Trailer hitch recommendation
- Thread starter robert_tj_ski
- Start date
Airjunky
TJ Enthusiast
It'll handle a lot more tongue weight if there is support up the length of the frame rail. My receiver goes almost a foot forward on the frame, bolted on the bottom & side.
My bumper is attached exactly like this, 4 bolts on each side. And it still twisted in the middle with any weight on the receiver.
Plus the receiver frame is fully boxed, rather than just a C channel like the bumper.
OP
Thanks to all of you guys ! Now I have some idea if what to look for pros and cons of each one. I'll let you know when which one I got when I'll decide. It wont be anytime soon probably in couple of months from now. Wanna get the most important things done first transmission fluid and TC fluid. Once again thanks to all of you! 
Hey guys,
I'm rehashing this thread with hopes on some recommendations for a rear bumper, and wanted to get your opinions on a custom setup I have mocked up. I am by no means an engineer, and if what I've come up with is unsafe or precarious in any way, please don't hold back on telling me so. The last thing I want to do is compromise the structural integrity of my rig. Having said this, I think what I've come up with will work and it will give me an opportunity to do some beginner-level fabrication.
To begin, my goal is to end up with a rear bumper/plate setup with a hitch receiver, while preserving as much of my current departure angle (with just the cross-member and no bumper at all) as possible. I'd like the hitch receiver to be able to take 500 lbs of tongue weight from a hitch basket, and tow a ~1,000 lb jet-ski trailer. I am familiar with the various aftermarket bumpers that place the receiver in the conventional (outside) location relative to the crossmember. From a design and installation perspective, this is the simple way to go. Furthermore, my design below is incompatible with TJ's, and being the relatively rare Jeep it is, manufacturers I think tend to shy-away from making strictly LJ-compatible parts.
With the LJ, however, I have two rear crossmembers: the forward one is what the tank mounts to, and about 4.75 inches behind that sits the rearward one. This is what the bumper mounts to, and I'm sure also adds some rigidity to the frame.
My design takes GenRight's TJ/LJ Rear Bumper Plate with Tow Points and adds a standard hitch receiver on the inside of the plate. I would pick up a generic ~3.5" long receiver shank from a trailer supply store, cut a 2" square hole in the GenRight plate, and weld it on the inside. Additionally, for some added strength, I would gusset it on either side with some 1"x2" square tubing.
To install this, it would require cutting and removing the most rearward crossmember. That said, GenRight's beefy 3/16" plate combined with my gusseting, I think this bumper should be plenty strong enough to handle some serious pulls without the factory crossmember present. Below are some photos of what I'm working with real estate wise, where I would cut the crossmember on either side, and a very-poorly illustrated top-view schematic of the finished product. It is not to scale, but provides a general idea of the design.
If chopping the rear crossmember is a bad idea, I could also simply cut a 2" square hole in it that would accept the bumper's receiver. This would eliminate the ability to gusset it, however.
What do you think...am I crazy or is this doable?
I'm rehashing this thread with hopes on some recommendations for a rear bumper, and wanted to get your opinions on a custom setup I have mocked up. I am by no means an engineer, and if what I've come up with is unsafe or precarious in any way, please don't hold back on telling me so. The last thing I want to do is compromise the structural integrity of my rig. Having said this, I think what I've come up with will work and it will give me an opportunity to do some beginner-level fabrication.
To begin, my goal is to end up with a rear bumper/plate setup with a hitch receiver, while preserving as much of my current departure angle (with just the cross-member and no bumper at all) as possible. I'd like the hitch receiver to be able to take 500 lbs of tongue weight from a hitch basket, and tow a ~1,000 lb jet-ski trailer. I am familiar with the various aftermarket bumpers that place the receiver in the conventional (outside) location relative to the crossmember. From a design and installation perspective, this is the simple way to go. Furthermore, my design below is incompatible with TJ's, and being the relatively rare Jeep it is, manufacturers I think tend to shy-away from making strictly LJ-compatible parts.
With the LJ, however, I have two rear crossmembers: the forward one is what the tank mounts to, and about 4.75 inches behind that sits the rearward one. This is what the bumper mounts to, and I'm sure also adds some rigidity to the frame.
My design takes GenRight's TJ/LJ Rear Bumper Plate with Tow Points and adds a standard hitch receiver on the inside of the plate. I would pick up a generic ~3.5" long receiver shank from a trailer supply store, cut a 2" square hole in the GenRight plate, and weld it on the inside. Additionally, for some added strength, I would gusset it on either side with some 1"x2" square tubing.
To install this, it would require cutting and removing the most rearward crossmember. That said, GenRight's beefy 3/16" plate combined with my gusseting, I think this bumper should be plenty strong enough to handle some serious pulls without the factory crossmember present. Below are some photos of what I'm working with real estate wise, where I would cut the crossmember on either side, and a very-poorly illustrated top-view schematic of the finished product. It is not to scale, but provides a general idea of the design.
If chopping the rear crossmember is a bad idea, I could also simply cut a 2" square hole in it that would accept the bumper's receiver. This would eliminate the ability to gusset it, however.
What do you think...am I crazy or is this doable?
Just go with a bumper like this one from The Dirt Worx with an integrated 2" receiver hitch that both leaves the departure angle as is and eliminates the need to cut into the structural cross-member.
https://www.thedirtworx.com/product-page/rear-bumper
This is the best photo I have that shows mine, I've had one of these on two different TJs...
https://www.thedirtworx.com/product-page/rear-bumper
This is the best photo I have that shows mine, I've had one of these on two different TJs...
Many rear bumpers usually have a provision to mount the bumper 1" higher to hide the gap from a body lift. This also increases departure angle over a basic bumper.
The RH4X4 bumper I got has the capability to be mounted 1" higher for a body lift, and is rated to tow 3500 lbs with frame braces installed.
If you ever step up to the Genright Safari gas tank (31.5 gallons), you'll need to cut out that forward crossmember. If you plan to stick with the stock 19 gallon (or even the 24.5 gallon), you won't need to remove the crossmember.
The RH4X4 bumper I got has the capability to be mounted 1" higher for a body lift, and is rated to tow 3500 lbs with frame braces installed.
If you ever step up to the Genright Safari gas tank (31.5 gallons), you'll need to cut out that forward crossmember. If you plan to stick with the stock 19 gallon (or even the 24.5 gallon), you won't need to remove the crossmember.
This is a great consideration. As I plan on one day doing a diesel swap, I had settled on their 24.5 gallon model (or even the 23 gal competition if it works with my shock mounts). But I appreciate you bringing it up nonetheless.
Based on your and Jerry's feedback I have wised up on completely removing the rearmost crossmember. The bumper plate after all still needs to mount to this, so it is integral from that standpoint. GenRight's hitch receiver bumper actually requires cutting a 2" squre hole in this crossmember, however, so I have to imagine at least this much material off of it is inconsequential, which still leaves the possibility for my revised version without the gusseting.
I am thinking now the best design would be to cut the 2" square in bumper plate and crossmember, and weld in the receiver from the outside at the collar. I imagine this would stick out maybe an inch at most, and be quite robust with the welds on the thicker collar as opposed to the thinner shank.
Assuming you're looking for a 2" receiver, you'll need a 2.5" square hole. Many metal shops sell receiver tubing that is a hair over 2" internally.
What I would do is cut through the rear crossmember and bumper, and slide the tube all the way back to the front crossmember. Weld a good length (8-10") of 1/4" thick 4" wide flat bar to it, drill holes in the bar, and bolt that to the forward crossmember. Youll have to drop the tank to reach the inside. You'll also want a matching plate forward of the crossmember to prevent the bolts from tearing through the crossmember.
If you need to make it removable, weld a 4" long piece of 2" 1/4" wall square tubing to the plate instead of the receiver tubing. That can telescope into the end of the actual receiver tube, and it can be drilled and bolted in place with a couple 5/8" bolts, similar to how a hitch pin works.
On the rear, I would weld it to the bumper where it sticks through. If the bumper is thin, maybe less than 3/16", I would weld a flat piece of the same 1/4" 4" wide bar prior to cutting the hole. That will reinforce the bumper. Put a few bolts through the bumper and rear crossmember immediately around the hitch for extra reinforcement.
Be sure to put a collar at the end of the receiver tubing. That reduces the odds it flares out over time.
I appreciate the detailed write-up, Steel City. After a ton of back and forth, and some input from other wheeling buddies, I've decided I'm going to keep it simple and go with the GenRight pre-installed receiver model. I was probably making a bigger deal of that 4" of overhang than I needed to, but on the offchance my concern turns out to be valid, I've got some solid design ideas to start with above.