HF Trl tongue and reese hitch

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HF Trl tongue and reese hitch

Postby pinkelephant » Tue Dec 05, 2017 9:22 pm

My local welder had these 12" long reese hitches and it gave me a thought
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I had him weld a 2x2 tube into it and then weld 3 sets of angle iron brackets to mount it and I have a tongue to tail reese hitch
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62# upgrade
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That drill hole is where I bolted the safety chain. I don't know how legal or wise that is but if I welded it, the tube would be stuck in the trailer
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I used washers to fill the gap over the bottom steel plate and I hammered a plate of steel over the 2x2 to fill the gaps before bolting it down.
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The trailer rides so smooth now that I cant feel it back there
Last edited by pinkelephant on Tue Dec 05, 2017 9:46 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: HF Trl tongue and reese hitch

Postby pinkelephant » Tue Dec 05, 2017 9:40 pm

I still need to put one inch wide steel strips in the trailer frame for the bolts to run thru but a cold front just moved in so it can wait.
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Re: HF Trl tongue and reese hitch

Postby swoody126 » Wed Dec 06, 2017 8:04 am

no end to the apps for that little mod

bike racks, a hitch extender in the up mode for hauling a canoe/kayak, a stab jack point...

and you could even pull a light toy trailer :D

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Re: HF Trl tongue and reese hitch

Postby pinkelephant » Wed Dec 06, 2017 9:19 am

swoody126 wrote:no end to the apps for that little mod

bike racks, a hitch extender in the up mode for hauling a canoe/kayak, a stab jack point...

and you could even pull a light toy trailer :D

sw


I want to put a rack on the back to hold the predator 2000 generator and gasoline. I thought about pulling a little trailer but to do that I would want the axle all the way in the back like a real set of doubles so the hitch wasn't going up and down on uneven roads. So I won't be pulling any trailers :lol:
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Re: HF Trl tongue and reese hitch

Postby bobhenry » Thu Dec 07, 2017 2:08 pm

Chicken ! :D

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Re: HF Trl tongue and reese hitch

Postby jbteland9196 » Fri Jul 06, 2018 4:12 pm

WOW to start off, this is the work of a genius :). I think this will solve most of my issues with the tongue weight issues I am having. I want to do this modification to be able to put one of those cargo trays on the rear receiver to carry our coolers and take the weight off the tongue. So I have a few questions. Was the square tubing anything special, like rated for the road or was it just a piece of square tubing with holes drilled and the receiver welded on it. If it is just a piece of square tubing do you know the wall thickness and the size? I appreciate any feedback you can provide. We re getting ready to take a cross country trip and want everything as sturdy as possible before we go. I love the harbor freight trailer but it does have a few issues. I replaced the axle already with a 2000lb axle and I think if I do the tongue replacement it will give me piece of mind for a 3000 mile trip.
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Re: HF Trl tongue and reese hitch

Postby troubleScottie » Fri Jul 06, 2018 10:22 pm

In most states, you cannot tow another trailer behind the first trailer.

Tandem trailer trucks took years of work to get states to allow that to happen.

The rear receivers can hold cargo eg containers, pens, bicycles.
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Re: HF Trl tongue and reese hitch

Postby KCStudly » Tue Jul 31, 2018 9:50 am

Just be aware, if using one of those receiver cargo baskets, make sure you put conspiquity tape, running/tail lights and/or a flag on it. They tend to get hit. I borrowed one from a buddy once and it got hit in the lanes waiting for a ferry (thankfully not bad, just a bump... can't say the same for the new Impala that hit it). He has a couple of them and says they get hit almost every time he uses them. Even had one replaced once by the guy who hit him. People really shouldn't pull up that close at stop lights and such, but they do.
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Re: HF Trl tongue and reese hitch

Postby pinkelephant » Tue Aug 21, 2018 3:34 pm

jbteland9196 wrote:WOW to start off, this is the work of a genius :). I think this will solve most of my issues with the tongue weight issues I am having. I want to do this modification to be able to put one of those cargo trays on the rear receiver to carry our coolers and take the weight off the tongue. So I have a few questions. Was the square tubing anything special, like rated for the road or was it just a piece of square tubing with holes drilled and the receiver welded on it. If it is just a piece of square tubing do you know the wall thickness and the size? I appreciate any feedback you can provide. We re getting ready to take a cross country trip and want everything as sturdy as possible before we go. I love the harbor freight trailer but it does have a few issues. I replaced the axle already with a 2000lb axle and I think if I do the tongue replacement it will give me piece of mind for a 3000 mile trip.
sorry, I missed your post. I don't know the thickness but if you talk to a welder/supplier, he could figure it out by the weight. It's just 2" square tubing. The hitch, tubing and everything was made at my local welder for $150
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Re: HF Trl tongue and reese hitch

Postby Nodrog » Wed Aug 22, 2018 2:10 pm

Hey! Looks like probably 1/4 tubing, by my book (glover Pocket Reference) 1/4 is 5.41# per foot, times maybe @12' for the tube used...plenty hefty, for sure!! Later, Nodrog
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Re: HF Trl tongue and reese hitch

Postby Sparksalot » Wed Aug 22, 2018 5:01 pm

troubleScottie wrote:In most states, you cannot tow another trailer behind the first trailer.

Tandem trailer trucks took years of work to get states to allow that to happen.

The rear receivers can hold cargo eg containers, pens, bicycles.


Thankfully in the free state of Texas you can. The total combined length must be 44ft or less.
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