putting a hitch on the back of a 23j

[slabat]

I am considering putting a hitch on the back of my 23j for bikes and general storage... has anyone had one welded to the frame? Suggestions/concerns.

[mike837go]

As a hobbyist weldor, I strongly recommend bolting an auxiliary receiver to the frame.


Bolts fail in stages with plenty of warning. Cracks in the frame, the receiver assembly or the welds will go unnoticed until something breaks.


After that, be careful on how much mass you put back there. A whole lot of bouncing goes on. So your hitch, bike rack or other storage tray will be dealing with lots of live load.


Also check this recent thread:
http://www.jaycoowners.com/forums/f7...kes-28064.html

[DocBrown]

Because of the bouncing, most bike rack manufactures advise against using their racks at the back of a travel trailer. The only one I know that does not say this is Swagman.

[Jagiven]

I have a similar frame on my HTT as you have. I have a welded hitch on the unit. there was a couple steel plates welded to the frame rails to distribute the forces, then the hitch was welded to the plates.