These pics should probably go on the "Bonehead PO" thread. All of this carnage is the result of a homemade hitch. I am going to cut the hitch and bumper brackets off and grind everything down, but I want to add a class 5 receiver hitch and the frame is damaged in the area it needs to bolt on.

1. I'm looking for suggestions on the best way to repair this or..

2. I am looking for alternative hitch ideas so I don't have to repair it.

 

I CANT TELL EXACTLY WHAT i'M looking at, pics are pretty close up. The last one just looks like bumper breackets???

 

I agree with bashby. Those are just bumper brackets. We need pictures from farther away. From what I see there you could just beat it with a sledge hammer.

 

Maybe this pic will help to show the general area.

 

You could either bend that back straight and add a triangular brace or remove it and get an aftermarket hitch. Bothe would require welding up thet crack. Depends on your fab skills and how much $ you wanta throw at it. Is the rest of the "hitch" you have made well?

 

Just to be clear, I didn't make this hitch, and I am not keeping it. I will need to repair the frame before I can bolt on an aftermarket class 5 hitch though.

 

If you have to ask how to repair it, I am assuming you do not have a welder and can't repair it yourself. So take your pictures and go around to some shops and see if they will be willing to weld it up and repair it.

You could also go to the junkyard and get them to cut the back off a good frame, and cut the upper part of the good frame "C" off, and lay it inside your frame to repair it.

 

I had the same repair to make on my own. Although I just am going to grind the welds down and then throw a flatbed on it so its a moot point for my own application.

 

That's fixable. Get the bumper and brackets out of the way, cut off the hitch. Bend frame back in place and weld. Good idea to have hitch on hand to make sure it will fit as you do repairs. Drop that gas tank for safety.

 

Just to finish up this thread, I will post up some after pics. I decided to knock it all back in place, weld it, and also weld in some support pieces. I am happy with the way it turned out, I still have to knock off the slag and paint it. I know the welds aren't perfect, but they should hold.

 

Looks good to me, should last a long time. I like gussets.

 

That's what my Dad's motorhome hitch did, got peeled down from dingy towing a S-10 Blazer for years. We pushed the dammaged frame back in place and also installed a 3' long, 3"x3" 1/4" thick angle bar which we ran along the botton of the frame rail. As my welder could not do that frame welding, we temp used bolts to hold it together and took it to someone with a bigger welder! With the additional metal angle bar running forward, there's no frame movement and the little Blazer no longer wagged behind the motorhome.

 

I would of taken out that last crossmember to be able to weld the top completly, but tother than that is looks good

 

where the bumper brackets bolt to on the frame , there's 2 holes , take a piece of 6"x12"x1/4"-3/8" thick flat stock and bolt it to where the bumper bolts to and the tie it to your hitch so that the weight that you put on the hitch is also pulling straight down on the frame !

 

I think you're good to go!