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Vanlife Geek Samba Member
Joined: September 19, 2014 Posts: 285 Location: CO
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Posted: Sun Feb 09, 2020 3:28 pm Post subject: Ball Hitch to 2" Receiver Ideas/Suggestions |
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I'm trying to think of a cheap way to add some storage to the back of my Syncro to hold my small generator and a can of gas. I think the best solution I've found is using the Switch Back Rack system from Rocky Mountain Westy to augment my existing swing-away tire carrier. I can move my tire up and have a fold down tray below to hold the stuff, but it's kind of pricey at over $400 to get the needed parts and I just don't have the extra money right now for that solution.
I started thinking about a way to do this on the cheap... convert my existing ball hitch to a 2" receiver and add a rack mount to that receiver (see image below). The rack is only $60 and a 2" weld-on receiver (6" long) is only about $12. I have no idea what it would cost to have it welded on, but I'm guessing it wouldn't be too much. Possibly the whole setup would be around $100-ish, which is pretty darn affordable.
I know it's not the ideal setup and there would be times when I'm off road that I might have to remove it for coming out of a steep hill, for example, so it doesn't scrape the ground. It might really screw up my exit angles and be a real pain on hilly forest roads.
So what do you think? Stupid idea? Should I just save my money and do it right with the RMW rack additions? Is welding a receiver onto the old ball hitch plate even feasible? I think I know the correct answer (go the RMW route), but I thought I'd toss it out for some friendly discussion and sage advice. I'm just thinking out loud at the moment, so fire away!
_________________ Vanlife Geek
Current:
1986 Syncro Westy
Previous:
1983 Westy
1981 Westy
1972 Bug (Last year you could buy a new one for under $2,000)
1965/66 Bug (2 bugs from a junk yard combined to make 1 functional bug)
1959 Bug (Pre Gas Gauge Era) |
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jimf909 Samba Member
Joined: April 03, 2014 Posts: 7479 Location: WA/ID
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Posted: Sun Feb 09, 2020 3:57 pm Post subject: Re: Ball Hitch to 2" Receiver Ideas/Suggestions |
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There are adapters like this but it all might get a bit wobbly.
https://www.etrailer.com/ATV-Hitch/Curt/C45006.htm...mkQAvD_BwE
Link
I’m a huge fan of the RMW swingouts but they’re by no means inexpensive...but I haven’t regretted the nearly $2K (yikes!) I spent on them...
They carry a ton of stuff yet easily swing out of the way of the hatch...
_________________ - Jim
Abscate wrote: |
Do not get killed, do not kill others.
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Current: 1990 Westy Camper - Bostig RG4, 2wd, manual trans w/Peloquin, NAHT high-top, 280 ah LFP battery, 160 watts solar, Flash Silver, seam rust, bondo, etc., etc.
Past: 1985 Westy Camper - 1.9 wbx, 2wd, manual trans, Merian Brown, (sold after 17 years to Northwesty who converted it to a Syncro).
Last edited by jimf909 on Sun Feb 09, 2020 4:05 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Vanlife Geek Samba Member
Joined: September 19, 2014 Posts: 285 Location: CO
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Posted: Sun Feb 09, 2020 4:04 pm Post subject: Re: Ball Hitch to 2" Receiver Ideas/Suggestions |
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That's a good potential option with no welding needed. Not so sure about it not rotating with just the one bolt, or being "wobbly" like you said, but interesting none the less. Thanks! _________________ Vanlife Geek
Current:
1986 Syncro Westy
Previous:
1983 Westy
1981 Westy
1972 Bug (Last year you could buy a new one for under $2,000)
1965/66 Bug (2 bugs from a junk yard combined to make 1 functional bug)
1959 Bug (Pre Gas Gauge Era) |
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jimf909 Samba Member
Joined: April 03, 2014 Posts: 7479 Location: WA/ID
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Posted: Sun Feb 09, 2020 4:11 pm Post subject: Re: Ball Hitch to 2" Receiver Ideas/Suggestions |
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epbiggs wrote: |
That's a good potential option with no welding needed. Not so sure about it not rotating with just the one bolt, or being "wobbly" like you said, but interesting none the less. Thanks! |
There’s a plate on the bottom that’s adjustable and is intended to keep it from pivoting on the single bolt. For $30 it may be worth a try while for experimentation purposes.
The biggest reservation I’d have is that it looks like your hitch is angled down a bit which may tilt your basket to the ground and reduce your clearance. _________________ - Jim
Abscate wrote: |
Do not get killed, do not kill others.
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Current: 1990 Westy Camper - Bostig RG4, 2wd, manual trans w/Peloquin, NAHT high-top, 280 ah LFP battery, 160 watts solar, Flash Silver, seam rust, bondo, etc., etc.
Past: 1985 Westy Camper - 1.9 wbx, 2wd, manual trans, Merian Brown, (sold after 17 years to Northwesty who converted it to a Syncro). |
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Vanlife Geek Samba Member
Joined: September 19, 2014 Posts: 285 Location: CO
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Posted: Sun Feb 09, 2020 4:59 pm Post subject: Re: Ball Hitch to 2" Receiver Ideas/Suggestions |
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jimf909 wrote: |
The biggest reservation I’d have is that it looks like your hitch is angled down a bit which may tilt your basket to the ground and reduce your clearance. |
You're right. I thought it was just my cell phone camera distorting the image, but I just went out and looked and it is indeed angled down a bit. Not as bad as it looks in the image, but it is still angled. Good point, thanks! _________________ Vanlife Geek
Current:
1986 Syncro Westy
Previous:
1983 Westy
1981 Westy
1972 Bug (Last year you could buy a new one for under $2,000)
1965/66 Bug (2 bugs from a junk yard combined to make 1 functional bug)
1959 Bug (Pre Gas Gauge Era) |
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Vanlife Geek Samba Member
Joined: September 19, 2014 Posts: 285 Location: CO
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Posted: Sun Feb 09, 2020 5:16 pm Post subject: Re: Ball Hitch to 2" Receiver Ideas/Suggestions |
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jimf909 wrote: |
I’m a huge fan of the RMW swingouts but they’re by no means inexpensive...but I haven’t regretted the nearly $2K (yikes!) I spent on them...
They carry a ton of stuff yet easily swing out of the way of the hatch...
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Yea, I really like my RMW swingout tire mount and I'm beginning to think I just need to wait until I can "swing" the extra bucks for the additional parts from RMW to move the spare up and have a nice folding tray below to hold my stuff. It's still cheaper than getting another swing away setup for the passenger side.
After I made the post, it dawned on me that the cheap rack option would get in the way in other situations. I wasn't thinking about my recently purchased Bus Depot rear add-a-room tent and my shower setup. I'd have to detach that rack every time I wanted to use the tent and/or shower.
The RMW solution would just swing out of the way, which would be infinitely more convenient and makes more sense in the long run. I guess I was just looking for some instant gratification with my cheapo solution thoughts. _________________ Vanlife Geek
Current:
1986 Syncro Westy
Previous:
1983 Westy
1981 Westy
1972 Bug (Last year you could buy a new one for under $2,000)
1965/66 Bug (2 bugs from a junk yard combined to make 1 functional bug)
1959 Bug (Pre Gas Gauge Era) |
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djkeev Samba Moderator
Joined: September 30, 2007 Posts: 32634 Location: Reading Pennsylvania
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jimf909 Samba Member
Joined: April 03, 2014 Posts: 7479 Location: WA/ID
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Posted: Sun Feb 09, 2020 11:25 pm Post subject: Re: Ball Hitch to 2" Receiver Ideas/Suggestions |
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Alternatively, since you already have a RMW swingout, perhaps a contraption can be mounted to the spare tire? Imagine a shelf or box mounted like this bike rack? I'll bet that could be done for less than $100.
From another thread..,,
_________________ - Jim
Abscate wrote: |
Do not get killed, do not kill others.
|
Current: 1990 Westy Camper - Bostig RG4, 2wd, manual trans w/Peloquin, NAHT high-top, 280 ah LFP battery, 160 watts solar, Flash Silver, seam rust, bondo, etc., etc.
Past: 1985 Westy Camper - 1.9 wbx, 2wd, manual trans, Merian Brown, (sold after 17 years to Northwesty who converted it to a Syncro). |
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Vanlife Geek Samba Member
Joined: September 19, 2014 Posts: 285 Location: CO
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Posted: Sun Feb 09, 2020 11:31 pm Post subject: Re: Ball Hitch to 2" Receiver Ideas/Suggestions |
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jimf909 wrote: |
Alternatively, since you already have a RMW swingout, perhaps a contraption can be mounted to the spare tire? Imagine a shelf or box mounted like this bike rack? I'll bet that could be done for less than $100.
From another thread.. |
Another good idea... thanks! Although I do like my Trasharoo. _________________ Vanlife Geek
Current:
1986 Syncro Westy
Previous:
1983 Westy
1981 Westy
1972 Bug (Last year you could buy a new one for under $2,000)
1965/66 Bug (2 bugs from a junk yard combined to make 1 functional bug)
1959 Bug (Pre Gas Gauge Era) |
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Zeitgeist 13 Samba Member
Joined: March 05, 2009 Posts: 12115 Location: Port Manteau
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Posted: Mon Feb 10, 2020 9:17 am Post subject: Re: Ball Hitch to 2" Receiver Ideas/Suggestions |
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One thing to keep in mind is that your hitch is extremely low, which for example would keep me from getting into/out of my driveway with the carrier you showed. I built a box hitch from a regular tongue bar, but it's raised up closer to the center of the bumper, and still it sometime dragged bike tires on my driveway.
I'm currently building a 2" box hitch/lower bumper setup to replace this hitch which will set the box up to the center of the cover. _________________ Casey--
'89 Bluestar ALH w/12mm Waldo pump, PP764 and GT2052
'01 Weekender --> full camper
y u rune klassik? |
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MarkWard Samba Member
Joined: February 09, 2005 Posts: 17155 Location: Retired South Florida
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Posted: Mon Feb 10, 2020 10:42 am Post subject: Re: Ball Hitch to 2" Receiver Ideas/Suggestions |
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I say you can keep your swing outs. The last 3 vans in here had them. If you want to fill up someone's shop, whack your head a ton of times, and try to swing them out of the way with the rear hatch open, by all means, put them on both sides.
If nothing else, please remove them before bringing to a shop for repairs. After bouncing off the last 3, I'd never install them on my camper. Best to pack less.
To the original poster. I would cut the tube section coming down and weld the receiver to that part and then a triangle gusset between your receiver and the up tube. That should improve your departure angles slightly.
Edit: Imagine this sitting on a lift for just a simple engine task.
You ain't walking past those, plus every time you let the lift down, you have to double check your not going to crush something on wheels that might have rolled into the way. Wide open spaces fine. All 3 vans had marks on the hatch where someone tried to move something in the wrong order.
[/url] _________________ ☮️
Last edited by MarkWard on Mon Feb 10, 2020 11:20 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Vanlife Geek Samba Member
Joined: September 19, 2014 Posts: 285 Location: CO
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Posted: Mon Feb 10, 2020 10:54 am Post subject: Re: Ball Hitch to 2" Receiver Ideas/Suggestions |
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MarkWard wrote: |
To the original poster. I would cut the tube section coming down and weld the receiver to that part and then a triangle gusset between your receiver and the up tube. That should improve your departure angles slightly. |
That sounds like a good idea. If I decide to go the cheap route, that might be at the top of the list. Thanks! _________________ Vanlife Geek
Current:
1986 Syncro Westy
Previous:
1983 Westy
1981 Westy
1972 Bug (Last year you could buy a new one for under $2,000)
1965/66 Bug (2 bugs from a junk yard combined to make 1 functional bug)
1959 Bug (Pre Gas Gauge Era) |
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wbailey2112 Samba Member
Joined: October 02, 2015 Posts: 483 Location: Grove City, OH
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Posted: Mon Feb 10, 2020 11:00 am Post subject: Re: Ball Hitch to 2" Receiver Ideas/Suggestions |
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This is what I went with to mount a conventional bike rack that requires a 2" receiver. At Harbor Freight these are only $11.99.
https://www.harborfreight.com/atv-hitch-adapter-65961.html _________________ '74 Thing
'83 Westfalia |
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Vanlife Geek Samba Member
Joined: September 19, 2014 Posts: 285 Location: CO
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Posted: Mon Feb 10, 2020 11:07 am Post subject: Re: Ball Hitch to 2" Receiver Ideas/Suggestions |
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An adapter like this (pretty much the same as the Curt unit above) looks like the easiest solution, with no welding required. Thanks! _________________ Vanlife Geek
Current:
1986 Syncro Westy
Previous:
1983 Westy
1981 Westy
1972 Bug (Last year you could buy a new one for under $2,000)
1965/66 Bug (2 bugs from a junk yard combined to make 1 functional bug)
1959 Bug (Pre Gas Gauge Era) |
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MarkWard Samba Member
Joined: February 09, 2005 Posts: 17155 Location: Retired South Florida
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Posted: Mon Feb 10, 2020 11:16 am Post subject: Re: Ball Hitch to 2" Receiver Ideas/Suggestions |
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You need to pay attention to what you are putting in the receiver. Some things are pretty long so you might end up having to shorten them, drill new pin holes or both. That bolt on unit looks pretty stubby. The longer the receiver box, the more supported your accessory part will be. These are not precision fitting parts and there is a lot of up and down movement and side to side movement. _________________ ☮️ |
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danfromsyr Samba Member
Joined: March 01, 2004 Posts: 15144 Location: Syracuse, NY
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Vanlife Geek Samba Member
Joined: September 19, 2014 Posts: 285 Location: CO
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Posted: Mon Feb 10, 2020 12:36 pm Post subject: Re: Ball Hitch to 2" Receiver Ideas/Suggestions |
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I think I've decided to wait until I can buy the needed parts from RMW and do it right. It's the perfect solution to my needs and will all swing away when I want to put up my Add-a-Room tent in the back, and won't be in the way in general. Also no departure angle issues on those hilly Forest Service roads. It'll cost about 4 times as much as a cheapo solution, but I've gotten in trouble before when I try to go for the instant gratification. The whole point is to not have to keep my generator (Wen 56202i) and gas can (FuelPax 3.5 gal.) inside the van, or have to heft it up to the roof rack (BajaRack MegaMule) which I have pretty much all of that space reserved for other stuff.
I plan on moving into the van full-time in the next year or two and am trying to get everything sorted out before I make the plunge. The measurements of the RMW tray will hold the generator and up to 2 Fuelpax perfectly, so I think it's the wise choice, along with a cable and lock. However, I reserve the right to change my mind . I appreciate everyone's input and would welcome any additional suggestions/comments!
Switchback Rack Parts Needed:
- SWITCHBACK RACK UPPER SPINE - $179
- SWITCHBACK RACK TIRE MOUNT PLATE - $29.95
- driver side tray adapter $74.95
- tray $124
$407.90 Total + tax
Below is a very poorly Photoshopped image of how it would look (with the tray folded up).
_________________ Vanlife Geek
Current:
1986 Syncro Westy
Previous:
1983 Westy
1981 Westy
1972 Bug (Last year you could buy a new one for under $2,000)
1965/66 Bug (2 bugs from a junk yard combined to make 1 functional bug)
1959 Bug (Pre Gas Gauge Era) |
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bobbyblack Samba Member
Joined: May 21, 2015 Posts: 4353 Location: United States, Iowa
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Posted: Mon Feb 10, 2020 12:56 pm Post subject: Re: Ball Hitch to 2" Receiver Ideas/Suggestions |
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I like your "do it right" idea. This worked fine for my 5 bike receiver:
_________________ '87 Westy 'Flossie','86 Westy 'R1','86 tintop GL - Subi2.2 'J2','83.5 stock tintop L 'ZoomBus','74 Karmann Ghia, '63 Notch |
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Sodo Samba Member
Joined: July 06, 2007 Posts: 9620 Location: Western WA
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Posted: Mon Feb 10, 2020 2:03 pm Post subject: Re: Ball Hitch to 2" Receiver Ideas/Suggestions |
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From thread: Built a 2" receiver trailer hitch
The bars drag on the ground, but they kinda extend the skid bar structure.
I NEVER have any trouble with the receiver dragging where it is.
This hitch was made to hold a motorcycle, to put the weight into the skidbar structure. _________________
'90 Westy EJ25, 2Peloquins, 3knobs, pressure-oiled GT mainshaft, filtered, cooled gearbox
'87 Tintop w 47k 53k, '12 SmallCar EJ25, cooled filtered gearbox
....KTMs, GasGas, SPOT mtb |
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jimf909 Samba Member
Joined: April 03, 2014 Posts: 7479 Location: WA/ID
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Posted: Mon Feb 10, 2020 7:11 pm Post subject: Re: Ball Hitch to 2" Receiver Ideas/Suggestions |
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MarkWard wrote: |
If nothing else, please remove them before bringing to a shop for repairs. After bouncing off the last 3, I'd never install them on my camper. Best to pack less.
Edit: Imagine this sitting on a lift for just a simple engine task.
You ain't walking past those, plus every time you let the lift down, you have to double check your not going to crush something on wheels that might have rolled into the way. Wide open spaces fine. All 3 vans had marks on the hatch where someone tried to move something in the wrong order.
[/url] |
You're welcome to not install swing outs or pack less but I love the swing outs and the gear they allow me to easily carry. VW made vans for each of us to allow us to customize (or not) them as we prefer.
My Vanagon shop typically has 12 or so Vanagons in their lot and 1/4 to 1/3 of them have swingouts and other accessories. They've never mentioned that they're a problem but I will ask them next time because I want to keep a great relationship with them. If anything, the high-top is a bigger pain for them.
Regardless, if swing-outs are a problem, it's an easy problem to solve:
- Decline the business
- Learn to deal with them
- Charge shop rate to R&R the racks (or ask the customer to remove them). Four bolts and they're off, I figure R&R is 60 minutes of shop time at $125/hour. I'd gladly pay my shop or remove them if that's what they asked. That's part of the deal in taking customized antiques to a shop.
Thanks for working on Vanagons and your very helpful contributions here. I always appreciate your perspective. _________________ - Jim
Abscate wrote: |
Do not get killed, do not kill others.
|
Current: 1990 Westy Camper - Bostig RG4, 2wd, manual trans w/Peloquin, NAHT high-top, 280 ah LFP battery, 160 watts solar, Flash Silver, seam rust, bondo, etc., etc.
Past: 1985 Westy Camper - 1.9 wbx, 2wd, manual trans, Merian Brown, (sold after 17 years to Northwesty who converted it to a Syncro). |
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