Project Time! - 2" Rear Hitch Receiver

[OutdoorEnvy 1,522]

So I've been wanting a 2 inch rear hitch receiver for the tractors and came across a hitch receiver off a 97 F-150 that looked like a perfect modification project for this end.  It is straight square tubing and nice long mounting brackets.  Got it cheap enough and decided I'd have a go at making it fit.  The 312-8 will be the fitment rig.  It'll also get used by the C-100.

 

 

after some measuring it was time to cut it down to size and remove the clevis hitch

 

 

all work was done with an angle grinder and drill.  But this wasn't too complicated a project.  So I trimmed down mounting brackets and used that to replace the top mount bracket from my plow mount.  Measured all holes out and then drilled holes for the receiver part to fit.  It's not the most precise cutting as this was free hand but it'll do the job.  I'm going to weld in some some coupons on the square tube ends to close it up and paint it all regal red.  But for now I'm pleased with it and it's perfectly functional.  Just in time for possible snow too!

 

 

 

So this now has the 2" front and rear receivers.  Should make it easier to add some weight down the road as well. I'll do an update when it's painted.

 

 

thanks for looking!

[Pullstart 62,846]

12 minutes ago, OutdoorEnvy said:

I'm going to weld in some some coupons on the square tube ends

Good work, that thing is tough looking!  What are coupons? I’m sure it’s an auto correct flub, but I’m stumped!

[OutdoorEnvy 1,522]

Just now, Pullstart said:

Good work, that thing is tough looking!  What are coupons? I’m sure it’s an auto correct flub, but I’m stumped!

 

Thanks!  They're little square or rectangle pieces of metal for welding.  Usually what people practice with or use to make tabs or gussets, etc. 

[Pullstart 62,846]

I’ve been welding a long time.  I’ve never heard that one.  I learned something today!  

[lynnmor 7,305]

2 minutes ago, Pullstart said:

Good work, that thing is tough looking!  What are coupons? I’m sure it’s an auto correct flub, but I’m stumped!

The word "coupons" is usually used to define a sample for testing, I think he is referring to gussets.

[OutdoorEnvy 1,522]

4 minutes ago, Pullstart said:

I’ve been welding a long time.  I’ve never heard that one.  I learned something today!  

 

Well the guy who showed me a little about welding called them that...so you know how that goes...maybe it's a regional slang?

Edited January 24, 2023 by OutdoorEnvy

[ebinmaine 67,462]

Excellent work there.

 

I'd like to add something on the fitment here having done this myself in the past.

I've built one hitch and modified another and they were both for eight speeds.

When I went to install it on the 1975 Automatic last year it did NOT fit.

 

Automatics are a little wider than the manuals.

 

I've kept a bad Automatic casing set aside with my old three speed. Both had bad outer bearings and were shredded. They will be used as a jig to be able to use to make my future hitches.

[OutdoorEnvy 1,522]

@ebinmaine  Thanks Eric.  That's good to know.  Both my rigs are 8 speeds so should in the clear on this one.  But my friend has a 417-A that I probably would've assumed matched as I may make up one for him if I find another hitch receiver. 

[ebinmaine 67,462]

Just now, OutdoorEnvy said:

@ebinmaine  Thanks Eric.  That's good to know.  Both my rigs are 8 speeds so should in the clear on this one.  But my friend has a 417-A that I probably would've assumed matched as I may make up one for him if I find another hitch receiver. 

 

If you get to that point just let me know and I'll snap some pics and measurements on the core transmission I have.

 

You can find those receivers by themselves on the interwebs for less than 20 bucks. After that, cross pieces and braces depends on what you have laying around.

[ri702bill 8,318]

5 minutes ago, ebinmaine said:

After that, cross pieces and braces depends on what you have laying around.

...and your ability to lay a weld bead with the worst of them !!  

[moe1965 738]

I did the same setup on one of my tractors but I mounted the receiver upside-down to give me a little more height for moving a small landscaping trailer around and  still have the smaller hitch that came on the tractor to move my small yard trailer and lawn  roller.  

[ebinmaine 67,462]

1 hour ago, moe1965 said:

I did the same setup on one of my tractors but I mounted the receiver upside-down to give me a little more height for moving a small landscaping trailer around and  still have the smaller hitch that came on the tractor to move my small yard trailer and lawn  roller.  

 

 

 

We did that on Trina's  Military Tribute Tractor, 856, "Millie".  

 

Originally I did it so she could use the Single Ripper Spike but I came home one day to find the Monster Splitter in a different place.  

 

[Lee1977 6,658]

Two receiver hitches is better then one.  The top one is braced to the top of the transmission. The bottom one hooks on to the top one and is held in place by the WH hitch pin it's easily remove. 

[Lee1977 6,658]

On 1/24/2023 at 12:19 PM, ebinmaine said:

Excellent work there.

 

I'd like to add something on the fitment here having done this myself in the past.

I've built one hitch and modified another and they were both for eight speeds.

When I went to install it on the 1975 Automatic last year it did NOT fit.

 

Automatics are a little wider than the manuals.

 

I've kept a bad Automatic casing set aside with my old three speed. Both had bad outer bearings and were shredded. They will be used as a jig to be able to use to make my future hitches.

The clear space between the two axle mounts on a auto needs to be 12".   The 8 speed 10 1/2" will clear the cast triangle reinforcements. If you have snow blade bracket on the tractor you need to make the mounting holes match up.

[OutdoorEnvy 1,522]

Well got the ends welded up and painted it Regal Red!  First time filling gaps welding and it was a learning curve.  So don't expect to see a pretty bead on them.  But they'll do the job.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Looks much better than rusty black!  Thanks for looking! 

[Tonytoro416 1,034]

Looks like it will hold up just fine.  I have learned when welding and doing fab work FIT UP is everything.  I learned to spend more time getting things to fit really nice rather than trying to fill gaps with weld. I am definitely still learning. Also weld coupons are a thing. Can be found on the internet. As someone said generally they are precut piece intended for welding tests and certifications.  Good job man looks pretty good 

[oliver2-44 9,743]

On 1/24/2023 at 11:19 AM, ebinmaine said:

I'd like to add something on the fitment here having done this myself in the past.

I've built one hitch and modified another and they were both for eight speeds.

When I went to install it on the 1975 Automatic last year it did NOT fit.

 

Automatics are a little wider than the manuals.

 

I've kept a bad Automatic casing set aside with my old three speed. Both had bad outer bearings and were shredded. They will be used as a jig to be able to use to make my future hitches.

@ebinmaine  This is sort of an old thread, but you comment about C series Automatics being wider than gear models doesn't make sense to me in relation to the hitch.  Both the C Automatic and Gear drive tractors use the same attach-a-matic. 

Am  I correct that your saying the main "gear housing of the automatic is wider so you have to account for that in how your side angles are mounted.

If that the case, the a rear receiver hitch designed to fit on an automatic and use the attach-a-matic undir it, would also fit on a gear drive - Correct?

 

[ebinmaine 67,462]

21 minutes ago, oliver2-44 said:

If that the case, the a rear receiver hitch designed to fit on an automatic and use the attach-a-matic undir it, would also fit on a gear drive - Correct? 

 

That's the key there.  

A home made hitch I built to fit 3,4 and 6,8 speed transmissions didn't fit my Automatic. 

But...

A hitch built on an Automatic should transpose to a manual transmission just fine. 

 

The Automatic transmission has a larger square size to the axle tubes.  

 

[ranger 1,750]

Nice job👍 Is it connected to the drawbar pin lugs? If not I think it would benefit from a couple of lugs underneath the cross piece to brace the receiver to the transmission. Because you have the four mounting bolts in line with each other, and at right angles to the receiver tube, any heavy weights hanging on the hitch further out will try to bend the mounting bolts. More so over rough ground. Bracing to the trans will help prevent that. Due to the cutouts in the vertical legs of the angles the receiver is bolted to, you have lost some stiffness here, and these could bend. Again bracing to the drawbar pin mounting on the trans would help. These comments are certainly not meant to be a criticism, just wouldn’t want to see something potentially bad happen that could be avoided.

[ebinmaine 67,462]

10 hours ago, oliver2-44 said:

@ebinmaine  This is sort of an old thread, but you comment about C series Automatics being wider than gear models doesn't make sense to me in relation to the hitch.  Both the C Automatic and Gear drive tractors use the same attach-a-matic. 

Am  I correct that your saying the main "gear housing of the automatic is wider so you have to account for that in how your side angles are mounted.

If that the case, the a rear receiver hitch designed to fit on an automatic and use the attach-a-matic undir it, would also fit on a gear drive - Correct?

 

 

10 hours ago, ebinmaine said:

 

That's the key there.  

A home made hitch I built to fit 3,4 and 6,8 speed transmissions didn't fit my Automatic. 

But...

A hitch built on an Automatic should transpose to a manual transmission just fine. 

 

The Automatic transmission has a larger square size to the axle tubes.  

 

 

On 1/25/2023 at 6:04 PM, Lee1977 said:

The clear space between the two axle mounts on a auto needs to be 12".   The 8 speed 10 1/2" will clear the cast triangle reinforcements. If you have snow blade bracket on the tractor you need to make the mounting holes match up.

 

@oliver2-44 Jim.. 

Just reading down through this thread and I found that @Lee1977 gave the perfect description for what I was trying to word out. 

 

 

[Handy Don 12,217]

On 2/6/2023 at 3:49 PM, OutdoorEnvy said:

Nice design and execution!

If you got decent penetration into the tube and filler, that’ll hold nicely.

Next time pull out your angle grinder and just smooth it out--that's what I do! 

Edited July 22, 2023 by Handy Don

[ebinmaine 67,462]

33 minutes ago, Handy Don said:

Nice design and execution!

If you got decent penetration into the tube and filler, that’ll hold nicely.

Next time pull out your angle grinder and just smooth it out--that's what I do! 

 

 

A wise man once told me there's nothing wrong with using a grinder. 

 

And that's good. 

That's very good.  

Because pretty welds... I do not make.  

[kpinnc 12,017]

On 1/24/2023 at 8:39 PM, Lee1977 said:

Two receiver hitches is better then one.

 

Agreed 1000 percent! 

 

[OutdoorEnvy 1,522]

On 7/22/2023 at 7:41 AM, ranger said:

Nice job👍 Is it connected to the drawbar pin lugs? If not I think it would benefit from a couple of lugs underneath the cross piece to brace the receiver to the transmission. Because you have the four mounting bolts in line with each other, and at right angles to the receiver tube, any heavy weights hanging on the hitch further out will try to bend the mounting bolts. More so over rough ground. Bracing to the trans will help prevent that. Due to the cutouts in the vertical legs of the angles the receiver is bolted to, you have lost some stiffness here, and these could bend. Again bracing to the drawbar pin mounting on the trans would help. These comments are certainly not meant to be a criticism, just wouldn’t want to see something potentially bad happen that could be avoided.

 

I don't currently.  Am planning to do that though.  Debating designs as the draw pin in my C-100 is seized.  So thinking of a C shape to fit over the top and sides on each end to help with down pressure mostly.  I'll post an update with what I come up with.   

[ebinmaine 67,462]

13 minutes ago, OutdoorEnvy said:

Debating designs as the draw pin in my C-100 is seized.

 

Those can be a right regular bugger to remove but likely worth the effort vs reward.  

 

Any pics of what exactly is stuck?