Redneck hitch

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You guys and your fancy pants welding skills (LOL)......  Who says an inexperienced person with limited welding skills can't fabricate and weld a hitch to a vehicle...  Never mind that the vehicle is a lawn mower and the payload will be a 3x4 lawn trailer, or a seed spreader.... I estimate top speed of this vehicle to be 3 or 4 MPH while towing, so hopefully, my welds won't harm or kill any innocent people (LOL).This hitch plate was made from a piece of scrape metal that I had laying around. Therefore, based upon my signature line, I am qualified to weld it (Grin). The two pieces of metal seem to be stuck together, so I called it good enough. Here is the finished product:   Here is work in progress:Nothing pretty here: (I have never referred to myself as a welder) Qualified & experienced at welding scrap metal
Reply:don't lie, you know you're gtting ready for the tractor pull.There are no problems. There are only solutions. It's your duty to determine the right one.Hobart Handler 210Airco 225 Amp MSM Stinger
Reply:Originally Posted by ThorsHammerdon't lie, you know you're gtting ready for the tractor pull.
Reply:No one even commented on my fancy wood welding table, or that my beads look good once covered in paint Qualified & experienced at welding scrap metal
Reply:pictures were to close to tell that was your welding table, and the picture in paint is to far away to see the weld.There are no problems. There are only solutions. It's your duty to determine the right one.Hobart Handler 210Airco 225 Amp MSM Stinger
Reply:we don't see this stuff every day of the week on this site. a little humor is good for the soul. definately comes under the joke catagory.
Reply:Looks good for me.If it happens to fall appart, you will know that something was wrong. Analizing the failure could be as entertaining as putting the hitch together. If the welds fail because of lack of penetration, that will tell you something about your welding skills. If you end up bending the tab, you will know it was under-built. And so on.Mikel
Reply:We will all know you exceeded the stated weld speed of 3-4mph.... when we turn on CNN and Eric Holder has a press conference with the children...that the hitch broke loose, you went out of control and the trailer slammed into a crowd of obama day voters in the next yard.....Just saying... lmao
Reply:Looks like it will work.  I made a bolt-on one for my riding mower that incorporates a double-yoked tension rod for taking some of the tongue weight so it doesn't bend the wimpy factory sheet metal.   Attached Images
Reply:^^^^now that is downright fancy!!!
Reply:I spent a while brainstorming different designs and making it.  What I needed was a yoke-yoke turnbuckle (a turnbuckle with a yoke on each end).  Of course, I had a length restriction and needed the inside yoke width a certain size (5/8"), so that quickly left me with making something.  I didn't want to get into the hassle of left-hand threads, so I came up with what I call the "un-buckle", consisting of three parts:1) one yoke with clearance center hole2) one yoke with threaded center hole (right-hand threads)3) one bolt with head turned round and wrench flats milled on bodyThe centers of the yokes are just a coupling nut cut in half, but you could make something custom from round, hex, or square stock if you needed a specific inside yoke width...The picture below has a stock bolt posing in it - I hadn't done the real bolt yet when I took the picture. Attached ImagesLast edited by dbotos; 04-04-2013 at 08:53 PM.
Reply:Originally Posted by polarred21^^^^now that is downright fancy!!!
Reply:A guy recently told me that my redneck hitch was okay, but he thought my tractor had a short circuit between the seat and the steering wheel Qualified & experienced at welding scrap metal
Reply:I attached a picture of how you should do the hitch to make it one hell of a lot stronger and safer to use too. My art work is not the greatest but it should get the idea across to you. Attached Images
Reply:If you leave a feller in the garage with some old bolts and a welder, there is just no tell-n what will happen. I figured since I have a fancy new hitch, I might as well make a "one of a kind"  hitch pin.Remember this is a rear engine Zero turn lawn mower, IF I hook up to something heavier than a 12 pack, the front wheels will come off the ground Qualified & experienced at welding scrap metal
Reply:I finally got the mower and the trailer in the same location for a test fit... I was pleased that it all messed together like corn and mashed potatos..Should I be concerned because the trailer is NOT DOT approved? I don't have a CDL, so maybe not being DOT approved is the least of my worries when driving this "Big Rig" Qualified & experienced at welding scrap metal
Reply:LOLLincoln SA 200 Lincoln Idealarc 300/300 TIG
Reply:Originally Posted by little JeepI finally got the mower and the trailer in the same location for a test fit... I was pleased that it all messed together like corn and mashed potatos..Should I be concerned because the trailer is NOT DOT approved? I don't have a CDL, so maybe not being DOT approved is the least of my worries when driving this "Big Rig"
Reply:Originally Posted by SuperArcHow did you get your tractor to stick to the ceiling!!!! The weld looks good! I'd say your ready to weld the next generation of NASA rocket engines!!!!
Reply:Originally Posted by little JeepI'm confused about the ceiling comment, but I tend to always be confused so .......  NASA rocket engines are already in progress... I am designing my rocket engines by copying the design of the engine on my weed eater...Thanks for the comment about the weld. I am a welding newbie for sure, but maybe I can move up to a better quality of scrap metal.
Reply:Originally Posted by little JeepI'm confused about the ceiling comment....