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Anyone mounted a trailer hitch on a 49-54 Chevy?

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by Roothawg, Jan 20, 2008.

  1. Roothawg
    Joined: Mar 14, 2001
    Posts: 25,774

    Roothawg
    Member

    Just thinking of pulling a small airstream or maybe even the Fly occasionally with the 50. Pics would be most helpful.
     
  2. Von Rigg Fink
    Joined: Jun 11, 2007
    Posts: 13,401

    Von Rigg Fink
    Member
    from Garage

    I have designed and CAD eng. a Rese type hitch for my 53 chevy. Although it hasnt been built or put into use (yet). I have looked into doing this. If your intersted in what I have to offer soot me a PM
     
    Roger DeLillo likes this.
  3. Most the hitches I see on cars this era in junkyards and the like are bumper mount hitches that you wouldn't want to pull a whole lot with. But a heavy frame-attached hitch is tougher because it would have to stick way out on a car with a bumper.

    Something with a shape like the one on my Suburban - where it drops down and out - would probably work, but it would have to fit between or around the frame rails and bolt through them sideways I would think. Might want to use some tube in the bolt holes as reinforcement. The reciever as noted would have to either be extended outward or you'd have to use a ball mount with a long shaft to it.

    You could get closer if the car doesn't have a bumper, but I think if I was towing I'd want the bumper so that if I ever screwed up and backed it around too tight I'd hit that first. I've been known to screw things up now and then.

    A 49-52 Chevy is like 3500 lbs - light - so whatever you tow would have to be fairly small anyways if you hope to stop with it. That's probably the other reason I always see bumper hitches - between the light weight and the small motor, towing much over 1500 lbs was impractical.

    I'm not sure what those small trailers weigh, but the bumper add-on ball may well be good enough for what you want to do.
     
  4. Von Rigg Fink
    Joined: Jun 11, 2007
    Posts: 13,401

    Von Rigg Fink
    Member
    from Garage

    rustynewyorker..makes a good point too about the weight of what you are planning on hauling with these cars and if they still have the stock brakes and all.. I would suggest to keep it light..or put an electric brake contoller in the car and have trailer brakes..Insurance.
     
  5. Kurt
    Joined: Nov 18, 2003
    Posts: 698

    Kurt
    Member

    The wife wants one on the '53 gasser to pull the dragster around. What a sight that would be.
     
  6. wayfarer
    Joined: Oct 17, 2003
    Posts: 1,789

    wayfarer
    Member

    I have an original bumper mounted hitch on my '53 wagon. It bolts to the backside of the bumper bolts and then has an arm that goes forward and mounts to the rear brace on the frame. I built one similar on my mom's '50 hardtop. it has a piece of angle that bolts to the back of the two center bumper bolts then has a reciever welded to it that goes back and has a bracket that bolts to the rearmost crossmember on the frame. At least I think that's how I built it, it's been awhile. My parents pull a 13' scamp with it, so it only weighs like 1000 lbs loaded. I can get you pictures of the accessory hitch on the wagon, as it's off the car right now and just sitting in my garage.
     
  7. lewislynn
    Joined: Apr 29, 2006
    Posts: 3,425

    lewislynn
    Member

    Say what you want about bumper hitches but I remember when they were the norm into the 70's.

    If you went to U-Haul or other rental yards they had (universal) bumper hitches that clamped to the bumper...People pulled some pretty good sized loads with those, a lot more than a tear drop trailer, including towing cars with a tow bar that also clamped to the front bumper.
     
    arse_sidewards likes this.
  8. Roothawg
    Joined: Mar 14, 2001
    Posts: 25,774

    Roothawg
    Member

    I don't want anything that clamps to the bumper. I would rather have a receiver type hitch that bolts to the frame. I may hafta add some overload airbags to raise it up a bit. As far as towing something over 1500 lbs, I would just throw set of trailer brakes on it.
     
  9. I built one for my '40 Chevy convert. you need a long receiver tube and some 1/8" plate. The parts that attach to your frame are inverted triangles with a flat across the bottom. They need to be long enough to span between the frame rails. The rear one needs a flange on the top to bolt to the rear rail of the rear cross member. The front will need a couple brackets fabricated and welded to the frame rails in a manner to bolt the triangle to behind the rear end. The triangles need to be tall enough for a hole in the bottom to slide the receiver through. Weld the receiver to each triangle. Fabricate a chain loop and you're good to go.

    I know, a picture would be helpful. I'll see if I can get a good one tomorrow and some dimensions for you. I made one for a '34 coupe for a pal with this same basic design and he tows a sleep four tent camper with no problem. I tow my tear drop, a Mullins and a 5x9 utility trailer with mine - never a problem.

    Charlie
     
  10. Leon
    Joined: Jul 22, 2003
    Posts: 361

    Leon
    Member

    I removed the stock crossmember at the rear of the chassis on my 54 and replaced it with a heavier piece of 2x3" tube. I welded triangular braces running up the frame on each side, and a 2x2 receiver to the middle with a couple gussets. The side pieces (2 on each side) sit under the old rivet holes so everything is plug welded to the upper part of the frame. I can jump up and down on the hitch and don't see any deflection.
     

    Attached Files:

    7car7 likes this.
  11. Here's a couple pics of what I did on the '40.

    Pattern - modify for your car. 36" long on top, 6-1/2" tall in center, 4-1/2 wife on bottom, 2-9/16" hole 21" up from bottom, ends are 1" high. I welded the flange to the top. 1-1/4" wide. I pre-drilled 3/8" holes in it and the rear frame rail first.Every 3" or so. Everything was made out 11 ga. mild steel. Same basic triangle on both front and rear.

    My old club placque hangs behind it when not towing and tips up on the tongue when towing. I like the idea of the receiver tube running under the tank to the front brace which stops any twisting action at the rear bracket. There are a lot of forces at work on that hitch. I'm not knocking Leon's design but I would worry that it is not robust enough.

    Just my $0.02 worth.

    Charlie
     
  12. usmile4
    Joined: Jul 28, 2005
    Posts: 690

    usmile4
    Member

    Back on the farm in the 60's we had this old stock 50 Chevy. We got a trailer hitch from the local Western Auto Store. It was flat stock about 1"x 1/2". It attached to the rear cross member and had a "t" piece welded to the hitch that stuck up and bolted through the center bolt on the bumper.

    We used that 50 Chevy to haul hogs to the market with a trailer that probably ran over 2000 lbs loaded. We also used it to tow loads of corn and beans to town. You never wanted to haul it when it was wet or snowy cause it took a lot to stop those wagons full of grain!
     
  13. OLLIN
    Joined: Aug 25, 2006
    Posts: 3,150

    OLLIN
    Member

    I had bought this one for my 50, but I have since sold the car. Its a Fulton universal hitch that fits all kinds of different cars from the 50's (up to '59). the instructions tell you how to configure it, in the picture its configured for 49-54 chevy. It bolts through that rear cross member and one bolt through the bumper. It says its rated for 2000# gross, but If you were gonna actually do some real heavy towing I have to say Charlie Chops' looks pretty sweet.

    Let me know if you are interested, I was going to ebay it. Its a cool period hitch. and its already chromed!
     

    Attached Files:

  14. squigy
    Joined: Nov 30, 2003
    Posts: 3,915

    squigy
    Member
    from SO.FLO.

    Car or truck? here is a pic of my old truck...
     

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  15. Roothawg
    Joined: Mar 14, 2001
    Posts: 25,774

    Roothawg
    Member

  16. squigy
    Joined: Nov 30, 2003
    Posts: 3,915

    squigy
    Member
    from SO.FLO.

    Ok,guess my picture wount help...:)
     
  17. Leon
    Joined: Jul 22, 2003
    Posts: 361

    Leon
    Member

    The 1/4" tube on mine is the same as the hitch that is on my motorhome with a 10,000 pound rating. Should be heavy enough.
     
  18. No problem Leon. I'm sure the tube is tough enough. My only concern is the tongue twisting the cross member as the trailer bounces around. I might have missed whether you are running a strap up to the bumper - which would alleviate that problem to a large degree. It'll probably be just fine.

    I tend to be a belt AND suspenders sort of guy...

    Charlie
     
  19. BadLuck
    Joined: Jan 7, 2006
    Posts: 3,055

    BadLuck
    Member

    Great thread...I was thinking about putting one on the 52 so I could pull a small Shasta trailer...great info...
     
  20. Roothawg
    Joined: Mar 14, 2001
    Posts: 25,774

    Roothawg
    Member

    Thanks for posting all this guys. I have been preoccupied with the Fly but I should be back on the 50 soon.
     
  21. agasrcng
    Joined: Jul 2, 2006
    Posts: 137

    agasrcng
    Member
    from Mounds, OK

    Hey Root, have you decided if yer gonna run with us in CSGA yet?? It sure would be fun to have ya!:)
     
  22. Leon
    Joined: Jul 22, 2003
    Posts: 361

    Leon
    Member

    The picture doesn't show it, but I put two pieces on each end of the tube that extend about 9" up the side of the frame. That prevents any twisting of the tube and spreads the load up almost into the rear spring mount. Once I got the car back together, I compressed the suspension of the car by winching down on the end of the trailer ball while measuring twist of the whole assembly (used an indicator similar to an old beam type torque wrench) and didn't see any movement. I feel confident that it's stronger than any bolt-on hitch that was used in the old days. I had one that was on the 54 and it had two u-bolts around the stamped crossmember with a bolt to the bumper. When I stood on it the bumper bent. With the present hitch, it I put something on the back that could cause it to flex, I probably wouldn't be able to tow it with a car anyway.
     
  23. madwrencher
    Joined: Mar 2, 2007
    Posts: 77

    madwrencher
    Member
    from ohio

    I've seen those hidden hitches on custom like 80's chevy pickups where you flip the plate up and the reciever slides in under the plate. some thing like that shouldn't be too hard to do with a plate bracket like the ones on most gm cars from the 70's or 80's where you would flip the plate and put in the gas.
     
  24. Andrew Williams
    Joined: Feb 20, 2007
    Posts: 223

    Andrew Williams
    Member

    I found one at a thrift store that would fit my 53 pontiac. I don't know it the chevy is the same. The pontiac has a frame cross member just behind the bumper and I could bolt it to the bumper and also this crossmember. It had holes that would line up with the bumper and frame. All i did was drill the ones in the bumper and frame. This hitch looks old probably 50s or 60s. It looks good for this car. I just came out lucky with this one. I have no Idea what it was originally made for probably a pickup or wagon.
     
  25. Hotrod F-1
    Joined: Dec 19, 2006
    Posts: 581

    Hotrod F-1
    Member
    from OK

    He better. :p :D
     
  26. Roothawg
    Joined: Mar 14, 2001
    Posts: 25,774

    Roothawg
    Member

    I tried to give the old man some $$ the other day.....he told me to wait til spring......I plan on making a few. I hear they have some more altereds coming.
     
  27. Leebo!
    Joined: Nov 22, 2005
    Posts: 800

    Leebo!
    Member
    from Yale OK

    My 54 that I have in storage there in okc has a "towing package" on it. Looks decent for a hitch, but i dont remember how or where it attached. Everybody that has seen it has made fun of it. Somebody asked me if it was "Barris" exclusive!!
     
  28. BigJim394
    Joined: Jan 21, 2002
    Posts: 767

    BigJim394
    Member

    Do some measuring on the distance between the rear framerails and how the bumper might interfere with a receiver type hitch, then find a friendly BIG U-Haul location that installs hitches, and see if they will let you look at and measure some of the hitches they have in stock. You might find something that is close that you can modify with a little fabrication and welding.
     
  29. slammed
    Joined: Jun 10, 2004
    Posts: 8,150

    slammed
    Member

    Jim Level in Broken Arrow, OK. can fix you right up. Contact Junior Stock via PM and get the address and phone #.
     
  30. Roger DeLillo
    Joined: May 19, 2022
    Posts: 1

    Roger DeLillo
    Member

    Hello, I know its late to your post, im looking to build or buy a frame hitch to pull a small 4x6 enclosed trailer with my 54 Chevy Belair. You can email me please, Rhynotzworld@gmail.com
     

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