Double-check my hitch install? (1 Viewer)

[Super77]

Hey guys, I've got a second-hand Reese hitch for my 62. I think it's a class III. Only the rearmost hole on each side lines up with anything on the frame rails. The other 2 per side will require drilling the frame rails. It's my first install, so I'd appreciate some feedback from the experts before I do anything permanent.

The rear frame crossmember has riveted gussets, and the rivet heads prevent the hitch mounting brackets from sitting flat against the frame rails. I'm not going to grind these off, since they are part if the truck's structure. Instead, I'd like use some 3/16" thick fender washers I have. Below, you can see the gap caused by the rivets on the left and one installed washer/spacer on the right.

Seem OK to do this?

Here is how the whole hitch sits. Haven't drilled yet. Just held in place with the one hole per side that lines up.

What say the Muderati?

 

[roalco]

Looks good to me Super77, heavy fender washers all round and grade 8 bolts. Keep the bolts in solid based tension and you'll be fine. You could drill out the web on the tow bar flange in way of all 6 rivets but I'd go the first way myself. Just never seize the h3ll out of everything on assembly, and hose out the frame gap every year, you'll get a ton of road grit up there.

 

[greentruck]

Put me in the camp of finding something to fill the rest of that space. I think you're OK structurally, although the bearing surface for forces will concentrate more in the area of the fasteners and not be distributed across the entire face of the interface between hitch and frame as it would normally be.

One way would be to tack weld some flat steel spacer stock in between the washers. probably easier is to get some rubber or plastic (cut from a mudflap?) to sandwich between the two surfaces. That's keep the crud from accumulating and will gain back some of that force distribution I was talking about.

 

[GLTHFJ60]

Put me in the camp of finding something to fill the rest of that space. I think you're OK structurally, although the bearing surface for forces will concentrate more in the area of the fasteners and not be distributed across the entire face of the interface between hitch and frame as it would normally be.

One way would be to tack weld some flat steel spacer stock in between the washers. probably easier is to get some rubber or plastic (cut from a mudflap?) to sandwich between the two surfaces. That's keep the crud from accumulating and will gain back some of that force distribution I was talking about.

Super77, this is the reason why I suggested to ground down the rivet heads, to ensure that the force of the trailer pushing and pulling the truck isn't solely on the bolts, since in your configuration, they are in shear for front to back movement. This is similar conceptually to the hub studs on the front axle. The studs themselves don't keep the assembly from spinning apart (shearing hub studs), it's the friction between the aluminum selectable hub and the wheel hub that keeps everything from moving. The torque applied to the studs sets the friction between those two parts. This is why you're supposed to use the factory paper gasket, not silicone, for that connection.

A spacer like greentruck describes would fit the bill, for sure. Grinding off the rivet heads would be another option. To reassure the rear crossmember attachment to the frame, even though the rivets in the frame holes will still hold it firm, you can tack weld the rear crossmember to the frame on the inside.


If you're not towing a lot of weight then I wouldn't consider your spacer solution to be much of an issue, but if you get up there in weight, then I'd be concerned.

 

[Super77]

I'm considering making a spacer plate: basically a length of 3/16" thick bar stock with holes drilled for the rivet heads to fit into. That gives me the face-to-face contact, and probably no more work than grinding and welding.

 

[robinhood4x4]

Amazing how all this sounds like what I said about clamping loads and bolted joints in your other thread. Yup, weld some spacers so there's more surface area.