Rear Bumper W/Hitch - Towing Question

[Ridge]

It seems a lot of rear bumpers that have the built in hitch are not intended for towing. Instead they are for bike racks, or smaller odds and ends. Is anyone using a rear bumper w/hitch that will actually pull something? I want to haul a trailer with an ATV or two, small boat, etc.? I don't want to have to worry about anything bad happening to the bumper as I'm driving down the road. I'm sure some of you have something like this, I recall seeing a few pics of some Unlimited's pulling a boat or something else awhile ago. Thanks!

[kb5xg]

There are a few manufactors who rate their bumpers for towing but most do not. I have a jeeeperman, which is not rated in fact they are now out of business, and pull a trailer with two ATV's, a smaller trailer with all my lawn equipment, and a 18' Party Barge. The Jeeperman has places to hook the safety chains.




couldnt find a picture with the atv's or lawn equipment.
the party barge is licensed as an 18 footer but is actually closer to 30 feet when on the trailer. The key areas are the hitch weight and gross vechicle weight. By the way it was much easier to pull with the 30 inch tires than with the 33's.

I started out with a hidden hitch, it cost about 100 bucks and it only used two bolts to the frame on each side. The jeeperman has 3 bolts on each side and is much heavier than the hidden hitch was.

I believe a class III hitch is good to about 7500 gvw and 500 lb tongue weight. The unlimiteds are only good to 3500 gvw and 500 tongue weight.

[Belfast]

The hitches are often used as mounts for tow hooks / d-rings. They are usually described by the manufacturer as a "recovery" point with a max weight to pull. You will rarely see one that says it is meant for on-road towing for a couple of reasons. One, most manufacturers do not want to rate their bumpers for on-road towing to avoid lawsuits if there is a failure that results in damage or injury. The second reason I have heard is that they don't usually test the tongue weight capacity, just horizontal pull capacity.

That being said, you can usually tow with any bumper with a hitch as long as the weight isn't too high (the rated capacity of the LJ is only 3500lbs anyway). Most bumpers don't have hooks for the safety chains though. I used to tow a small landscape type trailer with my Warn bumper and hook the chains to the back of the bumper. Not ideal, but fine for the short distances I was going.

There are bumpers out there that are rated for towing and or come with safety chain loops. Last year I upgraded to a bumper w/tire carrier from Koz Offroad - there are safety chain holes next to the hitch, though they don't advertise a tow rating. When I asked them about it, they replied that they haven't gone through the rating process, but are confident it will handle more than the LJ is rated for and stand by their products with a "you bend it / break it, they replace it" policy. Some other manufacturers are actually tow rating their bumpers too - shop around and see what you can find - main thing is to look for safety chain holes/loops.

[sylvanis]

i think it was already said, but most dont want the liability. i know that body armor (iirc) used to rate their tire carriers, but don't anymore-even though they haven't changed their design. i also spoke to the owner of Rock Hard 4x4, and he said that the $ yo have the DOT certify it was really pricey, but he told me that his tire carriers were built "stronger" than factory frame and should handle the 3500 LBS when using the frame tie in kit.

i've towed with my warn carrier, but i don't like not having the places for the safety chains.

I'll be replacing the warn carrier eventually cause it's got no spot for a hi lift. I'll probably get the rock hard 4x4 as I'm extremely pleased with the quality of the front bumper and sliders i got from them. a plus is that 4wd hardware sells it and i get a 10% discout plus my Jeep club gets $ back from them based on member purchases.

[nwquadriders]

I tow with my Jeeperman. The most has been a 6.5x12 trailer with 3 ATV's on it. I did get the optional frame tie-ins for the bumper which added 8 more bolts total. It's very stout, and I'm not too worried about it. Just make sure you've got a place for your safety chains.

[hesher420]

Here's two ideas for you,

Have it on my 2000 TJ...
www.quadratec.com/products/12108_7X_PG.htm
Getting it for my 2006 LJ
www.quadratec.com/products/12050_200_07.htm

[Ridge]

Thanks for the feedback everyone! Hesher, thanks for the Quadratec links, both look great and are exactly what I'll need for my LJ.

Hey kb5xg, nice boat you're pulling there!

[treeofliberty]

Like Belfast, I also have the KOZ bumper. It's bolted to the frame more than the body.

We've towed our 3500 lb camper all over the west, including the near vertical climb between Durango and Silverton. I'd be shocked if that thing couldn't stand 4 times the max tow rating.




I wouldn't go any other way. Hidden hitches give up too much clearance in an area I already bang on nearly every outing.

[sylvanis]

treeofliberty said:

We've towed our 3500 lb camper all over the west, including the near vertical climb between Durango and Silverton.

how big is that popup?

[treeofliberty]

Its right around 23 feet long, from hitch to rear bumper and about 3500 pounds, fully loaded with gear and fluids. Inside, it has a kitchen, dinette with slide-out, a king and queen beds. The nicest comfort features are the furnace and hot water heaters. Air conditioning was an option but we don't really need it because we camp in the high country to escape the heat.