Front hitch and steering damper

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Rocinante
Posts: 9
Joined: August 6th, 2017, 3:00 pm

Front hitch and steering damper

Post by Rocinante »

I recently put a front hitch on my Destiny in order to carry a bicycle rack. To get it on I had to remove the Safe-T-Plus steering damper, sometimes called a stabilizer. I've driven it a few hundred miles since then but I haven't had a blowout or hit any big potholes either. I'd still like to have a damper on there without having to weld a mounting bracket on the front hitch. Is anyone running with both a front hitch and steering damper? If so, what kind of damper and how is it mounted?

-Jim
deppstein
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Joined: July 13th, 2015, 7:07 am

Re: Front hitch and steering damper

Post by deppstein »

front rack 2.jpg
front rack 1.jpg
Jim...I also run with bikes on front. We have a 2004 Premier on an E-350 super duty Ford chassis. I mounted a Curt 2" front hitch that was spec'd by etrailer specific to the E-350 cutaway rv. I just took a look underneath, and the damper (at least I think it is the steering damper--hydraulic attached to steering linkage) is definitely there...the hitch is mounted at either end directly to the frame...nothing required to be moved/removed as far as I can tell.

Our bikes are Copenhagen Wheels (high-tech electric assist) and they weigh 44 pounds each. The rack that I use (and like) is a Swagman Dispatch. It is rated for 45 lbs per bike. To take any road sway out, I use a 2400lb torque "C-clamp on the vertical hitch housing fins to augment the bolts it comes with. I further modified it a bit by dropping the top bar that extends out so that it rests on the bar that goes into the hitch. This required drilling new holes in the vertical fins...no big deal. By dropping the level of the bikes in this way, I get better visibility from the headlights (still have stock headlights, but will probably move up to something brighter from Vantage Optics (vantageoptics.com) in the near future.

To protect the bikes while traveling, we use SKINZ covers (skinzprotctivegear.com)...great product.

I've done at least 10,000 miles with the bikes mounted--NO ISSUES. TOTALLY SOLID.

Here are a couple of pics of the rack.
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Blue~Go
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Joined: July 31st, 2014, 1:01 am
Location: 1999 Concourse

Re: Front hitch and steering damper

Post by Blue~Go »

I already had a Safe-T-Steer when I mounted my front hitch (Draw-Tite). No interference at all and have been running both for years now. But I have a Ford chassis Concourse. Sounds like it's different on the Chevy.
1999 Concourse
Rocinante
Posts: 9
Joined: August 6th, 2017, 3:00 pm

Re: Front hitch and steering damper

Post by Rocinante »

Thanks for the pictures and info, Jim. I am still deciding on the bike rack but have seen Swagman and like them.
I am not sure what the differences between the Ford and Chevy steering layouts might be. I'll take another look and see what I can do to make it work.

-Jim
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