Wondering if this may be an effective way to use my existing bike rack, which fits into a standard 2" receiver, with our new Scamp 13 that does not have the factory-mounted receiver at the rear. There are a lot of brands of these dual hitches, which advertise they are made exactly for this purpose (to put a bike rack in top receiver, and regular trailer ball mount in the bottom one. I'll try to include a photo below of what I'm talking about. The weight of the bike rack and bikes would increase the "apparent" tongue weight on the vehicle (so I need to ensure my vehicle is OK with that) - but not the actual tongue weight of the Scamp, so it it shouldn't affect how the trailer handles, right? My only concern is that the hitch ball would now be some 6" to 8" farther back from the tow vehicle, so I believe that change in the fulcrum point would in fact increase the effect of the tongue weight of the trailer, but the math is difficult to calculate. Has anyone tried a dual hitch like this and can share your experience? Thanks!
I don't see why this would not work. You would need to make sure the bikes would fit by the front jack and look into your concerns about weight. The short wheel base of the Scamps make them a little tricky to back. Extending the ball 6 to 8 inches may make backing easier. I think the extension will make the trailer react quicker to changes of the TV. Let us know!
I used one of these a few times. It did work, but I had a pretty robust Nissan Titan. I think it is still out there in the garage somewhere, but it was probably a better option for bikes on a 13 then putting them on the back bumper.
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" I think it is still out there in the garage somewhere, but it was probably a better option for bikes on a 13 then putting them on the back bumper."
What are your thoughts on why that is better? Do you like the "Perfect Casita" bolt-on Scamp receiver as a way to do that?
I too am interested in this idea! Let us know if/how well it works. Thanks!
When I took our Scamp to MN to the factory for mods, the welded on bike rack receiver hitch was a must have. When I put on the bike rack and bikes, the trailer danced around like a hula girl. Removed the bikes and put them in the truck. Scmap stopped dancing around. No, don't bother with rear bike racks on a Scamp.
<p>Doug Allen 2016 Ford F-150 2018 Lance 1575</p>
We did not have the same experience. We added the Rack and two average bikes and it reduced the tongue weight by 84 pounds. This along with a full tank of water can lighten mine enough to get unstable if pressed . I reloaded the totes we use for our stuff forward against the bath wall and removed all but 3-4 gal of water and all was good. This also meant nothing in the grey tank either. When weighed we had 155 lb of tongue weight. Also it got much better when we secured the bike rack to the receiver ( has a side clamp bolt ) and motorcycle ty-downs from the top to the bumper ends. to keep any wiggiling under control. The scamp is short and light so any weight behind the axle or any loose things in the rear is likely to add to the instability. Enough tongue weight (10% grose is minimum ) and rigid mount accessories is critical on ours. We might have also improved things a bit when We went up to the max tire pressure 50LB
2019 Scamp 13 standard