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Spare tire/ trailer hitch

NickD on Thu October 12, 2006 2:53 PM User is offline

Year: 1982
Make: Fleetwood
Model: Pace Arrow
Engine Size: 454
Refrigerant Type: R-12
Ambient Temp: cold
Pressure Low: good
Pressure High: better
Country of Origin: United States

Moved my spare tire hanging out on the rear bumper to the inside of the bumper, lot sturdier, and looks nicer.




Used angle iron mounted to the trailer hitch and to the top portion of the bumper, that 16 gauge "L" shaped panel was left over from my AT cooler, just added that for appearance, nice heavy 1/4" plate under it that doesn't look that attractive.




I found an painted over label on the bumper that after cleaning said the trailer hitch capacity is 250 pounds tongue and 3,500 trailer weight, could believe it was this light.

I compared my hitch with a 6000 # hitch at a local auto store, hardly even a comparison, my hitch is far more robust, the 6000 # hitch was just a bar about 30" wide with a couple of 3/16" plates welded to the ends to mount to a thin SUV frame. This has the truck frames coming through the rear, one piece, reinforced with angle iron with heavy 5/8" steel bar mounted to the frame. Also a 1/4" thick plate mounted to the lower of the rear rather heavy rear bumper where the 6000 # hitch has no center support whatsoever.

The addition of the spare tire bracket even adds a lot more strength as ties the top of the bumper as well to the lower part. Used a dozen grade 8 bolts to mount it.

Do you think this hitch should handle a 6000 load too? Or am I missing something? The 6000 # hitch also stated can handle 10,000 # loads with an equalizer, my hopes were in pulling a 5,300 # boat with surge brakes on the trailer, what do you think?

Here is a photo of the drivers office finished off.





Edited: Thu October 12, 2006 at 2:56 PM by NickD

MrBillPro on Fri October 13, 2006 10:15 AM User is offlineView users profile

Good job Nick, looks natural there it's hard to imagine that spare being anywhere else but there wonder what the mfg. was thinking?

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Don't take life seriously... Its not permanent.

NickD on Fri October 13, 2006 10:32 AM User is offline

Not an original idea on my part, got the idea from looking at later motorhomes, one had the spare tire post welded to the left frame member. Didn't like that as the tire was blocking part of the rear parking lights. Did want to center mine, but had to offset 1 1/2" to the left to clear the ladder.

Actually easier to mount the tire as can rest it on the bumper leaving a hand free to put the nuts on. Couldn't find a cover I liked, so made that one on my sewing machine. Ha, don't like wearing clothes that make me a walking billboard nor want to pay a fortune for a tire cover to advertise someone's product. Now if they would pay me.....


Still wonder about the capacity of that hitch, they use the same P-30 chassis on a 40 footer with about 10,000 pounds of additional weight and even use that for towing a vehicle. My 454 has it easy.

JeremyB on Mon October 16, 2006 6:52 PM User is offline

Quote
Originally posted by: NickDDo you think this hitch should handle a 6000 load too? Or am I missing something? The 6000 # hitch also stated can handle 10,000 # loads with an equalizer, my hopes were in pulling a 5,300 # boat with surge brakes on the trailer, what do you think?

This paper gives the loading conditions a hitch must sustain in order to be VESC V5 compliant. If you'll notice, the limiting load is the moment caused by using a WD hitch. If you aren't using a WD hitch you're probably good to go.

HECAT on Tue October 17, 2006 10:19 AM User is offline

Nick,

Your hitch may be of a better design and appear to be stout enough to perform as a 6000 lb. receiver but the tongue and load rating may be reduced due to the distance from the rear axle to the bumper. I have seen motorhomes at the race track that haul heavy enclosed race car trailers with side panels bulging behind the rear axle indicating rear frame rail flexing due to heavy tongue load. When looking for a race rig, we are always looking for units with the rear axle as close to the rear as possible. You know, its a mechanical lever thing. Check with the motorhome manufacturer for max tow capacity regardless of hitch type used. Just my 2 cents.

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FLUSHING TECHNICAL PAPER vs2.pdf 

NickD on Tue October 17, 2006 1:21 PM User is offline

Good point, have a 13 1/2 foot wheelbase with a 9 foot overhang, not as bad as some motorhomes I looked at with a 17 foot overhang. Those don't handle very well in the winds or passing trucks.

Read that .pdf file, missing any kind of a manufacturers label, only label I found was generic and half torn off, could make out the tongue weight at 250 pounds, the maximum trailer weight only had 350 so assumed the last zero was torn off. Fleetwood is no help, say to contact Chevrolet, but Chevy doesn't know anything either. Could try one of those RV sites, but from what I read, a lot of unknowledgeable replies on just about any subject.

Learned one trick about adding a second hitch to the front of the RV for backing a boat into the water, would be quite a chore to do it the normal way.

Was a long dream to own a cruiser, practically giving them away right now, but old enough to realize those dreams can turn out to me a nightmare. Know what you mean about motorhomes trailering just about everything, but the way insurance companies are today, a guy has to be careful.

JeremyB on Wed October 18, 2006 5:15 PM User is offline

If you have a max tongue weight of 250 lbs and put 10-15% of the trailer gross weight on the tongue (a common rule of thumb), you can only safely tow 1650-2500 lbs. Ouch.

Edited: Wed October 18, 2006 at 5:17 PM by JeremyB

NickD on Wed October 18, 2006 7:47 PM User is offline

This is the trailer hitch on my son's 93 Bravada sitting in my back yard.

Reese

His truck is equipped with a trailer package, owners manual states good up to 5,000 pounds towing with a 4.3 L V-6.

That link above is listed for a motorhome, doesn't say anything about anything like overhang, engine size, etc.

Son offered to give me his Bravada, maybe I should take it for a towing vehicle and be legal, LOL. He was hit by an illegal without insurance, some front end damage, but should be able to fix that in a day, still pretty good at stuff like that. Daugthers ZX2 had similar damage by an unknown hit and run driver, finally repaired that last weekend, looks new again.

This would be the way to go for towing a heavy boat:

Sway and Equalizer

Was pulling a very heavy 20' deep hull wooden Thompson with a 65 Rambler Classis with a 232 with no problems, that boat had a full 8' beam and over towered the car. Had surge brakes on the trailer and never knew it was back there, even in a quick stop.

Maybe redundant to pull a cruiser with a motorhome, cruisers have sleeping quarters, kitchen, a head, and even dockside AC units, can be used just like a camping trailer. Ha, could sell the motorhome and just buy a cruiser instead.

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