My DIY solution to the UEV 440
- Thread starter Rutdigger
- Start date
Rutdigger
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So today the hitch arrived early! Love it when that happens..lol. My first impression of those things is its a beast. Looks like a real solid design and the best part is that it has 90 degree rotation in ALL angles. I know, I know....90 degrees is overkill. I agree, BUT I like overkill. It used the Toyota Land Cruisers Ujoint. Anyway, here are some pics of it on the table.
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Rutdigger
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That was pretty much my face after seeing what you built... bravo man!
Brahahaha...I almost spit tea all over my phone! To funny! Thanks man!
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"So today the hitch arrived early! Love it when that happens..lol. My first impression of those things is its a beast. Looks like a real solid design and the best part is that it has 90 degree rotation in ALL angles. I know, I know....90 degrees is overkill. I agree, BUT I like overkill. It used the Toyota Land Cruisers Ujoint. Anyway, here are some pics of it on the table."
After looking at those pictures, I conclude it is quite possible I am not man enough to even pick it up off the table . . .
After looking at those pictures, I conclude it is quite possible I am not man enough to even pick it up off the table . . .
Rutdigger
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So far I'm impressed with it; but, I will know more after I get it mounted on the trailer and drive around with it for a bit.
Rutdigger
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I picked up the metal to mount the hitch today. So hopefully I can get that mounted up in the next few days. Will also be mounting the solar panel and the gauge cluster along with a 8 amp battery charger that we will run with our generator at night to recharge the battery bank. The panel will give it a trickle charge during the day that will help some. Stay tuned!
Rutdigger
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Ok, so I have to vent a little bit here. I love this hitch, but ****** was this guy thinking when he designed the base (footprint) of this base. The friggin bolt holes are not wide enough to allow the bolts to rest on the outside of the 2" tube that goes into the receiver tube!
Ok, so this hitch is designed to be bolted to plate steel and the steel welded to the hitch tube. This base isn't designed to be welded, as evident by the big *** "do not weld" on the side of the base. Here is how the stack would go. these are just scrape pieces uses for illustration purposes.
The stack will go: hitch base, plate steel, and hitch tube. Base would be bolted to the plate and the plate welded to the tube. But bc the base is to narrow the bolts will hit the hitch tube!
This is minus the plate to show you how the base is to narrow.
I guess I could use lug bolts pressed into the plate steel then just grind out divots for the bolt heads on the hitch tube so the plate steel will test flat on the hitch tube. Grrrr
I don't want to just drill holes, cut off the bolt head, and weld in place. I guess he probably designed this hitch to be used on frames that are open V's at the front. However, most if not all of the trailers we build use hitch tubing so we can change out receiver tubes to accommodate different type of hitches.
Just beware that if you buy this hitch you will have to work around this issue. I will post a solution after I get it done. I think the lug bolts will work pretty good.
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Ok, so this hitch is designed to be bolted to plate steel and the steel welded to the hitch tube. This base isn't designed to be welded, as evident by the big *** "do not weld" on the side of the base. Here is how the stack would go. these are just scrape pieces uses for illustration purposes.
The stack will go: hitch base, plate steel, and hitch tube. Base would be bolted to the plate and the plate welded to the tube. But bc the base is to narrow the bolts will hit the hitch tube!
This is minus the plate to show you how the base is to narrow.
I guess I could use lug bolts pressed into the plate steel then just grind out divots for the bolt heads on the hitch tube so the plate steel will test flat on the hitch tube. Grrrr
I don't want to just drill holes, cut off the bolt head, and weld in place. I guess he probably designed this hitch to be used on frames that are open V's at the front. However, most if not all of the trailers we build use hitch tubing so we can change out receiver tubes to accommodate different type of hitches.
Just beware that if you buy this hitch you will have to work around this issue. I will post a solution after I get it done. I think the lug bolts will work pretty good.
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Www.tonysjeep.com
Last edited:
Steve F
Adventurer
I've never seen a trailer here in Australia with a removable hitch, possibly not even legal which may explain it. The 2t one would work for you as it can be mounted with two bolts down the center line of the hitch. Most of our trailers also use an A frame (to allow the handbrake to mount using the two rear bolts), my army trailer is one of the few that has a single center tube so I had to work around that as well.
You could always mount a plate on top of the tube and hang it over the front and then brace from underneath (end of tube to underside center of the plate) so it is slightly skinnier and allows the bolts to drop in.
This is what I did, made the 'L' bracket that bolts to the tube.
Cheers
Steve
You could always mount a plate on top of the tube and hang it over the front and then brace from underneath (end of tube to underside center of the plate) so it is slightly skinnier and allows the bolts to drop in.
This is what I did, made the 'L' bracket that bolts to the tube.
Cheers
Steve
Rutdigger
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I've never seen a trailer here in Australia with a removable hitch, possibly not even legal which may explain it. The 2t one would work for you as it can be mounted with two bolts down the center line of the hitch. Most of our trailers also use an A frame (to allow the handbrake to mount using the two rear bolts), my army trailer is one of the few that has a single center tube so I had to work around that as well.
You could always mount a plate on top of the tube and hang it over the front and then brace from underneath (end of tube to underside center of the plate) so it is slightly skinnier and allows the bolts to drop in.
This is what I did, made the 'L' bracket that bolts to the tube.
Cheers
Steve
Thanks for the advice Steve....I figured that's what it was made for (a-frame type) after I thought about it, but dang, just a smidge wider base plate would solve all this extra fabrication. I bought the 3.5 ton. I'm gonna weld the steel plate to the top of the tube after I press in the wheel studs. Then maybe weld skirts on the edges of the plate to secure to the tube also, not sure yet, but it will look good as well as be solid when i'm done. I'm gonna try and get it done this weekend. You got any reviews for your hitch?
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Rutdigger
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Yeah it's 1/2. I thought about that also but I want the warm and fuzzy that comes with having some kind of head on the back. I got the wheel studs today, once pressed in I think they will work out pretty good.
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Rutdigger
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Hitch Mounting
OK, so here is what I did to fix the mounting issue I was having with the narrow base of the McHitch.
I pressed in Wheel Studs for a Toyota.
The studs gave me the warm and fuzzy with the low profile head on the back. A grade 8 bolts head was to think.
Then I ground out a channel for the heads to sit in and allow the plate to sit flush on the hitch tube.
Well crap....I guess I forgot to take pics of the rest..lol. I will take a pic tomorrow of the finished product after I get it painted and the end cap put on. I full length welded the plate to the tube and made sure I got a good burn in it.
OK, so here is what I did to fix the mounting issue I was having with the narrow base of the McHitch.
I pressed in Wheel Studs for a Toyota.
The studs gave me the warm and fuzzy with the low profile head on the back. A grade 8 bolts head was to think.
Then I ground out a channel for the heads to sit in and allow the plate to sit flush on the hitch tube.
Well crap....I guess I forgot to take pics of the rest..lol. I will take a pic tomorrow of the finished product after I get it painted and the end cap put on. I full length welded the plate to the tube and made sure I got a good burn in it.
Rutdigger
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Now you can see how the wheel stud bolt heads sat in that channel I ground out. I was able to just continue the weld right over the bolt head for more strength.
Footprint of the McHitch was to wide for the Reese hitch. I had to weld on some 1/2 plate steel to widen it out.
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