harbor freight receiver install

i was at harbor freight today and they had a bumper-mounted 2" receiver for $15 so i picked it up. there r predrilled holes in the receiver so my plan was to remove the plastic cover on the step of the bumper, drill holes that will match up to the holes on the receiver and mount it that way. first off, is there anything wrong with doing this? second, i noticed pop off tabs on the ends of the plastic cover and black circles under them that look like they pop up.. is this how u remove the plastic cover? thanks!

 

Hopefully you don't plan on towing anything too heavy. Those bumper mounted receivers are ok for really light towing but anything substantial and you should spring for a frame mounted class 3.

 

i have a 4 cyl and the max trailer weight is 3500 as is for the receiver so i dont plan on going over that,, for the sake of my truck and the receiver lol

 

That 3500 lbs. is WAY TOO MUCH for a bumper/bolt on receiver.......use caution, as what you saved by not buying a frame mounted hitch will easily be spent in replacing your bumper...

Now if you got a lil' happy homeowner trailer like a 4x6 and you tow it with a few pieces of plywood from Home Cheapo, you'll be fine, anything more...

Also if you do go this way make sure you use Grade 8 bolts.

 

should say on the plastic what the bumper is actually rated for. really cant mess it up as long as everything is tight and loctited. but at the same time dont push the limits. and it sounds like your extending the ball out from the bumper a little? remember highschool math, this puts more weight on the bumper.

 

thanks for the tip on the bolts! as far as the weight is concerned, the receiver itself says the max load is 3500 and in my owners manual, it says "the gross trailer weight(trailer weight plus cargo) when towing with the bumper must never exceed the TWR(which is 3500) or 3500 lbs, whichever is lower. am i missing something?

 

I personally would never tow anything off the bumper just for peace of mind. Our factory bumpers fold and crimp if you just look at them wrong.

 

spring for the frame mounted hitch...you'll never worry about it after you buy it. it can be installed in your driveway in about 2 beers.

 

Thatsa what I was a thinkin', when he folds the bumper up, he'll decide to get a hitch and along w/that expense he gets to purchase a bumper too.

these bolt-on things have a place, i had one years ago mounted to a solid steel bumber on an older p/u that was only for cutting wood and towed a log splitter around the property, said splitter weighed like 800 lbs.

 

IMO this would be OK for using a bike rack you already have to save bed space or to put one of those things in to hold up a kayak/canoe or whatever other accessory thing that might go in there but wouldn't really trust it for towing or to be used as a recovery shackle mount point.

 

Are the new taco bumpers not steel??

 

I was talking about an older factory steel, one piece all welded bumper. They don't make em' like that anymore.

 

damn.. why do they make me feel all capable and shit with the 3500 lb bumper towing capacity?? the only towing mission i have planned out in the somewhat near future is in may so ill most likely spring for the frame mounted b4 then. thanks for all the advice/warnings guys..

 

If the bumper is rated for 3500#, that would be off a properly rated ball, mounted directly to the bumper. (I wouldn't do it) Adding the bolt on receiver changes the angle of the pull on the bumper and thus would lower the rating.

Not trying to scare you, but it is easier to do it right the first time.

What are you going to tow? You never answered that, it might make a difference in my thinking, but I am pretty anal......

 

the only thing i am pretty sure im towing that i can think of is a 5 x 8 uhaul trailer. the max gross weight of that trailer is 2700 so im not sure it will be a problem. im moving my sister out of a 1 bedroom apt in may and i doubt she has 3500 lbs work of stuff so im gonna load up the bed as much as i can with the heavy stuff then put the lighter things in the trailer

 

OK, you might wanta check w/U-haul. If my old and tired memory serves me correct they will NOT let you utilize the set-up that you desire, OR a bumper mounted ball. I would check w/them as I'm pretty sure they REQUIRE a frame mounted receiver.

If it was me and it's not a rental trailer, I'd get a GOOD quality ball and tow it off the factory bumper mounting location.

FWIW, you seem to wanta gamble and not buy a receiever, RENT a small u-haul truck....Just my $0.02, good luck.

 

yes i was. then i asked if i should. then my question got answered. now im not going to

thanks for input. i dont see any towing untill the spring, earliest and by the feed back, ill get a frame mounted receiver if i end up getting a trailer. i wanted to avoid renting a van bc a trailer would be a decent amount cheaper and if i have the means to use a trailer, i thought why not? thanks fore the input tho man