Rear cargo carrier??

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asfizer
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Rear cargo carrier??

Having a hitch receiver I bought from Scamp mainly to get the rear cross member to add new rear stabilizers brings up question. Has anyone ever used a cargo carrier on rear of a 13' Scamp? I have a carrier I used on the motor home I sold. I thought I'd use it on my Scamp. Just for light weight items, like the ground mat, outdoor chairs, my small camping stove, odds and ends that's light weight. I tired it, drove the short distance to the interstate, then drove slow, under fifty.When I got a bit over forty it started to sway. Well darn. I added a small sway bar to the front, it didn't seem to help much. The first time out I had a light load in the carrier, the next time after the sway bar added, it was empty. It still seemed to me it swayed. Maybe I was to overly cautious. But I didn't try it again. The carrier is a bit heavy. it's one I got off etrailer, steel, it has the plastic enclosure to keep things dry. It also has lights and it slides away from the rear of the trailer. So if on a car or suv you can get to the hatch. Or get to the spare tire if like on a camper like our Scamp. So it's not just a flat carrier. I really was hoping to use it. It's been suggested to me if I add weight to the front, like a second battery and another propane tank, maybe that would help. I have a 100# 3,800 watt gas inverter generator I have thought about adding to the front on a raised rack. Maybe that would do the trick?
Any ideas for me on how to use the cargo carrier safely anyone? 

markjazzbassist
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i'm not sure the frame is

i'm not sure the frame is strong enough back there for a hitch and load.  if you get one i would get Aluminum since it would be light (other than the objects on it).  Lastly, you're adding weight at the worst part, the back, which causing fish-tailing.  you'd have to offset it somehow in the front of the scamp.

 

all in all not a great idea in my humble opinion.

1987 Scamp 16

Hoosier Scamper
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I am going to do the same

Scamp says it's good up to 250 pounds, and like the other post said- make sure you allow for a new tongue weight. The uses you suggest are what it's there for; no towing of any sort. Cargo, bikes, drainage tanks, etc... the heavier you go, the more you need to counter the weight on or towards the tongue.

Carl

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our 13

 our 2019 13 with Bath came with the receiver welded on to the bumper.  And if we carried much fresh water in the tank   we needed to nearly add a pound to the tongue somehow for every pound hanging off the hitch.  The axle is pretty centered and it will lighten the tongue to unsafe numbers very easily. We had totes with most of our heavier stuff we could move to re ballance the trailer. For a season we used a bath scale many times to get a feel for safe loading. 

2019 Scamp 13 standard

Hoosier Scamper
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Easy ways to add to the

Easy ways to add to the tongue- second LP tank, full LP tank(s), second battery, tongue carrying rack, generator on tongue or tongue rack... load it forward inside... load it; weight it; counter it; re-weigh it- just play around for amounts and effects... keep it safe and don't forget about gross totals... for folks carrying water in their fresh tank, that's 8.5 pounds per gallon at the most aft location inside the trailer. Many can do this in a 16 or 19 footer with a truck TV. A lot of 13s can't do this especially with a small TV...

Carl

Mr.T
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Adding weight to both ends of

Adding weight to both ends of a trailer has it's own negative consequences, even with correct tongue weight.  Take a look at this video demonstration, starting at 3:30 is the part about weight at the ends.  He also has a few more videos on trailer sway worth watching!

Hoosier Scamper
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Weight to both ends?

Weight to both ends does not have negative consequences unless you overload the trailer or unless you exceed design standards. The video was cute and illustrative and it can explain concepts in a simple way, but it doesn't teach you everything- no more than a paper airplane teaches you how to fly a jet. You need to watch tongue weight. Do not exceed the bumper limits or the carrier limits. Scamp points out that their hitch IS NOT for towing in ANY capacity. Load the rest of the trailer appropriately. Manufacturers design their trailers for carrying loads and set weight limits. They account for many things in designing the trailer,  it's weight,  materials used, height,  dimensions,  the center of gravity. etc.If you modify your trailer,  weigh and test your changes at various speeds around your local area before road use. Lastly,  don't exceed your tow vehicle limits either.

Carl

Mr.T
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Well, I'm going with what

Well, I'm going with what Robert demonstrated In the video -- It makes perfect sense to me.  The same total weight distributed near the ends is way less stable than on the axle.