Michiganders - Install 2" receiver on rear of 5th wheel

I would like to have a 2" receiver(maybe Hidden Hitch) bolted or welded or both to the 5'er frame. We plan on using a bike rack and/or a cargo carrier. We will not be pulling anything heavier then this. I'm looking for a place in Michigan that can do the job for us. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Thanks,

Gary

Try Total Trailer on Auburn Rd. in Rochester Hills. (248) 853-0033 Call or visit first and see what he says.

Just make sure that your length stays below the max in MI. My friend was over by a foot and he got a ticket and had to leave his boat at the rest stop and come back to get it.

John

I actually saw a guy at Clear Lake SP in Atlanta, MI towing a fishing boat behind a travel trailer. I asked him if he'd ever been stopped and he acted like he had no clue and said that he had been doing it quite awhile.
As far as 5'ver's go, I would estimate that 80% are over length in MI.

ActuallyI'm not going to pull a boat. I will be using the hicth to carry a bike rack and/or cargo carrier that is about three feet wide.

They make a bolt on hitch that attaches to the bumper that would be heavy enough to carry bikes on most likely a cargo carrier. I used one on our tt and will most likely use it for the wildcat. A big plus is it is alot cheeper than a hitch and can be moved easily.

I would be real careful bolting anything to the rear bumper; I didn't even like the spare tire back there. A bike rack has a long arm and could put some real twisting motion on the bumper. Things bounce around a lot that far back from the axles.

The Hidden Hitch is an easy install; any trailer shop should be able to handle it.

Link to photos in my signature.

If you decide to use the bumper, you need to reinforce it either with some additional welding or bolting. See my photos in the link below.

Thanks everyone for your responses.

Scott,
Did you have to move the stabilizers?

Shooter,
How did you fasten the hitch plate in the bumper?

retireclose wrote:Thanks everyone for your responses.

Scott,
Did you have to move the stabilizers?

Shooter,
How did you fasten the hitch plate in the bumper?

Yes, I moved them.

retireclose wrote:Thanks everyone for your responses.

Scott,
Did you have to move the stabilizers?

Shooter,
How did you fasten the hitch plate in the bumper?

Since I don't use the bumper for hose storage, I drilled 4 holes through the bumper, slid in a plate and fastened the hitch with 4 bolts (photos in link below).

Shooter,

I like your idea of bumper and frame reinforcements. Would I pickup angle iron at a welders shop, scrape place or some place similar?

Thanks,
Gary

My friend who just put momey down on a Wildcat is having a welding shop put on a hitch for him. My Wildcat came with a factory hitch on it. It doesn't have a wiring harness. I'll put one on both of our this spring.

This is one that I just ordered from (JC Whitney) for $63.00
Just bolt it on, Iam using it for a bike rack.

Take it from someone that learned the hard way. Get a local weld shop to fabricate a hitch for you or at least have them reinforce the bumper. When we purchased our cat in spring it went to get a hitch before it came home. It cost about $ 350.00. This seems to be a decent price. I've seen some lower and lots higher on other forums. The bumpers are not made to take the weight of several bikes bouncing up and down. I had the receiver that bolts to the bumper on our last fiver and the bumper literaly tore away from the frame. Left one bike on a four lane interstate and a second one was dragging and ready to fall off. I often think of the people behind me that had to avoid ( hopefully )a bike laying on an interstate.

KH

Thank's for the advise, I will be doing some mods to the bumper to
make it stronger. That is definitely a hard way to find out.

Where do I find angle iron for reinforcement? I'm thinking of using 3/8" x 3.5" x 3.5" to reinforce the bumper to the frame extension.