toyohome Posted September 6, 2013 Share Posted September 6, 2013 I have a 1987 Dolphin and would like to put a hitch on it. I really would like to avoid any welding and would like to find a hitch which is direct bolt up. Can anyone suggest something that meets my needs? For simplicity, I thought of welding (if absolutely necessary) a receiver to the bottom of my bumper box since I will not be pulling anything heavy. I plan to put a carrier rack on the back and will not be carrying over 100#. Would that be too much for the box bumper? Your thoughts and suggestions are appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maineah Posted September 6, 2013 Share Posted September 6, 2013 My opinion yes, unless the hitch is frame welded. The Toy home frame does not extend to the rear there there is a pretty poor piece of metal stabbed on the end of the Toyota frame that they called a frame to which the bumper is mounted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WME Posted September 6, 2013 Share Posted September 6, 2013 I had a bumper TEAR where it was welded to the frame. There was 75lb hitch weight. Stock is very thin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waiter Posted September 6, 2013 Share Posted September 6, 2013 I have a small hitch on my 88 Dolphin. (I've never used it) It has a subframe that beefs up the frame extensions. it is not connected to the sheet metal box that looks like a bumper. The box is not strong enough to do anything but hold the waste dump hose. John Mc 88 Dolphin 4 Auto Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sdboltdude Posted September 6, 2013 Share Posted September 6, 2013 here is my frame & hitch carrier pics frame looks strong enough for carrier to me.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikesta Posted September 6, 2013 Share Posted September 6, 2013 I've had a few Sunraders with the optional hitch or rear deck support and they go way under the coach and attached to the main frame. As long as you beef it up to the main frame, I'd feel safe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob C Posted September 6, 2013 Share Posted September 6, 2013 I HAD the same bumper on my Escaper until my trip last summer. It had a receiver mounted on it and I was also carrying a lite load on a carrier. The first night out, we stopped at a campsite in Minnesota and my wife was going to watch me back into a dark campsite and when she got to the rear of the RV, she yelled for me to stop and come look. The torque from the carrier ripped the entire bumper loose and it was hanging from one torn weld on the driver's side. I actually grabbed the bumper and ripped it off with my hands. I found a very good welding shop in a small town that does a lot of repair work for the local farmers. The owner called one of his employees to see if he had time to fix it right away. The guy drove 20 miles on his day off to come and repair my RV. He reinforced the entire rear of the frame and built a receiver hitch so that I could reinstall my carrier. He said that he does that same type of repair about twice a year for travelers. The owner even kept 4" square tube on hand just for RV bumpers. Before he started welding, he moved 4 fire extinquishers right next to the RV and had 2 hoses turned on and in place in case something caught fire. He asked me to stay right there to watch for fires. I do some welding myself but it was a thing of beauty to watch a truly talented welder use good equipment. That shop had every tool that I have ever dreamed of owning. When the job was done, I asked the owner what the bill was, he asked me why I didn't ask before he started. I told him that a local had told me that he does great work and is a fair person. He smiled and said, "You just got yourself the local discount." The total bill was $200 including labor and materials. I paid the owner the $200 and gave the employee a $20 tip for being a true professional. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WME Posted September 7, 2013 Share Posted September 7, 2013 What I ended up with is 3 pieces. A 4" square 3/16" wall tube bumper. The 2" receiver goes through it. The reciever tube is 18" long and goes forward to 2" crossmember welded to the frame channels. The bumper takes the weight and the crossmember takes the torque from the hitch when I hit a bump. A plus of the rx tube through the bumper is there nothing to drag. Maybe a bit of overkill, but after 4 years of trailering and a reciver carrier useage not so much as a squeak. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toyohome Posted September 7, 2013 Author Share Posted September 7, 2013 What I ended up with is 3 pieces. A 4" square 3/16" wall tube bumper. The 2" receiver goes through it. The reciever tube is 18" long and goes forward to 2" crossmember welded to the frame channels. The bumper takes the weight and the crossmember takes the torque from the hitch when I hit a bump. A plus of the rx tube through the bumper is there nothing to drag. Maybe a bit of overkill, but after 4 years of trailering and a reciver carrier useage not so much as a squeak. Do you have pictures of your set up? I can visualize it, but a picture is worth a thousand words. Do you still have room to store your sewer hose with the receiver going through the bumper?? How much weight have you pulled? Or how much have you carried on an attached rack? Overkill always works! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WME Posted September 8, 2013 Share Posted September 8, 2013 What I'm talking about http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/toyota-campers/photos/albums/1700673623/lightbox/369634707 What I pull http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/toyota-campers/photos/albums/932151036/lightbox/793345559 The sign is for Powder River Pass in WY its 9660ft I hope this posts correctly the new Yahoo sucks rocks big time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WME Posted September 11, 2013 Share Posted September 11, 2013 The old yahoo sucked rocks big time too new or old it is a lousy forum venue. You end up with a lot of badly fragmented conversations. it is good for short yackity yack stuff that soon expires such as posting the latest ebay or craigslist link on what toyhome is up for sale that week For sure, but they was familiar rocks after 8 years. Kinda of like moving the furniture around in a blind persons home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toyohome Posted September 11, 2013 Author Share Posted September 11, 2013 What I ended up with is 3 pieces. A 4" square 3/16" wall tube bumper. The 2" receiver goes through it. The reciever tube is 18" long and goes forward to 2" crossmember welded to the frame channels. The bumper takes the weight and the crossmember takes the torque from the hitch when I hit a bump. A plus of the rx tube through the bumper is there nothing to drag. Maybe a bit of overkill, but after 4 years of trailering and a reciver carrier useage not so much as a squeak. WME, I can't thank you enough for the help and pictures. I went down to my steel store today and picked up the box steel along with a piece of channel iron for braces. In addition, I went to Harbor Freight yesterday and picked up the 18" receiver bar. I even had a 25% off coupon which I used. The receiver was priced at $19.99 so my final cost was only about $15. I took both the box steel and receiver to my machine shop and they are going to install the receiver as you indicated. I got both the eight foot piece of box steel and an eight foot piece of channel steel for $66.50. So far I'm in for under $100 and I'm happy. I don't know what the machine shop will charge me, but he has always been fair with me. When I get it back, I'll cut my mounts and braces and do the welding at home. I'll try to post pics when it is all completed. Thanks again! What a great site! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JesseRADER Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 I've had a few Sunraders with the optional hitch or rear deck support and they go way under the coach and attached to the main frame. As long as you beef it up to the main frame, I'd feel safe. Hey Mikesta, I have an 86 rader that I am looking to use to carry a 125cc dirt bike weighing 175lbs. My rader has the heavy duty 4"x4" sewer hose bumper which is welded to the main frame. Here are the receiver hitches i am considering to attach the dirt bike carrier to. http://www.etrailer.com/comparison.aspx?pc=UF35-946401&pc2=S64025 i am leaning more towards the above-the-bumper option for ground clearance purposes. do you think either of these will be strong enough for the task or am i just spinning my wheels? any suggestions would be appreciated. thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JesseRADER Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 (edited) here is my frame & hitch carrier pics frame looks strong enough for carrier to me.. very similar to what i'm working with as far as the above-bumper bolt on receiver onto the heavy duty 4"x4" sewer hose bumper.. the receiver im looking at (very similar looking to yours) is rated at 200lbs & the dirt bike carrier i have is rated to hold 250lbs. any suggestions/insight based on experience would be greatly appreciated. my 125cc dirt bike is roughly 175lbs. Edited January 3, 2014 by JesseRADER Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sdboltdude Posted January 4, 2014 Share Posted January 4, 2014 You want to make sure your hitch has the right hardware to support weight..some of the bolts for hitches are cheap. these carriers are going to bounce left to right a little. this will put allot of stress on bolts not counting the stress on the rear bumper itself.. Make sure your bumper has a strong frame going back to rear axel. And keep your weight minimal don't get close to maximum hitch weight.. Mine is rated at 500lb I only put around 200lb max. just for safety.. I do not want anything close to 500lb swaying back and forth on the hitch with your bike hitch I would look to putting it on the front bumper if you can.. from what I read on this forum that is the best place for bikes.. take some pics of rig so we can see what your working with Hope this helps a little Steve very similar to what i'm working with as far as the above-bumper bolt on receiver onto the heavy duty 4"x4" sewer hose bumper.. the receiver im looking at (very similar looking to yours) is rated at 200lbs & the dirt bike carrier i have is rated to hold 250lbs. any suggestions/insight based on experience would be greatly appreciated. my 125cc dirt bike is roughly 175lbs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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