Rearmost xmember ??

[darwink1]

I have been thinking about recessing a receiver into my rear bumper when I build my tire carrier. The bumper is a custom steel one that wraps around the rear cross member and said x member would need to be cut in order to accomplish this. There is an oval hole in the middle of the member and I would be cutting roughly 3" out of the bottom. I was thinking I could plate over the hole and then carry the bottom lip over the receiver...

How important is this x member? Would it hurt if I notched it from the bottom then reinforced it around where I cut?

I could put the receiver under the bumper without really affecting the departure angle but it wouldnt look as clean. Im not really planning on towing anything since Id need a 3' drop hitch so it would be used mainly for recovery and to hold a bike rack.

Heres a pic of whats there now, the bumper sits flush against the x member.

D

 

[Kynot62]

It wont hurt to notch it. I believe 4+ makes a bumper that requires you to remove the crossmember.

The other option which is a bit more work would be to raise the receiver so it goes through the center of the crossmember. Then you don't lose any clearance at the back.

While a 62 frame is slightly different with an additional section at the back the theory is sound. In the pic the hitch receiver is right next to the fairlead.

Since you don't plan to tow anything the other option is to think outside the wagon, just add a shackle mount and make a custom attachment for the Bike Rack. No need to add a receiver just for a bike rack.

Tony

 

[NCFJ]

I recently built a new bumper for my 60 and I totally removed what was left of my cross member. I drilled out the rivets an pulled it out.

Looking at the photo of your bumper, I would say that your bumper itself if anchored well is already stronger than the rearmost cross member. You will need to add something to carry the rear of the receiver tube in any case so that will also act as a cross member.

Here is what I did. Good luck with the project
https://forum.ih8mud.com/60-series-wagons/486870-rear-tube-bumper.html

 

[darwink1]

Cool, thanks for the input. I like that tube bumper, very nice.

D

 

[STUDLY 60]

When I built my bumper I replaced the crossmember with a reciever hitch and welded it into the bumper Since mine was rused out from crap being packed between the bumper and x-member, It was a no brainer for my application. much like the 4+ bumper, my hitch/bumper must be removed as an assembly.

 

[AKcruiserfreak]

I cut mine out completely when I built my rear bumper. It was rusted out anyways, and the rear bumper acts as a way stouter crossmember... minus the rust.

TK