Show me your balls

Now that I've got your attention how do you have balls attached to your vehicle. I have an advanced design Chevy and it has a stock rear bumper I'm trying to find a way to attach a ball to it that doesn't look gaudy. I don't want to switch to what I would call a farm bumper. Any ideas and or pictures would be great.

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I've been thinking about this same topic. My plan is to make a hidden receiver that would be mounted using the same bolts that attach the bumper brackets to the frame. The receiver would be recessed behind the bumper, so it wouldn't be very noticeable. Then you could have the extension piece, possibly with a gooseneck to raise up the ball height. No pictures yet because I haven't made it. Do a search for hidden hitch and you'll find a few threads about this.

 

Does the ball have to be attached to the bumper? A hidden stinger reciever up under the bumper would be better, you may have to make the stinger to fit your drop/dimentions.

 

How about a fold down lic. plate bracket and hide the receiver behind it.

 

I always thought what if you cut the square out with a thin blade and then attach that piece to an extra dummy hitch to plug in when not using the ball and then just leave the ball in the trunk. This way it looks normal with the filler piece in.

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Take a look at the way a newer land rover hitch works. It has a hitch that attaches upward behind the bumper so it's completely hidden

 

My main issue is that this stock bumper location is extremely low. I thought about mounting a receiver directly under the bed and running a drop hitch out and over the bumper. I'm just not sure thats the best way to go. I would prefer to not modify the stock bumper

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I would mount a receiver behind the bumper an have a removable license plate that covers the hole slide the hitch in and tow remove and install plate for cruisin.

your truck is ***s btw

 

we posted at the same time a black hitch above the bumper would not be an eye sore and the hitch could drop out over the original bumper.

 

Here is mine with a universal reese type hitch. Sort of hidden, but you can safely haul almost anything.

 

I don't have time right now to take pictures but my hitch is completely tucked up behind my bumper and mounted between the frame rails. The design is similar to a Cl*** 3-5 but instead of the drawbar going straight in, it goes up into the receiver. When the drawbar is not installed the only way you'll see my hitch is if you get on your knees and look up behind my bumper.

 

Here's a shot of the truck

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I got one on the Galaxie , but iam not going to show you my balls . Completely out of site until you run into it with your leg.
I'll get pix up later.

 

Thats a good looking pickup Adam!

 

Here's mine. Mounted hitch behind the roll pan. Added Monte Carlo license bracket. Lift bracket and slide reciever in. Plug in light to the hidden plug beside the hitch.
When using a bumper just use a reviever that is stepped up or down.
Made the old fashioned way

Click photo to make larger.

 

I took a piece of 2x3 tube, cut it the width of my frame rails, bought a reese step bumper hitch.(see link) Welded the hitch to the tubing, bolted the tube to my frame. Put the hitch behind the licence plate and just pull the plate when pulling a trailer. You cant see the hitch unless you are on your back looking under the truck.


http://www.reeseprod.com/content/products.aspx?lvl=2&parentid=1000&catID=1070 &part=0

 

Sorry man.... I don't play that ****!..

 

That's nice. What do you guys tell the cops when they pull you over because they don't see your rear plate?

 

My license plate is mounted on the receiver, when I pull my trailer I put the plate on the trailer

 

Well you have only 3 options to pick from. Each option has its own details to make work

1 under the bumper.
2 thru the bumper.
3 over the bumper.

1 too low and tongue weight will make it lower
2 requires bumper modification
That leaves 3 . But a trailer will make it ride a bit lower so don't modify your bumper via road contact.

 

For this installation most of us only have ONE ball.


About the Cops seeing the tag. On the type tag frame I have you simply lift the tag frame to put fuel in the car it was originally on..... Now it hides my hitch so I lift and install reciever. That leaves the license tag in a flat position above the reciever. The Cop will see the tag on the trailer or whatever I am towing. No need to see the tag on the panel truck.
After all, this is Florida, most tags are dirty, bent, non existant, or belong to someone else.
I may be wrong. I was once before.

 

What ever you are towing is behind the rig and with the one the plate is just tilted up anyhow.


On the 48 it will probably have a long stinger that goes into the receiver that will be hidden above the bumper. Heavy enough to pull a teardrop trailer.

 

get some plate and angle and straps and make a good old fashioned hitch.

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showpost.php?p=1332267&postcount=2

 

I plan to run nerfs on my 47 and since I'm not going to move the licence plate off the trunk lid I don't think there is going to be any way to hide a hitch.
Back in the day, a lot of rods had hitches on them and no one gave it any thought. Especially if said rod was used to flat tow a race car.
Since it's a black car, what peeks out under the rear pan will be chrome.
I'd like to use a stinger so I'm not cracking my shins on the ball, but we will have to see how that works.

 

I bought some used AD bumpers for my '48 F1. The rear already had an old time looking hitch with a slot through the bumper for the stinger. I added a some length to the stinger and a couple of crossmembers to the frame.

 

LowKat,
That's really sanitary. I'm pondering building a tube bumper, kind of g***er like in shape, but much smaller in diameter. I could incorporate the hitch in the bumper.
The little trailer I plan to pull is only 4'x6', so it's not a lot of weight.
Poor old flattie won't pull a lot anyway.

 

I made one out of some square tubing and 1/4 plate. I ran a tube between the frame rails and added some gussets. It is behind the license plate which folds down. I suppose you could also go through the bumper and put a small receiver type third brake light in.

 

Okay I took some time to take some photos of my setup. You'll have to excuse the filthy car but I drive it and I race it so you get what you pay for.

Before


The hardware



The end result - ready to tow and my plate is clearly visable

 

^ in many states the date stickers are required to be completely visible

 

So....We are talking about trailer hitches here, and you are concerned with whether or not a guy in another state has his tag showing properly...really!?!