No worries. You have a 97 F-Super Duty... 22 years old, which is outside of the 21 year window where Ford changed and commonized the chassis cab frame to straight rails from cab back, without the slight hump that your frame has over the rear axle.

I normally post in the 99-03 forum, and I had forgotten that I was out of my neighborhood.

I see now where your hole is, and what you are doing is a sound way to introduce a bolt to supplement the welding that has already been done. The bolt you add offers a shear pin and a friction clamp, while using an existing hole in the original truck frame, and that hole is in the neutral stress zone of the web (center of the vertical plane of the frame). So you are doing EXACTLY the correct thing, textbook perfect. Maybe just use hardened washers and prevailing torque flange nuts.

But the real sketchyness of your rear tag hitch is the angle holding up the b-a-l-l-s. You can do something about that. You might even be able to run an lateral A frame behind it.

I'll show you yet another chassis cab hitch in the yard, on a truck I spec'd 17 years ago, that I'm specing the replacement for right now,...







This is just to give you ideas. I'm kind of thinking about what to do on the truck I'm spec'ing right now. I want to build for 40K GCWR, assuming a CDL will be behind the wheel. With 19.5K on the chassis, that means I want a 20K hitch... to tow a Bobcat 650. This is custom work, so there is no VESC V5 testing. Throwing iron at it, throwing angles on it, throwing bolts threw it. That sort of thing.

The number of bolts that you see in the truck in a previous post are not all Ford factory. Two of the holes are from Reese, to satisfy Fontaine Modification Company, to satisfy Ford, for the build of the SuperCrewzer and SuperCrewzer II, which then became the Classic Traveler. There's actually 22 bolts holding that hitch to the frame, along with two backing plates. Ridiculously overbuilt. Or at least "over attached."

You certainly don't need to go that far to augment what you have. After you complete the one bolt per side, I'd move on to the lower crossmember holding the ball. That's what looks a little sketchy.

 

Great ideas! I have the materials for 2 bolts per side, but I only have the split lock washers. I might go pick up a few hardened washers for the inner frame like you recommended. Then I will move on to the ball crossmember. Unfortunately I'm no welder, so I will have to take it somewhere to get it done. I'll ask for their opinion and show them your pictures to see what we can get done. Theeeen I'll move on to the gooseneck. Got quoted 450 for an updated weld-in gooseneck. I'll ask them about my receiver mess.