New World Datsuns...

Looking for a trailer hitch setup for my truck.

84 in year of 720... I do believe 84 and early hardbodies shared the same frame...

Hey Tim, I generally go to the PNP with the measurements of the width of my frame and get something that is about the right width.
I bolt it to the side or bottom of the rear frame, I have found that just that works fine for light loads, but if you haul loads daily like I do, I would weld a tang from the center of the tow package to something solid above it.
My frame actually got split down the side, it broke where the mount holes were drilled in the sides, so I pulled the tow hitch assembly off, welded the frame back to stock configuration, remounted the tow assembly, then I welded it to my flatbed frame structure in the center back, I have not had an issue since.
If you can find a tow assembly the same width as your frame that bolts to just the bottom, then make plates that connect the tow package that bolt on the sides of both the frame and tow assembly.
There are also some fairly stout bumpers out there if you can find them, I have towed several trucks home on one of mine on the 720 dually, they are aftermarket bumpers, and are very heavy, but if you can find one, I am sure you would be happy with the look also.
This is my bumper that I tow with, it is heavy duty.



These are kinda hard to find, but you might be able to beef up your bumper also, that would likely be a lot cheaper also.

That thing looks very stout!

The brackets off the frame look good. they are thick steel. its the brackets that go from the bumper to those metal brackets that scare me. They are weak, i was able to bend one with a 5lb sledge... I think thats a tad weak. I wasn't hitting very hard either.

Maybe i can pull the bumper back off and see about a way to re-inforce it.. or maybe get some rectangle steel tubing and build something a bit more beefy with some gussests... Steel is cheap across the bridge. I think i paid 3 dollars for my rectangular steel for the 510 trans mount.

I hope to tow datsuns with it.

Most hitches I installed where just 1/4" steel plate that was reinforced in places. usually bolted to factory spots. Fords had a total of 6 bolts run through the frame rails. Some were only 4 bolts. Usually 1/2" bolts. Just make a Tube receiver that goes with your current bumper. Cut some brackets out that weld to the ends of the tube, and then go up to the frame and bolt on, maybe run a inner plate to sandwich the frame. And then just figure out how get a receiver square on it... Or just attach your current bumper to the frame better...

I just went out and looked at my tow package again, mine is held onto my frame by 4 half inch bolts on the bottom of the rail, as I said before, the bottom rail almost got pulled off because the mount holes in the side of the rail cracked and the whole tow package drooped real bad, I thought I was lucky to make it home as I recall, so I removed it, bent the frame back into position and welded it back together, put it back on, but then added a piece of metal from the center of the tow hitch to the flatbed frame, it's not even that big of a piece of metal, but it takes the weight of anything I connect up that weighs a lot.
You can see in the photo below that 1 inch wide, eighth inch thick piece of metal just in back of the trailer light plug assembly that goes straight up, that little piece of metal solved all my issues.

You see the frame is not that beefy on our Datsuns back there, it's kinda thin, that's why it is better to have one that mounts to the sides of the frame rails than the bottom of the frame rails like mine does.
Here is my receiver, I bought this one because it did not interfere with my spare tire.

You can see the 2 bolt heads holding the receiver to the bottom of my frame rails.

Wayno man, thanks for the pics... that helps me out! Thank you everyone for the info.

I had some ideas, but i am no engineer or fabricator. My thoughts were about the same as what you have going on, a bit different of course but same general ideas.


I will take the bumper back off and come up with an idea. Maybe use google sketchup to make a drawing. it won't be precise in inches and stuff, but a general design. Ill post it when i get it done & get a chance to do it, and see what people think.

OK, I just went out and looked at how my bumper connects to my frame on my 720, it is held on by 2 bolts on each side,

But it is a re-enforced bumper that came with my first diesel 720 I ever bought, I have sold several diesel 720s over the years, but I always remove this bumper and keep it, you can see the added material on the pieces of metal going to the frame.

It's actually all kinda put together like a generic bumper was used, and then a mount bracket was welded on to the side to mount it, but this type of re-enforcement could be added to any bumper.

If I were you I would re-enforce what you have unless it is a POS, you have a welder as I recall, I hope these photos above give you a few ideas.

Here is a photo of the flat thick plate that was added to the generic bumper to mount it to the 720 frame.

You know I never really noticed how this bumper was made before, I just knew I liked it and would not let it go when I sold the truck.

lol wow man. that is some serious shit. Thanks again for the pics, they do help a ton

Here is a pic of the bumper, I will have to get another of the brackets. they look pretty stout. decent thickness. they are curved steel. meaning they are flat against the frame, but they also have metal on the top which is curved. I would of course want a gusset or two.

I have had one of them bumpers before, that one was made specific for that backup light setup.
Are the mount brackets only welded to the bottom tubes?
The one I have in the back yard doesn't have the cutouts for the backup lights, it's well made, but I would not likely tow another vehicle with it unless I did a little re-enforcing to the pieces of metal holding the bumper onto the frame, I would add metal to the sides to give it more sideways strength.
I likely would also add another piece of metal from the actual ball mount to somewhere on the frame, but that would be if I was towing vehicles behind the truck, I would not likely worry about it if I were just towing a small trailer with a dirt bike on it, it's your truck and I am not there to give an opinion other than overkill.
I actually have what you you are looking for sort of, but it's a bit overkill for hauling a couple dirt bikes.

I'm actually looking to be able to tow vehicles with it. Dirt bike fits in my truck There is a B210 I was given in salem, i need to tow it home. I know nobody with a trailer hitch on their truck. So gotta do it myself. Being able to tow my own rides would be awesome. No more relying on someone else to loan me a vehicle.

So overkill would be great, if it can tow a ride then a small dirt bike trailer would be cake


edit

and yes... the brackets bolt to the frame, then theres two small brackets welded to the bottom tube, that connect to the brackets that go on the frame. kind of a weak setup

It's only as strong as where it connects to the frame, as I found out the first time I had it fall apart on the work truck.
The ones that bolt to the side of the frame are stronger than the ones that bolt to the bottom.
Re-enforce what you have, and look around for a cheap tow hitch assembly, find a light one if you can, the one I posted a photo of is almost a hundred pounds, it's really heavy.

Yeah mine are side bolted to the frame. the outsides of the frame, with the curled steel on top

Pic

the weld at the bottom tube and strength looks weeny




Page for later reference
http://community.ratsun.net/topic/49386 ... ring-help/

BTW, when I towed all these vehicles home in the past with my diesel trucks, they had to be complete with the engine in them, vehicles without an engine do not tow worth a crap, the front wheels are always locking to one side or the other because there is no weight in the front, if I had room for a trailer around here, and it was really light, I would go that route.
Another thing I have had happen is that no one will rent me a trailer capable of hauling a vehicle for my small trucks, the weight ratio is not right, they only rent trailers to big trucks, that is why I tow with tow bars, and as far as I am concerned now, towing a vehicle with a tow bar with a non dually truck is dangerous, you have to be very alert 100 percent of the time or you will have an issue eventually, I have scared a guy riding with me once, actually twice, the first time(same trip) he asked me if we were fucked, the second time he thought it was over with, but he got in the truck with me again on another one we towed home, but that one was towed with the dually, and it was a pleasant drive without any surprises, the dually was the whole difference, as with the dually, the front of the tow vehicle is not being pushed around, you see with a non dually tow vehicle, the yaw screws with you big time, along with the groves in the road surface.

izzo wrote:Yeah mine are side bolted to the frame. the outsides of the frame, with the curled steel on top

Pic

the weld at the bottom tube and strength looks weeny




Page for later reference
http://community.ratsun.net/topic/49386 ... ring-help/

That curled part adds a lot of strength, but I would have to look at the other connection/weld before deciding on the tow worthiness.
These are old bumpers now, it's hard to tell how they are structurally in a photo.
It looks like a light duty bumper, I likely would not tow anything heavy with it for a long ways.
I don't go to the wrecking yards much anymore, but I would ask all on here to keep an eye out for a good rear 720 bumper like the one I have, it looks good and is capable of doing a lot, but isn't this big hunk of metal hanging below the rear frame dragging on stuff, and my work truck hitch does drag on stuff, that is something I have to be careful about, screwing up customers driveways with deep scratches, they don't like it.

LOL. I emailed him earlier today!