New trailer hitch tommorow....

[trwp72]

I FINNALLY found a large reciever style hitch for my car.... at the local pick and pull... Going in the morning to pull it. They were closed today yet, because of the holidays. It is a Reese Class IV ....



It looks like new. This is the first one i have found on a Panther since my hitch got mangled when I got hit last year... (It was a bumper style hitch) I have wanted on of these for a while. I'm going to mount it sort of forward from where most people mount them, and then use a extension to bring the ball mount out to where it is supposed to be when towing a trailer.
Like this:



This is for two reasons, one to sort of hide the hitch when I am not towing, (For show purposes) And so I don't bang my knee on it, like my old hitch....

They only want $25.00 for it.... New they are like $200.00....

[87gtVIC]

Nice! One thing I always want from a yard but forget to look for.

[marquisman]

they are a handy thing to have. there is a huge amaount of things you can do with a hitch.

[trwp72]

Got the hitch today... For $20.00 out the door.... with all of the hardware... He always give me some sort of a discount... So he gave it to me for 20.00.... SWEET!

I have a friend that installs these, and he needs some computer work done... (Setting up his new laptop... no big deal) While I work on that, he is going to install the hitch.... Going to clean it up tommorow... just needs a good cleaning, since it is almost new... Then when he gets home tommorow night, he is going to put the hitch on....

[marquisman]

good score mang!

[sly]

epic score.

[trwp72]

Cleaned the hitch up today with the de-greaser, going to have to have it sand blasted and repainted, before I put it on the car... It is powder coated, but some of it is coming off, and starting to rust... no big deal. There is a guy here that will take it down to the metal, (ALL of the powder coating removed) For about $45.00... He has one of the BIG sandblasting set ups... industrial grade sandblasters. Put it this way, he said it will take less than 10 minutes to do the whole thing, down to bare metal... Also he also does soda blasting... he said either way is still the same price... So I am going to take it to him. Then I am going to prime it, and spray it with the bed liner stuff, as it lasts longer than paint... And has a nice semi gloss finish. Almost looks like it is powder coated after you do it... Photos as I work on it! Tom...

[Crownvicman289]

I never forget to look for one at the pull and pay, they just never seem to have any! Good find, I have a sinking feeling I'll get stuck paying full price for one eventually.

[trwp72]

I was about to do the same, and just go buy a new one from the hitch place....

[trwp72]

Finnally got the hitch installed today... took less than an hour. (My buddy has done so many hitches on his cars, he knows how to do it in his sleep!) Here is the pictures!


After sandblasting and painting the hitch with bed liner paint...


The two front bolt holes are already there, so you "hang" the hitch by loosley bolting it up with those two bolts, then jack the front of the hitch up to the frame to drill the other two bolt holes...


done!



outside with more light...

At least if someone hits my car again in the rear... it will have some more protection....

[marquisman]

nice, looks like it fits good under there.

[gabegt90]

nice tom what about trailer wiring is it all ready installed ?

[trwp72]

I did have the car wired for the hitch, when the bumper hitch was on it, but it was welded to the back side of the bumper, and I had to replace the bumper after the rear ender accident I had... so the mount went with the bumper. I am going to mount a new one to the side plate of the hitch up under the car, so it won't be seen, and it won't get knocked loose if I run over something. I mounted the old one the same way, after the wiring got ripped loose, and kept blowing tailight fuses... drove me nuts for about a week until we figured it out....

[trwp72]

Oh, and total cost is $60.00.... $20.00 for the hitch from the U-pull it, and $40.00 to sand blast it.... Already had the paint....

[trwp72]

One more thought on these hitches... the hitches are all the same from 1979 to 2011... As the frames on the panthers are all the same. This one came off of a 1997 Crown Vic...