I have a 1995 f150 4x4.

But I installed a 1997 rear bumper rated for 5000 lb. towing. (looks less rugged)

My bumper step is too high to use the bumper ball....so I bought a receiver that bolts under the step and added a 6" drop with a ball.

Now.....The step was too narrow to use the 4 bolts...so a friend used his MIG and welded it on (ground each to bare metal)...one 6" weld at the back and 2- 3" welds at the front.

Im not a welder so I am a little concerned with the strength.

Is this strong enough to tow a 3000lb fibreglass boat?

Thank ya.

 

a good weld is stronger than the metal it holds together, so i wouldn't worry about that.

however, if you're putting your trailer load 6" below your bumper, there will be a lot of twisting force (torque) on your bumper. maybe you could have your buddy weld up some supports from your frame down to the hitch point to prevent that bumper flex?

just my 2c worth...

 

That's because the heat of the welding affects the metals that it holds together and weakens them. That's why a lot of manufacturers but a tag on the frame that says to never weld to the frame.

 

I should mention that I only tow the boat twice a year.
Once to put it in the water from storage and one to take it out for the winter.
Any other use would be a small utility trailer.

I did noticed the flex when i stood my 244lb body on the ball and bounced up and down.
Not sure what the added weight of the bounce was but I am pretty sure it was greater than the 250lb tongue weight.

 

Welding the back of it to the bumper was a good idea, in addition to the bolts (you are using the 2 big bolts through the left and right ballmount holes in the bumper to hold the hitch on right?). As long as the welds got good penetration and no porosity, it should be ok.

A 6" drop isn't all that much, but I do agree, it is an extra lever arm for the tongue weight to twist the bumper with. As long as you're not exceeding the tow rating of the bumper, I wouldn't sweat it about the way you mounted the hitch if you're using the bolts too, the way you describe your light and infrequent use of the hitch.

A better way to do it would have been to buy a full frame-mounted receiver hitch for the truck, which you can get for about $100 or so for a class III, 2" sq. opening at the local autoparts or trailer supply store, if you decide the bolt-on hitch isn't to your liking.

 

I wasn't planning to use any bolts....I will need to drill holes as the existing bolts don't line up.
This setup only cost $14.99 plus the weld. The receiver was on clearance and is made up with 1/4" steel. good deal.

In about 10 min I will have pics in my gallery. Please take a look.

 

The tags that you have seen were probably on larger trucks that have heat treated frames. Using proper techniques minimizes the HAZ (heat affected zone) and results in a weld joint that is equally strong.

Sounds like the hitch is adequate for the use intended.
You would probably have a real hard time trying to break it with a sledge hammer and the bumper would likely bend before the welds failed.

However, attach the chains to the frame if possible or the bumper and not to the hitch itself. That way if the welds are suspect at least you still have the boat captured. I say this because the mass marketing of mig machines has created a lot of wanna be welding experts making gorrilla welds. (Ugly but strong). Was this welder plugged into an ordinary electrical outlet or a 220v outlet?
Not trying to point the finger at the guy that did this weld but any time that I read of something like this the thought crosses my mind.

Why wasn't the hitch welded on the sides also? I would have run a bead in the bolt holes too.

BTW, I welded the 5th wheel hitch brackets to the frames on my last 2 F-350's. The hitch manufacturer gives the welding specs for doing this.

 

Ok, I just took a look at the pictures...the welds are not what I would trust. Also, there is a lot of missed areas that could have been welded to increase the strength. There appears to be a lot of roughness in the beads that leads me to believe they may be poor. I would have run 2 additional beads on either side of the 1st. The large hole in the bumper should be welded to the top of the hitch too.
The beads that are in the pictures should have just been the start of this job instead of the finished product.

At this point I can say that he probably used cored wire in a 110v machine.

 

110v Lincoln MIG Pak 10 Welder using Lincoln Flux-Cored Wire

There is good penetration into the bumper and hitch materials. (can see it from the side)

Can't weld in the whole or along the underside (1/2") gap between the two plates.
All areas where the two piece meet are welded.

 

We almost never use welding in aircraft. The propertes of weld metal are similar to a casting because it is melted and then just cools to room temperature with no control of grain size or orientation, even with your fancy inert gas welders that at least prevent air from contaminating the metal too much. How good are the properties of a regular open-air gas weld? A bolt or rivet has very predictable properties. Note that the frame in your truck is riveted or bolted together. Critical load paths never go thru welded joints. That being said, the safety factor in trailer hitches is probably so great that a good weld is still more than strong enough.

Jim

 

This is not true! There are certified aircraft being built today that are welded frames of 4130 chrome moly tubing. At the big experimental aircraft fly-ins they even have welding workshops to teach aircraft welding. My dad held 13 certifications for airframe welding.
It is true that 6061T6 aluminum as used in aircraft structures does not lend itself to welding since it is chemically treat to obtain it's strength. 6061T6 does weld very nicely using 4043 as a filler either in tig or mig applications and if the ultimate strength is not a factor then welding is fully acceptable and often used. I just finished a modification on a Club Car golf cart which has a 6061T6 frame and used 4043 filler in my mig gun.

The photos that I see of the hitch weld shows a bead that I would question...but that's just me.

 

I came home and drilled two holes and used 2 of the 5/8" bolts to mount the receiver.
My 5/8" bit warped and turned blue...there goes a $20 bit.

But in the end..Better safe than sorry. I figure with the welds and two bolts it will be as strong or stronger than the four bolt installation.

I will take a pic if you want proof that i listen.


Thank you all and I will try to fly low.

 

I'm glad you used the bolts. I would try to get the other two bolts in there too, if at all possible. I don't have much confidence in the welding to hold it together now that I see the pics. I wasn't aware earlier that there was a gap between the hitch and the bumper plate. For me to depend on the welding to hold it on there, the 2 plates would need to fit flat against eachother and the hitch be welded all the way around, with a welder that has more juice and using shielding gas instead of flux core. Fortunately your trailer isn't heavy. It would have been a good idea to put a piece of 1/2" plate in between the bumper plate and the hitch to take up the gap so the bolts won't be as likely to come loose. It's probably too late for that now.

I also agree about attatching the safety chains to something other than the hitch or bumper. I would attatch them to the frame. You can get longer safety chains at any trailer supply shop or online at www.etrailer.com so your chains can reach the frame. You can get J-hooks to put on the chains so you can attatch them to the frame easier. J-hooks are available at tow truck suppliers, like www.awsdirect.com and are easier to hook onto frames with than other style hooks. Maybe wire them in place so they don't slip out of the frame.

If you decide to tow anything heavier than the boat, I would strongly advise you to get a frame-mounted reciever hitch to tow it with.

As for the driling, when you drill a large hole, do it in steps. Start with a small bit and work your way up to the final size. Also, the bigger the bit, the slower you should drill, and use oil, like 3-in-1 or gun oil or pnuematic oil or even wd40, to cool the bit so it doesn't blue and lose it's edge.

 

I was afraid I would offend some certified welder out there and that was not my intent. I have worked with some of the best welders in the aerospace industry when we were making odd-shaped aluminum oxygen tanks for spacecraft. When I was at Rockwell, we developed diffusion bonding, which is a weld-like joining of titanium for the B-1 bomber.

Yes, there are tube-and-fabric experimental aircraft, but what are the current production certified ones? Civilian and military aircraft builders, like my current and past employers, avoid welding if at all possible. Ultimate strength is not the only problem, there is fatigue. Weld metal is still more brittle than the base material no matter how skilled the welder.

Sorry for the slightly off-topic sub-thread, but hopefully this is of some technical interest to the group.

Jim

 

Hello....I moved the boat today. What a nightmare.

1. I see what you mean about the flex in the bumper. It was like a hooked the boat up to a bungie cord...bounc..bounce...bounce.

2. Chains were too short but I wrapped a tow chain around the truck frame and then hooked them up. (It was very safe)

3. Truck pinging was soo LOUND and no power I was praying that there was no hill to climb. (Just got the truck in Nov.) It has a 4.9l 300. But that should be plenty of engine.

4. I will NOT pull the boat again unless I change the current hitch setup..Like add frame support bars. Or scrap the current and buy the frame mounted class III hitch.

5. But the welds look good still intact.

Thank you for all the info.