B&W Biker Bar Installation in 2018 Keystone Carbon 33 Toy Hauler

Published 12/06/2017

Question:

I have a 2018 Keystone Carbon 33 and would like to mount the Biker Bars for a 2016 Road Glide and a 2016 Softtail Slim. I have been told the floor is too flexible to allow the mounting but I was wondering if I could mount the base to the frame rails somehow. I dont know the spacing of the frame rails. Also the garage floor has a 3 X 3 pattern of folding D rings and I was wondering if their is a way to mount the bases between the middle three D rings in the pattern using the D rings as a mounting point. Is the base plate easily removed when not hauling my Harleys? Thanks in advance for your answers and I think you have a great product.

asked by: Dave H

Expert Reply:

The unique B&W Biker Bar Motorcycle Tie-Down Systems like # BWMC2302 do require that the mounting surface be strong enough for the significant weight of a V-Twin, or in your case two. For instance, a trailer with a 1/2-inch plywood deck, as perhaps an extreme example, would certainly not be up to the task. Trailer decking with more substantial material, say steel diamond-plate over 3/4-inch high-grade plywood that is well-secured to the trailer frame, would be a different story.

The folks are B&W are really knowledgeable and helpful and they confirmed that it is certainly possible to make necessary mods to some trailers to allow use of one or more Biker Bars. The minimum mounting surface they recommend is 3/4-inch plywood.

But only the folks at Keystone who made your 2018 Keystone Carbon 33 toy hauler can speak to that point for the trailer. Ultra-light trailers are light because they use less steel in their primary frame structure. For a trailer that is over 35-feet long, the 33's shipping weight of 8885-lbs is fairly low.

Depending on your tolerance for affecting your trailer's warranty, you might well get some general advice from Keystone as to where and how much reinforcement would be recommended in order to use the Biker Bars. I would have your trailer VIN handy when you call. If it is Keystone that told you the trailer floor is too flexible, and they did not offers suggestions to adapt the trailer for this application, then you would almost surely be looking at voiding your warranty. They should be able to tell you what material and thickness the flooring is.

Certainly there will be ways to fortify the frame/floor of many trailers to let you do this, but with a brand new trailer I would tend to go by what Keystone tells you, for your own personal safety.

As it happens the vast majority of trailer frames are made by one U.S. company, Lippert Components, and I contacted them. Any mods to their frame will void its warranty. Could you have a reputable trailer shop weld additional steel to the frame to allow installing Biker Bars? Yes. But you would do at your own risk. And again I suggest speaking to Keystone if you've not already done so.

expert reply by: Adam R