bumper towing question

[66mstgfsbk]

i have a truck that has a step bumper on it, its a older chevy that was a camper special. how dangerous is this part installed on the bumper? i would use 4 1/2 inch thick bolts and then weld it to the bumper. my bumper is bolted directly to the frame with 2 plates that are 3/8's thick steel, and 4 7/16 bolts on each plate. the bumper is a heavy duty steel/diamond plate one that is stamped i think 800/8000#s. when i weld the plate to the bumper i would not be using one of those 110 welders i have a big boy 220 miller that does 1/2 inch steel. thanks for any input.

 

[rjlipscomb]

Re: bumper towing question

What are you planning to tow?
The hitch assembly should be mounted directly to the frame. Your capacity will be limited to the weakest link in the system. Bumpers and mounts are generally not intended for more than occasional and relatively light use. And, the cost of doing it right is not all the much given the risk of a failure may be severe.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: bumper towing question

that is no stronger than just mounting the ball on the step bumper. it just allows you to use a drawbar to the rise or drop.

 

[66mstgfsbk]

Re: bumper towing question

heres a picture of the bumper i have, its the chrome plated diamond plate one. my truck is a 77 chevy c10 the boat is a 21 foot 84 malibu on a vm trailer. i double checked the bumper rating and its stamped 800/8000#s.the truck is a heavy half ton, i looked at the data tag and its rated for 8000#s towing. the boat and trailer really weigh about 3k but i over shoot it and say 3500#s. i just want to add that part so i can lower the height of the ball since the truck is tall. the tongue weight on the trailer is about 100-130#s i can pick it up very easily, it is a tandem axle trailer with surge brakes.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: bumper towing question

do it right the first time. remember using a drop bar is going to put a twist factor on that bumper. be safe not cheap.

 

[rjlipscomb]

Re: bumper towing question

How is your bumper mounted to the frame? Do yourself a favor... honestly scrutinize the entire system for the weakest link or connection. Look at how forces will try to twist and pull at the connections and members.

3500 lbs doesn't sound like a lot of weight. But, you certainly do not want to be wrong.

 

[ericman81601]

Re: bumper towing question

As a former professianal towing systems installer / trailer sales / maint mechanic I WOULD Not advise this. A frame mounted class 3 hitch to do this right should be under 200 bucks. ( instalation not included sounds like you could do this part yourself.)
Boat value about 20,000 bucks. Do the math. do you feel lucky??

 

[caperman]

Re: bumper towing question

when u say rating,thats when it was new,get a hitch when thing go wrong
u beter hope your towing in the right manner the lawers love when we mess up

 

[reelfishin]

Re: bumper towing question

do it right the first time. remember using a drop bar is going to put a twist factor on that bumper. be safe not cheap.

Adding such a hitch to the bumper will induce all sorts of torsional stress that it was never intended to withstand.
The weak link in most bumpers is the mounts, which are usually nothing more than heavy stamped sheetmetal.

Do yourself a big favor and buy a good hitch. There's no welding required and you should be able to find one for a $100 or so.
If you can weld, maybe just build your own hitch?
I've build many of my own over the years.

 

[j_martin]

Re: bumper towing question

A step bumper in good shape, bolted to a frame in good shape should be fine. They tend to rust out and get weak faster than a frame hitch, however, and they put a pretty good twist on the end of the frame, while the frame hitch distributes that twist along the frame of the vehicle.

I hit a reasonably forgiving ditch with an 8000 lb load on a rusty step bumper setup one time. Got pretty messy when it shoud have been a minor incident.

Class II frame hitch is the way to go.

hope it helps
John