Custom Hitch

[DennisH]

I custom built a hitch for my 94 Ranger a while back and after getting the mounting brackets fastened square and the hitch welded onto the brakets the hole spacing chaged after i took it off. Well now it only has 3 out of 4 3/4" bolts holding it on. its still really secure, but i havent towed anything with it yet due to the missing bolt. My question is would it hurt all that much to just weld it to the frame where the bolts missing and call it good, or get under there and fanagle the hitch and bumper unitl it lines up so i can get the bolt in. I know its POSSIBLE to get the last bolt in, but it's going to take me and possibly 2 other people to get this thing lined up. I know this ones going to be a PIA!
P.S. The hitch is from a jeep Class III and the brackets i made are 3/8th steel plate reinforced appropriately and welded by me. (I had it inspected by a Certified Welder that used to teach Welding class at my old highschool.) so its all Correct and safe, i just need to get this bolt in for it to be truely safe.

 

[97ranger4x4]

I would try and bolt it in. I dont weld but have heard that you shouldnt weld hitches/ tow hooks . Could you drill another hole in the frame that will fit your last bolt? How far off is it? You might be able to take a come along and move it wider or narrower with that. Thats what I did when I put my hitch on because it was like a 1/4 in off. So I just wrapped a strap around it cranked it tight and it aligned right up

-KC

 

[DennisH]

ya, that could possibly work with the comealong. Its probably about 1/8"th - 1/4" off. i could drill another hole, but with the lack of SHARP drill bits and a 5/8"th size that would be a freekin bear, not to mention i would be on my back, shavings falling in my eyes, and with little room to work.

 

[97ranger4x4]

Thats what saftey goggles are for. yeh I know what you mean with the shavings, they burn like hell, and a 5/8 is a pain to drill through. give the come along idea a shot and let me know how it turns out.

 

[krugford]

It doesn't fit now because it warped when you welded it. The key would have been to fully weld the hitch and then drill the holes in the frame. Why not just take a bit and re-drill the hole in the frame? Seems to me that'd be the easier than trying to tweak a 3/8 plate in place.

 

[DennisH]

well, i dont want to re-drill the frame becuase i dont have any sharp bits. when i welded it i had all the bots in and very tight. I'm sure it didnt warp that 3/8th steel plate becuase when i took it off it fell strait off. The bolts didnt catch or hang up at all. i guess i'll just have to try to get a couple buddys around and see if i can move the bumper back and forward to get it aligned, i think that most of the problem is in the bumper actually. I breifly looked at it today and thats what it seems to be. if its the bumper i could just drill that out.

 

[86ford]

i would attempt to bolt it up in a diffrent order and see if they line up closer that way. welding is a no-no. its worth buying a bit and a face mask to avoid the PITA, it will cost what? 30 bucks for bit and mask total?

86