volleyball
Well-known member
HF sells a mount already built. I don't know how good it is.
1998 tacoma front mounted hitch build
- Thread starter knuckleduster271
- Start date
OP
knuckleduster271
Banned
I saw it but it,has some lousy reviews on their website. I think it cost around $50
Pretty sure i can build a custom one for about half that and it will be stronger.
Buckgnarly
Well-known member
OP
knuckleduster271
Banned
I have recovered plenty and think it would survive anything I can throw at it..
Im certain its not going to bend or break.
After seeing factory built ones im not worried about it.
Im certain its not going to bend or break.
After seeing factory built ones im not worried about it.
I think it will be good the way it is. It is always possible to make something stronger than it already is, but sometimes it won't function that way or just plain isn't necessary, the old question of why isn't the whole airplane made like the black box... For comparison purposes I designed and built a set of forks to go in place of the bucket on my compact tractor out of 2x3x3/16" tube in the weak direction. I added some reinforcement out of flat bar at the L where the tubes meet to basically fill in the tube (didn't miter the cut), but no gusset, so similar strength to your design except I had 2 forks but designed them for 42" lever arm instead of your 8-10". These were tested by placing the tips under an immovable object and lifting until the tractors hydraulics relieved and were fine without a gusset. The first test was interesting as I was not sitting on the tractor and it lifted the 1400lb tractors rear tires off the ground with a 300lb mower hanging off the back. I carefully lowered and climbed aboard and my extra 200lb was enough to make the hydraulics relieve instead...barely an deflection in the tube and welds held fine, like the calcs said.
Last edited:
OP
knuckleduster271
Banned
Started on the winch plate today.
Last edited:
OP
knuckleduster271
Banned
Buckgnarly
Well-known member
Keep in mind the factory built ones are made for moving trailers around a yard, NOT towing or even close to what side pulls will do. Most front hitches are not rated anywhere near what some winches will do.
I see that you did pierce the tube, much better than what I first thought!
OP
knuckleduster271
Banned
I agree had I not pierced the tubing it would have broken off the first time I used it.
Here are some pics of the bumper that I bought for my cherokee- it was the most basic one that you could buy from roxolid fab at the time. It was made very chincy- 1/8" plate although the bumper brackets were 3/16 that just bolted to the sides of the unibody on a cherokee - I beat the living hell out of it. Never once bent anything. I did some pretty nasty side pulls buried up to the axles- the winch didnt move it, had to be pulled out by a buddy. They even put a lifetime warranty on their bumpers.
The Roxolid Lifetime Warranty
(Our products are built from top grade materials and are built to withstand extreme use. When we develop a product, it is designed to be used and abused over and over. That is why we stand behind our products 100% with a lifetime warranty. For more information, please visit our Product Replacement and Return Instructions.)
Last edited:
OP
knuckleduster271
Banned
A few pics of the jeep
OP
knuckleduster271
Banned
EOC_Jason
Well-known member
Nice!
Capt Chrysler
Well-known member
Not so sure I would want this tied into my radiator support bolts and bushings?
Capt. Chrysler
OP
knuckleduster271
Banned
Not so sure I would want this tied into my radiator support bolts and bushings?
Capt. Chrysler
Its not the radiator support, its a cab mount that goes through the frame.
Buckgnarly
Well-known member
Looks good....you going to run electric to the back also? Great to have them on both ends!
OP
knuckleduster271
Banned
Yeah thats the plan.
Im shopping for quick disconnects and looking for some welding cable.
My cap has a side tool box in it, I was thinking about mounting a battery box in there and running dual batteries in series.
SteveH-CO
Well-known member
Classy job. Not too high or too low on the truck. It's giving me thoughts about a similar build for my '89 FJ62.
kf4zht
Well-known member
I have a warn trans4mer on my truck. Welded a hitch to the bottom of it, even though it already had a winch on it. That thing is amazing for getting trailers into or out of anywhere. Also you can put a bike carrier or cargo holder in it for more space.
A hint on the electrical - use the large forklift/powerpole style connectors and get an extra set for your jumper cables. You then can jump things without popping the hood.
A hint on the electrical - use the large forklift/powerpole style connectors and get an extra set for your jumper cables. You then can jump things without popping the hood.
OP
knuckleduster271
Banned
Thats an awesome idea about the quick disco jumper cables! Definantly on my to do list.
volleyball
Well-known member
What do they look like?
OP
knuckleduster271
Banned
Well it passed the hardest test ill probabaly ever put it through yesterday...
This guy grenaded a 10k winch trying to pull this out..
Had a 3/4 and 1 ton cummins diesels trying to pull him out (they just spun and sank)...
Anyways, I strapped my hitch to a nearby telephone pole using it as an anchor. With the help of a harbor freight ****** block it came out fairly easily.