Trailer hitch delema

[Harper]

Okay, I'm keeping the Reese 37042 Universal Fit. On my '90 LB Metric Ton it is NOT a bolt-on. It will require drilling two 1/2" holes in the truck frame rail, and drilling one 1/2" hole in the side mounting bracket. It also requires offsetting the supplied side mounting bracket from the hitch, not as it was designed to do, so requires drilling one hole to fit one more bolt (3 total). The back edge of the receiver ends up about 1 1/2" forward of the back of my Fey step bumper, and does not touch or interfere with the bumper at all. The front of the side bracket will bolt into the hole that I will drill on the back edge of the spring bracket. The hitch will be mounted on the bottom of the frame rail, not on the side. There are beaucoup backing plates and washers supplied, so strength shouldn't be an issue. In the end, there will be 3 bolts holding the side bracket to the frame rail, and 3 bolts holding the hitch to the brackets.

[JACKED88]

The sideplates would be MJ-specific meaning all bolt holes will line up perfectly.

Wouldnt it be easier to take a MJ hitch and make side plate templates off of it? Thats how I intend to do mine.

I already have a hitch something like that Harbor Freight one mounted to my bumper. When I weld my 2" square tubing cross pc between the side plates I'll do so in a location that will allow me to weld that Harbor type hitch to the rear face of the cross pc.

I'm also gonna change tha side plates a little. I'm gonna add a little more material so tha side plates extend down below the cross pc enough to drill 1/2 holes for recovery hooks/clevises.

 

I can't draw like you so I edited your drawing to give you an idea what I'm talking about. (like you I didnt include tha safety chain slots)

 

Here's a pic of a Curt receiver like I have on my truck. Bought mine still new in its box at a garage sale for $5 bucks. I've drawn how it'll be welded to my cross pc. Tha two large holes on top are the ones used to bolt it to the bumper.

 

Keep in mind that receiver will be bolted to the bumper so I'll have to tack weld everything from the bottom side and then remove the entire assembly for final welding.

[Harper]

After drilling a few 1/2" holes, the Reese 37042 fit just fine. Real beefy and rock solid. I feel a whole lot better 'bout pullin' that boat now.

[jpnjim]

Now I don't feel so bad for paying full retail price for the last MJ hitch in the USA. :USAflag:

 

 

FWIW, mine was a b!tch to bolt up to my twisted/mangled stock bumper.

 

I straightened the bumper as much as I reasonably could, but when I bolted the hitch on, the hitch to bumper holes were a good inch off.

 

I loosened the mounting bolts, used a line up pin-wrench to get it straight, and cranked it down.

[akamcbird]

what i did with a universal

http://www.comancheclub.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=6514&hilit=+hitch

[Eagle]

Seriously,

 

Who here has the skills required to draw up the diagrams to construct a Comanche Class 3 hitch? It would take me a month of full-time effort to get close. But, I do have a class 3 hitch to take measurements for anyone who wants them.

 

Would make a good DIY article. But think somebody has done this here on the ComancheClub.

 

And even for those of us who do not/can not weld, we could get a hitch made up locally with the drawings.

 

johnj92131

I have AutoCAD and I was originally a draftsman by training and profession. If someone can get me the dimensions, I can draw up the template.

[JACKED88]

what i did with a universal

http://www.comancheclub.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=6514&hilit=+hitch

Thats pretty cool :thumbsup: as long as you don't have a lift or need to run a drop receiver. :hmm:

[terrawombat]

Wouldnt it be easier to take a MJ hitch and make side plate templates off of it? Thats how I intend to do mine.

 

Yes - that's what I'm going to be doing.

 

 

I already have a hitch something like that Harbor Freight one mounted to my bumper. When I weld my 2" square tubing cross pc between the side plates I'll do so in a location that will allow me to weld that Harbor type hitch to the rear face of the cross pc.

I'm also gonna change tha side plates a little. I'm gonna add a little more material so tha side plates extend down below the cross pc enough to drill 1/2 holes for recovery hooks/clevises.

 

I like the D-ring idea, but it's only going to be 1/4" plate. I don't think it'll be sufficient enough for use as an emergency tow hook unless some extra bracing was done. I'll look into it.

 

I can't draw like you so I edited your drawing to give you an idea what I'm talking about. (like you I didnt include tha safety chain slots)

 

I have some different ideas of how the harbor freight receiver will become part of the rest of the hitch, while still bolting to the bumper. I don't necessarily feel like the receiver HAS to bolt to the stock bumper, but the extra rigidity isn't bad and all of the aftermarket bumpers seem to be designed that way so maybe I'm missing something?

 

Here's a pic of a Curt receiver like I have on my truck. Bought mine still new in its box at a garage sale for $5 bucks. I've drawn how it'll be welded to my cross pc. Tha two large holes on top are the ones used to bolt it to the bumper.

 

Keep in mind that receiver will be bolted to the bumper so I'll have to tack weld everything from the bottom side and then remove the entire assembly for final welding.

 

The thing I don't like about that design is that it primarily relies on the stock bumper to do a lot of the load handling and the beefy center section isn't really involved in that too much. My revised design will include direct usage of the center tube section.

[terrawombat]

I had intended on doing a prototype mockup of the sideplates this weekend using some spare 14ga. steel I have lying around. I was also going to pick up some 1/4" plate and square tube and stop by harbor freight to pick up the bumper receiver hitch. Unfortunately, all of those plans got tossed out the window when my girlfriend asked me to help her paint her apartment and move all of her furniture out since she had to be out of there by today. I'll be working on this during the week when I get home from work. I will be modeling the sideplates in CAD and can provide a dimensioned shop drawing once I have it nailed down.

[Eagle]

I get a bit nervous about the concept of welding that Harbor Freight bumper receiver to a tube frame. Any load on the hitch ball (vertical OR pull resistance) is going to put the assembly and the welds in torsion. In addition to a fillet weld on each side, I would strongly suggest a couple of triangular gussets to help take up torsional forces.

[terrawombat]

I get a bit nervous about the concept of welding that Harbor Freight bumper receiver to a tube frame. Any load on the hitch ball (vertical OR pull resistance) is going to put the assembly and the welds in torsion. In addition to a fillet weld on each side, I would strongly suggest a couple of triangular gussets to help take up torsional forces.

 

Agreed. When I get some time this week, I'll update my drawing to reflect how I think the Harbor Freight hitch would be better integrated into the whole system. It'll require a little bit more work and welding, but I think it will work out much, much better. Honestly, I'd like to not use the HF hitch if at all possible because it would make it easier for me to design the hitch the way I want it, but at 16 bucks, it's just too cheap to not consider it and somehow integrate it into my design.

[JACKED88]

I think if you welded the H/F receiver to the cross section properly it'll have plenty of strength putting very little stress on tha bumper. You wouldnt necessarily need to bolt it to tha bumper at all. But by doing so it would make tha whole assembly that much stronger.

On my Curt receiver tha bumper mounting plate and the receiver itself are flush in the rear meaning both can be welded to the cross section. It aint goin no-where.

Your right about tha Harbor receiver. You can't buy tha materials for $16 bucks much less tha time it'll take to cut and weld it all togather. IMO its money well spent let alone tha time saved.

As for tha tow rings ..... as long as your pulling straight it should be fine but to be honest I was going for looks more so than functionality. You can buy/build a recovery hook to go in tha receiver.

Back to tha rings, there's no reason why a person couldnt go extreme with 3/8" or even 1/2" plate for their mounting brackets. You'd bend tha frame or break tha bolts before you bent two pcs of 1/2 plate. That and we could use the additional weight in tha @$$ anyway.

[terrawombat]

Figured I would throw these up for reference. This is an MJ Draw-tite hitch that looks nearly identical to the U-Haul version posted up before.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Also threw this together with rough dimensions from the Draw-Tite hitch. Still needs to be refined and I need to cut some prototypes for test fit-up.

 

[JACKED88]

Nice work. :thumbsup:

 

I'm still gonna modify mine by making um out of 3/8" plate and adding that couple of inches to tha bottom for recovery hooks/clevises. Weather they ever git used or not they'll look tough hangin there. If I ever need to use um :help: I think 3/8 material should be plenty strong to be pulled out of an average ditch or mud hole.

 

I know there's still front hitches available but does anybody have a template for one? I'd like to build one tha same way for tha front.

[jimoshel]

The Drawtite looks identical to the UHual with two exceptions. The DrawTite has only one hole in the receiver. The UHual has two. The front being 1/2in and the back being 9/16in. Also the UHual back cover plate on the receiver has 4 holes. The Drawtite doesn't. Very minor differences.

[terrawombat]

The Drawtite looks identical to the UHual with two exceptions. The DrawTite has only one hole in the receiver. The UHual has two. The front being 1/2in and the back being 9/16in. Also the UHual back cover plate on the receiver has 4 holes. The Drawtite doesn't. Very minor differences.

 

Also, the Draw-Tite hitch DOES bolt up to the stock bumper. There is no gap like what was shown in your pictures. This is the best picture I currently have of the Draw-Tite installed on my MJ.

 

[jimoshel]

Following a tip from a previous poster, I loosened all bolts, used a long punch pushed thru the holes and pushed, hard. They all lined up. Retighened everything, including the two now going thru the bumper.

[ohiostate454]

with some mods one of a XJ would fit

[terrawombat]

Just some brainstorming in CAD:

 

 

 

Would need to make alterations to the side plates in order for this design to work and fit properly.

[mkbruin]

Wow... I disappeared for a few days and the thread really took off. I will take a few pics of the universal I have mounted and post up tonight.

[mkbruin]

Sorry for the delay, here are the pics of the hitch and the mounting/fitment

 

[JACKED88]

Thanks for sharing tha pix. :thumbsup: Whats with tha spacers? I assume you had to use those to make tha receiver level. Is there a season why you couldnt have put that bolt through um?

By no means am I knocking your installation but it looks like that thing hangs pretty low.

[jeephack]

I give up. I have been trying since last night to upload my drawings and can't get it load. I'm running AutoCad14 and XP Professional. Gonna call tech support ( hello,,How's the weather in India?" And see if I can get any help from them. I think my software got damaged and I'm just gonna have to delete and reload. PITA. Terra Wombat has the idea. Just to add to it. All material is 1/4in. There are 1/4 in spacers goes between the side plates and frame. Three on each sidee. Very back one is welded on the side plate. Helps installation. The other two are added after mounting the rear bolts. The side plate was cut from a 1/4 in by 10" by 14" steel plate. The two holes in the plate by the receiver didn't line up. Think the problem there was different bumper. Oh well, back to the drawing board.

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Notice 1/4in gap between end plate and frame. There's a bulge in the frame.

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1/4 in spacers included with UHaul. Washers would work just as well.

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The two holes in the hitch did not line up with the two in the bumper.

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Rear bolt only shown here. The spacer is welded to the back side of this hole.

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Jim, Were you ever able to overcome your software problem? I would love to get the

dimensions for the sideplates.

 

Jeephack

[jpdriver1]

anyone installed a fey bumper with the draw-tite 75021 -- just picked one up 

 

or have installation instructions for the reese 37152?

 

thanks kevin 

[krustyballer16]

check out my post in the for sale section. hitches now available.