I have a '04 E350 van. I need a recommendation for a Class III trailer hitch- In the past I have bought from Autozone, but all theirs say the hitch requires drilling- Is there a direct-fit hitch for this van?

 

Apparently Curt makes 14055 trailer hitch- doesn't require drilling, but the parts stores' website say they do.... which is only true when fitting to a F150. This hitch is compatible as a direct fit on the 2004 E350.

 

I just fitted a Draw-Tite hitch to my 92 van. 3 bolts per side, required front bolt on each side to be drilled through chassis rail. Pretty straightforward though, bolted up rear two bolts on each side, lay underneath with 18V cordless drill and added two more holes. Very easy!

 

Since I bought my own mig welder , I end up welding anything that I can weld. Probably not needed but......

 

I don't think I would recommend welding a towing hitch on. Frame rails are high tensile steel, which the heat from a weld will destroy. Draw-tite hitch uses 6x 1/2" grade 8 bolts to secure, which from memory have a shear strength of about 9 tons each. Should be adequate

 

Mine is bolted on but it came that way . If I were to weld anything now......I'd just do a few 1" beads here and there. I didn't mean to just weld w/o any bolts.

As far as weling up frame rails , I built numerous destruction derby cars and welded the hell out of them. Apples and oranges though. 60's steel vs 2000's steel.
I know on 18 wheelers they don't allow welding. Are you saying the van rails are made of the same material?

 

I don't know if it is exactly the same material specification, but it will be similar.

 

Welding isn't gonna affect anything in the strength department on the rear 18" of the frame rails. Hitch supplier ? e.trailer.com I've bought all my hitches in the past 10 years from them. They usually have the best prices and selection. I went with a Curt on my 96 E150 van. If you're not towing heavy trailers, just using the 4 bolts leaving the undrilled other two as is with grade 9 bolts is plenty sufficient.