Quote:
Originally Posted by McIver
A word of caution: Make sure the rack can withstand the bouncing it will experience at the back. I had to have significant work done to insure the hitch did not fail AGAIN. Yes, the first time was on the 405 in CA at 60 mph in rush hour! Fortunately it dragged and I got stopped without killing someone with my new 120 lb. Honda generator and rack.
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Although I do not have an engineering degree, my very limited knowledge of 'moments' and torque, along with experience of rapid motion at the front and back end of a 37' fiver has led me to believe that objects resting on the back of a frame that overhangs the axles by 6 - 10' can be subject to very large g forces, making them effectively changing weight by factors of 2 - 3 in milliseconds. This necessitates some very substantial engineering and fabrication to ensure these 2-3 g instantaneous loads can be handled by the frame.
For those of you contemplating loading that rear cargo tray with something other than bags of popcorn, follow a travel trailer or fiver that has a few bicycles hanging from a bumper-mounted rack. The motion is quite amazing, and brings "metal fatigue" and "stress cracks" to mind.