DIY Hidden Hitch

[tobyw]

I'd finally had it with the low-slung factory receiver hitch:

I spent a couple hours pulling the factory rear crossmember/hitch, carving off the receiver from below the crossmember, and gluing together a new one above the crossmember:

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[Bluefalcon]

That's awesome

 

[Jakeyou]

Looks nice but how do you hook up your safety chains?

 

[j.o.y.ride]

Looks nice but how do you hook up your safety chains?

Chains? We don't need to stinking chains.

 

[Kevin_D]

Chains? We don't need to stinking chains.

Other than the fact that they’re required in many locales…

Kevin

 

[tobyw]

Looks nice but how do you hook up your safety chains?

I'm fabricating a simple extension that will incorporate the safety chain loops and allow me to use a drop shank when necessary. Also working on a flip-up license plate bracket.

 

[MrT]

Awesome!

 

[sharpsicle]

I'm fabricating a simple extension that will incorporate the safety chain loops and allow me to use a drop shank when necessary. Also working on a flip-up license plate bracket.

Hitch extenders reduce your hitch capacity, don't they? And pretty quickly as you add length if I remember right.

Also, how hard is it to get at the hitch pin? Looks pretty tough from the few photos up so far.

I do have to say, though, great welds on there and supports.

Just curious of how easy to use a mod like this would be if you tow more frequently and what you lose in the process.

 

[Deleted member 52902]

I believe all of us towing trailers should have, and always use eyelets on the tow vehicle for trailer chains.

Many years ago I had finished fishing for the day. Began my walk back to camp which was on the other side and about 1/4 mile down the road. A road that isn't traveled much but some vehicles. While walking on the dirt, off to the side of the paved road, a pickup truck drove past me. Followed some seconds afterward rather quietly by a boat on a trailer. Just the boat on a trailer. Tongue skidding on the asphalt although pretty quietly at that. Which in some more seconds, veered slowly off the road in front of me, across the dirt easement and down into a swale. Boat stayed on the trailer and maybe trailer & boat were ok.

I crossed the road to the other side while the pickup truck backed up and the two guys in the pickup guys did whatever they did. My mind began thinking about what happened. If I had come off the lake fishing a few seconds earlier where I would have walked just a bit farther along this road , I could have been hit from behind and hurt or even killed.

Things happen. Even if I was waking against traffic on the other side, the boat/trailer could have still disconnected and perhaps come across where I might not have had enough time to jump away. The biggie here, is the boats trailer obviously did not have one, let alone two cross-chained connections to the truck. Two chains hooked in a cross, or X have a greater chance that the towed trailer will follow the tow vehicle somewhat-decently. Better than a totally disconnected, essentially non-guided missile like occurred during my vacation walk.

Besides, Officer Friendly I think in all states, and I assume Canada, would ticket us if a trailer is seen to not have safety chains used, and attached in a cross-chained manner. Which might then entice the officer to take a hard look at the tires tread, age, and appropriate type for trailer use. And towed weight and tongue weight versus the vehicle, etc. Uggh.

I'm not trying to beat anyone up here. Chains at least keep the trailer tethered and have a greater chance of trailing somewhat decently while slowing down. Hopefully with the trailed equipment not hitting anything in the process and fully able to re-attach the (correct size?) ball that hopefully is firmly attached to the hitch, to continue on.

I hope everybody has two places on ball hitch two vehicles to hang trailer chains onto. Ideally, always cross chained which will help control a ball-disconnected trailer to still trail inline. Not cross connecting the chains will increase the side to side wandering of the trailer.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Other than the fact that they’re required in many locales…

Kevin

Everywhere I'm aware of.

Things happen. Even if I was waking against traffic on the other side, the boat/trailer could have still disconnected and perhaps come across where I might not have had enough time to jump away. The biggie here, is the boats trailer obviously did not have one, let alone two cross-chained connections to the truck. Two chains hooked in a cross, or X have a greater chance that the towed trailer will follow the tow vehicle somewhat-decently. Better than a totally disconnected, essentially non-guided missile like occurred during my vacation walk.

Seems to me that safety chains on the ball mount won't comply because it's very possible for a ball mount itself to come free of the tow vehicle receiver.
In other words, chains should not be connected to something that isn't actually part of the truck - so an extension that pins to the truck isn't considered legit safety chains. Something could happen with that pin, leaving the whole thing to drop.
Safety chains must be secured to part of the tow vehicle.
The laws are pretty clear - attached to the tow vehicle, not something plugged into the tow vehicle.

One such state law -
The safety chain shall be attached to both the towing and the towed vehicles in such a manner so as to be capable of developing the full capacity of the chain into the frame members of the towing and towed vehicles.


This is at the federal level -
(8) When two safety devices, including two safety chains or cables, are
used and are attached to the towing vehicle at separate points, the points of
attachment on the towing vehicle shall be located equally distant from, and on
opposite sides of, the centerline of the towing vehicle.


Enforcement -
(e) Enforcement Policy. When the use of safety chains are required in accordance with subsection (a) of this section, enforcement actions should be initiated against all persons apprehended who are operating a towing and towed vehicle in combination:
(1) without both safety chains securely attached;
(2) when safety chains are improperly attached to the degree that one or both are in contact with surface of the road;
(3) when the failure of either or both safety chains or the manner in which they are attached allow the vehicles to become disconnected or allow the tongue or connecting apparatus of the towed vehicle to come into contact with the road surface during ordinary towing operations; or
(4) when the failure of either or both safety chains or the manner in which they are attached results in an accident.

I bristle at some of the stuff I see related to hitching, safety chains (or very improper use of same) and so on because I can, to this day, still see the picture of the car my boss towed into our impound area for the IHP after a guy's trailer came loose, the tongue dropped to the pavement and stopped the trailer almost instantly and the couple in the vehicle behind were decapitated.
The car was a bloody mess. and of course I had to be working on the day it was towed in.
That image has me really paranoid and particular about how towing is set up.
And if it happened here, in Iowa, and I saw the results - you can bet it's happened all over the country, dozens of times. And it will happen again because people are always "not me, I know what I'm doing" and "the laws are for others, I drive and tow safe".
Not aiming at anyone here or anyone in particular, just putting it out there.
Everyone knows what they are doing until proven wrong.
Safety chains belong hooked to the structure of the vehicle or the receiver, which in effect, becomes part of the structure of the vehicle. Not something held in place by a single pin that can come out of place - stuff happens.
The connection, and chains, and everything used to connect the towed to the towing has to be of sufficient strength to support the total tongue weight of the towed, plus the impact and surging that's about to take place.

Hitch extenders reduce your hitch capacity, don't they? And pretty quickly as you add length if I remember right.

Yes. You have a reduced tongue weight capacity, etc. with it.
i even keep ball mounts as short as possible so the ball itself is close to the tow vehicle. Drop hitches lower capacity and increase leverage on the receiver.
It's likely not at all a big deal if you are rated to tow 6,000 and only ever tow 4,000 pounds.

Ah, found it - federal law - IF I am reading this correctly - can't connect to an extension or something pinned to the tow vehicle - so the safety chains must go to the structure of the vehicle (or a receiver which is in effect part of the very structure of the vehicle and isn't merely pinned in place)
Anyway - the laws says back to the drawing board - can't hook safety chains to an extension that's pinned.

If the drawbar design is such that bolts, connecting pins, etc., are used to connect structural members of the drawbar, and are located at or near the midpoint of the drawbar (beyond the attachment points for the safety chain at the ends of the draw bar) the safety devices would have to extend from either the frame of the towed or towing vehicle to a point beyond the bolts, connecting pins or similar devices.

 

[sharpsicle]

Ah, found it - federal law - IF I am reading this correctly - can't connect to an extension or something pinned to the tow vehicle - so the safety chains must go to the structure of the vehicle (or a receiver which is in effect part of the very structure of the vehicle and isn't merely pinned in place)
Anyway - the laws says back to the drawing board - can't hook safety chains to an extension that's pinned.

If the drawbar design is such that bolts, connecting pins, etc., are used to connect structural members of the drawbar, and are located at or near the midpoint of the drawbar (beyond the attachment points for the safety chain at the ends of the draw bar) the safety devices would have to extend from either the frame of the towed or towing vehicle to a point beyond the bolts, connecting pins or similar devices.

I thought that might've been the case, but wasn't sure. I know my personal feeling has always been that chaining onto an extension kinda defeated the purpose of the chains and was an unneeded risk, but I never looked into the legality of doing it.

Then again, I actually like the receiver being below the bumper. Means I can put a skid plate on the hitch very easily there and protect the rear end of the truck when wheeling. After all, if it's getting that much ground contact as it seems in the first photo, all that contact is going to be on the plastic bumper now.

But to each their own, I know that not everyone's approach. It looks like a good job for someone whose goal was just to get it out of the way without losing it entirely, and not really planning on doing any towing.

 

[Jakeyou]

I heard this work pretty good. https://www.drt-fabrication.com/product/hitch-skid

 

[sharpsicle]

I heard this work pretty good. https://www.drt-fabrication.com/product/hitch-skid

I saw it and was instantly interested.

But then I saw the price. $210 for a tiny little hitch skid??? Holy crap!

Then again, I would still do this over relocating the hitch.

 

[antwon412]

I have the 41.22 hitch skid. Very happy with it so far it’s been up to you a couple times. Lightweight aluminum. Nice big hole for recovery if needed. Still expensive but cheaper than the option above.

 

[m-l_johnny]

Chains? We don't need to stinking chains.

Me thinks a lot of people don’t get sarcasm….

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