[GMCnet] trailer hitch

[tom geiger]

I was just wondering what you guys have done on attaching a trailer hitch to the motorhome. I had to have the existing one removed because of it rusting on the inside of the reciever. I understand there are bolt on's that can be used. Just curious of what brand and how they were put on through the opening in the bumper?
_______________________________________________
GMCnet mailing list
Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
http://temp.gmcnet.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/gmclist

[Dan Gregg]

tgeiger wrote on Thu, 07 February 2013 12:42

> I was just wondering what you guys have done on attaching a trailer hitch to the motorhome. I had to have the existing one removed because of it rusting on the inside of the reciever. I understand there are bolt on's that can be used. Just curious of what brand and how they were put on through the opening in the bumper?

I had an under bumper hitch that was taking a lot of my spare room up behind the black tank. Made it difficult to do anything. I got one of the Blaine Merrell thru the bumper hitches and have never looked back. Some folks can make their own but not me. Jim K. at Applied sells them and if you are towing anything they are worth the investment, and easily installed.
Dan
--
Dan & Teri Gregg
Dexter, Mo.

http://danandteri.blogspot.com/

[Ken Henderson]

Tom,

If you're only going to tow a toad, or a relatively light tongue-weight
trailer, you can get by with something like this:

http://www.gmcmhphotos.com/photos/g3287-thru-the-bumper-hitch-for-toad-towing.html
or
http://goo.gl/0ESb6

That cost me <$100, including the receiver tube 14 years ago. Couldn't be
happier.


Ken H.

[Billy Massey]

Heres Blaines:
http://www.gmcmhphotos.com/photos/shawnee-ok-convention-spring-2012/p43373-a-blaine-merrell-hitch.html

Heres Kens 0 tongue weight hitch:
http://www.gmcmhphotos.com/photos/g3287-thru-the-bumper-hitch-for-toad-towing.html

bdub

[Billy Massey]

[Kerry Pinkerton]

Ken Henderson wrote on Thu, 07 February 2013 13:11

> Tom,
>
> If you're only going to tow a toad, or a relatively light tongue-weight
> trailer, you can get by with something like this:
>
> http://www.gmcmhphotos.com/photos/g3287-thru-the-bumper-hitch-for-toad-towing.html
> or
> http://goo.gl/0ESb6
>

> That cost me <$100, including the receiver tube 14 years ago. Couldn't be happier....


I ripped off Ken's idea and made one just like it. Perfectly happy with the result. I tell you if it gets pulled off, I've got bigger problems than the hitch. 8o
8o
--
Kerry Pinkerton

North Alabama, near Huntsville,

77 Eleganza II, "The Lady", 403CI, also a 76 Eleganza being re-bodied as an Art Deco car hauler

[Matt Colie]

tgeiger wrote on Thu, 07 February 2013 13:42

> I was just wondering what you guys have done on attaching a trailer hitch to the motorhome. I had to have the existing one removed because of it rusting on the inside of the reciever. I understand there are bolt on's that can be used. Just curious of what brand and how they were put on through the opening in the bumper?

Tom,

If you have the square hole in the bumper, then the hitch that Blain Merrell makes (that sold by JimK) should also be a bolt in.

You have pictures from other posts. I'm not sure what the question is about how to get it through the bumper. The bumper halves get dis-mounted and reinstalled around the receiver.

Matt
--
Matt & Mary Colie
'73 Glacier 23 Chaumière (say show-me-air) Just about as stock as you will find
SE Michigan - Twixt A2 and Detroit

[Ken Burton]

Put the Blaine Merrell hitch on you coach and you'll never find anything you can not do with it. I have hauled my 405 pound mototcycle on a 50 pound carrier with it. I hauled that from Indiana on out west all over the place. I have also hauled U-haul and other trailers. You can go with a lighter hitch but someday you will want to tow something that you can't with it.

It is a bolt on hitch.

http://www.bdub.net/blainemerrell/

http://www.appliedgmc.com/prod.itml/icOid/730
--
Ken Burton - N9KB
76 Palm Beach
Hebron, Indiana

[Mike Miller]

Ken Burton wrote on Fri, 08 February 2013 17:28

> Put the Blaine Merrell hitch on you coach and you'll never find anything you can not do with it. I have hauled my 405 pound mototcycle on a 50 pound carrier with it. I hauled that from Indiana on out west all over the place. I have also hauled U-haul and other trailers. You can go with a lighter hitch but someday you will want to tow something that you can't with it.
>
> It is a bolt on hitch.
>
> http://www.bdub.net/blainemerrell/
>
> http://www.appliedgmc.com/prod.itml/icOid/730

Blaine's hitch is the "best" hitch for the GMC. But if you have a non-GM upfitted coach, with extra plumbing under the rear bumper, notice this statement: Quote:
> Easy installation. It fits like a glove and usually doesn't interfere with OEM GMC floorplan sewer drains


If you have the extra plumbing and want to pull something heavy, you might want to loose the plumbing! :twisted:


--
Mike Miller -- Hillsboro, OR -- on the Black list
(#1)'73 26' exPainted D. -- (#2)`78 23' Birchaven Rear Bath -- (#3)`77 23' Birchaven Side Bath
http://m000035.blogspot.com

[Howard]

Yes
We have hauled a 26 foot car hauler with out 50 Chevy pickup and the 48 Chevy Convertible, also we have hauled a 425 transmission on a rack up to Manny in San Jose two weeks ago.
Came back with the GMC axels,spindles and hubs.
The best trailer hitch.
I like the through to bumper feature.
By the way we now have the above for sale plus the bearing puller for sale.
Thank You
All is well with my Lord
Howard

[Robert Mueller]

G'day,

For those of you with 26' Avion's please be advised that it will fit and not interfere with the 3" drain system as installed by
Avion.

Regards,
Rob M.
Sydney, Australia
AUS '75 Avion-The Blue Streak TZE365V100428
USA '75 Avion-Double Trouble TZE365V100426

 
-----Original Message-----
From: Mike Miller

Blaine's hitch is the "best" hitch for the GMC. But if you have a non-GM upfitted coach, with extra plumbing under the rear bumper,
notice this statement: Quote:

> Easy installation. It fits like a glove and usually doesn't interfere with OEM GMC floorplan sewer drains

If you have the extra plumbing and want to pull something heavy, you might want to loose the plumbing! :twisted:

Mike

[George Beckman]

tgeiger wrote on Thu, 07 February 2013 10:42

> I was just wondering what you guys have done on attaching a trailer hitch to the motorhome. I had to have the existing one removed because of it rusting on the inside of the reciever. I understand there are bolt on's that can be used. Just curious of what brand and how they were put on through the opening in the bumper?

I have and love Blain's hitch. Someone mentioned having a hitch that would not do what you want it to do. I had just that happen:

We went to get a car we purchased in Las Vegas, several hundred miles away. Our first coach had a home made hitch. I called ahead to reserve a U-Haul car dolly. When we got there U-Haul crawled around under there and said, they would not rent the trailer to me with that hitch. We spent the entire day in Las Vegas looking for anyone who would build a hitch. Several said they would not touch it due to liability. Finally found the "Hitch Shop" or something like that. He put a 5K receiver on it for 10 cents a pound, and I was relieved he would do it. It was below the bumper and even with a 23' it dragged often at service stations.

We sold the 23' and got a 26' with another homemade hitch. I got the Blain hitch from JimK. The only problem was the homemade hitch it had was welded right where the Blain hitch attached. I ground off the weld and put it on. Coach still can drag sometimes but it is not the hitch. (I will say this, the bumper on our coaches is not made of cheesecake. I cut it with a thin blade on a angle grinder and dressed it up with a jigsaw.)
--
'74 Eleganza, SE, Howell + EBL
Best Wishes,
George

[Jim Kanomata]

Tom,
You need to visit our web site www.appliedgmc.com
We sell most parts that our member vendors manufacture.
We have the widest selection, if nothing else you'll have a better idea of
what people use on their GMC.

--
Jim Kanomata
Applied/GMC, Fremont,CA
ji...@appliedairfilters.com
http://www.appliedgmc.com
1-800-752-7502

[George Rudawsky]

I also have Blaine's hitch and love it. A nicely made and easy to install product. I replaced my under the bumper hitch with it.

If someone is installing one, a helpful hint that Ken Burton shared with me is to remove the bumper off the coach, then use an impact wrench to tighten to break off all the bumper bolts rather than trying to loosen them. Then simply replace them with new, stainless bolts. Saves a lot of frustration and dresses up the bumper if your old bolts are as rusty as mine were!


--
George Rudawsky
Chicago, IL
75 Palm Beach

[tom geiger]

Thanks all for your good information...I'll look through all the hitches available and make a decision on which one to go with. Had some work done on the hitch, but the hitch place I went to did not do the expected job I wanted on it. The guy that did the work told me he wouldn't recommend towing anything with it..rather just use it for light trailer towing and bike rack stuff...not what I was hoping. Anyhow as a background story, we have had some friends that had recently been in a wreck with their truck and now don't have a truck to tow their pop-up to the campground. We all campground buddies and have enjoyed camping with each other so I'm hoping to be able to help tow their pop-up to the camping grounds. It looks like the insurance payment was greatly short of paying for a replacment truck so the whole settlement process looks like it will draw out for awhile. Some what frustrating for them. Anyhow, thanks for all the information guys and I'll give a report when
all is done.

TG
76 Elaganza II
Kansas City Mo

[KB]

Ok, now I gotta ask this question...

I plan to install a through the bumper hitch. But all the
designs I've seen have a plate or such welded to the hitch.
This replaces the original plate at the center of the bumper halves
and is bolted to the bumpers.

My concern is, if somebody hits your bumper, the force will
be transmitted through the hitch directly to the frame.
Without the hitch, the shock absorbers would help absorb
the impact, hopefully saving the frame from damage.

Seems like a better design would have the hitch passing through
the center plate of the bumpers without being welded to it.

Thoughts?

thanks,
Karen
1973 23'
1975 26'

[Todd Sullivan]

If they hit the bumper hard enough it will move until they get to the hitch with their front bumper beam anyway. The bigger hazard is the spare being rammed through the rear panel. That alone would total most coaches. I wouldn't worry too much about it.
Jwit

Sully
77 royale
Seattle

Sent from my iPhone

[Mike Miller]

KB wrote on Sat, 09 February 2013 09:35
> ...

> My concern is, if somebody hits your bumper, the force will
> be transmitted through the hitch directly to the frame.
> Without the hitch, the shock absorbers would help absorb
> the impact, hopefully saving the frame from damage.

> ...


Just something interesting related to this, 1978 coach did not have bumper shock absorbers. They were replaced with solid brackets for the last model year.

--
Mike Miller -- Hillsboro, OR -- on the Black list
(#1)'73 26' exPainted D. -- (#2)`78 23' Birchaven Rear Bath -- (#3)`77 23' Birchaven Side Bath
http://m000035.blogspot.com

[Kerry Pinkerton]

KB wrote on Sat, 09 February 2013 11:35
> ...My concern is, if somebody hits your bumper, the force will

> be transmitted through the hitch directly to the frame.
> Without the hitch, the shock absorbers would help absorb
> the impact, hopefully saving the frame from damage.
>
> Seems like a better design would have the hitch passing through
> the center plate of the bumpers without being welded to it.

Having the end of the hitch unsupported would be a bad idea because of the long lever arm it would become. It would greatly decrease the tongue weight capability of the hitch. Further the rear cross member is a simple "C" channel about 3" tall with 1 1/2" legs...might be 11 gauge (1/8" but I don't think it is). C channels are very weak in twist and unless your hitch was bolted to the C, extended back to tie into the frame, and was really robust, it just wouldn't be much of a hitch.

My 'Henderson Hitch' bolts to the bumper via extended length carriage bolts and also to the rear cross member using extended bolts where the spare tire holder bolts on. Not that makes it any weaker than welding....just removable.

Short of an SUV or something larger, I'm not sure much of anything on the road these days would do much more than self compress upon striking the rear of the GMC unless they were really moving and you were stopped. There is more steel in the GMC bumpers than there is in half the unibodies of most the foreign cars imported. :lol: :lol: :lol:

Seriously, the 5mph bumpers things are a joke. You get hit, something is going to bend or buckle. How much is a function of how hard you get hit and how heavy they are. Physics.

--
Kerry Pinkerton

North Alabama, near Huntsville,

77 Eleganza II, "The Lady", 403CI, also a 76 Eleganza being re-bodied as an Art Deco car hauler