Fixing a rattly bumper mount

[Snackchaser]

Greetings!

I didn’t find any existing posts about this minor issue, so it’s probably worth mentioning how I addressed the rattle-fit (optional) rear bumper.   

This issue first became noticeable after mounting our Swagman bike rack to the bumper.  With 2 bikes and the single 1-1/4” mounting point, there was a lot movement in the bike rack when going down the road.  Most of this was attributable to flex in the 1-1/4” bike rack mounting tube which I addressed separately.  However there was also appreciable play in the bumper mounting design because of Oliver’s quick release pin design.  Those pins look cool and everything, but I don’t think I’ll be removing the bumper too often and removing 4 bolts is pretty quick too.

I tried replacing the pins with pass through nuts and bolts, and I noticed others have done that too.  But no amount of tightening stopped the square bumper tube from rattling inside of the square receiver tube.  This was like a sloppy receiver hitch, and the solution is similar to those after market threaded hitch pins (a great modification BTW).

I used short 3/8” SS bolts that don’t pass all the way through both tubes.  Rather they go from one side of the outer tube and they thread into Spring-Nuts that are nested inside of the inner tube.  This effectively pulls the tubes together on each side for a tight and movement free fit.  I used lock washers to assure the bolts wouldn't loosen and come out, but proper torquing and a longer fully threaded pass though bolt drilled for a pin would work too.  

I got the 3/8’ Unistrute spring nuts from my local ACE’s electrical department.  Just push them inside the bumper tube with a stick, and line up the holes.  Although these replaced 1/2" pins, I'm not concerned about decreased size for this type of load.  After-all, the entire trailer load depends on a single 5/8" hitch pin used in a similar load configuration.

Cheers, Geoff and Tanya

 

[Steve Morris]

I used a ratchet strap to minimize the slop between the bike rack and the bumper mount, and between the bumper mount and the trailer. I put just enough tension on it to pull both joints "up", and then a click more. This allows a little bit of bounce to absorb road irregularities, but eliminates almost all of the movement I had before adding the strap. (Yes, I later replaced the hook with a clevis. 😉 )

[Jeffemac]

Steve, where did you find the hook that is threaded onto the spare tire cover bolt? I have the same setup and would like to add this enhancement to my rack. Thanks

Jeff

[Steve Morris]

On 11/27/2023 at 10:39 AM, Jeffemac said:

Steve, where did you find the hook that is threaded onto the spare tire cover bolt? I have the same setup and would like to add this enhancement to my rack. Thanks

Jeff

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