Quote:
Originally Posted by 81Wagon
Other hitches I've seen bolt between the bumper/frame only; Mark's description of the Euro hitch implies the same as well. If I were towing anywhere near the rated weight (both the label on my hitch and the paperwork said 2,000 lbs / 200lbs tongue weight) I'd have installed everything. While looking at it it seemed like the muffler might be a problem (apparently it was) and I don't plan on pulling much weight at all with it, so I chose to leave them off for the time being.
If I tear off the bumper, I promise to post amusing pictures of the carnage  . |
Some things I noticed - with the U-shaped arm on my Euro hitch, the pulling force is directly in line with the crossbar and mounting bolts behind the bumper. Also, my Euro bumper is only fastened to the crossbar's mounting points. not to the arm and ball, so there's no towing stress on my bumper.
On the American hitch, the pulling force and crossbar is well below the mounting points, so some additional bracing should be used to prevent any flexing at the mounting bolts. Some have suggested also attaching the hitch arm to the bumper, but the telescopic US bumper shocks may cause additional problems here. Until you know what the effects are of leaving off the lower bracing, I'd only tow something lightweigt such as a small utility trailer or small aluminum boat.
While my Euro hitch is a more efficient design, it looks fairly spindly, so I would only pull something lightweigt with mine.
Happy Motoring, Mark