I am wondering about the bumper on my 05 Lance 1181. It is the aluminum framed version, with the full slideout. I have seen other Lance campers with a small receiver style hitch on the campers bumper. Is there any specifications for what this hitch can safely handle? I was thinking of a small utility trailer, or maybe a very small lightweight aluminum boat. Any help, or ideas, good or bad would be appreciated.
I personally would never do it. TC bumpers are just not beefy enough.
2009 Chevy Silverado 3500 dually D/A, Supersprings, Stable Loads, Bilstein Shocks, Hellwig Sway Bar, Front Timbrens.
2010 Arctic Fox 1140 DB, 220 watts solar, custom 4 in 1 "U" shaped dinette/couch, 59 interior and exterior mods to date and still adding
No way I would pull anything off the camper bumper. It is really nothing more than a step and sewer hose storage compartment. Use the truck hitch with necessary upgrades.
2005 Lance 1181 Loaded
2005 Chevy 3500 4X4 Duramax, Edge Attitude Tuner, 5" Exhaust, Airaid, Ranchos, Air Bags, Hellwig Big Wig
2007 38RL3 Mobile Suite
2001 Bass Tracker 185
If you want tow a trailer or carry a cargo carrier in the hitch, USE THE TRUCK'S HITCH, not the camper's hitch!
You can use an extension in the truck's hitch to pull a trailer with a light tongue weight.
If you want to pull a trailer with a heavier tongue weight, upgrade the truck's hitch to a heavier duty model that can be used with heavier tongue weights on an extension. Such hitches are the Torklift Superhitch, Reese Titan and Curt Magnum.
Those older Lance's you describe with the hitch mount beneath the bumper had bumpers made of steel and not the modern aluminum ones. They had a sticker that read "200 pound tongue weight max'.
I towed a small boat and bent the bumper attachment. I know I didn't have anywhere near 200 pounds of tongue weight, but the roads were rough at the time.
After that I quit using it. The most I'd do with one is use it for a receiver type bike-rack, BBQ pit or perhaps a custom step to get into the camper.
Its not a bumper its a step..Ive seen the attached hitches on some campers also-disaster waiting to happen or it will work untill it doesnt. Its not so much generaly pulling the fixed rolling load its the forces generated. Hitting a bump/pothole, turning sharp. Even a 500# trailer can excert alot of force. I flipped our jeep tent trailer on its side, twisted the folded & welded 1/2"x2 bar hitch like it was rubber. A lot of camper bumpers are just a folded aluminum box.
gitpicker2009 wrote: not only that, but wouldn't it be tugging the entire camper backwards, and be relying on your tie downs???
Yep.
I doubt a little aluminum boat would even be noticed back there, but I still would use the truck's hitch.
If your trailer drags hard enough to "tug" a 4000-5000lb camper backward with or without tiedowns, there's something terribly wrong with your trailer.
If you've ever driven your truck around with your camper loaded and no tie downs on it, you'll have noticed the camper can move around quite a bit on it's own, without a trailer tugging on it. There's a lot of momentum in the camper when in motion and it doesn't take much change in direction or speed of the truck, with the camper still in motion in it's original direction and it's original speed, to shift the camper around in the truck bed, slam it into the front bed wall, or slide it back away from the cab.
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