Does anyone know what is under the plastic sheeting that covers the undercarriage at the rear of the RV? I am having a Curt 13703 hitch installed on the rear of my 2010 Bighorn 3670RL. I am wondering what problems I will encounter. I will need access to both sides of the I-beam to bolt the hitch brackets. I will be relocating the rear jacks behind the new hitch. Any advice or insights appreciated. Please, no replies concerning triple tow laws or opinions on triple towing. I am only interested in the mechanics concerning the install of the hitch.
Rear Hitch on 2010 Bighorn 3670RL
- Thread starter Mase
- Start date
danemayer
Well-known member
Lots of people have added receiver hitches and I don't recall people having to relocate stabilizers (assuming that's what you have back there on a 2010 rig).
Oregon_Camper
Well-known member
What is the reason for moving the jacks?
I have a hitch on the back of my Bighorn, which is welded to the frame and then bolted to the hitch runner. (see image). You won't find much under the coroplast sheet...some wires but that is about it.
mlpeloquin
Well-known member
Before removing the jacks and relocating them, I would talk to Heartland and Lippert. The jacks are placed where they are for a reason. You may cause structural damage with improper placement. Just make sure Lippert and Heartland are in agreement about the relocation. The placement was done by design engineers looking at weight and strength of the structure at their placement. It may not be a problem, but would be prudent to get advice first.
X2 on the NOT bolting that hitch to the frame. If you are putting any weight, and infrastructure.. back there I would have it welded on. On our rig we lost our bikes and caused the rack to fail three times, due to the amount of "bouncing " we seem to get on while towing. With each failure I tried heavier re-enforcing and it still failed. I have seen other rigs going down the highway and they dont have the bounce? Ours does, and it must be the length of frame and wheel placement combo that causes our rig to be a no go for anything to mounted on the rear of it. I would have someone follow sometime while towing your fiver and see how much bouncing the rear of your coach does while under way.
The hitch is a Curt 13703, Class III, made specifically for trailer/5th wheel installations. There are two heavy plates that bolt to the inside surface of the I-beam frame on each side. 4 bolts go into the side of the I-beam and 2 bolts go into the lower lip of the I-beam. This hitch is being installed by a shop in Parker, AZ that specializes in hitch installs on RVs. The hitch is going to be installed at the rear end of the frame, where the one piece dual electric landing jacks are presently screwed to 2x2 tubing that is welded to the frame on each side. The electric jack assembly will only have to be moved back one foot.
Once the hitch is installed, I go to see the welder, who will weld the I-beam hitch plates to the I-beam to reinforce the hitch plate assemblies on the inside surface of each I-beam. He is also going to weld a piece of steel plating 1/2 inch thick x 3 inches wide from one side of the I-beam to the other side and welded to the 2 x 2 hitch tubing (to which the receiver is welded) that spans the width between the I-beams to substantially increase the gross towing weight from 3500 lbs. by more than enough to tow my 7000 lb. cargo trailer.
Now .... tongue weight, I am buying a TRAILER TOAD (google it). This dual wheel equipment is placed between the RV and the cargo trailer to completely eliminate tongue weight (i.e tongue weight of my cargo trailer on the RV will be ZERO). You can do just about anything if you have the money to do it. However, I don't have the money, so I am trying to locate a used TRAILER TOAD for sale. If anyone knows of a used Trailer Toad for sale, please let me know.
Now, before ya'll start yelling at me about "the law", I am going to domicile in South Dakota, which State's law allows triple towing up to 75 ft. total length. After doing my research, it is apparent that other States will reciprocate on the triple towing issue. In other words, States that do not allow triple towing or allow it at lesser lengths, will abide by the law in the State of licensure. The reason is that States don't want to discourage RVers, especially retired RVers, from coming to their State to spend their out-of-town dollars and contribute to their sales tax revenues. I have visited a number of Police and Highway Patrol Offices and have been told to have a copy of the South Dakota Statute in my truck in the event that I am stopped. Some Officers were not completely aware of triple towing laws. They said "sounds good to me" when I explained that I will have a copy of the South Dakota Statute with me, if stopped. For those who want to argue this, please refrain. I am going to triple tow - and that is that. Although I am a full-timer, I am triple towing mostly in western states that do not prohibit triple towing. California is the only state that I travel to that prohibits triple towing, but I only have to get from Lake Tahoe, NV to Pollock Pines, CA - about 75 miles into CA. Also, most years, I am only doing 4 triple towing trips per yr. - Pollock Pines to Yellowstone (where we are campground hosts) and back and Pollock Pines to Parker, AZ and back.
Helpful tips and suggestions *** are appreciated. ***
Thanks, Mase
Once the hitch is installed, I go to see the welder, who will weld the I-beam hitch plates to the I-beam to reinforce the hitch plate assemblies on the inside surface of each I-beam. He is also going to weld a piece of steel plating 1/2 inch thick x 3 inches wide from one side of the I-beam to the other side and welded to the 2 x 2 hitch tubing (to which the receiver is welded) that spans the width between the I-beams to substantially increase the gross towing weight from 3500 lbs. by more than enough to tow my 7000 lb. cargo trailer.
Now .... tongue weight, I am buying a TRAILER TOAD (google it). This dual wheel equipment is placed between the RV and the cargo trailer to completely eliminate tongue weight (i.e tongue weight of my cargo trailer on the RV will be ZERO). You can do just about anything if you have the money to do it. However, I don't have the money, so I am trying to locate a used TRAILER TOAD for sale. If anyone knows of a used Trailer Toad for sale, please let me know.
Now, before ya'll start yelling at me about "the law", I am going to domicile in South Dakota, which State's law allows triple towing up to 75 ft. total length. After doing my research, it is apparent that other States will reciprocate on the triple towing issue. In other words, States that do not allow triple towing or allow it at lesser lengths, will abide by the law in the State of licensure. The reason is that States don't want to discourage RVers, especially retired RVers, from coming to their State to spend their out-of-town dollars and contribute to their sales tax revenues. I have visited a number of Police and Highway Patrol Offices and have been told to have a copy of the South Dakota Statute in my truck in the event that I am stopped. Some Officers were not completely aware of triple towing laws. They said "sounds good to me" when I explained that I will have a copy of the South Dakota Statute with me, if stopped. For those who want to argue this, please refrain. I am going to triple tow - and that is that. Although I am a full-timer, I am triple towing mostly in western states that do not prohibit triple towing. California is the only state that I travel to that prohibits triple towing, but I only have to get from Lake Tahoe, NV to Pollock Pines, CA - about 75 miles into CA. Also, most years, I am only doing 4 triple towing trips per yr. - Pollock Pines to Yellowstone (where we are campground hosts) and back and Pollock Pines to Parker, AZ and back.
Helpful tips and suggestions *** are appreciated. ***
Thanks, Mase
Last edited by a moderator:
danemayer
Well-known member
Mase,
You seem to have thought through a number of aspects of the hitch installation and usage, including strengthening the hitch mount and why you plan to move the stabilizers.
For the coroplast, maybe the best thing is to remove some screws and take a look at what's there. There are many variations of how things are put together above the coroplast, and even on the same year/floor plan, everything may not be the same.
I know we've had prior discussion of Trailer Toad type devices. Perhaps someone with one can provide insight on how it's worked for them.
You seem to have thought through a number of aspects of the hitch installation and usage, including strengthening the hitch mount and why you plan to move the stabilizers.
For the coroplast, maybe the best thing is to remove some screws and take a look at what's there. There are many variations of how things are put together above the coroplast, and even on the same year/floor plan, everything may not be the same.
I know we've had prior discussion of Trailer Toad type devices. Perhaps someone with one can provide insight on how it's worked for them.
Yes, I did remove enough of the coroplast bolts to drop the rear of the coroplast and determined that my hitch installer will have access to the I-beam frame on the inside. I removed the end panels on the outside of the I-beam which I can see will allow him access to both sides of the I-beam. I did notice that my insulation around the two living room heating vents was coming away from the ductwork where it turns up. I bought one R-30 fiberglass batt that I can cut in half lengthways and will wrap each half around the base of the ductwork as it heads into the floor grate.
I will try to post pictures when I am finished if I can figure out how to do that. I am new here and have never participated in any other Forum, so I have to learn how to post with the "extras". I posted in ITEMS WANTED concerning the Trailer Toad and hope to find one while I am in Quartzsite in Jan-Feb.
Thanks for your help and insights.
