How much weight can this take?

[krazygl00]

Pictured is my '92 LandCruiser hitch receiver setup, bolted into the stock pintle-holes. The bolts are Fastenal M12-1.25 x 50mm DIN 961 Class 10.9 screws with a tensile rating of 150,800 PSI. Top ones are threaded into the frame, bottom ones are threaded into class 10.9 nuts. The receiver adapter is by Rigid Hitch. In between the receiver and the frame is a mil surplus chain plate.

Mounted now is a bike rack that probably supports less than 100lbs total including rack and two bikes. It has never budged a millimeter and has always been rock-solid.

If I wanted to put a cargo basket on this, how much weight could it support? Hugely important is how far back the rack would sit. The nature of this setup means it will site quite far back (unfortunately). This would include beach driving so potentially bumpy. The goal is to put a 65Qt cooler and some other misc. gear on it. 65Qts of water weighs 135lbs, plus the 50lb (heavy duty Pelican) cooler plus about 50lbs for the tray for a max theoretical weight of 235lbs.

 

[Proven]

Might depend on the grade bolts you have. Highest grade bolts and I suspect a tray with a cooler on it wouldn't be an issue.

That could also just be my American Paranoia because overseas I saw vehicles towing real trailers with less.

 

[krazygl00]

Current thinking among some folks I've asked is that the frame threads that the top 2 bolts are screwed into will shear and that will be how it will fail. Unknown is what weight this will occur at. I'm leaning toward getting a Slee bumper setup that I've been meaning to do for a while.

 

[baldilocks]

50 lbs. is what you 65 quart pelican weighs? Holy cow. I have a Yeti 75, not sure what it weighs but I think it's in the thirties.

I don't see an issue with your set up. Maybe step up to a grade 12.9 bolt. You could also reinforce the attachment point on the inside of the frame if you are that concerned.

 

[Proven]

Current thinking among some folks I've asked is that the frame threads that the top 2 bolts are screwed into will shear and that will be how it will fail. Unknown is what weight this will occur at. I'm leaning toward getting a Slee bumper setup that I've been meaning to do for a while.

Is there enough room behind to put a nut on the back?

 

[thatcabledude]

Put a wanted ad in the classifieds for a real hitch. People give them away.

 

[Proven]

50 lbs. is what you 65 quart pelican weighs? Holy cow. I have a Yeti 75, not sure what it weighs but I think it's in the thirties.

• Dry weight for a Yeti 65 is 29lbs according to Yeti.
• Amazon list the shipping weight of the pelican 65 as 48.8lbs.
• RTIC's 65 weighs 36.5lbs dry.

 

[jpoole]

You may also consider shortening the square tubing on the basket that slides into the hitch. That along with redriling the hole for the pin can allow you to move the basket in a lot closer to the receiver, reducing the leverage of the basket weight. I did this on a basket that I run on a non-80 in part to make it stronger and in part to minimize how far the whole thing sticks off the back of the vehicle.

I also run straps from the basket up to a point on the top of that vehicle to take a lot of the weight and stabilize the basket so that it doesn't bounce or tilt etc. Has worked great for years and the hitch is much less strong than the pintle setup you have going. I even carried a full set of 80 wheels/tires (80 content) on it without issue.

 

[inkpot]

Is there enough room behind to put a nut on the back?

On my 97 there is more than enough room for me to put a grade 8 washer and nut up there. I have been known to pull over 2 tons offroad with it, no problem. Not sure if the rear cross member is the same between 92-97.

 

[krazygl00]

• Dry weight for a Yeti 65 is 29lbs according to Yeti.
• Amazon list the shipping weight of the pelican 65 as 48.8lbs.
• RTIC's 65 weighs 36.5lbs dry.

50 lbs. is what you 65 quart pelican weighs? Holy cow. I have a Yeti 75, not sure what it weighs but I think it's in the thirties.

I don't see an issue with your set up. Maybe step up to a grade 12.9 bolt. You could also reinforce the attachment point on the inside of the frame if you are that concerned.

I am going by the listed weight, I think from either amazon or pelican. Could be less. But that cooler is bulletproof. Built like their cases. I've been happy with it.

 

[krazygl00]

Is there enough room behind to put a nut on the back?

You may also consider shortening the square tubing on the basket that slides into the hitch. That along with redriling the hole for the pin can allow you to move the basket in a lot closer to the receiver, reducing the leverage of the basket weight. I did this on a basket that I run on a non-80 in part to make it stronger and in part to minimize how far the whole thing sticks off the back of the vehicle.

I also run straps from the basket up to a point on the top of that vehicle to take a lot of the weight and stabilize the basket so that it doesn't bounce or tilt etc. Has worked great for years and the hitch is much less strong than the pintle setup you have going. I even carried a full set of 80 wheels/tires (80 content) on it without issue.

On my 97 there is more than enough room for me to put a grade 8 washer and nut up there. I have been known to pull over 2 tons offroad with it, no problem. Not sure if the rear cross member is the same between 92-97.

Excellent ideas. I will see if there is enough room to get a grade 8 (or class 10.9 I think?) nut up behind there for extra safety. That and seeing about shortening the basket arm somehow to get it as close to the bumper as possible.

OR...skip the cargo basket and just get one of those little mil surplus trailers

Oh...any thoughts on the cheapie Harbor Freight cargo trays?

 

[Rifleman]

Current thinking among some folks I've asked is that the frame threads that the top 2 bolts are screwed into will shear and that will be how it will fail. Unknown is what weight this will occur at. I'm leaning toward getting a Slee bumper setup that I've been meaning to do for a while.

It's going to take a hell of alot more weight then what the OP is going to carry in that basket to pull the threads out of that frame or off of those bolts. I'd be willing to bet you that if you had a crane, you could pick that whole truck up off the ground, and then suspend it in the air by those 4 bolts. If i remember right the factory pintle hitch frame mount on the back of the Land Cruiser is rated for 8000 pounds.

 

[krazygl00]

It's going to take a hell of alot more weight then what the OP is going to carry in that basket to pull the threads out of that frame or off of those bolts. I'd be willing to bet you that if you had a crane, you could pick that whole truck up off the ground, and then suspend it in the air by those 4 bolts. If i remember right the factory pintle hitch frame mount on the back of the Land Cruiser is rated for 8000 pounds.

What my brain just cannot get past is the leverage. If you were using just a pintle mount and ring, then the weight of a trailer would be almost all downward on all 4 bolts. But with this setup you're turning it into something similar to a boom arm hanging sign and cable problem, and the forces are massive. You're talking about approximately 2 feet of leverage versus 4-5 inches of surface contact at the bumper. The bottom two bolts would be carrying almost zero of the weight.

Torque Equilibrium

 

[Rifleman]

What my brain just cannot get past is the leverage. If you were using just a pintle mount and ring, then the weight of a trailer would be almost all downward on all 4 bolts. But with this setup you're turning it into something similar to a boom arm hanging sign and cable problem, and the forces are massive. You're talking about approximately 2 feet of leverage versus 4-5 inches of surface contact at the bumper. The bottom two bolts would be carrying almost zero of the weight.

Torque Equilibrium

I think Your way over thinking this, if he was going to be carrying more weight then maybe, but he's only going to be carrying 250 pounds. That's around the same weight as the tongue weight of a trailer. Plus your only thinking the load is going to be carried by the top two bolts, but that's just not the case. Yes those two top bolt thread into the frame, but the two lower ones, even though they don't thread into the frame, they still go through it so they will help carry the load too. And he said that he's using the equivalent of 4, grade 8 bolts, so they are more then strong enough to carry this shear load. Now i will agree with you if he shorten the length of the 2x2 tube that his basket is mounted to that fits into the receiver hitch it would help. I've even seen an old guy that lives near me, that has his mobility scooter mounted off of that same mount on his Land Cruiser, and his scooter weights more then 250 pounds.

 

[jpoole]

"Oh...any thoughts on the cheapie Harbor Freight cargo trays?"

This is the tray that I shortened and have used for years now (5+ I think). I like how light it is, being mostly aluminum and I haven't had any issues with it. I mounted fork-mounts to the rails so that I can carry bikes on it and have carried a variety of loads over the years, most pretty light. The heaviest load that I've carried was probably 4 stock size tires mounted on stock wheels for my 80. It's also easy to remove the rack and stick out of the way given it's weight.

 

[Malleus]

It's going to take a hell of alot more weight then what the OP is going to carry in that basket to pull the threads out of that frame or off of those bolts. I'd be willing to bet you that if you had a crane, you could pick that whole truck up off the ground, and then suspend it in the air by those 4 bolts. If i remember right the factory pintle hitch frame mount on the back of the Land Cruiser is rated for 8000 pounds.

x2
The top bolts will fail in tensile before they shear. I have a similar setup on my '95, except I have a pintle ball hitch. (I removed the dealer installed hitch because it limits the ground clearance.) I have towed over 6000 lbs with the setup and the bolts haven't failed. Grade 8/10.9 bolts or better will suit. Do not use grade 5/8.8; they will fail.

I'm a structural engineer and based on my calculation, which I will not share so don't ask, it's safe for my use. YMMV.

 

[Proven]

Oh...any thoughts on the cheapie Harbor Freight cargo trays?

This one? 500 lb. Steel Cargo Carrier

I think it has more than overkill rating for what you're planning to do. I don't think I would ever load 500 pounds on those things, but a cooler and a grill, sure.

The only thing I am not a fan about is that the one I have wobbles around I wish there was a better way to stabilize them, but that's a different thread. lol

Also, put some reflectors on it, or even some small LED tail lights. My first one kept getting tapped by people who were following tooooo close.

 

[BILT4ME]

x2
The top bolts will fail in tensile before they shear. I have a similar setup on my '95, except I have a pintle ball hitch. (I removed the dealer installed hitch because it limits the ground clearance.) I have towed over 6000 lbs with the setup and the bolts haven't failed. Grade 8/10.9 bolts or better will suit. Do not use grade 5/8.8; they will fail.

I'm a structural engineer and based on my calculation, which I will not share so don't ask, it's safe for my use. YMMV.

Do you tow with a pintle or with a ball?

 

[BILT4ME]

This one? 500 lb. Steel Cargo Carrier

I think it has more than overkill rating for what you're planning to do. I don't think I would ever load 500 pounds on those things, but a cooler and a grill, sure.

The only thing I am not a fan about is that the one I have wobbles around I wish there was a better way to stabilize them, but that's a different thread. lol

Also, put some reflectors on it, or even some small LED tail lights. My first one kept getting tapped by people who were following tooooo close.

Yeah, I used a cargo rack behind mine for years for wheelchair and misc. I had people in drive-thru's run into mine all the time.

When I had it on my Jeep ZJ, I was traveling for work and stopped at a hotel overnight. I parked in the corner stall next to the exit, next to a curb with a boulder on it, hoping no one would hit it. I pulled in forward as far as I could go.

The next morning I came out and my rack was all bent to s***. A frickin' semi dragging a trailer dragged the trailer over my hitch rack, over the boulder on the corner, and out the lot. I could see the marks in the pavement below my truck that the rack made when it smashed it to the ground. It literally lifted the FRONT of my Jeep off the ground and broke a sway bar link (I didn't find that for a few days.) So, yeah, depending on the manufacturer, the rack should be able to hold 500 LB and I'm sure the 4 bolts can on the pintle hook connection. But the farther out you are, the more leverage it gets, and the less load you can carry SAFELY.

I have a wheelchair lift on my 80 that weighs about 125 LB and then a 400 LB wheelchair that goes on it. When all that is in place, it does tend to "wag the dog" a bit, especially if my tires aren't pumped up and the rear air bags aren't pumped to 25 PSI.

 

[Malleus]

Do you tow with a pintle or with a ball?

Ball on the road, pintle offroad.