Festiva trailer hitch

[freshtiva]

The bro and I made a removable trailer hitch for the festiva(s) today. Easy to remove and mount to any of the cars. Bolts into the existing bolt holes on the festiva tie down brackets which are reinforced on the frame rail. Paint is still wet. Ill throw up some pics of it on the car tomorrow. Also found a little trailer for sale on craigslist, see link below.

http://kansascity.craigslist.org/for/1940727608.html

A lot of times I end up taking the van to get stuff @ 12 MPG when I could use the Festiva and a trailer to save gas $ esp when its 200 + miles away. Ill put a marine plywood floor on the trailer. It has a GVWR of 1200 LBS. Probably never haul anything bigger than my lawn tractor.

Hitch pics below

[lanemeyer14]

Looks good. The one that came on my festy when I bought it looks almost the same but it has an extra piece that extends back and bolts up to the spare tire well.....see it here post #2

http://www.fordfestiva.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23470&highlight=hitch&page=2

[freshtiva]

Looks good. The one that came on my festy when I bought it looks almost the same but it has an extra piece that extends back and bolts up to the spare tire well.....see it here post #2
http://www.fordfestiva.com/forums/sh...t=hitch&page=2

Thanks We thought about extentions into the existing holes in the spare tire well ( drain holes )but decided it wasnt needed. We used 3/8s square tubing. Its not going to flex. The weak link is probably the tie downs themselves.

[ericsmith32]

I thought about making a hitch for mine also.. maybe next year. Fresh I have a trailer I'd like to get rid of for $100. Debated about keeping it around for the same thing your doing but I think I'll leave that to the Escape and other trailer. Needs new tires and rehabbed a bit.. unfortunately it's a straight axle no leaf springs. Worked fine the few times I've used it just don't carry anything easily breakable!

[eurotiva]

Great idea Fresh , and those rear tie downs are strong, they are welded and bolted from the factory.

[Pu241]

[AlaskaFestivaGuy]

I started this thread:

http://www.fordfestiva.com/forums/showthread.php?t=28327&highlight=trailer+hitch

about 6 months ago.

I'm still needing a hitch, and just bought a cute little 4x8 trailer with 1400 pound capacity off CL SEA for $400. The seller claims he put 6 coats of varnish on it and only drove it on Sundays.

Freshtiva, I like your clean design. Why doesn't it have the exhaust cutout that PU241's has? Did you just make it extend down lower? Does it have adequate ground clearance with, say, a 200 pound tongue load? Do you have a dimensioned sketch (or AutoCAD 2008 file or jpg or something) that I could take to a local shop to have one made? Are you interested in making one for sale to me and shipping it to 98008? What does it weigh?

I want to pick up a couple of these $150 (including the vice) metal benches in the 2nd photo about 100 miles away. Any shipper would charge me a fortune to bring them to me, particularly since they're on an island (with car ferry service).

[freshtiva]

Great idea Fresh , and those rear tie downs are strong, they are welded and bolted from the factory.

Thanks I got my inspiration from THE Supermodels thread below. Just a couple of design nuaunces.

http://www.fordfestiva.com/forums/showthread.php?t=17335&highlight=tow+hitch

.

Freshtiva, I like your clean design. Why doesn't it have the exhaust cutout that PU241's has? Did you just make it extend down lower? Does it have adequate ground clearance with, say, a 200 pound tongue load? Do you have a dimensioned sketch (or AutoCAD 2008 file or jpg or something) that I could take to a local shop to have one made? Are you interested in making one for sale to me and shipping it to 98008? What does it weigh?

I want to pick up a couple of these $150 (including the vice) metal benches in the 2nd photo about 100 miles away. Any shipper would charge me a fortune to bring them to me, particularly since they're on an island (with car ferry service).

I guess maybe my muffler sits up higher ?? I know my tongue angles up where Pauls doesnt so maybe my cross beam does sit lower. It just clears the spare tire well though.

"Do you have a dimensioned sketch (or AutoCAD 2008 file or jpg or something) that I could take to a local shop to have one made? "

:laughing3:


Heck no, I just a dumb ole hick that cant even spell CED, I mean CAD. It might be possible to make a couple though. Let me check with my co conspirator. Ill go weigh it now.

[freshtiva]

It weighs almost 25 LBS with the ball

[freshtiva]

Got it mounted. Tongue height is 16" with no weight on and 14" with 210 lbs of me on it. Please ignore my disgraceful rear bumper cover, Ive got a new one to paint sometime this fall when I do some other paint touch ups on the car.

[sasquatch]

if i ever stick a hitch on my festiva im gonna have to make it hang low... my 3 inch exhaust is gonna be a pita to fit lol...

[AlaskaFestivaGuy]

OK, Freshtive, let me know how much (plus shipping to WA, of course). I might want one for WA and another (needn't be right now) to take up to AK next spring.

[AlaskaFestivaGuy]

Regarding attaching the hitch to the tiedown points, here's an interesting year-specific difference I just noted.

All of my WA Festies (including the one for which I want a hitch) have what you see in the left photo -- heavy-duty curled-edge stampings with two holes. HOWEVER (see right photo), my 1988LX just has bent rod stock (something like a U-bolt-- hard to see how it attaches to the body). Obviously, the latter would be much harder to attach to with Freshtiva's hitch design, or any design for that matter.

Something to look at when buying a Festiva if you ever want to pull a trailer!

[freshtiva]

Wow, I didnt know there was a different design in the earlier years. Good to know !

[AlaskaFestivaGuy]

I don't own any 89s, but my 90GL has the "new" style tiedown. I'm guessing the 88s and 89s were the "old" style, with the improvement coming in with FI in 1990. Since my understanding is that 89 automatics were FI'd, it'd be interesting to see what one of them has. I don't own any automatics (if I want doggy performance, I'll go get another 70hp Metro automatic and enjoy 0 to 60 in half a minute).