The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Driveline trailer hitch on a dump bed

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I want to install a hitch on my 58 Viking 60. It has a steel flatbed on it that dumps. It hangs about 32" past the end of the frame rails and of course, that is where the trailer hitch would go! What have you guys done to get past this? I was looking at a Torklift Superhitch with an extension but really would rather not spend that kind of money. I am going to be pulling a 35' travel trailer that weighs about 7,000 pounds empty. (Torklift is less than 5 miles from me so I am familiar with them, their products, and their work) Here is a link to one of their hitches.
http://www.torklift.com/index.php/products/towing/superhitch-supertruss

Sorry I don't have a solution just a question. Wouldn't all that extra leverage have a tendency to twist the receiver at the mounting points? Maybe a whole lot of extra bracing. Someone will chime in with your solution.

Mount a standard hitch and then extend the trailer tongue (with proper bracing)boat trailer style.

Not really any help, but at work we got two new 1 ton Fords for the grounds department with dump beds, hitches, snow plows and salt spreaders. They didn't have them for two weeks before someone used the dump bed without pulling the trailer hitch out of the receiver. As the bed dumped, it shoved the shinny new tail gate right into the trailer ball and ruined the tail gate. They looked to at us like it was our fault for not telling them!

I like the ideal of a longer trailer tongue.

Joe

They have great ratings, (their hitch is actually 2 receiver tubes stacked). With a 32" extension, and a weight distribution hitch, they are rated at 1200# tongue weight and 12,000 pound towing capacity. I altrady lengthened my trailer tongue 18", overall length of the trailer and tongue is almost 37', I don't want to add another 30" or so, that would also put a lot of extra torque on the trailer framea at the front conrners.

I used to have a one-ton crew cab pickup with an 11 1/2 foot camper and used three-foot extension bar with a weight distributing hitch to pull a two-horse trailer. The advise I would give is to use the highest-rated components you can reasonably get. The Torklift hitch is even better than the setup I had. The only drawback is that you have to remember to remove the extension bar before dumping the truck, but you will also have to unhitch the trailer, so that should be part of the process. I would strongly recommend some form of sway control as well. I used my system for over 10 years, hauling horses all over southern New England with no issues. The important part is having a receiver that fits you truck, properly bolted on.

Thanks, Ed. I have 2 of the friction sway control bars, one for each side for the trailer. I also plan on NOT leaving the hitch extender in it, only putting it in the receiver when I am actually towing. Was your hitch and extension double stacked tube like the torklift one, or a single tube?

I just had a single solid extension bar. I think it's still in my garage somewhere. Even though my horse trailer was rated at 5,000# GVW, I used all 10,000# components. I used a standard Reese receiver on the truck. I checked the bolts frequently and retorqued them every year. I had to replace a couple of bolts, but that truck saw use for everything from hay fields to interstates. DO NOT weld the hitch to the frame of your truck as the frame has to flex and welds don't give at all.

Thanks, Ed. I went and bought a Torklift Superhitch tonight. I will need to move the plates inboard on the crossbar on the hitch to fit my frame rails, and yes, I'll bolt it on. It is rated for 15,000 trailer weight so, I should be good, I think! I will end up using ont of Torklift's supertrusses as well, will just look around for a used one the right length, I see a number of them on CL, just need to gt the right length at the right price and away we go! I am probably a year or two out from needing it anyway so, I have time to look!