Adding a Hitch receptacle to a Scamp bumper?

[efawcett]

Hi!

I'm very interested in having one of those "Cargo Carriers" on my 13' Scamp. I think it would be perfect for hauling my 96 Quart cooler around AND when camping I could leave the cooler right in the carrier and up off the ground!

I'm considering a nice aluminum fold up carrier as seen here: http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/sto..._6970_9901_9901

The problem is attaching a 2" hitch receptacle for the cargo carrier to plug into on the Scamp bumper, how can I do it? The Scamp bumper is not very wide and the spare tire almost touches the bumper which may present a problem, on the other hand, at least it doesn't have to be too strong as the receptacle will just be used for a carrier and cooler.

I had considered cutting the bumper a little bit and somehow bolting one of these step-hitch receptacles: http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/sto...970_43576_43576

Has anyone done this? Anyone have any ideas?

Thanks!

[Dan Meyer]

A 96 quart cooler hanging from you back bumper would be a bad idea. A cooler this size could easily weigh over 100 pounds. This much weoght on the back bumper would cause tongue weight to be reduced to the point sway would be inevitable.

-- Dan Meyer

[Bob Cupp]

If you put a loaded cooler on the back bunper of your EGG, you would really screw up the tongue weight to the point of being unsafe to tow unless you did some rearranging inside. Remember, you want about 10% of total weight on the tongue.

[efawcett]

Okay, I appreciate the advice!

I still would like to investigate the receptacle option though, if only to have a place to put my cooler when camping or even to have a place to carry the empty cooler.

Regardless of the tongue weight concerns, is there a way to add a recepticle?

Thanks!

[Greg A]

There is a bolt on Hitch receiver that bolts over an existing bumper. Pretty easy and not expensive, but like Bob and Dan advise above, the rear bumper is pretty useless on a 13 Scamp both from a tongue weight and a structural perspective. I wouldn't even put bicycles back there myself let alone a loaded cooler with ice and the weight of those carriers.

Just my two cents. I imagine we'll hear from Brian shortly as he's one of our resident experts on weight distribution and things structural.

[Darwin Maring]

Our Scamp is a 5r and it came with a 2inch receiver on the back. Look on the Scamp site for the accessories that can be ordered,then you might want to call them to see what the total weight limit would be - back there.

I purchased an aluminum carrier from Harbor Freight. Try:
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/disp...temnumber=92655

Because it is aluminum7,7 it is rather light compared to a steel one. It is really strong and the price was right.

I mounted a plastic locker on it and mounted LED tail lights and license plate on the locker. I ran the normal trailer light wire all the way from the front of the unit to the back. Put PVC pipe in the hollow of the frame and ran the wire through it. I ran a ground strap from the carrier frame to the egg bumper then I attached the light grounds to the carrier frame. There is a plug/jack there so I cn remove it without cutting wires. Just like on the back of your tug.

Note: The egg rear LED lights still work. However because they could be somewhat hard to see with the locker on the back, that was the reason for the extra tail lights on the locker.

Now for the balance issue. Highways magazine (GoodSam) had an article a little while back and told how you can move things around inside the egg to get the best balance. 10% was not the figure they quoted. It was somewhat higher. I will see if I still have the issue 7and get back to U if I do.

As far as DC receptacles, I mounted one on the front of the rig and one on each side close to the wheels so I can use a 12VDC electric jack and 12VDC impact wrench. There are 2 receptacles at the rear of the truck using a bully "TC-127" adapter. I got it from www.jcw.com

DR

[John Blair]

I called Scamp and ordered a 2" receiver kit for my 16'. It comes in the exactly the right size and the local welding shop welded it into place. (It comes in a huge box) I bought an aluminum receiver rack and put a generator on it. The balance issue is a concern so you need to make sure you still have enough tongue weight as others have mentioned. In my case, I added a second battery and some storage on the tongue to keep the balance proper. I bought a tongue scale to make it possible to load it properly.

Good luck,

John

[Al and Cindy K]

I added a two inch hitch to the rear of our 16' Scamp by notching the rear bumper to accept the receiver tube. Pictures are on the Yahoo Scamp board which will require you to join that board to review them http://ph.groups.yahoo.com/group/scampers/...s/view/c130?b=5

The bumper is not strong enough to support any additional weight and the receiver must be braced to the frame. I added a 1.5" square tube cross member for additional support and tied it together with 3/8" x 3" straps.

Ours is used to mount a bike rack (total weight somewhere around 100 lbs with two bikes) and works well for that purpose. We have a EU3000 Honda on the tongue which more than offsets the additional weight on the rear.

If you ever get east to the Rocky Mount / Tarboro area, you're more than welcome to drop by for a first hand look.



Al

[Darwin Maring]

I can not find the in depth article in Highways magazine because I threw it away however here is a blurb from the Good Sam site:

There are a number of factors that affect weight distribution, including axle placement, type and number of appliances, tank size and placement, decor features and optional equipment. For example, a water tank in the front will provide a much different weight picture than the identical trailer with the water tank in the rear.

Both weights are important. The rule of thumb is to have a minimum of 10% of the total weight carried by the hitch, although 12% is even better. Higher hitch weight improves safety and handling.

--------------------
Same Site, another article from their expert:

In a perfect towing world, the hitch weight will be between 12% and 15% of the total weight of the trailer. But in the real world, many trailers only have around 10% hitch weight.

[Brian B-P]

I have not really seen a Scamp bumper, so I don't know how strong it is. One issue, which leads to the connection to the frame which Al mentioned, is that weight hanging off the back of the bumper will try to twist it, not just push it down... bumpers are generally not designed to handle this. My 17' Boler has a 4" square box section steel bumper welded directly on the ends of the frame rail, holding the spare tire on a rack, but the steel is quite thin and I wouldn't want to hang much off the back of it.

With the short overall length of a Scamp 13', the distance from the actual bumper to the middle to large objects (such as a cooler) mounted mostly behind it is important... the bumper might be four feet from the axle, but the middle of the cooler might be closer to five feet, and that's a significant amount more leverage.

Adding mass to the bumper area and then more to the tongue really doesn't result in zero net effect. Even if the tongue weight is the same as before all that mass is added, the distribution of the mass (which still averages in the same place) is generally further away from the middle of the trailer (in both directions). This means that once the trailer starts rotating - such as in a sway even - it is harder to control (takes more force to change the rotation). I would be very cautious about making a small trailer into a substantially bigger "flywheel".

The frame is also not designed for large loads hung off the end. Sure, it probably won't buckle... but whatever strength margin it has is getting used up.

[Donna D.]

Here's a discussion about adding the rear bumper hitch at the Scamp Factory:
First little problem with Scamp Factory, Rear Bumper hitch The discussion addresses the strength of the rear bumper and what Scamp might do to strengthen the area in preparation for the hitch....

[Darwin Maring]

The receiver is welded to the camper frame and the bumper is bolted to the same frame. It would be quite easy to install (Weld) the receiver while building the frame and then something different to do it if the camper floor and/or body was already on the frame and they had to go under it to do it. Would be impossible to do the weld part on top, next to the flooring.

Thus the extra $$$$ ?

[Joy A]

I had the factory add the receiver to my 13 footer when I ordered it. The receiver is welded to both the bumper and an additional cross beam that welded to the frame, there is no notching of the bumper.

If you notice in John Blair's post he said the receiver kit came in a very large box. That has to be the cross beam. The actual 2" receiver is just one of those extensions that's only about a foot or so long which when welded would only be attached to the bumper if not for the cross beam. You need the cross beam.

I carry my mountain bike on the back and have to problems until I speed up to 60mph or better going down hill. Then I had sway, so I slowed down. I now use a sway bar....just cause.

[Brian B-P]

I carry my mountain bike on the back and have to problems until I speed up to 60mph or better going down hill. Then I had sway, so I slowed down. I now use a sway bar....just cause.

That means it's not stable, and the friction-type sway control device does not correct the root problem... it's just a bandage over it. This is exactly why I would be cautious about adding mass to the rear bumper area, and especially about adding a lot of mass (Joy just has a bike back there) or having it extend beyond the bumper.