Rear Bumper/Cargo Carrier - Montana Owners Club

mmrxboss · 09-22-2005, 01:08 PM

I know the rear end of most Montana’s look nice just the way they are built but I have worried that either someone will tap me in the rear end and bust the crap out of the rear cap or just as likely I will back up and hit something and do the same damage. Therefore, I set out on a quest to build a bumper for my trailer. As it ends up I should be able to kill a number of birds with the same frame.

I had a welding/fabricator build a frame that mounts under my trailers’ frame WITH BOLTS. NOTHING is welded to the trailer which means that if/when maintenance is needed the entire frame can be unbolted and dropped out of the way. The shop calculates that this frame should be more than capable of supporting a motorized scooter if one ever becomes necessary in the future. I have yet to get the bumper built but here is the frame.
http://community.webshots.com/user/mmrxboss

The frame is built of standard class II 2" receiver tubing. The side pieces are 36" long with two pieces of 1.25" square tubing welded inside to inside thus forming the frame. The cross pieces’ length would need to be adjusted for your trailer frame width. To lower the frame sufficient to clear the lower edge of my trailers’ rear cap three pieces of 1/2" stock were welded to the frame on top of each of the receiver tubes. Then 5/8" holes were drilled through the frame and spacers and then through the entire trailer frame. 5/8" bolts are used to mount my frame under the trailers’ frame. The receiver tubes are drilled so as to allow a 12" depth of bumper tube or stinger stock to be inserted and pinned.

I anticipate building the bumper/cargo carrier with a mesh plate installed so as to allow for the carrying of some cargo. In particular I am planing on a generator. Check out my post for adding a second shore power connector under .. Improvements/Shore Power Connector. I anticipate being able to plug the generator into my rear shore power connector. Does anyone know of a small, quiet generator with electric/auto/remote start capability in the 2800+ watt range?

drhowell · 09-22-2005, 04:32 PM

Just curious but how much will this bumper/cargo carrier weigh empty and how much do you expect to put on it? I would suspect the Montana frame was not designed to carry much weight off the back?

Sound like you are talking about the Honda EU3000is generator.

Dave Anderson · 09-23-2005, 06:58 PM

john; I agree with farmer don the HONDA eu300 IS GREAT!!!! IF YUOR WELDEDTO THE FAME,YOU'VE GOT NO PROBLEMS EXCEPT WITH LIPERT. our unit towed a VW across a number of states;. I on the other hand,put an alum. Hawler back there, and can "hawl" up to 500lbs. on the back, plenty of weight for your gen. set and more--- Dave

Countryfolks · 09-24-2005, 04:01 AM

That's a lot of leveraged weight bouncing around back there. Welded or bolted, 500 pound including the hitch, and you become totally responsible for frame related problems, and/or the possible loss of whatever you're carrying there.

Skip

Illini Trekker · 09-24-2005, 04:02 AM

Nice job I'll log this topic for future projects. The rear mounting of a generator will help out with the noise factor that a generator has. John off subject but why the added oil filters. I change oil and filter at 5000 mile and oil analysis comes back good.

worknomore · 09-24-2005, 11:23 AM

Just a thought to ponder, and this info is directly from the 'horses mouth' - gathered recently at the MOC Great Lakes region rally at Goshen.

The Lippert folks were there, doing a seminar, and someone posed a similar thought about installing a bumper with a class whatever receiver to haul whatever. The Lippert people stated emphatically that your frame warranty is voided if you carry/haul/tow more than 150 lbs., INCLUDING the weight of the bumper/hitch assembly! Their explanation was that basically, anything hanging off the rear of the rig exerts tremendous bouncing forces on the frame (just watch someone with a bike rack on the rear sometime driving on a crummy xway), for which it wasn't designed. That 150 lb. limit will basically allow you to haul a couple of bikes (maybe 3-4) & thats it.

Food for thought...

mmrxboss · 09-24-2005, 11:23 AM

Take a look at the frame on this trailer. The rails are 4"x6" boxed. My welding shop was worried until they looked at the frame. Said that it was the heaviest frame thay had ever seen under a Montana. A lot of the 'bounce' is dependent upon the 'flex' of the steel material that I use for the bumper rails.

worknomore · 09-24-2005, 11:32 AM

I disagree - bounce is directly related to road conditions, tire pressure, shocks, etc. - a ton of other stuff. What your weld shop saw is the same frame that is on ALL Montana's - 10" I-beam and, incidently, not the heaviest frame out there. A lot of other makes have 12" all the way up to 16" frames. But that is beside the point...

Irregardless, this is Lippert's warranty terms; I'm just passing them on to you & others to ponder before taking the plunge.

mmrxboss · 09-29-2005, 12:59 PM

As I understand it some of the lighter frames under the Montanas' are in fact 'I' beams. However, since I measured my frame while working out the details of this hitch system I stand by my comments: My frame is 6"x4" box steel, NOT a I beam.

CountryGuy · 09-29-2005, 01:13 PM

mmrxboss

You might be the only Montana rolling down the road with that box steel frame. Looking at the 2004 and the 2005 Montana brochures, and they both state: 10 inch steel ROLLED I beam frame. Having been to the factory a couple of times, that is what we saw, you can see the entire frame when they first roll them into the plant to start the manufacture process.

Believe the frame is warrantied for 3 to 5 years, call Lippert and/or Keystone if you have questions about the frame. We all make choices on putting hitches on the back of our units, and then we must live with consequences of that choice.

Ohhh, very early years of Montana, had an 8 inch frame. There are no lighter frames now.

Good luck with your decisions and enjoy that Montana!

worknomore · 09-29-2005, 01:44 PM

I agree with CountryGuy - I have never seen nor heard of a Montana with a 4 x 6 box frame and I suspect Lippert (the folks who make the frames) hasn't either. I've also been to the factory & seen the raw frames as they are brought in - all 10" I-beam for ALL models.

Maybe you are referring to the cross members or something? It's a moot point anyway - Lippert says 150 lbs. max load on the rear end (about 30 other Montana owners heard the same thing at the Rally).

In any event, I hope you come up with a solution...

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