I'm looking to install a hitch on my '49 Mercury M-47 (think F1 here) with the goal of pulling my sailboat to the local lake. I don't anticipate pulling more than #2000lbs ever with it but I'm not sure if just mounting a ball to the bumper somehow would be substantial enough.

With that in mind, does anyone know of a bolt on trailer hitch/hitch receiver that will allow enough room for the spare tire under the bed? Ideally, I need something that will clear the drop on the stock rear bumper as well.

I'm not asking too much am I?

I remember seeing a part number somewhere in a thread for a (DrawTite?) receiver which would bolt up but I don't remember it. If anyone knows that would be great. I'm just aching to see how well that granny gear will do on the killer steep ramp we have here!

Thanks!

Ryan

 

There has been several threads about this over the years. I think the general consensus is that there are several manufactures that offer hitches that will work. Due to the age of our trucks you'll probably find them listed as "Universal" fit (which means its fits everything but what you are trying to put it on)
Take some measurements from your truck; frame width, etc and start browsing the online catalogs and see what you can find. I think our frame widths are comperable to 72 and earlier trucks but I don't remember for sure.

Right now I'm just using a ball mount and a step bumper. Like you I don't planning on pulling anything more than my little single azxle utility trailer or my jet ski, so I'm not too worried.

Bobby

 

heck here the Exploder is close to the 28 dimensions.

Complete List of Hitch Specs & Body Lift Fix - Ford Explorer Ranger Enthusiasts "Serious Explorations"®

 

Thanks! The Explorer hitches look promising...anyone used one?

I did find the part number in an old thread -- Drawtite # 40050 and a reference to one from a mid-80s Chevy Blazer. Do either of these clear the spare?

 

Hey Ryan, You could put the whole Explorer frame under it and not worryabout your boat. Just messing with you. Bob

 

There were a couple of towing bumbers made after market that fitted on our trucks. They were usually a step plate type of bumper with the lights incorporated and a side brace that bolted to the back of the stake pocket. Usually they were made of diamond plate.

 

I've said this several times and my memory gets worse every time. I took my '49 to a draw-tite place and I believe a mid '80s blazer unit bolted right in perfectly. The guy measured inside to inside. Went into his storeroom, came out with a big-a$$ed Drill and it was installed in 5 minutes. Used it without trouble for years.

 

Bob...great idea! Better yet, quit working on this silly thing and go get an Explorer to pull the boat with. Sailing is soo much cheaper, right?

Speaking of...do you think you could take some measurements on your Explorer frame and confirm whether one of those hitches would work? I think you said the width was the same, right?

 

Well, I'm not sure how big of a boat this is but the farmer stores around here have a large selection of trailer hitch type items. Sqaure receiver tubes and bolt on receivers for a rear bumper if you think your bumper can handle the load. Our Walmart here has an adjustable width receiver unit. There are also RV trailer hitches made to bolt around back bumpers availible at the local RV stores; uglier than the bottom of bumper bolted on units, but I imagine they create less stress on the stock bumpers.

I have a heavy duty aftermarket rear bumper and may add a receiver if the ball hitch is too high. I plan on getting a small cabin cruiser when the truck is done as I got my wife into my dad's flying junior (13'3" dinghy) and she started crying the second I pulled the sails up. Come to think of it, everyone I've sailed with eventualy showed fear and the desire to get back on land.

Clayton

 

I'm sailing a Compac-16 which has a 500lb shoal draft keel. We've tried to flip it and have had it out in winds strong enough to rip my working jib apart and never been able to get more than a few gallons of water to come into the cockpit. Upside is it's a safe boat, downside is it's heavy for the size--it doesn't start to sail really well until the winds are 15 to 20mph! I'm looking at about 2000lbs pulling load which is questionable for the bumper.

I have an inquiry in with Etrailer.com to get some measurements and here is what I've narrowed it down to in case anyone is interested:

Drawtite# 41001
Drawtite# 40050
Drawtite# 41504
Drawtite# 75034
Valley# 81050

Here is the application list I used:

1963 - 1972 Ford F-100, F-150, F-250, F-350
1969 - 1975 International Trucks Full Size Pickup
1963 - 1987 Chevrolet Pickup with 8 ft. Bed
1963 - 1987 GMC Pickup with 8 ft. Bed
1999 - 2000 Ford F-350 Super Duty Cab and Chassis With 34 inch Wide Frames

I think the 75034 will be the ticket because my frame starts curving upward at about 17" from the rear and the others may not sit flush on the third hole. The crossmember is 12" in from the rear, the spare tire mounts are at 14.5" in, the bumper has a 6" drop and sits just shy of 8" beyond the frame end.

I will be taking a gamble and ordering one of these today. I will report back on how which ever one I get works.

Ryan

 

I'm sorry - I didn't reas the entire original post.
You want a hitch to put on your classic Ford Truck to haul a Sail Boat?
Hasn't anyone explained to you that you have to work on a Sail Boat? They are very difficult to fish from - every time you cast something gets hung up in the rigging - it's almost impossible to set up a good troll speed.

I'm sorry I got all caught up in this thread - just thinking about sailing has gotten me worn out - I gotta go take a nap.

 

Ya, that's a little bigger than the FJ so a bumper mount is questionable.

That sounds much better than an FJ for a family outing. The FJ gets intense at 15-20mph but that's how I like it. It reminds me of hot rodding but with a more instant gratification in speed tweeking.


"1999 - 2000 Ford F-350 Super Duty Cab and Chassis With 34 inch Wide Frames"

Hmmmm... How wide are the frames?

 

Ryan the compac is a fairly heavy boat. My Herreshoff Bullseye with a 750# lead keel weighs 1500#
After you get your hitch mounted could you also measure the vertical distance from the bottom of the rolled pan under the tailgate to the top of the receiver. I need to do the same on my 49 f-1 but I have already made custom ss bumper mount brackets that tuck the ss bumber in and up from stock and I want the receiver to be just under the ss bumper.

 

Any boat means Bring Out Another Thousand!

 

LOL...you aren't kidding my truck hobby seems quite economical in comparison! Check out West Marine if you want to feel better about your truck expenditures.

I do agree, it is hard to fish from and you don't actually really get anywhere, but it's great on gas and if the breeze is up you really feel sporty.

I ordered the 75043 from Emily at Etrailer.com and here are the measurements she gave me:

34" wide
6" deep (I think this is wrong so I'll measure when I get it)
5 1/4" drop (they say it is "safe" to shim this one and offer them for $2 each)

The 41001:

34" wide
17" deep (between fist and last mounting hole)
5 3/8" drop--no shims recommended

I think either will work so I chose the smaller/lighter/shim-able of the two. We'll see if I'm right in a few days. I will take some photos and post all the measurements when I'm done.

Ryan