found myself with some spare time today so i decided to make an adjustable hitch, this is what i came up with. ring was cut out of 1" plate, body was 2" square solid and the adjustable part was made from 3/8x2 flatstock. the 2x2 reciever piece was beveled 25deg each side to a point in the ceter then Tig welded, it looks like a butt joint bit it is 100% welded all the way through, just as strong as if it were cut out of solid. all other joints got 3 pass Tig welds resulting in a 5/16" fillet weld. overall i am very happy how it turned out. i cut 4 other 1" plates in a diffrent shape, i will drill a 1" hole in them and mount all the diffrent size balls to them so i can use it for towing too.

That looks really good! Nice welds all around, i will be building one here over the winter for next season. Again man, nice work!

That is freakin sweet. :cool:

nice job

Ben

:phatyo:Nice

Lookin good.

:cool2: thanks for the ideas

after looking it over i think i will add a gusset to the back side of it, i wanted to keep it as close to the truck as possible but i think a gusset would be a good idea even if it costs me a couple inches.

looks great very clean. did you cut your ring out of the 1" plate by hand

looks great very clean. did you cut your ring out of the 1" plate by hand

no i have a cutting machine available to me

i can cut decent with a torch.......but not that good!

Nice piece.

I see why your name is TigMan250 :D nice welds man. I'd definitly go with a gusset on the top thou. Get pulling off them top holes thats a lot of down pressure pulling on it. Like you said keep it as close as possible.

i was definitley going to mention a gusset because i've smoked 2 hitches due to no gussets and it's not fun lol

Nice Job! Ready to build one for me now? J/k! I wish I my weld's looked half as good as those!

thanks for all the comments guys, tomarrow i hope to get the gusset on and some work done to my towing attachments....that's if my wife agrees with my schedule:rolleyes:

great lookin welds

It sucks to have to add length to gusset but probably suck worse bening/tearing it apart at a pull. Awesome looking hitch though buddy! I love it.

What size chamfers did you have on the horizontal portion of the hitch? I would say if they were 1/2"-3/4" chamfers you should have enough weld penetration that a gusset may not be needed.

What size chamfers did you have on the horizontal portion of the hitch? I would say if they were 1/2"-3/4" chamfers you should have enough weld penetration that a gusset may not be needed.

i beveled the horizontal piece 25 deg each side to a point in the center and multi passed it until it was full, 100% penetration. to be on the safe side i put a gusset on it today, i don't like shit that breaks.:rolleyes:

here it is with the gusset, i also welded up one of the ball mounts. no chance of it breaking now, i'll rip the ass end off my truck before the hitch gives out:cool:

http://img219.imageshack.us/img219/6571/ballsetup007rqk6.jpg

http://img219.imageshack.us/img219/6649/ballsetup006rmw6.jpg

ball mount. just have to sand blast it all now then send out for black oxide so it matches the sled ring.

http://img219.imageshack.us/img219/1170/ballsetup002rat6.jpg

http://img219.imageshack.us/img219/8638/ballsetup003rqk3.jpg


http://img219.imageshack.us/img219/6302/ballsetup004ray9.jpg

Still looks good! How long did it take to weld that thing up?

If only my welds would come out that amazing.

Still looks good! How long did it take to weld that thing up?

the L bracket took about 15 minutes to weld, the accessories (sled ring and ball mounts) take a little over an hour apiece, fixturing takes a long time because i didn't over size the holes (didn't want the hitch soppy) and with that much heat imput you have to have everything held very solid through the welding process if you want the holes to line up. today i took the time to make an actual welding fixture so hopefully next time i can cut that time in half or more.

If only my welds would come out that amazing.

it takes years, keep practicing.

aluminum is my favorite to weld, here is a pic of a door i made.

http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/1283/hpim1452vw2.th.jpg (http://img220.imageshack.us/my.php?image=hpim1452vw2.jpg)

You sir, have a lot more patience than me! :D

i'd like to learn how to TIG. never tried it.

Tig welding is not easy at first but after a little bit you get the hang of it. the way i learned was by watching someone else for a while. it really comes down to hand and eye cordnation.

Beautiful looking welds i grew up in a fabshop for the chemical industry so i know what it takes to get to that level

here it is with the black oxide coating, i have the sled ring and one ball mount done, this comming weekend i hope to get the last three ball mounts made then this project will be officially done:D


IMG]http://img231.imageshack.us/img231/9189/ballsetupblack002rkk7.jpg[/IMG]



http://img231.imageshack.us/img231/835/ballsetupblack003rzz8.jpg


http://img231.imageshack.us/img231/5826/ballsetupblack005rqy1.jpg

Holy sh!t thats pertty! Nice weldin!

I like that tow..Thanks for sharing..I try make one as same this one.

x2.............Where's mine???????

Very nice

You sir are an artist!:D That is exactly what I was drawing up plans to do this week. Thanks for the info. I will be building one soon.

What were the dimensions on the pulling hitch ring?

What were the dimensions on the pulling hitch ring?

hole is 3" wide X 3.75" long cut out of 1" plate

thanks for the compliments guys, i completly finished all the ball mounts today, other than black oxide this project is done. i'll get some pictures up tomarrow when it's light out.

here it is all done, black oxide is complete and balls mounted. sorry it took so long:o: as you can see the center two got MIG welded, was running out of time so i took the easy way out LOL. the entire setup weighs in at 68lbs, the sled ring and L reciever are 30lbs of it:cool:

http://img401.imageshack.us/img401/1148/done004rwj7.jpg


http://img401.imageshack.us/img401/4671/done001rib5.jpg

work of art my friend. I'd keep that on a shelf afraid to get it dirty

I would love to have the equipment and know how to weld like that. I only have a little 115 volt flux welder to begin with. Looks to me your weakest link is your bolts and thats not to week either lol.

Tigman you def. have skill.....So when you gonna have mine finished for me?? lol

Is this yours? http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Truck-Pulling-Sled-Hitch-Cummins-Duramax-Powerstroke_W0QQitemZ220310784115QQcmdZViewItemQQp tZMotors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories?hash=item2203 10784115&_trksid=p4506.c0.m245&_trkparms=72%3A727%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318

Collect the whole set. WOW nice welds!

Thats gotta be his.

They do weigh the same. ;)

Is this yours? http://rover.ebay.com/ar/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?mpt=2147427328&adtype=1&size=1x1&type=3&campid=5336116667&toolid=10001 http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Truck-Pulling-Sled-Hitch-Cummins-Duramax-Powerstroke_W0QQitemZ220310784115QQcmdZViewItemQQp tZMotors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories?hash=item2203 10784115&_trksid=p4506.c0.m245&_trkparms=72%3A727%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318

guilty

ha!

ahh you got to love TIG welding!!! I was gonna MIG my hitch... but I think I will TIG it now instead. looks good.

76253Has anyone tried one of these for makeing a pulling hitch ?

I see much potential in that.

Looks kind of long though where did you find that at?