Quote Originally Posted by Frank S View Post
Ctptn Roy since the gap between the opposing plates that slip over the flange of a truck frame is 5/8" and most frames range from .250 to .375" and some heavy trucks use double frames when the .250" thickness is used there is very little projection of the bolts to the inside at most this would be .375" combined the least would be .125"
The good thing is many Semi tractors have a rear cross-member right at the end of the frame Some even have a plate bolted there for lights. this unit can accommodate them quite easily by being able to be telescoped in or out to the correct position. the extra attachments can be made to suit so the unit can be either bolted on the bottom flange or the top flange and the actual receiver can extend back over the cross-member or from under it. On smaller straight trucks with flat beds as the one in the pictures you can see how it could be mounted .
My friend has had to use it a few times on motor-homes of varying sizes one of the reasons why I made such a long attachment for it. Yes it is versatile and HD as you stated and just as you stated the common sense factor needs to be judiciously applied
When using the long extension I told him he should also add a pair of safety cables or chains from it to the widest location possible on the tow vehicle to stabilize it from any side forces when turning whit that thing sticking down a foot and a half and extended back nearly 4 feet you can see where a horrible twisting moment could be created. enough so, that even a small 3000 lb vehicle could pull it way off to the side and bend the extension or twist the drop down.
Sure it can take a few minutes extra time to connect everything so you can be confident in it being safe and should you be pulled over by a knowledgeable DOT officer he would be able to plainly see that the device could be considered safe for the towing purpose intended.
All the more reasons why I used the materials that I used because most officers are familiar with how receiver hitches look Mine looked like it could have been a special ordered unit from some hitch manufacture.
Thanks Frank, Your info. on sizes and cross-member placement is nothing short of spot on. Agin I think that this system could not be better built for what it was intended. That said I should have been a bit more detailed on the thoughts going through my grey matter at the time I was typing away at this topic. The truck industry is a monster that has finally evolved into something that could be relied on more so today than some years back. The sizes and dimensions you pointed out are as they should be and are found to be so pretty much across the board. Dealerships and private shops are more than ever doing the right thing by or through some very serious regulation. That was not so for many years and so many modifications and repairs were butchered by shops that wanted to screw folks over any chance they got! The customers were also sometimes to blame, trying to save a buck. Steel being used that was never meant to be there was all to often discovered by my guys in the shop. Dimensions that were unexplainable at times.

We wouldn't say to much to the owner other than what it would cost him to put it right because often enough it was he who asked for a quick cheap fix in the first place. Then the laws finally started to get more severe and shops and mechanics are held accountable for there work. Result is quality work, Spec. Steel and less crap coming in the shop. Doubled up C-channel, hey slap it on there.

Then again there is the other side of the coin that is still somewhat of a loose caboose and that's the RV Toter rigs we see occasionally that have some really unique rear end solutions spec'ed in there. Less regulated and more do-it-yourselfers going at it. Of course things should be modified at times and they are done so quite well by most, The problem like all others is that Common sense and lack of experience are sometimes a bit overlooked in some areas. They cover the rear-ends up with good looking decks and car hauler systems that seem ok but, underneath all of that skin some Steel frame rails that are not up to par are just waiting to bite someone in the butt. Now don't get me wrong on this one, there are many, many leggitt companies out there building some really awesome rigs for this market and folks that are willing to pay the price. They are the good guys, I've had to haul off road tractors that had folded in half pulling away from a fuel pump. That's where my grey matter was the other day! I just agree that that hitch will hold on to pretty much anything and will not be at fault for any other crap!!!!

RR