Bumper-mounted trailer hitch bracket for Jeep Wrangler TJ

I have the mopar towbar - it attaches to the frame at 6 points using 1/4"
plate. Pretty substantial.

Dave Milne, Scotland
'91 Grand Wagoneer, '99 TJ

"cantrelm" > wrote in message
...
> I don't think I would trust the stock bumper on a TJ to pull anything.
> When I ordered my 2000 TJ with towing package it had a separate tube and
> receiver mounted off of the frame rails and not to the bumper itself
> as they told me it would not hold up to towing....... it is very thin
> channel that is mounted to the cross member mainly and not the frame. I
> would be very leery about doing this. Nice design though...
>
> Tom
>
> "Richard J Kinch" > wrote in message
> . ..
> > Here is my design for a bumper-mounted Jeep Wrangler TJ trailer hitch:
> >
> > http://www.truetex.com/jeep_trailer_hitch_bracket.htm
>
>

If you get pulled over by the highway patrol, you will/should get busted
for something as dumb as that. Not meaning to be a jerk or anything but
Wow...

The bumper isn't rated for towing or even jacking up under so
technically that is an illegal hitch, let alone an unsafe one.

The TJ bumper isn't even strong enough to tow a TJ out of a snowbank
without bending or tearing off, let alone pulling almost the 'legal'
limit that the TJ can handle which is 2000 lb. Your 1000 lb boat, plus
trailer, plus gear inside is easily the limit.

Sorry man, it just isn't a good idea.

Just FYI, even the expensive 2" receiver bumpers with the 2" hitch built
in have a warning on them that says they are 'not' legal for towing,
only legal for putting a bike rack or some other type of rack into.

Mike
86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's
Canadian Off Road Trips Photos: Non members can still view!
Jan/06 http://www.imagestation.com/album/pi...?id=2115147590
(More Off Road album links at bottom of the view page)

Richard J Kinch wrote:
>
> Here is my design for a bumper-mounted Jeep Wrangler TJ trailer hitch:
>
> http://www.truetex.com/jeep_trailer_hitch_bracket.htm

"cantrelm" > wrote in message
...
> I don't think I would trust the stock bumper on a TJ to pull anything.

Yeah, it does seem a bit flimsy, like the original bumpers on my XJ...
Perhaps his next project should be to design a real bumper for his TJ that
utilizes the original bumper's mounting points in addition to the mounting
points for the factory receiver hitch... Make the entire bumper out of 1/4"
steel so that you can jack the car up with it... Might as well consider
closing off parts of it for an emergency air tank also...

Mike, you're in Canada. I once passed an accident scene, where failure to
use safety chains, led to a boat trailer coming loose from the tow vehicle,
jumping through an oncoming vehicle's windshield and killing the driver.
The driver of the tow vehicle got a faulty equipment citation, but was
allowed to hook up again and drive home! On the way back from wherever I
had been going, I saw him hooking up the trailer, with help from the state
patrol. Now the law in Colorado says, that safety chains are required, and
legally a manslaughter prosecution would not have been out of line here. It
didn't happen. Maybe the guy paid a fine, but I doubt it.

That is one of the things, that helped me decide to move to western
Colorado. The law is the same there, but the number density of jerks like
that is less, and you have more chances to avoid them.

I have one of those bumpers you are talking about. I use it for a bike
rack.

Earle

"Mike Romain" > wrote in message
...
> If you get pulled over by the highway patrol, you will/should get busted
> for something as dumb as that. Not meaning to be a jerk or anything but
> Wow...
>
> The bumper isn't rated for towing or even jacking up under so
> technically that is an illegal hitch, let alone an unsafe one.
>
> The TJ bumper isn't even strong enough to tow a TJ out of a snowbank
> without bending or tearing off, let alone pulling almost the 'legal'
> limit that the TJ can handle which is 2000 lb. Your 1000 lb boat, plus
> trailer, plus gear inside is easily the limit.
>
> Sorry man, it just isn't a good idea.
>
> Just FYI, even the expensive 2" receiver bumpers with the 2" hitch built
> in have a warning on them that says they are 'not' legal for towing,
> only legal for putting a bike rack or some other type of rack into.
>
> Mike
> 86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
> 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's
> Canadian Off Road Trips Photos: Non members can still view!
> Jan/06 http://www.imagestation.com/album/pi...?id=2115147590
> (More Off Road album links at bottom of the view page)
>
> Richard J Kinch wrote:
> >
> > Here is my design for a bumper-mounted Jeep Wrangler TJ trailer hitch:
> >
> > http://www.truetex.com/jeep_trailer_hitch_bracket.htm

That is what I am doing. Making my own swing arm bumper, with a 2" hitch
receiver in the middle of the bumper tube..... These pictures don't have the
hitch cut and welded in yet, but it will be dead center of the main bumper.
The whole thing will bolt to the frame rails where my current hitch bolts
now and also use the crossmember mounts that the standard bumper has.
http://www.cantrell.com/scrap/bump1.jpg
http://www.cantrell.com/scrap/bump2.jpg
I am putting a hi-lift jack mount on there also.

Tom


"Grumman-581" > wrote in message
...
> "cantrelm" > wrote in message
> ...
> > I don't think I would trust the stock bumper on a TJ to pull anything.
>
> Yeah, it does seem a bit flimsy, like the original bumpers on my XJ...
> Perhaps his next project should be to design a real bumper for his TJ that
> utilizes the original bumper's mounting points in addition to the mounting
> points for the factory receiver hitch... Make the entire bumper out of
1/4"
> steel so that you can jack the car up with it... Might as well consider
> closing off parts of it for an emergency air tank also...
>
>

Very nice job...but the question is, when will _mine_ be ready?
__________________________________________________ ___________________
2003 TJ Rubicon * 2001 XJ Sport * 1971 Bill Stroppe Baja Bronco

"There is a very fine line between 'hobby' and 'mental illness'."

Pronunciation: 'jEp Function: noun Date: 1940

Etymology: from g. p. (G= 'Government' P= '80 inch wheelbase')
A small general-purpose motor vehicle with 80" wheelbase, 1/4-ton
capacity and four-wheel drive used by the U.S. army in World War II.
__________________________________________________ ___________________

cantrelm wrote:
> That is what I am doing. Making my own swing arm bumper, with a 2" hitch
> receiver in the middle of the bumper tube..... These pictures don't have the
> hitch cut and welded in yet, but it will be dead center of the main bumper.
> The whole thing will bolt to the frame rails where my current hitch bolts
> now and also use the crossmember mounts that the standard bumper has.
> http://www.cantrell.com/scrap/bump1.jpg
> http://www.cantrell.com/scrap/bump2.jpg
> I am putting a hi-lift jack mount on there also.
>
> Tom

On Wed, 25 Jan 2006 00:57:53 -0600, Richard J Kinch
> wrote:

>Here is my design for a bumper-mounted Jeep Wrangler TJ trailer hitch:
>
> http://www.truetex.com/jeep_trailer_hitch_bracket.htm

Possibly not legal, in Kalifornia at least.
But then Law Enforcement hasn't been enforcing little laws like this
very vigorously lately ;-)
(When was the last time anyone got stopped for misaligned headlights?)

....

"noneyabusiness" wrote in message
news
> (When was the last time anyone got stopped for misaligned headlights?)

Mine are aligned perfectly... One lets me see what is in the ditch on the
right side of the vehicle, the other lets me see what is in the trees on the
other side...

Mike Romain writes:

> If you get pulled over by the highway patrol, you will/should get
> busted for something as dumb as that. Not meaning to be a jerk or
> anything but Wow...

Jerk or not, your legal opinion is baloney.

http://www.google.com/search?q=florida+statutes+316.530

Show me where hitch ratings have any legal significance in traffic laws.

> The bumper isn't rated for towing or even jacking up under so
> technically that is an illegal hitch, let alone an unsafe one.

The stock bumper is essentially a 3 x 4.5 inch 3.5-sided 13 gage steel
box beam 50 inches long. Maybe someone can calculate the strength of
this member.

We're talking about towing a small rig under 1000 lbs, not dragging the
universe behind.

My mechanical intuition is that it is plenty strong when properly
fitted. It doesn't visibly flex when I jump on the step.

Grumman-581 writes:

> Perhaps his next project should be to design a real bumper for his TJ ...

Bad idea. Bumpers are weaker than the frame so they absorb impact energy
instead of bending the frame. You put a heavy bumper (or a frame hitch for
that matter) on the back of your car, and many collisions are going to
result in frame damage that would have just been a simple bolt-on swap of a
new bumper.

On a previous rear-ended TJ I was able to replace a crunched back bumper
with a $25 OEM item from eBay (surplus to somebody's aftermarket upgrade)
with hand tools. The other guy had $1000s in damage.

I wonder if people buying all those macho aftermarket bumpers understand
that they've *given up* a lot of their crash protection?