I peeked under my dad's 97 F250, and saw that it's basically just a piece of channel stretching from frame to frame. And the mounting rails that current manufacturers use (Custom Trailer Hitch Products, Custom Receiver Hitch, Heavy Duty Towing, Curt Manufacturing) are nothing more than just a piece of angle and a piece of steel with 2 end plates for bolt-up mounting to the side of the frame. Is the design utilizing a piece of channel (stretching across from frame to frame) that my dad's truck uses (and has for thousands of bails (often 11-12 6' bails at a time) and full loads of cattle) adequate enough to use on mine? I've heard the point loads on the frame (from the channel) causes high stress points that you want to be careful of, but just welding a piece of plate to the channel to create a uniform load would fix that. Just wondering what is acceptable practice. Thanks in advance.

 

I don't see why could not make you could not make your own, getting it over the axle, being directly over or forward is the key to the way it handles or hauls the load, so that has to be right.

 

That's the way the local welding shop did on my '87. It has hauled many loads, some in not so good conditions and never caused a problem. They did weld 12" long plates running front to back of the frame to the end of the channels to stabilize them. I'm just not comfortable welding on the frame so that's why I had the welding shop do it.

 

You sure could, the way we used to do it was just bolt a thick "U" plate inside the bed across the frame rails and bolt through the frame. It was obviously an annoyance when you went to haul something in the bed, but hey they were farm trucks. It's stronger if you were to also use side plates on the frame and bolt through the side.
The B&W hitch I have fits nicely enough and stores flat, and it's made from thick angle and flat steel, but only bolted together with grade 5 bolts, can't figure that one out. For what they cost these days not sure it's worth the hassle to make your own, unless you don't mind having it permanently mounted inside the bed; then it could be done cheap.

 

Anyone got any pictures of their set-up?

 

I had one in my 97 that was just a piece of 3/4" x 6" steel welded to the frame with a 2-5/16" g/n ball welded in the middle. My dad didn't weld his ball in and made it so he could unscrew it when he didn't want it (just welded the nut).

If you use channel I would reinforce it with plate. The PO on my work truck went cheap and used channel and a std 2-5/16" ball. Lets just say when I turn it makes a lot of noise as the channel looks like it could be used to make a rocking chair and the ball sits too low so the hitch rubs the channel. Definitely on my list of things to fix!!