Is there a front receiver hitch with Rubicon steal bumper and skid plate?

[LANGeek]

All the front hitches I have seen requires removing the skid plate permanently. Does any one know of one that works with the skip plate in place?

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[Phljeeper]

It

All the front hitches I have seen requires removing the skid plate permanently. Does any one know of one that works with the skip plate in place?

I don’t know how you would frame mount a hitch with the skid installed. You likely will need an aftermarket bumper or remove the skid to accomplish a front hitch. Maybe you could weld one on though assuming you just want to carry a rack or something relatively light.

 

[LANGeek]

It

I don’t know how you would frame mount a hitch with the skid installed. You likely will need an aftermarket bumper or remove the skid to accomplish a front hitch. Maybe you could weld one on though assuming you just want to carry a rack or something relatively light.

Yea, I am thinking of having one welded on. There is pretty good fab shop near me. I think I will have a chat with them. One day maybe a different bumper.

 

[Eroc]

Yea, I am thinking of having one welded on. There is pretty good fab shop near me. I think I will have a chat with them. One day maybe a different bumper.

Hi @LANGeek, did you ever mount a front hitch? I'm interested in doing the same but not sure how to get there. Thanks E

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Curt receiver............... the Draw-Tite won't work with my winch plate -

I had to trim off part of one of the skid plate support brackets - it was tight but I got the receiver wedged in place by trimming only one, the other is intact.

 

[whiteglad]

I would not weld to the frame. You can cut a hole in the skid plate for the receiver "snout" to stick through. That is what I did with my plastic shield.

 

[Eroc]

Curt receiver............... the Draw-Tite won't work with my winch plate -

I had to trim off part of one of the skid plate support brackets - it was tight but I got the receiver wedged in place by trimming only one, the other is intact.

This is perfect. Great detail, thank you. E

 

[ShadowsPapa]

This is perfect. Great detail, thank you. E

You're welcome. I won't say I didn't embarrass myself in my struggle to figure it out - 40 years ago I'd have had it done in a fraction of the time. I'm just glad these days I'm not in a shop where there's a boss watching me LOL.

It was SNUG. The receiver just fits between the frame rails with a tiny bit of clearance. And it uses the same bolt holes the skid plate brackets do. I took it slow, a sneak up on it approach, trimmed some off the right skid plate rear or lower bracket and left the left bracket in place with one bolt and tried - and I was able to shove the receiver in there. So on the left the skid plate bracket is between the frame rail and the end of the receiver and held with one of the receiver bolts and its own bolt. On the right, the trimmed bracket is not between the receiver and the frame rail and has one bolt holding it. Once the skid plate is in place, it isn't going anywhere at all. In fact, the receiver may act as sort of a backing for the skid plate. Just a thought.
It took a lot of up and down to get the notch in the skid plate and I sort of over-shot a little bit meaning there's more gap between skid plate and receiver than I wanted but anyone crawling under there and checking for symmetrical clearance may get asked what the heck they are doing anyway.
I used a combination of center punch, drill bits, Dremel metal cut-off wheels and a thin wheel in my B&D 4 1/2" grinder, then files to try to clean it up. I may pull it again some day to clean up the edges better and give it an even paint job but maybe not - it's a skid plate, not a show car piece. My OCD was starting to get the better of me and I had to stop somewhere.

 

[Eroc]

You're welcome. I won't say I didn't embarrass myself in my struggle to figure it out - 40 years ago I'd have had it done in a fraction of the time. I'm just glad these days I'm not in a shop where there's a boss watching me LOL.

It was SNUG. The receiver just fits between the frame rails with a tiny bit of clearance. And it uses the same bolt holes the skid plate brackets do. I took it slow, a sneak up on it approach, trimmed some off the right skid plate rear or lower bracket and left the left bracket in place with one bolt and tried - and I was able to shove the receiver in there. So on the left the skid plate bracket is between the frame rail and the end of the receiver and held with one of the receiver bolts and its own bolt. On the right, the trimmed bracket is not between the receiver and the frame rail and has one bolt holding it. Once the skid plate is in place, it isn't going anywhere at all. In fact, the receiver may act as sort of a backing for the skid plate. Just a thought.
It took a lot of up and down to get the notch in the skid plate and I sort of over-shot a little bit meaning there's more gap between skid plate and receiver than I wanted but anyone crawling under there and checking for symmetrical clearance may get asked what the heck they are doing anyway.
I used a combination of center punch, drill bits, Dremel metal cut-off wheels and a thin wheel in my B&D 4 1/2" grinder, then files to try to clean it up. I may pull it again some day to clean up the edges better and give it an even paint job but maybe not - it's a skid plate, not a show car piece. My OCD was starting to get the better of me and I had to stop somewhere.

Thanks @ShadowsPapa. I appreciate the details; really helps me to visualize the work and prepare mentally for the challenges I might face.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Thanks @ShadowsPapa. I appreciate the details; really helps me to visualize the work and prepare mentally for the challenges I might face.

I use mine to make it easier to turn my car hauler around and park it next to my shop. Small area and I share the driveway with my neighbor and his shop. Makes turning that trailer around a breeze. And if I ever change my mind and move my winch out of my bumper to a receiver type setup, I'll be ready.

This was before I changed to the steel bumper..............

 

[pbuchanan]

Curt receiver............... the Draw-Tite won't work with my winch plate -

I had to trim off part of one of the skid plate support brackets - it was tight but I got the receiver wedged in place by trimming only one, the other is intact.

Just wondering if the hitch fit alright with the electronic sway bar disconnect right there? Just the skid plate is what gets in the way?

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Just wondering if the hitch fit alright with the electronic sway bar disconnect right there? Just the skid plate is what gets in the way?

I have Overland zo no disconnect. I have heard of Rubicon owners flipping the disconnect motor up. Dont know if that would fit or not.

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