step bumper hitch

[Chris Willis]

Has anyone every used one of these before on their trac, or anything else? If so would you buy or use it again?

Exactly how much can you tow with one of these? I know it says 3,500 lbs, which is what the bumpers limit is too. But about how much is that? Would that be able to tow a boat to the lake or a couple jet ski's? About how big of a trailer would that allow me to load up? If this would be able to tow that kind of stuff, it's a lot cheaper than a hitch is. Thanks. -Chris

 

[Bill Ellis]

You can tow using the bumper as a hitch. The load limit is not a problem. However, there are two potential problems that you need to consider. First is the height of the ball. The trailer tongue should be parallel with the the ground, or nearly so, for a proper towing setup. The hitch mounted ball is pretty high, too high for a small wheeled trailer. Second, because the ball is recessed into the bumper, your turning radius will be much larger. Tight turns will cause the tongue to hit the bumper causing damage to it and, possibly, the trailer tongue. So, you can do it, but be aware of the risks and decide whether you want to risk destroying your bumper and trailer, or, paying about $125 - $150 for a real class III hitch.

 

[Scott Tanner]

also, when you use those on the bumper hitch, and use a drop ball mount, it exerts a twisting force on the bumper that it was not designed for, and the bumper will twist.... the ball mount on the bumper was designed to have a verticle load straight down on it, with a 90 deg free shear load to pull the trailer...

 

[Eldon Webb]

I wouldn't tow anything without a class III reciever hitch. I t would be way cheaper than a new bumper.

 

[Kevin Palmer]

If you do decide to use your bumper, crawl under there and tighten the bumper mounting bolts up. From the factory they dont seem to be tight enough just to throw a ball hitch on and go.



Many have had the bumper lean down after a few tows. Sooo, just make sue they are tight..

 

[Dan Miller 3]

Would the bumper hitch be adequate enough to place a 4 bike carrier into it and carry 4 bikes with no problem? I would think this is a viable option for a bike carrier. I was looking at getting a Class III hitch but thought the hitch was a little pricey to just throw a bike carrier into it. I wouldn't be towing anything...just carrying the bikes. Also...I've heard of the hitches rusting after a couple of years and some folks are powder-coating them for an additional $65.00. Any thoughts?:unsure:

 

[Bill Ellis]

As for bike carrier, YES. I did that until I bought my Class III hitch.

 

[Chris Willis]

Thanks for the opinion guys. I think I'm going to try and go for it. I've towed before using bumpers and as long as you don't exceed the weight, there shouldn't be a problem. Thanks for the advice on tightening up the bolts, I'll definately do that. -Chris

 

[Gary DiPietroSr]

Bill-E is 100% correct. I ruined a brand new two week old bumper on my work van towing with the bumper. DON'T do it!!

 

[Chris Willis]

were you towing more than the bumper is supposed to? I've never heard of a bumper not holding up to it's allowable weight. I've towed with our bumper before and had no problems. Mainly just wanting to know the variety of things people have used it for. I'm just curious how many people have used this step bumper hitch before.

 

[Gary DiPietroSr]

No, the weight was fine. A sharp turn put the trailer tongue right into the bumper and dented it.