I just bought a 1988 F250 4x4 with the 7.3 IDI engine. This is the trailer hitch setup that it came with. It's looks half factory, half redneck engineered. Let me know if you think it would stand up to any sort of trailer pulling.









The only thing making me even consider using this for light duty pulling are the mounts that run from the bottom of the bumper, back to the frame. Somebody added those and they are welded them to the backside of the bumper. They extend back about 14" and then have 2 large bolts per side.

This is in addition to the stock bumper brackets.

A friend of mine needs his 2001 Dodge Dakota hauled later this week. The trip is only 20 miles with no speeds over 45 mph. The Dakota will be on a car hauling trailer from Uhaul.

Too unsafe?

 

If it were me i'd do it

 

Wouldn't touch that haul with a 10 foot pole. IMHO the only thing that hitch is good for would be a small utility trailer hauling one casket, empty. (For future use).
Not sure U-Haul will like it any better.....



A government that abrogates any of the Bill of Rights, with or without majoritarian approval, forever acts illegitimately, becomes tyrannical, and loses the moral right to govern-Jeffrey Snyder

 

That's fine for a lot of things... the rear step bumper has a class 3 rating, 500lb tongue weight, 5000lb pull. I have the same setup on my truck and have never had a problem with it pulling everything from sleds to some fairly heavy fiberglass boats in the 3-4000lb range.

 

I myself wouldn't trust it, it looks like the bumper is already bent down. It would 'probably' work ok for pulling light loads but I wouldn't pull anything heavier than a small utility trailer with maybe one atv or a small boat. The bumpers are rated only with using a ball in one of the factory holes in the bumper. By the time you put a drop hitch in the receiver you're putting way more leverage on it than was ever intended. You would be much better off buying an actual receiver hitch, even a used one and not worry about it. If you pull the bumper off of the truck safety chains aren't going to do you any good, and who knows where the trailer will end up...

 

Uhaul is never going to rent a car trailer to you with that hitch setup. They are going to require a Class III or better frame hitch. They also have a stupid system for deciding what tow vehicles are acceptable. They would not rent the car trailer to me to tow my '91 Explorer because the truck "does not weigh enough". They did not care that the weight of the Explorer on the trailer (about 4,000 pounds + 2,000 pounds of trailer) was under my factory tow rating, they were worried that my 5,200 pound truck was "too light" to handle the load. My grandpa towed a 9,000 lb. travel trailer with this truck from the day he bought it in '94 up until I got it, 6,000 lbs. is a non-issue. So I told them I was towing a focus and towed the Explorer anyway. To date I have towed the Explorer with my truck and their trailers 4 times, including 2 300+ mile trips. Truck tows 6,000 pounds with great ease.

Get a class III or IV frame hitch and ditch that thing if you want to tow anything that heavy.

 

Its really in your judgement here. The hitch looks pretty sturdy, but if it were me I'd ditch it for a frame mounted reciever class 5. Im sure its just as good as a reciever as a class 3, due to it being bolted to the frame and welded. But I was told that welding on a frame could weaken it and cause problems from towing something too heavy.

EDIT: Reread your post and it said welded to the bumper, not the frame. Well, that seems alright to me for some light duty towing, but if you were to do something heavier, I'd get a reciever.

 

Coming from someone who hauled a 4x dodge ramcharger behind a 2x 4cyl ford ranger with a tow dolly, totalling both, I say you won't know unless you try

 

Would have to agree with 94 f250. Uhaul will not rent a car trailer to you unless the vehicle is 1/2 the weight of the vehicle you are towing with. So if your truck is 4500lbs, then you can only be pulling a vehicle that weighs in at 2250. Youll have to lie to get the trailer. As far as the hitch, I'd go buy a reese hitch that mounts to the frame from Walmart. For the $150 your gonna spend, the piece of mind will be well worth it. Also Uhaul probally wont approve that hitch you have anyhow.

 

I wouldn't suggest 'fibbin' in this case, due to several reasons.
1) Any accident with U-Haul equipment, will need investigating for a claim, and the towed 'golf cart' turns out to be a towed 2-ton vehicle.
2) Safety. Not only for you and your investment, but the safety of the property and people around you.
3) Peace of mind. When you dont have to worry about your equipment, you are free to concentrate on the task.
Invest the funds to get your rig 'tow-friendly' and safe, and the rest will be paid back from the tow-jobs you take on in the future.
Just my honest opinion.

 

if it were me I'd get a real reese hitch to the frame! you can see the bumper bending down as it is !

 

That hitch is good for the same rating as the bumper is. I use olne on my 67 F250 so that my light duty trailers will be level instead of the front up in the air. I have a heavy duty bumper on the 250 that is as strong as the day Ford put it on there. I have pulled full sized trailers with a ball moubted on the bumper as per the original design, paying attention not to exceed the rating stamped on the bumper. Your bumper looks questionable. U- Haul not only goes by the class of the hitch but also by the braking ability of the towing vehichle versus the towed load.

 

I concur with most of the opinions of the set up. Technically (ideally), the set up would work for the job you are going to do now. If you were making a habit of towing vehicles then you would be better off setting it up correctly. I have towed a few vihicles with a setup similar to yours, or even with only the bumper. I took it slow and steady. But if you are incorporating another intity into your mix, i.e. UHaul, then you may want to get it redone.

 

I dont know about that setup...I would feel more comfortable hauling something with a hitch that is bolted directly to the frame...

 

Personally, I would not tow anything with that setup.