Hitch Riser

[Cookie Monsters]

Making a hitch riser for my vehicle because no one makes or sells one to my liking. It's a class 2 hitch with a 1-1/4" opening. I have made up a picture of what I would like done but I'm not sure if I should use 1-1/4" hitch steel or 2" hitch steel where it would rise. It is for a 500 lb. Capacity Deluxe Steel Cargo Carrier with a 2" receiver from harbor freight which I would be carrying with me with an ice cooler no more than 100lbs of stuff.


Link to the thread of the cargo carrier.

Link to 2" hitch steel

Link to 1-1/4" hitch steel

Trying to make one of these but the rise isn't high enough.

Let me know what you think.
thanks

 

[vintagespeed1956]

no..

 

[iajonesy]

Why do you want the tall riser? Is the receiver going to be mounted to a frame member? 100 lbs. isn't much weight but the riser should be mounted to a frame member.

Mike

 

[Cookie Monsters]

no..

Why no???

Why do you want the tall riser? Is the receiver going to be mounted to a frame member? 100 lbs. isn't much weight but the riser should be mounted to a frame member.

Mike

Blue ox makes a 10" riser but the receiver is 2". Mine is a 1-1/4". I'm just trying to make it as close as I can to bumper when it is fully loaded with the adapters such as a 1-1/4" adapter to 2" then a riser, the HF cargo carrier sags way too much and scraps.

I've done this
1-1/4" to 2" with the cargo carrier and the cargo carrier scraps. Link to adapter

Then I thought why not get a hitch extender and riser which harbor freight sells. The bottom of the hitch extender scraps the ground. Link here

Doesn't have to rise that high but it's a thought I'm putting this out there to get feedback. Could be 6" high most places sell 4" risers as I posted from the link above.

 

[kazlx]

Just build a proper cargo carrier for what you want. Or pay someone to do it.

Carrier raised up with the proper hitch size, built to what you want...may be more money but won't be a completely janky setup.

 

[warmpancakes]

it wont survive, a 1.25 hitch will haul 100 LBS on a cargo carrier for a little while, think of a Fat man on a diving board the further you go out on the board the further it drops. Moving up and back the hitch of the frame of the vehicle will rip. but what do I know ive only designed hitches for 7 years


Bike racks and cargo carriers are hell on hitches

 

[kazlx]

Are you putting this on the back of a trailer?

 

[Cookie Monsters]

Just build a proper cargo carrier for what you want. Or pay someone to do it.

Carrier raised up with the proper hitch size, built to what you want...may be more money but won't be a completely janky setup.

Thats what I'm doing, I'm building a proper cargo carrier.

it wont survive, a 1.25 hitch will haul 100 LBS on a cargo carrier for a little while, think of a Fat man on a diving board the further you go out on the board the further it drops. Moving up and back the hitch of the frame of the vehicle will rip. but what do I know ive only designed hitches for 7 years


Bike racks and cargo carriers are hell on hitches

I see what you mean, I'll redo my plans.

Are you putting this on the back of a trailer?

This will go in the back of a car. the car looks like a trailer in the picture. Thats the extent of my drawing skills.

 

[kazlx]

Thats what I'm doing, I'm building a proper cargo carrier.

That's not what I meant. Don't build a hitch riser. Build a cargo carrier that slides into your existing hitch. You should have two pieces, the hitch, which is attached to the car, and a one piece carrier that slides in. All the superfluous **** you listed are just points for more problems.

From the questions you are asking, you shouldn't be building it in the first place. I don't want to sound like a ****, but people will behind you on the freeway if your contraption fails with a full cooler on it...think about that...

Trying to adapt a 2" hitch rack carrier on a small hitch that is only rated to 350lb tongue weight with a larger extension with more leverage. What could go wrong?

 

[Cookie Monsters]

That's not what I meant. Don't build a hitch riser. Build a cargo carrier that slides into your existing hitch. You should have two pieces, the hitch, which is attached to the car, and a one piece carrier that slides in. All the superfluous **** you listed are just points for more problems.

From the questions you are asking, you shouldn't be building it in the first place. I don't want to sound like a ****, but people will behind you on the freeway if your contraption fails with a full cooler on it...think about that...

Trying to adapt a 2" hitch rack carrier on a small hitch that is only rated to 350lb tongue weight with a larger extension with more leverage. What could go wrong?

Jesus christ! This has been done with no ill effects. I feel like you shouldbt be fabricating. You just spout without any help at all. Why would they make the 1-1-1/4" to 2" hitch riser and allow people to buy it if werent ok? Im just making it taller than they sell.

 

[kazlx]

They also don't sell a commercially available one 10" tall, what does that tell you? Don't get mad at me for pointing out it's not a good idea. You're adding a 10" long lever coming out of a hitch and then another say 2' lever coming out at 90 degrees, then loading it with 100lbs or more. Think of that weight all bouncing on the hitch as you drive down the street on a tiny hitch attached to a vehicle not really designed for towing. I'm trying to suggest a safer way to go about it, but you'd rather argue about why your idea is valid. Look at all the suggestions people posted about how great of an idea you had...oh wait.

I wouldn't have any problem building something that fits your needs...but I'm not asking basic questions either...

Good luck.

 

[Cookie Monsters]

it wont survive, a 1.25 hitch will haul 100 LBS on a cargo carrier for a little while, think of a Fat man on a diving board the further you go out on the board the further it drops. Moving up and back the hitch of the frame of the vehicle will rip. but what do I know ive only designed hitches for 7 years


Bike racks and cargo carriers are hell on hitches

I modified the picture on the 1st post, maybe that will work? or is it back to the drawing board?

 

[iajonesy]

Buy a truck with a proper hitch and then you might be able to accomplish what you are trying to do here. Or at least you can put your cooler in the truck bed.

Mike

 

[Cookie Monsters]

Buy a truck with a proper hitch and then you might be able to accomplish what you are trying to do here. Or at least you can put your cooler in the truck bed.

Mike

hey mike,

when I move, can i borrow your truck? can you help me move? hey i'm buying a new washing machine from costco, can I borrow your truck to pick it up? you free this weekend to help me move? etc

 

[gte718p]

The problem is how far your load is away from the mounting points of the hitch. You have a huge torque that the hitch was not designed to handle. It is absolutely doable, but not advisable.

Lets say the rated tongue weight is on a normal hitch notionally 1 foot from the mounting point. The hitch is rated at ~350 ft lbs of torque before it is expected to fail. T=r x f

If you add the extension and the carrier, it will move the center of weight out to about three feet. f =T/r the maximum force is before we expect it to fail is now ~ 115 lbs. The carrier and the extension probably weigh about 50 lbs, so you are down to ~50lbs of capacity. This assumes you are using the max rated weight of 350#. Most people say the realistic and safe range is closer to 250#. If you use 250# you have no reserve capacity.

Additionally all that metal is going to have some flexibility in it. As a result you are going to have a springing affect. If it starts bouncing that 50# could easily become effectively 3x to 4x the actually weight.

There are ways around it. A bigger hitch or a small trailer are much better options.

 

[Cookie Monsters]

The problem is how far your load is away from the mounting points of the hitch. You have a huge torque that the hitch was not designed to handle. It is absolutely doable, but not advisable.

Lets say the rated tongue weight is on a normal hitch notionally 1 foot from the mounting point. The hitch is rated at ~350 ft lbs of torque before it is expected to fail. T=r x f

If you add the extension and the carrier, it will move the center of weight out to about three feet. f =T/r the maximum force is before we expect it to fail is now ~ 115 lbs. The carrier and the extension probably weigh about 50 lbs, so you are down to ~50lbs of capacity. This assumes you are using the max rated weight of 350#. Most people say the realistic and safe range is closer to 250#. If you use 250# you have no reserve capacity.

Additionally all that metal is going to have some flexibility in it. As a result you are going to have a springing affect. If it starts bouncing that 50# could easily become effectively 3x to 4x the actually weight.

There are ways around it. A bigger hitch or a small trailer are much better options.

Math..now I can dig this. There is no way a class 3/4/5 hitch can handle this kind of bouncing with a full load so how is it done?

 

[kazlx]

A class 3 or higher hitch is the 2" (which the HF rack is obviously designed for) and rated for at least twice the tongue weight what your class 2 hitch is. Part of an effective rack is using some sort of lock down system so the mount isn't rattling around in there when it's loaded.

 

[kf4zht]

I saw something like this one time. It was on the back of a PT cruiser. The hitch had torn and the cargo thingy was dragging and throwing sparks everywhere. Not sure if the driver had noticed. I think it was running a 1.25-2" adapter and then some 2" lift thing but I was in a pretty big hurry to get off the road and away from that thing.

When you start talking about loads on the end of arms the numbers go up quickly. Add in multiple slip joints and the free play gets multiplied. Something bouncing a couple inches at the end of an arm and the weight gets multiplied several times.

If you do the torque arm calculations and it comes out sane with a safety factor be sure to build in some sort of locking mech on both the slip in joints that eliminated play. It will need to be more than just a pin.

And whatever you build don't put a washing machine on it. Those platforms are too narrow to adequately strap it down.

 

[CanyonRider]

RoadMaster makes them up to 10" and good for 10,000lbs

Here

You'll need a different receiver hitch on your vehicle.

CR

 

[bczygan]

I don't think you have anything to worry about.

 

[kazlx]

RoadMaster makes them up to 10" and good for 10,000lbs

Here

You'll need a different receiver hitch on your vehicle.

CR

That's his problem, he doesn't see any problem with all this **** hanging off of a tiny receiver...

Easier solutions for a 2" receiver and not as much of an issue taking the weight.

 

[jimgood]

You could reduce the twisting load on the receiver by adding one more receiver on each side, if you can weld them to your existing bar on the car.

Just spit ballin' here so something like this when viewed from underneath the car. The longer tubes inserted into your receivers would serve as the base. That way, you could build the thing fairly high and maybe even triangulate some of it so it's more rigid in each direction.

 

[Cookie Monsters]

You could reduce the twisting load on the receiver by adding one more receiver on each side, if you can weld them to your existing bar on the car.

Just spit ballin' here so something like this when viewed from underneath the car. The longer tubes inserted into your receivers would serve as the base. That way, you could build the thing fairly high and maybe even triangulate some of it so it's more rigid in each direction.

Thanks for the drawing. It makes sense to distribute the load with two extra bars. Let me see what I could plan up.

 

[4EyedTurd]

When in doubt build it stout...