# Best Homemade Tools >  Bolt on Transport reciever hitch

## Frank S

THere have been times when I have been asked to go somewhere and drive or tow a vehicle like a truck home for someone
I have a fold away tow-bar stowed in my daily driver so if the vehicle has a receiver hitch all I need to do is hook up and go. but more often than not htere is no hitch or a way to attach a 2" ball on the rear of the truck. So I made this for those times

As you can see it merly bolts to the bare frame of almost any truck large or small.

I also made many parts for it so I could configure it to adapt to almost all situations.

this shows the bolts and locking nuts


currently it is loaned out to a guy who uses it almost every day doing what I do very part time. He has connected it to well over 100 vehicles to date and has towed his D2500 over 100,000 miles across many states.
Not shown are the safety chains and cables we use to meet the DOT requirements for commercial towing 

A full set of plans can be made available however the builder will be responsible for their own build quality and all safety requirements

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asterix (Mar 3, 2022),

baja (Sep 17, 2020),

benkeller3 (Apr 9, 2018),

bukwessul (Dec 14, 2018),

Captn Roy (Apr 30, 2018),

David Schwartz (Nov 7, 2017),

hansgoudzwaard (Aug 25, 2018),

KustomsbyKent (Nov 6, 2017),

mwmkravchenko (Dec 14, 2018),

Paul Jones (Oct 12, 2015),

PJs (Aug 23, 2018),

sak778 (Sep 17, 2020),

that_other_guy (Aug 26, 2018),

Toolmaker51 (Jun 29, 2016)

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## DIYer

Great idea, Frank! Build it once and you've got an easily-transferable rig for almost any truck or pickup.

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## DIYer

Thanks Frank! We've added your Bolt On Receiver Hitch to our Automotive and Trailers and Towing categories, as well as to your builder page: Frank S's Homemade Tools. Your receipt:












Bolt On Receiver Hitch
 by Frank S

tags: portable, towing, adjustable

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## kbalch

Hi Frank,

Extremely useful and flexible tool! Your Bolt On Receiver Hitch is the 'Tool of the Week'!

You'll be receiving one of our official HomemadeTools.net T-shirts:

 
 
Just let me have (via PM) your details (size, color choice, and mailing address) and we'll get things processed directly.

Congrats!

Ken

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## Frank S

We loaned this hitch and all attachments for it to a guy a couple years ago along with a tow dolly and haven't seen either of them since. I talk to him once in a while, he tells me that he uses it at least a couple times a week, keeps asking me to sell it to him. I guess I should just consider that I gave it to him and make me another if ever I need one again

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Paul Jones (Nov 9, 2017)

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## Captn Roy

Hi Frank,

It's always great to see something built by someone that enjoys the hell out of what he's doing. I drove trucks for 17 yrs. & have seen some really questionable workmanship on some products that were supposedly built for trucks. I have always been of the opinion that if it was on a truck-road tractor it should sure as **** work that way. Some products will leave no doubt in a truckers amazingly brilliant mind, hehehe, as to the confidence he should have in that piece of hardware. 

Your hitch system is built to hold and there's no way that that sucker is ever going to FAIL. Hehe, just ask your buddy about that. He would never have kept it for so long if it was a dud. You did a fantastic job in your design and in the fabrication. Every trucker I know would be proud to have one on his rig, as would I. Thanks Again for sharing Frank. I've got a duce & 1/2 and I'll be replacing the wimpy thing I have on there now shortly. Now that I've seen yours, I'm ashamed at the one I installed above the pintle. Hehe.

Good work Frank, be looking forward to more from your grey matter warehouse.
Respectfully, Ray R.

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## Frank S

I finally told the guy he could have it since he needed it and I no longer did. So he gave me $800.00 for it and the tow dolly he was happy and I was happy the last time I talked to him he said in all the times he had used it he had only 1 complaint that it was a little heavy to wrestle under a truck with a bead on it. I told him to cut it up and toss it if he didn't' like it any more because it was his. He allowed that he would never do that.
I used to build sloping roll on ramps for the heavy haul RGNs and have had guys to have their new trucks delivered to me from the dealerships before they even drove them for me to install my ramps on them. Back when I was doing those there were a couple of major trailer Manufactures who made their own but would often recommend my ramps to guys buying new trailers over their own. Kaylin Siebert used to send someone to me about once every couple of months. either for ramps or to modify one of their trailers

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## hansgoudzwaard

Do you sell the plans by download? Sorry, I don't get out much.  :Smile: 

The bolt on looks very impressive. Do the square headed bolts have a point on them? 

They must have a technical name.

Thanks in advance.

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## Frank S

> Do you sell the plans by download? Sorry, I don't get out much. 
> 
> The bolt on looks very impressive. Do the square headed bolts have a point on them? 
> 
> They must have a technical name.
> 
> Thanks in advance.



I hadn't given much thought to making plans for this item. A couple of reasons behind this is #1 since I would not be the one fabricating it I would not be able to guarantee it would be constructed to meet DOT transport safety requirements. Nor do I manufacture them for sale due to the exorbitant product liability ins costs. or the cost involved to have it certified for sale to the public as a towing device. 
All I can say is that the guy who borrowed it from me nearly 5 years ago still has it and uses it a lot he has probably used it behind 100s of truck to tow his go home vehicle for well over a couple 100,000 miles.
No the square head bolts do not have points to them they were flat ended and some of them were cupped> the biggest downside to the bolts being used to clamp to a vehicle's frame is it will damage the paint or coating on a new vehicle, but if tightened properly it won't ever slip.
I wold make up a set of plans if I can come up with an iron clad build / use disclaimer to protect myself.

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hansgoudzwaard (Aug 24, 2018)

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## Captn Roy

> Do you sell the plans by download? Sorry, I don't get out much. 
> 
> The bolt on looks very impressive. Do the square headed bolts have a point on them? 
> 
> They must have a technical name.
> 
> Thanks in advance.



Hi Hans, The bolts you are referring to do indeed have a name. They are referred to as a "Cup point case hardened steel square head set screw". Found in the Acklands Grainger listings for this type of screw. I'm quite sure that there are many other suppliers that could help finding and supplying them. 

I agree with Frank on his concerns about making plans and the level of talent a person might have or not have when using them. Many folks have "there way of doing things and there lies the concern. If something is misunderstood and a problem arises, who is responsible. On the other side of the coin what kind of experience does the person drawing the plans have also?

Personally I would not change one single thing in the design or materials in this project. The build is the way it should be and I would trust it crossing North America, Rockies an all. It is a heavy duty build that will give a sure and confident result. Naturally the installation and removal will have the weight of the components to deal with but that could be easily handled alone with a simple jack system that would bear the weight such as a transmission jack would do for a transmission. If so required. That would depend on the person having to do the installation. 

If you look closely at all the well taken pictures of Franks build you should be able to determine all the materials required and pretty much figure out the dimensions with a tape measure, and a truck frame would be handy also. That would also depend on your level of experience also. If you have doubts though and you think some help would be required. You could bring the photos and description to a welder fitter and they could give you a running start on the project. To someone with some knowledge in the trade a picture does tell a thousand words, Sometimes being enough to not really require a plan or drawings. Most truck frames will be similar and the materials and hardness-strength will be common knowledge to a tradesperson. Again, they should respect the build though. Frank has already pointed out that the merits have been proven over thousands of miles without a single problem. 

Enjoy your build Hans, Frank was very kind to have shared this and I have no doubt as to the amount of experience he has also shared time & time again with this community. rr

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hansgoudzwaard (Aug 24, 2018)

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## Frank S

Can and will share the size and thickness of the materials that I used.
To start with all receiver sockets that you see are just that you can buy them in 6" and 12" lengths they are for the 2" class III hitches.
the 2" square tubing may be a little hard to find since it was 5/16" thick also a size commonly used in the actual receiver ball mounts.
the tubing used to make the body for the sliding inserts was 2 1/2" by 3/16" thick the gussets used were made from ASTM 514 T1 because that is what I like to use a lot A36 mild steel would work just fine though the clamp plates and the bolting boss plates are all 5/8" thick ASTM 514 T1 yes these could be substituted with a lessor grade of material ASTM GR 70 or 50 or even A36 mild steel if that is all that can be had. all welding was done with 1/8 and 5/32" 8018 and all parts were heated to at least 400°f prior to welding I did not have a power sourse for my mig welder at the time or I would have welded it up with .045 Essab duel shield flux cored wire. I would not feel comfortable in ever telling someone to weld any structural member with gasless wire or solid bare wire unless it were .035 or greater with 75/25 Argon/ CO2 mix gas or 98/2 Argon/ Oxygen or triliene mix gas with at least a 250 amp machine.
Could this have been welded with 7018? yes but if T1 steel is used it is at the marginal low side unless the welder has good experience. It is very tempting for a novice or a welder with little experience welding alloy metals to either run too cold or too hot with all filler materials.
I usually recommend that a welder should always make several test welds of scrap make some butt welds always beveling the weld area to a "V" make some lap welds 1 side only make some inside and outside corner welds then try and destroy them in a vice with a hammer or in a hydraulic press most guys have the capability do do one of these milling a coupon for a tensile test is usually beyond their means and usually not necessary sawing a nick in a fillet weld and placing the piece in a hydraulic press on edge will serve much the same purpose.
All holes were threads to 5/8-11 to give you the bolt size 
I sincerely hope this helps should you decide to make one for your own And for anyone who may be considering making one or any of the things that I have made and posted remember I have no control over your skill set level nor can I dictate the materials you use. Your skills and dedication to making things are purely your responsibilities and my recommendations should not be taken as the all seeing all knowing way things should be done. My stamp is retired

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Captn Roy (Aug 24, 2018),

hansgoudzwaard (Aug 24, 2018),

that_other_guy (Aug 26, 2018)

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## hansgoudzwaard

Having you give us the pictures and material specs is a bonus for me. 

Many thanks ; I really do appreciate this. I will post the process when I start this.

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## Frank S

> Having you give us the pictures and material specs is a bonus for me. 
> 
> Many thanks ; I really do appreciate this. I will post the process when I start this.



 The only reason I can think of for a guy wanting or needing one of these would be if they are in the business of going after or delivering various trucks and use either a tow dolly in conjunction with it or a tow bar hitch mounted to their drive home vehicle. 
I wouldn't want to use it for towing a trailer that had a heavy tongue weight nor would I want to use it for towing anything much larger than a 3/4 pickup and even then if it were me I would wrap a safety chain around the unit and the nearest cross-member in addition to the required safety chains or cables connected to the towed vehicle. 
Remember this is held in place by friction alone it completely depends on the ability of the bolts biting into the frame. 
The guy that has the one I built sometimes uses shim plates between the bolts and the frames to help prevent damaging the paint This in my opinion reduces the holding strength but with a chain wrapped around a cross member and bound tight there are no worries
Good luck build strong be safe

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Captn Roy (Aug 26, 2018),

hansgoudzwaard (Aug 26, 2018)

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## Captn Roy

> The only reason I can think of for a guy wanting or needing one of these would be if they are in the business of going after or delivering various trucks and use either a tow dolly in conjunction with it or a tow bar hitch mounted to their drive home vehicle. 
> I wouldn't want to use it for towing a trailer that had a heavy tongue weight nor would I want to use it for towing anything much larger than a 3/4 pickup and even then if it were me I would wrap a safety chain around the unit and the nearest cross-member in addition to the required safety chains or cables connected to the towed vehicle. 
> Remember this is held in place by friction alone it completely depends on the ability of the bolts biting into the frame. 
> The guy that has the one I built sometimes uses shim plates between the bolts and the frames to help prevent damaging the paint This in my opinion reduces the holding strength but with a chain wrapped around a cross member and bound tight there are no worries
> Good luck build strong be safe



Well Said Frank, the BEAST is not for everyone and should be used or thought of with a great deal of common sense. That said, If the person using this defeats the purpose of the cupped bolts hold on the frame with shims. They could be in for a world of surprises down the road. Your suggestion to safety chain it is logical but they are still playing a game of chance that they shouldn't. You have even put more than enough of those locking bolts into the build design and used the way it was designed to be used has to be a common sense thing. I've seen the frames that could be a problem here but that might be solved by carrying around a few longer bolts. I would think that a bolt that grabs the frame at a bit of an angle would be better than no grab at all. The edges of those bolts are often used on round hardened shafts and do the job fine. The amount of steel, Type of steel, Welds holding the steel in the build could and will certainly hold at a bit of an angle. Still though the safety chain you suggested is a very good idea nevertheless.

Great build, just needs a healthy dose of common sense as with the use of any tool. This is a HD tool for HD use on HD rigs. Nuff said.

rr.

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Frank S (Aug 26, 2018),

hansgoudzwaard (Aug 26, 2018)

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## Frank S

Ctptn Roy since the gap between the opposing plates that slip over the flange of a truck frame is 5/8" and most frames range from .250 to .375" and some heavy trucks use double frames when the .250" thickness is used there is very little projection of the bolts to the inside at most this would be .375" combined the least would be .125" 
The good thing is many Semi tractors have a rear cross-member right at the end of the frame Some even have a plate bolted there for lights. this unit can accommodate them quite easily by being able to be telescoped in or out to the correct position. the extra attachments can be made to suit so the unit can be either bolted on the bottom flange or the top flange and the actual receiver can extend back over the cross-member or from under it. On smaller straight trucks with flat beds as the one in the pictures you can see how it could be mounted .
My friend has had to use it a few times on motor-homes of varying sizes one of the reasons why I made such a long attachment for it. Yes it is versatile and HD as you stated and just as you stated the common sense factor needs to be judiciously applied 
When using the long extension I told him he should also add a pair of safety cables or chains from it to the widest location possible on the tow vehicle to stabilize it from any side forces when turning whit that thing sticking down a foot and a half and extended back nearly 4 feet you can see where a horrible twisting moment could be created. enough so, that even a small 3000 lb vehicle could pull it way off to the side and bend the extension or twist the drop down. 
Sure it can take a few minutes extra time to connect everything so you can be confident in it being safe and should you be pulled over by a knowledgeable DOT officer he would be able to plainly see that the device could be considered safe for the towing purpose intended.
All the more reasons why I used the materials that I used because most officers are familiar with how receiver hitches look Mine looked like it could have been a special ordered unit from some hitch manufacture.

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Captn Roy (Aug 27, 2018),

hansgoudzwaard (Aug 26, 2018)

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## Captn Roy

> Ctptn Roy since the gap between the opposing plates that slip over the flange of a truck frame is 5/8" and most frames range from .250 to .375" and some heavy trucks use double frames when the .250" thickness is used there is very little projection of the bolts to the inside at most this would be .375" combined the least would be .125" 
> The good thing is many Semi tractors have a rear cross-member right at the end of the frame Some even have a plate bolted there for lights. this unit can accommodate them quite easily by being able to be telescoped in or out to the correct position. the extra attachments can be made to suit so the unit can be either bolted on the bottom flange or the top flange and the actual receiver can extend back over the cross-member or from under it. On smaller straight trucks with flat beds as the one in the pictures you can see how it could be mounted .
> My friend has had to use it a few times on motor-homes of varying sizes one of the reasons why I made such a long attachment for it. Yes it is versatile and HD as you stated and just as you stated the common sense factor needs to be judiciously applied 
> When using the long extension I told him he should also add a pair of safety cables or chains from it to the widest location possible on the tow vehicle to stabilize it from any side forces when turning whit that thing sticking down a foot and a half and extended back nearly 4 feet you can see where a horrible twisting moment could be created. enough so, that even a small 3000 lb vehicle could pull it way off to the side and bend the extension or twist the drop down. 
> Sure it can take a few minutes extra time to connect everything so you can be confident in it being safe and should you be pulled over by a knowledgeable DOT officer he would be able to plainly see that the device could be considered safe for the towing purpose intended.
> All the more reasons why I used the materials that I used because most officers are familiar with how receiver hitches look Mine looked like it could have been a special ordered unit from some hitch manufacture.



Thanks Frank, Your info. on sizes and cross-member placement is nothing short of spot on. Agin I think that this system could not be better built for what it was intended. That said I should have been a bit more detailed on the thoughts going through my grey matter at the time I was typing away at this topic. The truck industry is a monster that has finally evolved into something that could be relied on more so today than some years back. The sizes and dimensions you pointed out are as they should be and are found to be so pretty much across the board. Dealerships and private shops are more than ever doing the right thing by or through some very serious regulation. That was not so for many years and so many modifications and repairs were butchered by shops that wanted to screw folks over any chance they got! The customers were also sometimes to blame, trying to save a buck. Steel being used that was never meant to be there was all to often discovered by my guys in the shop. Dimensions that were unexplainable at times. 

We wouldn't say to much to the owner other than what it would cost him to put it right because often enough it was he who asked for a quick cheap fix in the first place. Then the laws finally started to get more severe and shops and mechanics are held accountable for there work. Result is quality work, Spec. Steel and less crap coming in the shop. Doubled up C-channel, hey slap it on there. 

Then again there is the other side of the coin that is still somewhat of a loose caboose and that's the RV Toter rigs we see occasionally that have some really unique rear end solutions spec'ed in there. Less regulated and more do-it-yourselfers going at it. Of course things should be modified at times and they are done so quite well by most, The problem like all others is that Common sense and lack of experience are sometimes a bit overlooked in some areas. They cover the rear-ends up with good looking decks and car hauler systems that seem ok but, underneath all of that skin some Steel frame rails that are not up to par are just waiting to bite someone in the butt. Now don't get me wrong on this one, there are many, many leggitt companies out there building some really awesome rigs for this market and folks that are willing to pay the price. They are the good guys, I've had to haul off road tractors that had folded in half pulling away from a fuel pump. That's where my grey matter was the other day! I just agree that that hitch will hold on to pretty much anything and will not be at fault for any other crap!!!!

RR

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## Frank S

Captn Roy, touching on your comment of trucks folding up at the gas pump.
I did my first truck fram splice when I was 15 or possibly 16. A farmer bought a used truck that was way too long for his needs He brought it to the Blacksmith shop for us to shorten it and install a 12 ft flat bed. William the Blacksmiths's son was out of town welding on a pipeline and Clarence said he couldn't do it because he was too busy. So big mouth me decided that I'd write that check. I backed it in the rear of the shop blocked it up disconnected the brake line and the drive shaft then measured off where I wanted to make my cuts. It turned out that I figured I could shorten it by 1 section of the drive shaft then cut another foot or so off of the rear and get the length he wanted. Knowing how when we did any forge welding we never made a weld perpendicular to the stresses in the farm implements prefering to make diagonal welds instead. so I laid out a lazy "W" pattern on the frame which would make it lace back together like you would when you lace your fingers n your hands together. Clarence came back to check on things about the time I was bleeding the brakes and asked me if I was going to fish plate the splice.
Nope, if the welds wont hold as they are then a plate scabbed on is only going to make things worst later on. I ground down the weld on the outside of the frame rattle canned a little black paint on it and we lowered the bed in place. I know for a fact that that old truck was still being used in the fields and used to haul stuff to market 30 years later because it belonged to a neighbor of my uncle 
However I have seen far too many oilfield rigs folded because of whoever mounted the winches did not take into account of the Moment they were creating when mounting them on risers that do not extend far enough back on the frames When mounting a 100,000 lb winch on a truck frame it is 1 thing to mount it down as low as possible on mounts that are only a couple feet long just double the frame for 4 or 5 ft and go on. but when they are mounted with the drum 3 feet above the frame . the frame may have to be doubled for 10 feet or more and tripled for 5 or 6 ft then the mounts need to be doubled in length as well. I had a guy haul an Autocar into my shop bent so bad in the center right behind the winch that the tires of the rear axle of the tandems was over a foot off the ground. High mount winch full double frame not tripled and only a 2 ft long base mount. A lot of work fixing that one it was.

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## Dry Creek Smithing

Nice build Frank. I was excited to see your frame attachable reciever hitch mount. I made one myself for a lighter purpose though. 
I was working for a school district's Transportation Dept. when the supervisor asked if I could make a decorated school bus for our local town Festival of Lights Parade for Christmas. 
I came up with the idea of transforming a shorter Transit style bus into a Steam Locamotive pulling a Coal car loaded with Presents. With a design and a letter in hand I went to our local Highway Patrol office for permission. (They oversee all school bus issues in our state.) Two weeks later the reply was, "Do not make any permanent changes to the vehicle. The hitch is fine. Go-ahead.". 
The hitch looked very similar to your design and worked well. 
We took First Place that Year in the Parade. Santa was our engineer driving the train too! Very much enjoyed by the public.

Nice memories.
Doug

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Frank S (Mar 4, 2022)

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## Frank S

> Nice build Frank. I was excited to see your frame attachable reciever hitch mount. I made one myself for a lighter purpose though. 
> I was working for a school district's Transportation Dept. when the supervisor asked if I could make a decorated school bus for our local town Festival of Lights Parade for Christmas. 
> I came up with the idea of transforming a shorter Transit style bus into a Steam Locamotive pulling a Coal car loaded with Presents. With a design and a letter in hand I went to our local Highway Patrol office for permission. (They oversee all school bus issues in our state.) Two weeks later the reply was, "Do not make any permanent changes to the vehicle. The hitch is fine. Go-ahead.". 
> The hitch looked very similar to your design and worked well. 
> We took First Place that Year in the Parade. Santa was our engineer driving the train too! Very much enjoyed by the public.
> 
> Nice memories.
> Doug



feel free to share any pictures you would like

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## Toolmaker51

> I hadn't given much thought to making plans for this item. A couple of reasons behind this is #1 since I would not be the one fabricating it I would not be able to guarantee it would be constructed to meet DOT transport safety requirements....... Liabilities....... yaddy ya.... but if tightened properly it won't ever slip.
> I would make up a set of plans if I can come up with an *iron clad build / use disclaimer to protect myself.*



"I only conceived and sketched this concept." 
"You adjusted materials, sizes, construction & installation for a situation not under my TOTAL control, therefore I cannot be connected beyond providing said conceptual sketch."  (signed) (dated) 

Basically waterproof, except the Litany of Litigious Lawyers (who can't get a real job) hunt with an auger mounted in a cordless drill. It's been said the reason we have so many lawyers, is because we have so many lawyers.
I recently completed a 3-1/2 spin across the Midwest, Northeast, and Near South, ~3300 miles. Two glaring things were evident. 
1) Material of ANY type supporting current POTUS, virtually zero. 
2) Endless billboards for liability, injury, and criminal offense 'law offices', outnumber any other sort of advertising. 

Shakespeare said it best.

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Frank S (Mar 4, 2022)

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