New Folding Tow Ball - 02/11/05

With my new rear bumper fitted I no longer had a tow ball and I do need one now and then. My original tow ball was too low for off road and often dug into the ground on steep climbs and descents so I wanted to come up with a solution to that which still allowed me to tow normal trailers. I decided it had to be either removable or fold up out if the way when not in use.

After lots of measuring and making cardboard templates I found there was just enough room between the bumper and fuel tank to make a folding tow ball that came down to the right height. Off came the new bumper and on went the new brackets for the swinging tow ball. The new tow ball is made of parts of the original bar with extra strengthening plates where needed.

Im definitely getting better at the welding!

Here's the tow ball fitted in it's brackets and in it's swung down towing position.

Here's the tow ball in it's folded position. You can see I added triangular plates to the sides to strengthen the corner and give strength to the holes where the stay bars will attach.

With all the welding done I cleaned the tow ball up and gave it and the brackets a good coat of white Hammerite. I also made up the stay bars that take the main towing forces and then fitted it all together on the truck.

The stay bars bolt to brackets on the tubular chassis crossmember which is where the original tow bar used to be bolted.

The stay bars attach to the tow ball by a large 12mm pin which I made from a long Grade 8 bolt with a retaining pin to keep it in place. Removing the pin allows the whole assembly to swing up out of the way and then the pin can be reinserted in a different hole to keep everything in place while I'm playing in the mud!

This is how the tow ball looks from behind. It swings down to a good height for normal trailer hitches and looks neat too!