Bumper Laws/Best practice

[CarlLaFong]

Very nice. I see your project has, as have many of mine, become a horizontal surface. The ad hoc "shelf" is the bane of my existence

[eamarquardt]

Very nice. I see your project has, as have many of mine, become a horizontal surface. The ad hoc "shelf" is the bane of my existence

Yes, but my pain/opiate usage is way down the past several days, I'm gonna clean out my wife's car and clear off the trailer (which isn't nearly as bad as it was in the picture) so I can get rolling again.

Cheers,

Gus

[Cliffmeister2000]

I don't really think bumpers offer any protection beyond a tap. In automobiles, when they used steel bumpers, it was often found that the bumper actually increased the overall damage to a vehicle. I toyed with the idea for looks only.

My first teardrop did have a bumper. It's still in the back yard. (the bumper, not the teardrop) It didn't extend out far enough to be a problem. the galley wasn't very functional, though.

[eamarquardt]

I figure the most likely cause of any damage to the rear of the trailer would probably be when I'm backing up. The bumper just might provide enough protection for that. I agree that in any serious collision there will, most likely, be some damage. The real objective was to be able to carry my Honda 200 with me and the bumper ties everything back there together.

As a plus, I kinda like the looks.

Cheers,

Gus

[canned o minimum]

Oh yaeh... any "serious" hit from behind would be didasterous.. a bumper would only be good fer them taps by idiots who tailgate !

[Cliffmeister2000]

Yours looks good and is functional, Gus. I usually position my beloved on the side of the tear to help me avoid trees, fire hydrants and small children when backing up.

[eamarquardt]

Yours looks good and is functional, Gus. I usually position my beloved on the side of the tear to help me avoid trees, fire hydrants and small children when backing up.

My concern with that approach is that if I have just accidentally, inadvertently, unintentionally, or otherwise provoked Suzy and been on the receiving end of the "death stare evil eye" (DSEE), I might just be tempted to aim for her. Better not to tempt fate and to keep her safe in the car!!!! The down side to this approach is that I'm very close to/in immediate proximity of the source of the DSEE and am at considerable risk.

Cheers,

Gus

[angib]

it is so light it would crumple if hit.

That seems like a good plan to me - just solid enough that anyone hitting it knows they've hit something, but not strong enough to pass the damage onto what it's mounted on.

Folks do tend to think a heavy bumper will protect them, but usually all it does is survive a hit intact, while the structure it's mounted to gets damaged - and that is tucked up under the teardrop body, so nearly impossible to repair.