2 Inch Receiver Hitch for a Forest River Wildwood FSX 178BHSKX Travel Trailer  

My sister-in-law purchased a Cravot MagRack F2 Light Weight Foldable Hitch Bike Rack, I contacted Cravot and they told me that they have tested this rack on RVs, SUVs, and passenger cars. What they are worried about is that the hitch system will support the carrier which weighs 42 pounds, and the combined weight of her e-bike and a regular bike. Her e-bike is 46.3 pounds, the other bike will be normal bike. I did a quick measurement of her camper frame, 65' wide inside to inside of frame, height is 5 5/8", it is a I beam frame and the lip measures 1". So, will your recommended hitch still be the right choice after I supplied more information? Please let me know if you need more information. Thank you

Hi Heather and Dave, I purchased and installed one of these Stromberg Carlson adjustable accessory hitch receivers almost three years and 15,000 miles ago on a 20', single axle, Airstream trailer. I use it to carry two regular bikes (not electric) on a two-bike QuikrStuff rack. The Stromberg hitch receiver is very well made and heavy duty. The cross bar is made adjustable by having two sizes of steel square tubing that slide inside each other from each end. There are two bolts in the cross-bar that prevent the center piece from sliding back and forth on the two end pieces. There is enough play between the walls of the inside and outside square tubes that the outer tube of the cross-bar, and thus the receiver, can rotate slightly up and down even with the cross-bar bolts in place. That play can result in several inches of up-and-down motion at the back end of the bike rack. I have a nice dent in the back of the trailer due to an errant handlebar on a rough road. This problem could be fixed by welding the inner and outer tubes to each other. As an alternative, you might be able to tap one wall of the inside tube, drill a hole in the outer tube and bolt the wall of the outer tube tight against the wall of the inside tube (however, the wall thickness may not be enough for the bolt to hold). Another solution might be to use the nut and spring from an anti-rattle hitch-pin on the inside of the inside tube instead of taping the wall of the inside tube. I haven't fixed that problem yet, but I am leaning toward the anti-rattle nut. As Heather points out, there is a lot of motion at the back of a trailer. The result is a large amount of force on the receiver, the rack, and the bikes themselves, so it is important to minimize any play in the system and to be sure all of the components are up to the task. The Stromberg hitch receiver seems quite adequate for this. Finally, I should point out that the weight of the receiver, rack, and bikes all add up. The aft end of a trailer is a bad place to add weight and can induce some extra sway. Emptying tanks and moving weight around in the trailer can reduce the impact of all that extra weight at the back end of the trailer. Hope this sheds some light on the strengths and weaknesses of this hitch receiver.