Quick trailer hitch

[skimsucka]

Just thought id post this up to help others if they were to attempt there own hitch.

I was in a rush when doing this so it didn't come out the exact way i wanted it to. I used a 2 to 1 1/4 inch receiver adapter from harbor freight 13.85$ with 20% off super coupon. I planned to just cut the square section out of bumper slide the receiver in and weld around the front and backside and be done. Come to find the thin festy bumper cannot be welded so i had to quickly improvise and came up with the pictured product. 2 1/2 x 3 1/2 stainless bolts through the piece of bed frame welded to the back of the hitch which this is what made it stick out so far . Drilling through the bed frame and bumper was a pain in the .

In all I only wanted the 1 1/4 ch section to be sticking out as its only about 4 inches, but this is what it came to and I should be able to fix at a later time. I also still have to weld on some safety chain loops and get a different style ball arm combo to reduce length and paint the bumper black but i threw some clear coat on it to slow the rust. ENjoy

[Grey Vw]

Damn good idea. Thanks for sharing.

[skimsucka]

no problem i figured its the cheapest easiest option unless you get one for free its quite strong im 170lbs and it supported me fine ill be testing it this weekend

[getnpsi]

Makes me wonder if just getting an oem bumper off something else that is a little stronger would be the better deal. Of course that's much more out of pocket unless you have random parts cars on property. I do love quick and cheap, since you are doing it all yourself you can try other options.

[TominMO]

Looks good.

What about adding some strength by bolting a strip of metal the length of the thin metal bumper? Just to add overall bumper strength. Altho if it'll support your 170 lbs it should easily pull a small trailer. But I doubt this would be a good idea for trying to pull another Festiva, for example.

[M3NTAL]

Nice job man your Festiva master-mind

[Safety Guy]

Tom asked:

"What about adding some strength by bolting a strip of metal the length of the thin metal bumper?"

There is the limiting factor of a slight curve in the bumper beam. I suppose you could use some washers to even out the difference between the straight angle iron and the curved beam, but that method also has some limitations on raw strength.

Maybe a couple more inches for the angle iron and two more bolts would give you a bit more strength without much more work. I'm not sure. (I just had a look at my old bumper outside, so I had an easy reference.)

This is not to say you couldn't appreciably reinforce the bumper beam with more metal, but it'd take some more designing and welding. It might work well and have a good payoff in strength.

One more consideration involves the six 14mm nuts holding the bumper onto the car. I'd want more than that to pull heavy stuff! Perhaps tie the bumper into the back plate of the unibody? Maybe by extending the receiver tubing into the car body itself?

Here's a pic of the entire car "nekkid" rear end:



I'd start by putting some reinforcement plates at each bumper mounting pad and one in the middle for a long receiver tube to attach directly to the car. Exactly how to do this would be the question, but I think it would be practical and very very cool. It would also avoid the big bar of metal hanging underneath the rear end for all the other "conventional" heavy duty Class II plus hitches we've seen done up between the tow loops.

I went out and looked at my car and the disembodied old bumper again. It does look like several options for reinforcement plates, gussets, etc. exist. To do them outside the rear bulkhead or inside the car? Maybe both sides? It also looks like the 14mm bolt studs on the bumper beam could be punched out with a sledgehammer and thicker, longer ones installed.

So the whole shebang doesn't pull through the rear bulkhead, I think most reinforcement should go inside the car, and consist of some "L" shapes to tie into the floor area as well. (The design will need to avoid the spare tire and jack spaces unless one doesn't mind moving those items.) It looks do-able to me!

One more idea:

Cut out a junk Festiva rear bulkhead area and bolt and/or weld it on top of the current car's bulkhead to create a "double thickness" wall of metal. I still think some kind of tie in to the underbody/floor would be a good idea, even with this mod.

Outside, people would see a bumper hitch extension while they would never know the work done underneath to strengthen everything up to pull other cars! Much more sleek than the big hitch bar between the tow loops.

Karl

[skimsucka]

Looks good.

What about adding some strength by bolting a strip of metal the length of the thin metal bumper? Just to add overall bumper strength. Although if it'll support your 170 lbs it should easily pull a small trailer. But I doubt this would be a good idea for trying to pull another Festiva, for example.

I'm not trying to pull a festiva but whenever i go back and fix the length i will also strengthen it but heres the reason i made it this and my jet ski i do a lot of bass fishin and some snook

I cant even feel it !! boat weighs 170 dry and trailer about 220

[DrMaxwellEdison]

I'm looking into making a strong enough hitch that the car will rust away and be tossed out before the hitch ever has a chance to break, now just need to practice my welding.....

[M3NTAL]

Thats official RJ

[Safety Guy]

Skim, your hitch looks perfect for your boat! It'd be perfect for a lot of slide in bike racks, too. Very lightweight and unobtrusive as well.

Karl

[skimsucka]

Skim, your hitch looks perfect for your boat! It'd be perfect for a lot of slide in bike racks, too. Very lightweight and unobtrusive as well.

Karl

that was the plan!! as long as it pulls the jets ski too im happy , i definitely wanted the receiver style though instead of one size ball option for things like bike racks and those extra storage crates not to mention my boat ball is a 2 and ski 1 7/8

[Pu241]

Outside, people would see a bumper hitch extension while they would never know the work done underneath to strengthen everything up to pull other cars! Much more sleek than the big hitch bar between the tow loops.

All the above is true Karl.

And I would love to have a less obtrusive hitch!

But I can put my "Big hitch" on in 10 minutes and remove it in less time.
And can pull another Festiva with it.

Plus, Kartracer can make one and ship it for a reasonable sum.

Which is not to belittle Skims work, not at all, his hitch will likely cover 80% of the need most of us would have for a hitch.
I especially like his "saw horses", I have the exact same chair in my basement which I will promptly move to the garage.
Now that I see a great use for them.
They were too good to throw out but too small for an adult to sit on.
Now they have another use.
Thanks Skim, see you at FMV.

[wflaw45]

I plan on something along those lines for my car, however I plan on hiding an entire hitch inside the bumper with plates that match up to the bumper mount points.

example hitch:

http://www.suspensionconnection.com/images/master/curt_hitch.jpg

-W.F.

[frogman]

Great idea and execution. Good response and suggestions on possible upgrades.