Cruisers Forum
Main Forum => General Discussion => Topic started by: Michelle Dungan on October 02, 2016, 05:46:31 pm
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I noticed that the wheelwells have lightweight sheetmetal or plastic that would probably not survive a tread separation or debris kicking up into them. I see that Ron Dittmer added some battery protection. Has anyone felt it necessary to add sheet metal at least as heavy as the Ford body panels? And, there seems to be no reinforcement of rear bumper area. Older RVs always at least had a lightweight bumper that would take sacrificial damage before the body did. Has anyone added a bumper, or had to repair damage after they backed into something or were hit?
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Good concern...
I added wheelwell protection for that stuff around them using just hard-backed carpet.
See my other post where I added a back bumper using laminated Oak. (I'm a woodworker... just seemed a natural :) )
Denny and Barb
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We had an aluminum rear bumper fabricated at a local weld shop with marine grade aluminum. It is attached to the frame.
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For those of you that added a rear bumper, did you mount tail lamps, etc. recessed into it, or mount it below existing lamps, at about the level of the hitch receiver? Given that some Class C motorhome rear caps look the same as those on some airport shuttle or smaller public transit buses (there are some here with a "Thor" label on them), and they all have real bumpers, I'm surprised RV maker no longer include them. Surely that'd at least be a desirable option.
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Adding a bumper may be worthwhile but everything that is added equates to weight, why do you think the spare tire has now been dropped? The E-450 is a great chassis but there are limits on what it can carry on its back. Thanks, Ron G.
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2o2
Well said!
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Given the hitch receivers are rated to handle hundreds of pounds of tongue weight (more with an equalizer hitch, less if dead weight), I wonder if Ford's issues with the spare tire mounted weight has to do with it being mounted on the PC framing it's mounted to exerting too much leverage on the chassis frame due to the distance making for a longer lever? It's like the motorcycle on the long shank rack exerting more leverage on the hitch receiver than a trailer of even greater tongue weight. That stated, wouldn't a bumper of, say, 40 lbs and mounted down low to chassis frame member exert less torsional stress on it than the 70 lb (?) PC tire with wheel mounted several feet higher than the chassis frame member?