Hitch Receiver height

[Tigerman67]

So I am not going to have time to alter the doors on my school bus before Sturgis this year, so my plan on transporting the motorcycle inside the bus aren't going to happen this year. So thinking of adding a hitch so I can pull my small 4x8 this year instead.

I was looking for Class V so that I could possibly put a platform back there someday or maybe a motorcycle lift both would require more than the class 3 that most of the Universal fit RV hitches are.

I talked with a local mobile welder, and he seemed excited about the welding project before I left on vacation, but now that I am running out of time, he is fairly busy and having trouble getting a hold of him.

So I had to get to ordering a hitch and hoping that I can get him or someone else to weld it on.

My bumper is 27.5 inches off the ground and the frame is about 27 inches off the ground. The tail of the frame is boxed in and the tow hooks are mounted to that horizontal surface. Standard receiver hitch height is 17 inches, so I thought i needed some drop to the receiver itself so I didn't have to have crazy amount of drop to the hitch. So I ordered a Curt 15902 with 11.5 inches of drop. I have at least 6 inches of frame exposed, so I could have the hitch slide up a bit and probably have 3 inches less of drop than that (8.5).

So I already ordered it and just got my ship notification almost immediately. As I started to think about it. I have a 30' bus with a short wheelbase. I think I may have a problem with the first big dip I have high centering the back of the bus.

So should I go ahead and pay the return shipping on that hitch to return it, or go through several cutting wheels and cut down the sides to a more reasonable size. Or just go with a different hitch with much less drop?

As a completely different way to go, I saw someone mention (after I already ordered the hitch) that the super duty fords have the same frame width (34") as my Amtrans and I could order something like B&W HDRH25122 or a Curt 15445 which are bolt on class V, and would require me to just drill holes (and probably remove the tow hooks) and not worry about whether that welder has time or not.

 

[Drew Bru]

As a completely different way to go, I saw someone mention (after I already ordered the hitch) that the super duty fords have the same frame width (34") as my Amtrans and I could order something like B&W HDRH25122 or a Curt 15445 which are bolt on class V, and would require me to just drill holes (and probably remove the tow hooks) and not worry about whether that welder has time or not.

We've got an Amtran as well. We kept the tow hooks and bolted on a Curt 14082 Class IV forward of them. It fit perfectly, no welding required, just drilled out a few holes. I imagine you can find a Class V that will fit.

We also added a 10" drop hitch, to try to keep our tow bar level when pulling our Toad....and we proceeded to scrape the **** out of the tow bar on several dips on the pavement. For that reason, I'm putting a new tow plate on the Toad that will exit above the bumper instead of below it. I tell you this just as a cautionary tale about having too low of a drop.

 

[magnakansas]

modified trailer

I have a trailer for hauling lightweight sports racing cars.... My tongue for the trailer is shaped like this _ _/** it steps up to the back end of the u haul.

my two cents

william