Bumper Sagging on My H2

[drmiles]

Ok Need advice

I am having problems with rear bumper and hitch. It is beginning to sag due to towing. \

Does anyone know a different option or replacement bumper and hitch that will hold up to towing heavy trailer with extension???


See pics


http://picasaweb.google.com/drjmiles...07SUTBumperSag

[CG07SUT]

Not a towing expert by any stretch, but what type of tongue weight are you trying to pull? Looks like the trailer may be too heavy at the tongue.

Two possible options, relocate the spare to the trailer so you can eliminate the extension, or I believe that Road Armor made a replacement rear bumper. Some have posted fittment issues with the RA front bumpers, but not sure about the rears.

http://www.roadarmor.com/site/hummer/

Chris

[drmiles]

RA uses the same trailer hitch. Tongue weight 1,000lbs, Very front heavy trailer. Getting rid of the spare is a good option but hate to have to put it on and off. Heavy as ****. Can tow with the short hitch and tiere in place just can't turn too sharp.

[PRD2SRV-H2]

I am no expert either.... But I am pretty sure that there was a warning in the pack that my extension came in that said it was not to be used for towing. I think by using that it really changes how the weight is sent to the rear of your truck.

[CG07SUT]

Hey Dr...Holy SH**! Short of a class V or a fifth wheel, not sure even if you eliminated the extension that the hitch would not bend. Sounds like you are asking for failure. If not mistaken, most class III hitches are only rated for 500 lbs of tongue weight. You may have to go to a trailer shop and have them custom fab something.

[lasvegash2]

from what i found on class 3 hitch specs is up to 6000 lbs of towing and 600 lbs on tongue...i think you are way over the limit if your tongue is 1000 and if you add a extension you are asking for failure....

[MVR 155]

1000lb tongue weight is waaaaaay too much, your asking for trouble beyond a sagging bumper with that much weight. That much weight behind your back wheels and not over them is really bad, it will adversely effect the handling of the vehicle which could result in a really nasty accident down the road. I know that manufacturer ratings can be conservative but exceeding them 2X is just crazy. I hope you are at least using torsion bars/anti sway set up.

[ROX]

If it were me, I'd get rid of the extension first, then I'd get the weight distribution system and use that. If you don't have the air suspension, that setup should work fine. However, from the pictures, it's hard to see what parts are bent. I'd definitely try to take it apart and see what's up. I don't know why the plastic is sagging. It's just trim. The receiver mount is bolted to the frame and not to the bumper. It could be that one bolt broke or has come loose and is pulling it down. I'll have to look under mine. I tow all the time, but haven't ever towed that much weight very often or very far.

If you really need help with this, I've found that taking your rig by an RV place with a good service department will help you troubleshoot any problems you may be having with your tow rig. Not cheap, but it's money well spent if you want it done right and you don't have a shop or tools to do it yourself.

[johndjmix1]

drmiles: I consider myself sort of an expert on hitchs, having fabricated several. Recently i fabricated a custom fully hidden hitch for my mustang GT. Came out awesome. Unless you crawl under the car you cannot see anything.

Back to your problem, when you extend the hitch you increase the twisting load on the reciever. Think of the drawbar as a lever, when you have it very short you have no leverage.....but when you extend it you increase the leverage, making it easier to bend the reciever on the truck. heck, i would bet if you extended it 8 feet (Silly!) you could proboly bend it just by jumping on the bar! Im sure theres a formula somewhere that would figure out bar length vs weight it takes to bend. I have an atv carrier I have used behind my h2, it extends proboly about 6', with my 400 lb atv on it and my hitch still hasent bent. So im wondering if you have more tongue weight than you think. How do you know its 2000 lbs tongue weight? Get a tongue weight scale: http://www.sherline.com/lm.htm (thats the one I have works *AWESOME*).

The good news is, I deal with a lot of towing.....personal and business, and I have *NEVER* seen a reciever hitch "snap". They bend....but never break (Must happen now and then to someone but VERY uncommon).

I tow my stacker (18,000 lbs) now and then with my H2 and the tongue weight is around 2,000 lbs. When you tow anything heavy you MUST remove the spare tire and use a standard length bar. If you get a bar with enough drop and if the trailer doesnt catch you may be able to do it with the tire in place. I can tow my snowmobile trailer with my spare tire on.

Wouldnt be too hard to mod the tire carrier to lift the tire a bit higher for clearance if you wanted to....

Anyways....

--John

[mikejr]

My solution to the tire hitting my trailer jack was to remove the trailer jack at the front of the trailer and mount one on one of the rails of the trailer. That solved the turning radius issue that I had. I use an 8 inch drop hitch when I tow the utility trailer with my quad on it.

I do use an extension for my Thule bike rack, but its not very heavy even loaded with bikes.

I think you've far exceeded the max tongue weight. I would follow the advice above....get the tongue weight accurately determined, get the rig to a good RV shop that knows hitches to see if yours can be repaired....and to propose what options you have to tow your load/trailer.