Hello there,

Am running a 1966 Ford F100 with a 352FE, New Process 435 Transmission, and a 3.50 rear end. My truck has a homemade bumper on it that the previous owner installed, it is a very stout bumper, its thicker then the frame. Recently I bought a Class III reciever hitch made to bolt on to bumpers, and installed it. It went on nicely and works well. However I have a concern. I bolted the reciever onto the bottom flange of this bumper, the only place I could. This flange is 1 3/4" wide and 1/4" thick, I am worried that under heavy loads I could damage or bend the flange where the reciever is bolted too. I will be pulling heavy trailers at least 5000 lbs with my truck and want to make sure I wont have a disaster and deaths/injurys from the trailer coming free of the truck. Do you think I will be able to tow heavy trailers with this setup, or is it too weak? Furthermore, is it advisable to exceed the rated capacity of the receiver itself? My truck has a maxium payload of 1000lbs, so I figure I could haul up to 10,000 lbs, with a tongue weight of 1000 pounds, safely and without problems.

Also, the two bolts that are supporting the reciever are 7/8" wide and about 4 " long.

Any and all input would be greatly appericated.



Thank you,


FERacing66

 

OK, no towing expert here, but one thing is for sure. Your max tongue weight is far less than 1000 lbs. Probably no more than 350.

Your truck is rated for 1000 lbs (theoretically) in the bed, not all the way at the end of the frame.

The receiver is held on by two (2) bolts? 7/8s is plenty stout, but two?

Seems to me the hitch ought to be mounted to the frame with more bolts.... not sure how that would work for your application, but that seems to be how they are mounted when you seem them installed on trucks and SUVs.

Also, that trailer got brakes? You'll need them.

 

Anything other than light towing will stress that truck's brakes, bumper and rear frame - it wasn't designed for it.
The rear axle is rated only at 3,300 pounds total weight, it is a light truck axle. (If you have a 5 lug wheel, which it sounds like you have.)
Also, the biggest danger you face is not pulling it, but stopping the truck and trailer safely.
Your truck's brakes are designed to stop far less than 10,000 pounds. The front ones are very narrow compared even to trucks made '68 and later. They just aren't designed for a lot of work. Check the GVW rating on the warranty plate, and you will find what your brakes are rated at - my guess is that it is much less than 10,000, and more likely 5,000 total weight. Check to be sure, though.
In the '60s, very few homeowners pulled trailers of any sort, so Ford didn't sell F-100 trucks designed for towing much. Ford did design a towing step bumper, but it was very stout, and was well bolted to the frame to prevent the trailer tongue weight from ripping it down and off. It was very stout; the frame brackets for that bumper are fully 1/4 inch thick steel - I still have a set among my parts.
The heavy duty towing back then was left to the F-250 and higher trucks.
In '79, I tried to tow and carry too much with a '65 F-100 like you describe. I nearly got wasted. The truck was rated at 7,500 pounds, and was what we called back then a "heavy half." It had the towing step bumper, an F-250 spring setup but on a Ford 9" lighter axle. It had the same 352, NP 435 and 3.50 rear you are describing.
The brakes were in excellent condition, but couldn't handle the load. I nearly lost control of the truck several times on that short hauling trip.
Just my thoughts.

 

Maybe I have a Ford towing step bumper? I am most concerned about where the reciever bolts to the bottom of the bumper, I dont want it too tear it off or bend the hell out of it. I relaize the brakes will not be up to the job, it is unlikely I will go over 5000 lbs.

 

Are you sure it is a class 3 reciever? I always thought a class 3 bolted to the frame rails.

Here in the east i have parted many trucks with a ball type hitch attached to the stock ford bumper. All were bent. The only one that i found that was not bent had 2 sections of 4 inch by 4 inch angliron welded to the frame and centered on the ball. Heavy sucker for a short bed 65 to haul around.

I would not tow anything attached to a bumper, Just personal prefrence. I have seen too many of them come off.

Garbz

 

There is a reason ALL receiver hitches attach to the frame!

I'm with Garbz, from what you discribed I would not haul more than a load of brush with that set up.

Man sorry, but when I hear someone talk about a bumper hitch and 10,000lb in the same post, makes me want to get way WAY out of the way!

10,000lb is impossible, 5000lb is not wise. Remember, when you are on the road, you are not just risking yourself. You are risking the others on the road as well.

Please be carefull!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Attention is invited to the fact that the GVW is the entire package - truck, cargo, trailer and its cargo.

Sounds like a good justification to upgrade to front disc drakes and the later wide rear brakes as well!

 

Normaly I'm in the camp that says a hitch needs to be bolted to the frame, but if Banjo says that particular bumper is strong enough, then I'd believe it.

As for the bolt on reciever hitch, I'd not count on that being strong, or even a true class three. I'm betting the package said something like "Reciver for class three style hitches" That means its a reciever for the 2 inch style hitch, not that it actualy IS a class 3 hitch. The problem would be that it only has 2 bolts holding it on. it would need atleast 4 to distribute the load

As for the truck it's self, the 352 and that 4 speed can pull a semi out of the mud, but the brakes can't handle more than 3 or 4 thousand pounds of load.

I'm running a 352 with a t98, esentualy the same transmission for gear ratios. I've put 4000 pounds in the bed several times, and pulled 4000 pounds on trailors and car dollys. The truck can pull that from a stop, up a hill starting in 2nd gear without a struggle, but stopping it is at the limits of what the brakes can handle. I don't tow at night, in trafic, or in the rain.

 

You can easily get a nice bolt to frame class III reciever hitch for your 65. I have one. It has three bolts, on each side, directly to the frame (and was a bit of a bitch to drill those holes in the frame, till we figured out how to use a floor jack to lift the drill up with the necessary force to cut some metal).

Those tubes that you bolt to the underneath side of a step bumper are not really for towing. Sure, a couple thousand pounds if its a very strong bumper, but nothing close to 5k.

I think you could do 5k on a 9" rear, assuming you have overload springs. But you would need to at least upgrade the brakes (read disk up front) and power booster.

LT or heavy ply truck tires inflated to a little pressure would help as well.

Just my thoughts....

 

The hitch says its a Class III hitch, rated for 5000lbs maximum trailer load, 500lb tongue load. You have to understand, this is not a typical bumper, it is 1/4" thick, thicker then the frame itself, it is well built and I dont have a problem putting a load on it. I usually would not tow on a bumper, but his one is as good as a reciever, proably better as its thicker and more stout then the frame of this truck. The weak point of this setup is the fact that the reciever bolts to the bumper with only two bolts, but they are huge bolts at that. I thought about putting a reciever on that bolts directly to the frame, but that would mean removing this bumper, and its too good of a bumper to do that. Its doubtful anyone could damage this bumper or my truck even in a sever rear end accident.

This bumper is less a bumper, and more a frame extension.

Also, this bumper is not a ford step bumper, as I thought, no way it is a homemade piece, no tubes or anything like that.

 

The danger from towing is trying to go too fast - keep the speed reasonable and watch your set up. Use a good sturdy safety chain tied to something substantial forward of where the bumper mounts to the frame - just in case.

I would be more worried about how the bumper mounts to the frame than the lower flange bolts. The bumper braces may fail either where they attach to the frame or to the bumper.

You lose nothing by trying it to see how well it works - the worst that will happen is that you bend your bumper. If so, you change the bumper out and add a true frame mount class 3 or 5 hitch.

My guess is that if you try to tow a 1000 pound tongue load either your rear end will be dragging, or your front wheels will be off the ground. The only way to use a rear mounted hitch with that sort of weight is to use a equalizer load shifting type hitch - they shift some of the weight to the front wheels.

A bumper hitch (or receiver type) has too much leverage - it keeps the weight at the very back of the truck.

Again,to keep things safe, stay out of traffic and go slow - until you get to know how your rig handles the load. You will be amazed at how much work your truck will do!

Generally, it is the driver that chickens out long before the truck gives up.

 

FERacing, I tow that weight with my 66 F100, that has front and rear brake upgrades, and a C6 behind the FE. I recommend that you tow with a properly mounted to the chassis receiver hitch, (no bumper mounts please). My hitch is a class IV. This is a photo with a 88 F150 4X4 on my trailer total combined weight of 10,400 lbs. http://forum.ncfto.org/coppermine/di...?album=9&pos=2 I pull the load forward until the bumper drops about 2" from where it measured before loading. Notice the stance of the whole rig.

When I learned to drive and use trailers there were no brakes on them and am not advocating that you run yours without them. When loaded I am more aware of my surroundings and find the trucks handles the load quite nicely. All IMHO

John

 

I have towed a LOT of weight with my '66 F100, but I have a gooseneck hitch that carries the weight in the bed about 4" ahead of the rear axle. An F100, driven carefully will tow 5000lbs well(with trailer brakes), BUT there is NO WAY I would hook 10,000lbs to ANY bumper mounted hitch, as WillyB and Banjo said, it puts the weight too far back. My concern would also be how the bumper is attached to the frame.

Also note Banjo's comment that the GVW is the ENTIRE combined weight, that includes anything attached(trailer) or carried in the bed, not just the weight ON the truck, but the weight ATTACHED to the truck!!