Receiver Hitch Vice Mounts

[braidmeister]

I see a lot of people using them to mount their vice, grinder etc. Seems like a pretty good idea on the surface. For those who have them set up that way, are you still happy you did it? Regrets?

I think adding a few cinch bolts to prevent wobble is a good idea - because the slop would drive me nuts. Not a big deal to weld on nuts and make a few handles.

I like a nice clean and clear work area where I'm not going to whack my elbow into the vice etc. I'm doing a 4x6' island and the ability to move vices etc around to any corner seems appealing.

I just picked up some 2.5x2.5x.25 and 2x2x.125" 12' of each...$115 total. Was cheaper than cobbling together HF junk.

Thanks for any input...

 

[pajibson]

Cinch bolts yes & put the receivers horizontally. Only kind of happy with my vertical mount one in the center of the bench. I did it that way because I have a few different things mounted on draw bars & it works, I just will do it differently next time.

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[braidmeister]

Thanks - going to do horizontal and add one at each corner.

Did you find it beefy enough to really crank on the vice, or do you have to hold back ???

 

[pajibson]

Some of that will depend on how beefy the bench is but I can crank on it pretty good. Good enough anyway for most of what I do. Right now I have the bench grinder mounted in it but I have another vice on a different bench too.

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[drivesitfar]

Braid & All: have you seen the vise and grinder stand thread over in fabrication section? here's the link: http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?p=6403555#post6403555

i just asked your question over there too so check that thread for more answers maybe if members see that one and not your thread.

 

[-Brent-]

I have an acquaintance that complains about his being heavy and having to take it off because it sticks out from the bench and is in his way. His space is disorganized so it's not like he has a proper place to put the vise after it's pulled off. And, he cannot mount the vise to his bench without doing some cleanup under the bench. I offered to bring my mag drill over so we could drill his bench top and mount the vise but he's declined a couple times because I'm fairly sure he doesn't want to deal with finding a place for so much stuff.

 

[-Brent-]

I like a nice clean and clear work area where I'm not going to whack my elbow into the vice etc.

I'm not opposed to a receiver-mounted vise but I've had vises on my benches for years and I've never once bumped into any of them or whacked an elbow. That can't be said for other areas of my shop where I've stumbled and knocked into things... but never the vise. And with my new bench I thought mounting it could be a waste of space but even that has been fine.

My theory is put the vise where it's easiest to use. If that means making it removable, by all means do that.

 

[smiffy]

I intend to make something like this as i want a vice a chop saw and a bench grinder to be able to be swapped around so 3 different slots on an island type bench and all will be designed so they can be turned upside down and stored in the reciever but under the bench so the reciever will have to be back inside the bench but should be ok if substantial enough material used

 

[braidmeister]

Thanks guys. Here's a screenshot of my bench in CAD. I helps me decide exactly what to do before I go cutting things

The bench itself consists of two HF 72" cabinets with the casters removed sitting back to back. It's sitting on two 2x4s which is high enough to get the pallet jack under it if I want to move them.

I have a sheet of 1-3/8" industrial plywood (MDO) ready to cut for the top and a piece of 1/8" stainless I've had laying around for years. The plan is to do like a 3" overhang on the long sides and 4" on the short sides. This will give me a top that is 48x80".

In the pic you can see the lamination and where I've got the receivers attached. I've got 3x5 L bolted to both the cabinets and top (in CAD). That should lock it in pretty good. The cabinets weigh like 500# ea empty...with my tools in there it's mighty stout to side loads.

Attached pic shows me picking up the existing holes for the stock handles and bolting thru the 3x5.

 

[Ign]

If space is tight I guess I can see it. Otherwise I prefer it hard mounted for many of the reasons mentioned: sticks out from the bench, any vise I would want is quite heavy, etc. Bottom line it's not necessarily as convenient as you think. But it is modular.

I mount my bike repair stand in my bench receiver and while I'm glad to have it it still seems to be a chore to "convert" to bike mode and back again.

 

[thenorm]

my bench is only 6 ft long so I wanted the vice to be removable if there was a larger project. the table also butts up to the tool box, so mounting on a corner was a no-go.

i tapped the side of the receiver for a "Set screw" bolt for slop.

mine is mounted horizontal, as it allows you to rotate the vice should you want to grip something large and tall.

I also mounted a second hitch underneath to get the vice out of the way for storage.

 

[braidmeister]

Mounting on the top, it gets a bit dicey. I'm trying not to drill into the boxes if I can help it in case I want to put them back to stock again. They have 6 holes in each box top I guess for bolting down top boxes, so I'll be using them to lag down the top.

Mounting the vices & grinder up top means drilling through the boxes and moving them inboard enough to bolt up properly without hitting the underlying corners etc...this is why I am going the receiver route.

Yes of course bolting down from the top is the best. That's not my question - only for those who have them in receiver hitches if they are still happy with the setup after using them for a while.

I don't have any huge vices & am not doing any forging etc - mostly lighter duty stuff. I work on a wide variety of things in both metal and wood (and plastics too), plus farm maint. stuff - so versatility trumps all for me.

Besides...nothing would look better than a clean sheet of stainless ready for work

 

[pajibson]

X2 about it seeming to be a chore.

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[-Brent-]

Mounting the vices & grinder up top means drilling through the boxes and moving them inboard enough to bolt up properly without hitting the underlying corners etc...this is why I am going the receiver route.

For the vice, I'd agree you'd have to go through the box for a sturdy mount with the MDO. And with the top being sheet metal, it'd still likely flex even with the wood top. But if you did want to mount the bench grinder on the work surface you could use some threaded inserts in the wood. My grinders sit on top of boxes (rather than pedestals) topped with wood and they're sturdy without question.

I get that you want to do it with the receivers and I'm not trying to dissuade from doing that. Rather I don't want you thinking you don't have other options, as OT as that may be.

 

[The Tool Tyrant]

We have two 4X10 and one 5 X 10 steel work stations in our shop. All 3 have 2-1/2 X 2-1/2" vertical receivers with 'snugger nuts' mounted into each corner. All our equipment have custom mounting plates with a 2X2 tube welded vertically. If we need to utilize the full table surface, we can remove the tooling and have a clutter free work surface. I built a separate rack that stores tooling not in use. Another nice feature with having the receivers mounted at the corners is you can turn the tooling 90°. Our tooling includes, our Wilton vices, Corner notcher, bead roll, arbor press, hydraulic riveter, universal bender, Roper-Whitney punch, Pyramid roll and bike vices. Any tool can be moved to which ever workstation need it. So as you can see, the receivers work for other tooling besides a vice.

 

[Ign]

I agree, if I just wanted to be able to remove a vise for a "clutter free work surface" I'd sooner tap the bench for the bolt pattern of the vise.........but then again I only deal in steel. Of course anyone could throw something like 3/16" plate on their bench and tap it....say 3/8-24 oughta be plenty and plenty of thread engagement even in 3/16" material.

I know there are threaded inserts like post #14 for wood, too........just never used 'em. Common for handrail spindles, I think??

edit: you can always plug the threaded holes when not in use if thread damage or contamination is a concern

 

[Gear Box]

I also like receivers down below to store fixtures when not needed. I wouldn't have a bench without them best thing since the front shirt pocket!

View media item 59145

 

[2oolhound]

I went hog wild with the concept. I have 15 receivers scattered around the shop where mounted tools can plug in. Then I have another 12 or so receivers in high places just for quick storage of the mounted tools.

Mounted tools are:
5 vises from 3" to 6";
2 pipe vises one of which is on a threading table;
3 bench grinders - 1/3hp, 1/2hp, 3/4hp ;
1hp buffer;
3 small tables or trays (1' x 2' aprox). (These are super handy guys, really nice when you have a bunch of small parts to work on at the buffer or the lathe or the vise etc, keeps everything right there)
I also have 2 dip tanks to mount in the grinder mounts that are 1 size smaller that go inside the tool mounts.

I have a really confined but spread out work area so this helps immensely. I'll be adding more receivers to my main bench when I build it.

After a couple years I'm only bothered by the little bit of movement in the mounts about 5% of the time maybe. When this happens I bang in a couple of taper pins and go but the movement usually doesn't cause problems. I do have a 6" swivel vise permanently mounted to a bench for the nasty stuff.

 

[braidmeister]

Great ideas ~ Thanks for the feedback and examples.

It's sometimes hard to think of what may be blatantly obvious while planning out something that is going to be around for a while.

Love the modularity of it. I guess no harm really if I do get annoyed with them they aren't really taking up much space under the top. Having the ability to remove the accessories (vice, grinder, etc) in the event I need a clear shot on top is appealing.

I don't think storing the 'plug-ins' is that big of a deal since they'll probably stay there most of the time. Like I said it's going to attach to two HF 72" tool boxes, so I won't be able to store them underneath like an open cabinet. I do have 2 HF service carts with nothing in the open part underneath the drawers - so I can always chuck something under there if needed.

I really like the idea of an accessory tray on a hitch. That would be uber handy for keeping track of little parts during disassembly - MC carbs come to mind here. Lots of ideas for all kinds of things that can plug in - thanks for getting the juices flowing!

I'm hoping to get going on the top this week along with welding up/fabbing the receiver parts. More on this later. It's supposed to be in the 70s today so I plan on at least taking the bikes out and cleaning out the cobwebs a little before doing anything productive.

 

[Ign]

I will say too the way to do this on a big bench is two receivers side by side spaced such that they'll clear most third members....then build cradles w clamps for axle tubes. Makes gear setup or other extensive axle building really nice. But with a ~600# 14b hanging off the front you want your bench bolted down

 

[Ign]

Just now, as a matter of fact. As I said, I'm glad to have it but it's a compromise at best...like those silly tiny house people who think it's cool to "convert" their kitchen sink to countertop by covering it up. Um, whaddya do when you need the sink??

 

[braidmeister]

Cool setup for bicycles. I'd probably put it down one end or the other so you can get to the top of the bench without reaching...or extend the 2x2 so you can work between the bike and table.

 

[Ign]

Eh I'd just build a tray on the vertical like actual repair stands....if I cared enough

 

[braidmeister]

Here's a few pics of the WIP. Combined weight of both is somewhere in the neighborhood of 1600 lbs so...I don't think it's going anywhere.

The black top liners were glued on. They peeled right up. I put them aside in case I want to use them on top of the stainless when done.

I cut some 1/2" MDF for pack out to get the surface the MDO will sit over the height of the hemmed lip along the long and short sides of the cabinets. I marked out the holes - still have to drill them.

Not sure if it's an issue with QC or my $%^&*'d up floor is causing it, but the back of the one cabinet on one side is about 1/16"-1/8" low. The cabinets sit right and if I shim up from the base it rocks. Back down it is solid. I grabbed some CF/Tex from the scrap/drop pile to shim up the one low spot. I'll have to drill them out too...more on that later.

Next I'll be drilling the holes, cutting the MDO to length and anchoring it to the cabinets. After that I'll be messing with the receivers, then the 1/8" SS top. I get to break out my Milwaukee metal cutting circular saw for that operation...I will probably use some 5200 to glue it down & I'm on the fence about edge banding the whole thing with 1/4" maple, walnut or cherry. Things snowball...

 

[2oolhound]

Great minds think alike. I like your soft grip clamp ign.

Here's the one I made for the receiver hitch setup. The top piece should be turned 90º to the left when in use. I forgot to add this to my earlier list. It's mounted on my motorcycle platform lift which has 4 receiver hitches on it. When there is no motorcycle on the lift it becomes another work bench.

These are the components. Every piece is extendable and adjustable. I can get between the bike and the bench if I want to.

 

[braidmeister]

I like your hand wheels - fender washer or ?

 

[braidmeister]

Just for my own ref: **** ton of examples in this thread

This one is pretty crazy.

 

[2oolhound]

I like your hand wheels - fender washer or ?

They are just large washers, 7/8" or so. 2 1/4" od.

 

[braidmeister]

More progress today. Getting some of the (24) screws in from underneath was a bear, but they're in there & it's not going anywhere.

Settin' at about 40" from the floor.

Next I'll be messing with the receiver mounts and SS top - then edge banding. Thinking either aluminum or maple.