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Pictures Of Frame Reinforcement For Hitch Mounting/towing Purposes


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I have read a number of discussion threads on towing and frame reinforcement (along with pictures of towing cars with toyhomes!) but have seen very few pictures of what work was actually done to make that happen. Does anyone have any pictures to share? Just to say, I have no interest in towing at all, I only want to safely attach a hitch so that I can put a cargo carrier on the back for some wood, bikes and maybe a cooler (as we all know there isn't a lot of storage in these RV's), about 200lbs tops including the hitch, cargo tray and everything on it. I would love to see pictures of how hitches were mounted as well as how frames were reinforced for towing to get some good ideas on how I can attach this without droping the grey and black water tanks (I'm afraid of welding too close and melting holes in them) but there isn't much room along the extended frame rails back there. I'm including photos of the frame rails back there to illustrate exactly what I'm talking about.

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Edited by osp98
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I have read a number of discussion threads on towing and frame reinforcement (along with pictures of towing cars with toyhomes!) but have seen very few pictures of what work was actually done to make that happen.

The bigger issue isn't the pulling integrity of the hitch. That can be overcome with HD extensions running far towards the front where OEM frame is attached too. Tongue weight is the bigger problem. A 20 or 21 foot Toyota motorhome has a back that extends way beyond the rear axle. That extra length greatly amplifies the adverse effects of tongue weight. That takes weight off the front, rocks like a see-saw and makes the rig handle terribly. Even dangerous when you hit a bump. Then there's the issues of ample brakes, GCWR rating of the transmission, etc. Obviously trailer brakes work well enough WHEN they work. If they fail? A rig with small brakes can get you killed. A 21 foot Toyota RV already has brakes just barely adequate without a trailer. Transmission? Nothing I know of can be done to raise its weight rating. Can it be done? Yes. Can it be done relatively safely and not shorten the life of the rig? In my opinion, absolutely not. There is a reason why none of the 21 foot RV makers (that I know of) recommended heavy trailer towing. The shorter Chinook DID come with factory reinforcements for towing. That with a max of 150 lbs. on the tongue and a max loaded trailer weight of 1000 lbs. That is not very much when you consider and empty trailer made for car hauling often weighs 3000 lbs. empty. If you feel the need to try to tow a car with a 21 foot Toyota RV - i'd suggest a beefed up hitch and a car-dolly. A loaded tow dolly usually has a max 200 lb. tongue weight. A tow vehicle is supposed to be at least 750 lbs. heavier then the total package being towed. If you rig weighs 4500 lbs. - that puts the" "safe" max trailer weight at 3750 lbs. A good tow dolly with brakes weighs 550 lbs. That leaves room for a 3200 lb. car.

I damn near got killed a few years ago towing home a Chevy Suburban on a trailer with my 1 ton diesel ford truck. That when coming down a long mountain road and the trailer brakes failed. I survived only because the OEM truck brakes were very big to start with. By the time I got to the bottom of the hill they were overheated and glazed and hardly worked at all. 4WD also helped save me. When I downshifted and tried to use the trans to hold me back the rear tires started to skid until I locked it into 4WD. Note my Ford has 300 square inches of brake surfaces. A dually Toyota RV only has 159 square inches of brake surfaces.

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He's only talking about a hitch carrier with some camping supplies on it. He's got a late model V6 Dolphin. Yes you should be able to add a hitch and carry that much. I use a hitch carrier for my Zodiac type boat and motor. Everything including carrier weighs about 150lbs. As far as where it's safe to weld and the strength of the reinforcements I can't answer but someone here will.

Linda S

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He's only talking about a hitch carrier with some camping supplies on it.

Agreed. I failed to read his entire commentary and just noticed the "car trailer" mention. No tongue "bounce" issue there with just a carrier. All he needs is a substantial piece of box tubing between the frame rail extensions. That is unless he already has a reinforced back bumper. Kind of like in this photo but with a full size 2" receiver instead of the one as shown with the 1 1/4". Full size receiver is easy to make or you can buy just the weld-on stub at many stores like Tractor Supply. There are adapters too but make it stick out further.

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"as far as where it's safe to weld and the strength of the reinforcements"

Linda S

Thanks to everyone that has already replied!

And thank you Linda! In quotations above is exactly what I'm looking for as far as pictures go. I would prefer to bolt the hitch onto the frame or a fabricated frame/mount/brackets welded onto the frame rails. Hopefully I can find the best way or room to make that happen without dropping the grey and black water tanks!

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Thanks to everyone that has already replied!

And thank you Linda! In quotations above is exactly what I'm looking for as far as pictures go. I would prefer to bolt the hitch onto the frame or a fabricated frame/mount/brackets welded onto the frame rails. Hopefully I can find the best way or room to make that happen without dropping the grey and black water tanks!

Frame rails are usually pretty thin and not easy to weld to if already rusted. That is unless you've got a MIG welder. An arc welder with 6011 rod will blow right through it if not careful. Clean the metal and use 6013 and it goes OK. The OEM Toyota frame is pretty thin to start with. The RVs usually have added rectangular tubing slid over the Toyota frame to extend it further to the rear. That added tubing when new on all I've worked on is 1/8" thick, 3" X 4" OD. One of the easiest ways to extend even further out is to get some steel that will slide into those rectangular tubes. It is not a standard size that you can just buy at any metal yard. The 3" X 4" tubing measures around 2 3/4" X 3 3/4" on the ID. So for a good fit - you need something near that size on the OD. NOT a stock item. I just did one and had to make my own steel inserts. I took two pieces of C-channel - each 3" X 1 1/2". Trimmed one down to 3" X 1 1/4" and welded the two together. That made a steel insert 3" X 2 3/4" which made a nice tight fit.

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  • 3 months later...

I recently acquired an old Honda Cub (1982 C70 Passport). I would like to take it with me and was considering carrying it on a very small 4' by 4' trailer modified to carry the 300# scooter. The trailer probably doesn't weigh over 120#. I'm guessing that my tongue weight will not be over 40#. I've replaced the original bumper with a heavier steel bumper with a receiver.

I'm looking for opinions or comments on my proposal. Would this plan work with a minimum of problems and risks? 1987 Dolphin.

Thanks.

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The guy I got my 1988 20 foot Minicruiser from towed a small trailer all over Michigan for years with no issues. It probably weighed around 300 lbs. and all he had was a wood back bumper with not much holding it on. I find it hard to believe that you'd have any problems with a small trailer and 40 lb. tongue weight as far as mechanical integrity goes. That assuming it's fastened well and the frame and frame-extensions aren't rusted. Trans temps is the bigger issue I'd have concern with IF you've got an auto-trans. If I had to guess though, I'd say 40 lbs. on the tongue is the absolute max. Trailers bounce and a 300 lb. trailer with a static 40 lbs. will push more now and then when moving. The small Toyota Chinooks were rated for a max of 50 lbs. on the tongue but they have the hitch closer to the the rear axle and also are well re-enforced.

By the way. I tore the wood bumper off of mine and beefed up the frame extensions before I put the hitch back on. I probably added a few hundred pounds just in added steel. It's hard NOT to. These 20-21 footers extend a long ways beyond the rear axle.

Here's a photo of what the previous owner did on my RV. Pressure-treated wood jammed tight into the frame extensions with a hitch bolted to it. He used it for many years this way. Not something I wanted - but it worked for him.

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I ripped out the wood and fabricated steel inserts. There are no standard steel-stock sizes to fit correctly so I had to weld on some "shims." It added quite a bit of weight but I did this not just for a rear hitch. Also for a spare-tire carrier and a rear carry-box.

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