southwind" class A motorhomes. As I learned, it was welded together at the Fleetwood assembly plant. Whoever welded this one, missed the most important weld on the hitch.... The top weld that attached the receiver to the crossbar.

GM used to have a similar problem (for years in the 1980s and 90s) with the receiver separating from the crossbar on their hitches.

We commonly see owners posting that they are towing their TrailManors at or above the limit of the vehicles trailer hitch. My caution is simply to be sure that your safety chains and (especially) your trailer emergency brake switch lanyard are secured to the tow vehicle and not the trailer hitch, if at all possible.

Brake away trailers have caused horrific car accidents and even fatalities.

https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C...ih=601&dpr=1.5

[Shane826]

Bill- As for factory installed hitches, there has been a pretty big issue with the hitch breaking on GM half ton trucks and full size SUVs. I wanna say this was an issue for early- to mid-00s model years.

[Larryjb]

Originally Posted by Shane826

Bill- As for factory installed hitches, there has been a pretty big issue with the hitch breaking on GM half ton trucks and full size SUVs. I wanna say this was an issue for early- to mid-00s model years.

Ouch.

[Fandorin]

I’ve been in a similar situation where I needed more storage for trips and decided to go the bolt-on rear hitch route. I didn’t have the time to build one, so I opted for a frame-mounted hitch from eTrailer, and it worked out great. The installation was straightforward, and it gave me the flexibility to add a storage box for extra gear. I’ve found it really helpful for keeping things like wheel chocks and blocks easily accessible when setting up camp.

For the toolbox on the tongue, I’ve used one similar to what you’re considering, and it’s been fantastic for stashing tools and other essentials. As for the swivel wheel trailer, that’s something I thought about, too, but I needed a more permanent solution for the extra gear.