Bighorn - Brackets underneath back of 3970 RD
- Thread starter Jwdryheat
- Start date
danemayer
Well-known member
Hi Jwdryheat,
As you've surmised, those brackets enable you to bolt on a 1-1/4" receiver hitch which is intended to let you add a bike rack. I have one purchased directly from Lippert, and you can probably purchase it from Heartland.
I would say the majority of people who have used a bike rack with this 1-1/4" receiver hitch have found that it's somewhat flimsy and some people report their bikes getting damaged or falling off.
You might consider having a custom 2" receiver hitch fabricated and welded to the frame.
As you've surmised, those brackets enable you to bolt on a 1-1/4" receiver hitch which is intended to let you add a bike rack. I have one purchased directly from Lippert, and you can probably purchase it from Heartland.
I would say the majority of people who have used a bike rack with this 1-1/4" receiver hitch have found that it's somewhat flimsy and some people report their bikes getting damaged or falling off.
You might consider having a custom 2" receiver hitch fabricated and welded to the frame.
Last edited by a moderator:
mthompson
Well-known member
Just sit right back
And you'll hear a tale
A tale of a fateful trip,
That started from a NC port,
Pulling this 40' RV
The mate was a mighty sailin' lass,
The Skipper brave and sure,
Four passengers set sail that day,
For a three hour trip,
A three hour trip.
Sorry, I couldn't resist when the Gilligan's Island theme song popped in my head.
Seriously, we were making a 3 hour drive from NC to South Atlanta, GA, when some guy pulled up beside us on I-75 on the south side of Atlanta, and told me that our bike rack was dragging. We pulled over and found that the hitch on the back of the RV had cracked and was broken. So we then had to move the bikes into the back of the truck while traffic and big trucks go by at 80 mph and only 2-3 feet away and finish our journey. I then had to pay a mobile welding company to come out and re-weld and add some extra structure so that it doesn't happen again. That wasn't cheap.
Long story, but the theme behind it is..... go look at your hitch and make sure it's not cracked and that it doesn't need more bracing. It's a lot easier and cheaper to do it when, where and how you want to instead of on the side of the road or in some RV park.
And you'll hear a tale
A tale of a fateful trip,
That started from a NC port,
Pulling this 40' RV
The mate was a mighty sailin' lass,
The Skipper brave and sure,
Four passengers set sail that day,
For a three hour trip,
A three hour trip.
Sorry, I couldn't resist when the Gilligan's Island theme song popped in my head.
Seriously, we were making a 3 hour drive from NC to South Atlanta, GA, when some guy pulled up beside us on I-75 on the south side of Atlanta, and told me that our bike rack was dragging. We pulled over and found that the hitch on the back of the RV had cracked and was broken. So we then had to move the bikes into the back of the truck while traffic and big trucks go by at 80 mph and only 2-3 feet away and finish our journey. I then had to pay a mobile welding company to come out and re-weld and add some extra structure so that it doesn't happen again. That wasn't cheap.
Long story, but the theme behind it is..... go look at your hitch and make sure it's not cracked and that it doesn't need more bracing. It's a lot easier and cheaper to do it when, where and how you want to instead of on the side of the road or in some RV park.
Last edited: