Exterior Hitch Storage

[Levon]

Greetings All,
My brother-in-law has come up with a very good way to store your hitch after parking your trailer. No more worry about leaving in the tow vehicle's receiver and busting your knees or getting grease all over your clothes. No carrying in the back of your tow vehicle or just leaving it on the ground near the trailer for someone to borrow and never return. Just lock in place and place a vinyl cover over the top to protect from the weather.

I will be making the same adjustment to mine in the near future, just wanted to share this with the forums members and give him credit. (James Witt).

Best Regards,
Levon

[fltlevel510]

Levon,
Nice idea! Just wondering if welding to the frame weakens the frame or if any damage can be done to electrical system since it is a negative ground system.

[RLS]

Good post and a great idea! I like it, and will be making it

Bob

[moosetags]

Neat idea.

Brian

[TBRich]

Great idea...have seen this sort of thing but welded to the bottom of the frame rather than the side so it goes into the receiver from the side. Handy idea...and I don't think it would interfere with frame strength as long as the frame has not been scored, cut or otherwise compromised in the process... Keep someone from walking away with your hitch, which would be a total bummer! We keep ours on the truck while camping and cover with a vinyl cover we made...

[Kevin245]

Good Idea...One of those "Now why did'nt someone think of this sooner" moments.

I wouldn't worry too much about tongue strength loss as long as the weld is of good quality and did not undercut the parent metal of the tongue. I will likely do this to ours as well.

Anybody want to buy my old shin guards now?

[funkill]

Sa-weet! Wish I could weld. Think Gorilla Glue would suffice?

[ROBERT CROSS]

Towtector & haha makes it difficult, this was my solution.

[Jim Foster]

I store the bars inverted in their carrier on the side of the hitch. Then I put the hitch ball back in the socket on the tongue. I then take a "Brinks" long lock from Walmart and put it through one bar chain, the hitch lock-down on the tongue, then the other bar chain.
I then take a second long "Brinks" lock and put it through the hole on the hitch where the hitch pin goes when attached to the truck to keep someone from backing up and sliding the hitch into their TV and making off with the trailer.

Using this method keeps someone from using another hitch, and I don't have to use a lock in the tongue as I do in storage.

Works good for me.