I have always wanted a hitch on my wagon, so today I made one for it. I didn't like the ones I found on line because they were not removable. So making my own seemed the way to go. I will only be towing my aluminium fishing boat as the car itself isn't strong enough to handle very much weight.

 

Mark

Edited September 15, 201312 yr by Mark Humble

Mark,

 

Can you provide some details? What bits constitute your trailer hitch? How does it attach to the vehicle? How does it differ from a Curtis unit?

Here is a pic without the plastic cover and foam installed. I just used some box tubing that fit over the hitch and a bit of plate for bracing. I cut a square hole all the way through the bumper and welded the box tubing and brace to the bumper. I had to drill a new hole in the hitch shank so the bolt could go through verticality.

 

Mark

Neat mod. Whats the biggest load you've pulled with that setup?

Would'nt be able to replicate on my wagon since my bumpers are rusted out.

If you didn't reinforce the attachment arms that goe forward into the body I wouldn't tow  anything with that setup.

 

Those bumpers are not made to hold any pulling force, or any downward "tongue" weight.

 

Seriously.....the spot welds will rip right out......do not tow with that setup unless you take it out and reinforce the attachment of the brackets to the main beam......alot.

Edited September 15, 201312 yr by Gloyale

The spot welds on the bumper brakets are not very strong. And I had thought about putting some more welds on them, but I don't think it will help much, the brakets are very weak also. So the plan is to get some channel to replace them with and again cut holes all the way through the bumper to install them. This way the new brakets and braces will be welded to both sides of the bumper. For the boat I plan to tow, and the short distance I would need to tow it, it would be fine the way it is. But if I were to tow it a long distance then road vibration would kill the spot welds in no time. The boat and trailer I have only weighs less than 300 lbs. with about 35 lbs. of tongue weight. The next part, and the hardest, is to reinforce the car so I don't rip the whole bumper and all right out of the car. The trailer hitches I found on line bolted to the bumper and to the bottom of the rear storage compartment. Not very strong, and yet you see them all the time. Makes me wonder if the companies making these hitches have ever heard of "product liability".

 

Mark

Channel that runs through the bumper beam sounds like it will work. 

 

ONce you do that, I think you'd be fine to tow up to about 1000 lbs.

 

The area in the body that the bumper bolts to is pretty strong.  Might bend a bit if you get too much tongue weight, but not from a 300 lb boat.