so i have a big nasty class 3 hitch that hangs down and is crap for off-roading, and i wanna get probably either a downey or marlin crawler rear tube bumper. my question is, which has more towing capacity, ya think? the biggest thing i'll ever tow with it would be my smallish hunting trailer. do you guys think either of these would be up to that job? one more so than the other?

thanks
matt

 

i have a marlin rear bumper and love it! I tow two skis and a small 14ft boat with it no problem but i dont go yanking the trailers around.. the bumper is very sturdy can jump up and down on it and it does flex or bend at all!! I also have used my hi-lift on it with no problem!!!

 

i have a marlin crawler rear and just towed a trailer full of furniture 3 hours south to school and didn't have a problem, imho, go with the marlin!

 

i'm glad this thread came up! i have a hidden hitch on my truck and HATE the way it fits. the heaviest thing i ever tow is a car dolly. (and only in an emergency where my bro and his f350 can't tow something)- ie: short distances if a friend breaks down close by.

i emailed marlincrawler, and they told me that they won't give a tongue rating for the bumper because it's specified as "offroad use only"- but that it would hold at least as much as the stock bumper.

now here's the kicker- the stock bumper says max tongue weight of 350lbs- that's a LOT of tongue weight! especially for my little 22re powered truck!

so, i decided that it would probably be safe to pull the tow dolly with the marlin bumper. one would assume that's a valid arguement, no?

-shaeff

 

Ive got the Marlin and it feels plenty sturdy when towing my 12ft rafting trailre with a 14ft boat on top. Witht eh OME suspension, I had to go with a drop hitch cause the bumper is up there compared to the stock POS and hidden hitch.