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Hi all - new here I live in Iceland and have an old (1997, I think) Ford Ranger.
I'm not much of a car person. Several years back, my then-boyfriend had to remove the trailer hitch from my pickup because it didn't pass inspection - it didn't have the electrical connections that are required (brake lights, etc). At present however I'm getting ready to build a house and could really use the ability to haul trailers (for example, I have a load of 6-meter boards that I need to pick up - I've hauled 5m boards in the bed before and even that was rather sketchy!). I contacted the dealership about getting a hitch added, but because it's old, they directed me to a separate company that does it (which appears to be "the" company that specializes in adding trailer hitches here). But they want $1400 to add it, which sounds unusually expensive to me.
In Iceland you can generally get much better deals buying and importing parts yourself than when you let someone else do it, even despite the high shipping and customs fees (businesses here are often kind of monopolistic). I asked about how much the cost would be for just labour and they said probably around $650 ("depending on what the hitch was like"), and if I ask around, maybe I could find another workshop that would do it for less. But I went online to look for trailer hitches with electrical connections, and I'm a bit confused. For example, if I go on amazon and search for trailer hitches:
... none of them seem to come with electrical connectors. Rather there's a variety of different independent electrical connectors to choose from to purchase separately.
Do any of you know what hardware I'd actually need to buy?
most if not all hitches DO NOT come with electrical connections built in. The electrical connections are added to the recepticle some hitches have and that receptical can either be a 4 wire, or 7 wire connection with 4, 5, or 6 pole connectors as options. Hitches can be gotten her from salvage yards for generally $50 US, the electrical connections can run another $25 or so new. Look at the Camping World catalog (campingworld.com) for the hitch and accessories.
I dont know how connected you are to other countries such as england or norway, but maybe a boat ride to one of them would prove to be a cheaper alternative if you bought the hitch new/used and just have them install? $650 here would include the Hitch itself from most places. Also would depend on the hitch class you are wanting. You should have all mounting holes drilled and that is what take most time if it has to be done. If you can do minor maintenance, installing a hitch is no big deal with simple hand tools BTW. Also what are your rules on BUMPER mounts where the ball is mounted to the bumper without a receiver?
Hey, thanks for the tips! I don't mind paying more than $75 for parts when the installation labour is going to be so much, they don't have to be used (although I'm not opposed to used parts!). My issue is that I need to make sure I'm buying something that could actually be used. I don't want to just pick some random hitch and random electrical connector and find out that they're not what's actually needed. I'm not astute enough in these affairs to know for sure.
I'll check into rules on bumper mounts - I'm not sure what that means exactly, but I guess I'll find out And I presume that all of the holes are present, since there was some sort of hitch there before.
And regardless of the hitch I'd pick up one of those racks as well if they'd actually ship to here (investigating it); that would be quite useful for when I don't have a trailer. Easier for maneuvering in small spaces too, since the lumber would be extending partially over the cab and only stick out a few meters behind the truck, instead of being towed entirely behind the truck. Although I don't know whether I could install any one of those on the link, or whether only certain ones fit, or if there's anything I'd need to know before installing. While I don't know much about vehicles, I'm pretty well supplied with tools, and know how to drill, cut, and weld steel (my welds are ugly, but they withstand the sledgehammer test, so... )
(As for a ferry to the mainland, that would be very expensive... I don't know the 1 adult + vehicle cost, but 2 adults + vehicle is $750. So that option can be ruled out).
Ed: looks like my last hitch was mounted to the rear bumper (I just went out and checked); there's still the metal piece there, just lacking the ball (it has a hole instead). I sent an inquiry asking about trailer hitch regulations, hopefully I'll hear back tomorrow
bumper mount is just a ball on the bumper, see them on the etrailer link.
receiver hitch is mounted to the frame under the bumper see also the etrailer link.
as to connectors it will depend on 2 things. The wire harness on trailer is it just lights without brakes , easy 4 pin. Does it have brakes could be 5 or 6 pin. RV hookup has 7 pins. On all these they are add ons, some trucks were wired some were not but there are wiring kits that connect into the truck harness just need to look at etrailer link.
The racks shown were for big pickups, they are easy to fabricate particularly if YOU can weld. The pictures should show enough detail to copy. You said I think 6m meter boards thats about 18-20 ft depending on your cab that would be full length. Again depends on how much to haul. A lot of the racks I see here are homemade for hauling long laddes etc. Angle iron down bed sides and square tube up to above cab and more angle pieces to finish the platform. They do not have bottom floors just a piece or 2 crossways to keep everything together. A duplicate set up 6 or 8 inches high to hold stuff from shifting to the sides and ratchet straps to hold it down.
Ouch, those folks are very proud of their hitches.
On my 87 there are 4 about 3/4 inch bolt holes in the frame & I bought the hitch for about 30 bucks from PepBoys and about 5 minutes to bolt in on.
But this was about 30 years ago so maybe 50 bucks these days.
The bolt holes are spaced about 3 inches from each other.
Ouch, those folks are very proud of their hitches.
On my 87 there are 4 about 3/4 inch bolt holes in the frame & I bought the hitch for about 30 bucks from PepBoys and about 5 minutes to bolt in on.
But this was about 30 years ago so maybe 50 bucks these days.
The bolt holes are spaced about 3 inches from each other.
That's not pride, it's Icelandic monopolistic pricing
bumper mount is just a ball on the bumper, see them on the etrailer link.
receiver hitch is mounted to the frame under the bumper see also the etrailer link.
I didn't see anything on the page labeled bumper mount or receiver hitch, but I'm pretty sure my truck is set up for bumper mount - flat plate affixed to the bumper with a hole sized for a ball. I have a sneaking suspicion that when I (presumably) get a reply tomorrow about trailer hitch regulations that they'll tell me that that's not allowed
as to connectors it will depend on 2 things. The wire harness on trailer is it just lights without brakes , easy 4 pin. Does it have brakes could be 5 or 6 pin. RV hookup has 7 pins.
So I guess it's "anything with the minimum number of wires mandated by law". It'll probably be the 5 or 6 pin ones. Iceland is very safety conscious, they'll surely mandate brake lights (we have to drive with our headlights on during the day ).
The racks shown were for big pickups, they are easy to fabricate particularly if YOU can weld. The pictures should show enough detail to copy
I can see the general design, but I'm not quite clear on a few things.
1) What sort of profile steel (width, wall thickness) to use. I mean, I could model it up in a FEM program, but that would take ages I could also just wild guess it... but when there's nearly a tonne of weight overhead in a moving vehicle.....
2) How it's supposed to be attached to the bed. Surely it can't just be sitting in there loose.... can it? It probably has to be removable, I'd imagine the truck wouldn't pass inspection with it permanently attached.
The rest I should be able to figure out. And I know a company that can galvanize it.
Yes the bumper mount is the hitch ball with a threaded nut built in which is bolted thru the bumper center hole on the bumper plate where the license is located: https://www.etrailer.com/Hitch-Ball
generally the racks are bolted to the bed rails some may have stanchions stuck in the bed rail pockets also.
Hope this all helps. Again what you can use will be dictated by your own vehicle laws, but this is pretty much self doable even with minimum mech skills.
Never did get a response. But I took the approach of hiring a mechanic to add the electrical connections for $150 (total cost), and added a $20 ball, which I'll just remove when it comes time for the inspection
I'll just remove the ball for the inspection, just in case it turns out that it wouldn't pass inspection with it on, since I never got a response about the rules. And no need for a ladder rack now that I can tow. It's great to see the truck doing what he was designed to do.
I actually got a sms from a stranger the next day trying to buy the truck... He saw the truck at work and wanted him enough that he took the effort to track down a phone number for me. But, not for sale!
OUCH I hope that picture is a joke. No way should you haul that much weight behind your Ranger.
Heres the specs for the step bumper hitch for my 87 Ranger from the owners manual:
For towing with step bumper: "The step bumper has a built in hitch and only necessitates the addition of an appropriate ball.
The step bumper has a class one capability (2000 lb/907 KG trailer weight and 200 lb/90KG tongue weight.
I didn't realize you planned on hauling such a heavy load.
You need to follow the trailer towing instructions in your owners manual.
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I live in Iceland and have an old (1997, I think) Ford Ranger. 
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