Trailer Hitch Idea

[ecameron87]

Crossmember is cut out. Hitch is flipped and then bolted to the origonal holes.



I wouldn't use spacers since now that hitch is a integral part of the frame. You could certainly cut the crossbar off the hitch and lower it or flip it like fzj80kidpen said he did. Myself, I still want it high as possible. Unlike Luke's bumper, I want the hitch pin on the outide of the bumper. I did it on the inside of my 40, and it was a bit of a pain if you use it alot. So, if I'm going to have to have it stick out further, I want it up higher to negate any clearance loss.



yes, funky, basically just the same as it is now with a 2-1/2" square on top. I didn't really worry about how it looked sitting that way since I always planned on building the bumper around it.

Well I guess you and I are thinking alike. I am going to try putting it on top, tuck it back, cut the framerails and build a real bumper off of it. I will post pics whenever I get around to doing it.

 

[Tools R Us]

Pix of the xmember cut off.

https://forum.ih8mud.com/showpost.php?p=2063130&postcount=24

 

[Walking Eagle]

here's the new reciever bar cut into the main bar, and the exhaust tip mocked up where it's going through the bumper. The top piece is just left over from my sliders sitting there for reference.

 

[ecameron87]

That is going to turn out great, Walking Eagle. It doesn't look weird at all being up that high. Thanks for the pics.

 

[Nay]

Very cool idea - that will be a great structural basis for final bumper.

 

[alkaline747trio]

It is welded in, or just flipped and bolted?

 

[Walking Eagle]

It is welded in, or just flipped and bolted?

Flipped and bolted - Reciever cut off, then cross bar cut out to sink the reciever 1" into it. The reciever I used is 24" long, so I cut part of it off, but I still have enough that a second 2x2x1/4" tube will support the back part of the reciever. Perhaps that will be overkill, but since I've carried enough weight on a hitch carrier for short distances to almost bottom out my J springs (gardening soil and such), over kill is a good thing.

The area under the exhaust pipe is too thin for me right now. That will be reinforced as the bumper gets built.

I like reusing stuff and utilizing what I have. The 2x2x1/4" is left over from sliders. I'm going to wrap tube aroung the corners that is from a VW Class 11 roll cage I bought that didn't have a continuous main loop - so I've been steeling sections from it. The bends just happen to work out well for this aplication. The hitch was there, so why not reuse it?

 

[subspd]

Any updates on this? I need to get my hitch up and out of the way on a budget and interested in any options... I use a trailer and also have a bike rack that mounts on the hitch but it keeps getting hung up with how low it sits now. I was thinking of using the 4 factory bolts but there is no "thru" hole that I need for my bike rack to mount.

Any other suggestions?

 

[VFRMAN]

Old pic but here's what I did. Works great.

Works great for kids too

 

[subspd]

Looks like some have taken the slee hitch for their bumper and modified it to go through the factory crossmember.... This would be a cheap way to gain a lot of clearance.

 

[Koffer]

Works great for kids too

Sweeeet , that will sure cut down on tail gating plus keep the noise down from the back seat .

 

[VFRMAN]

Yep it does. Just need a 5 bike rack now that we have 5 kids. And some snowmobile handwarmers for the winter months, and maybe a cupholder or two.

Subspd
I showed more pics ofthe receiver plate I welded up somewhere else here on MUD. I don't have the pics on this little Netbook thing of my wife's that I'm using right now.

Really was a cheap and easy way to get the bikes up out of the way and not dragging off the back of the truck. Especially nice if you want to pull a trailer too.

I'm sure you could use the factory bumper 4 holes to mount a pintle and actually pull a trailer with it, but there's enough discussion about that in other threads too. I just use it for the rack now and also a hitch carrier during hunting season.

Merry Christmas!


edit:found the thread
https://forum.ih8mud.com/80-series-tech/292118-80-bumper-hitch-receiver-bike-carrier.html

 

[cody c]

I domt have pics with me at the monent, but i cut a square hole in the rear crossmember, welded in some square tube, and added some gussets.

Also chaned the alloy step so that i can flip it up to do the hitch pin instead of crawling under the vehicle :b

 

[rove_mcanus]

There is alot more strength in the hitch than there is in the rear crossmember. There is a reason that the hitch is added for towing rather than just mounting a hitch into the rear bumper / crossmember. The rear crossmember is not real heavy guage steel.

Around here those hitches are added so people can ignore basic trailer practices such as proper brakes, weight distribution and downward weight on the tow ball. Most camper trailers I see around here are so heavy at the coupling a single man cannot maneuver or lift it.

The rear cross member on an 80 is more then adequate for it's rated capacity (2.5 tonnes, 5500pounds). The forces the hitch and crossmember are exposed to aren't as significant as you might think.