Front Receiver?
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I’d like to install a receiver on the front of my truck. It will be intended for a removable winch, however I’ll probably use it for everything else under the sun too (Storage rack, skidding logs, moving trailers, flame guard incase I get behind a new 6.4L, and so on).
I see Hidden Hitch appears to have one that mounts under the bumper to the frame, however I’m not too thrilled about having something hang so low in the front.
I found another one that I think mounts to the tow hook mount holes. I guess this means you loose the factory tow hooks (which are pretty darn good); unless you could mount the factory tow hooks to the receiver somewhere.
Maybe I should just build one myself. Has anyone installed one of the aforementioned products? Pictures? Anyone have any ideas? 
I see Hidden Hitch appears to have one that mounts under the bumper to the frame, however I’m not too thrilled about having something hang so low in the front.
I found another one that I think mounts to the tow hook mount holes. I guess this means you loose the factory tow hooks (which are pretty darn good); unless you could mount the factory tow hooks to the receiver somewhere.
Maybe I should just build one myself.
Has anyone installed one of the aforementioned products? Pictures? Anyone have any ideas? i personally dont think youll ever be behind a ford, the fords are usually always behind us
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From: McKinney, TX
If you had hit the same deer with your truck/bumper I bet it would have still done at least $500 in damage. Have you ever seen one of those aftermarket bumpers get pushed into the hood/grill/fenders? Maybe if the deer went under the truck it would cause minimal damage, but not if it hits higher up on the grill guard part.
No, I have never seen one get hit personally with or without the RH bumper. I am not saying that a RH or similar type bumper will stop anything it hits, but my front of my truck will certainly fair better hitting a deer with the RH than it would without it. A deer hitting a stock front on one of our trucks would take out the intercooler, radiator, a/c condensor etc.......making you stranded. No telling what it would cost to repair it. I'd rather not find out anytime soon, but if I do hit a deer I suspect it will involve washing off some fur and blood and going on my way.
Schedule 40 pipe vs. deer
Hovisimo also recently had a girl in a honda back into his new Front End replacement. Couple of scratches to buff out instead of a trip to the body shop.
https://www.dieseltruckresource.com/...d.php?t=141673
Last edited by TexasCTD; Mar 26, 2007 at 03:33 AM. Reason: added link
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From: West Virginia
When you pull a trailer attached to the ball which is atached by a pin to a the hitch you could pull 10,000+ That pin in the receiver keeps it all together.
If a winch is rated at a certain # it means it will pull up to that weight. It doesnt matter what its attached to as long as the bolts attaching it are high grade for shearing strength.
I think using a winch on a front receiver is safe. Its not like the hitch itself will pull apart and disenegrate.
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From: Florida
When you pull a trailer attached to the ball which is atached by a pin to a the hitch you could pull 10,000+ That pin in the receiver keeps it all together.
If a winch is rated at a certain # it means it will pull up to that weight. It doesnt matter what its attached to as long as the bolts attaching it are high grade for shearing strength.
What if those big strong Grade 8.8 bolts are attached through 1/8" metal plate??? The attachment point is every bit as important as the bolts and pin.
I think using a winch on a front receiver is safe. Its not like the hitch itself will pull apart and disenegrate.
Just because you've never seen it happen doesn't mean it can't.
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From: mid-west mid-south wa
the 5000 lb capacity is weight of towed device, not tounge weight. Tounge weight would be more like 500lbs
The other comments are about sheer stregnth of a bolt. Yep grade has allot to do about it. The other thing to think about the the material used to make the receiver and winch plate. Winching you can put different laterial forces on a receiver, they may not be designed with this in mind. Not really sure, I would check with the manufacturer.
Not sure how many of you have seen behind the stock bumper, but there is not much there to stop anything. The front bumper is there for the sub 10mph impact. The stock front bumper is like 15-25 lbs.
I also prefer to have a higher approach angle than a front receiver alone would give me.
The other comments are about sheer stregnth of a bolt. Yep grade has allot to do about it. The other thing to think about the the material used to make the receiver and winch plate. Winching you can put different laterial forces on a receiver, they may not be designed with this in mind. Not really sure, I would check with the manufacturer.
Not sure how many of you have seen behind the stock bumper, but there is not much there to stop anything. The front bumper is there for the sub 10mph impact. The stock front bumper is like 15-25 lbs.
I also prefer to have a higher approach angle than a front receiver alone would give me.
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From: West Virginia
I'll stand corrected for the 5000 tounge weight coment. That was stupid.
I'll also agree that a weird pulling angle might cause some problems also.
But what I wont be called a dummy about is the other things. That thing isnt going to fail pulling a truck out. The winch line or winch is going to fail before the hitch would. Think of the stock tow hooks on the front - if you pull on them they dont break - unless you jerk the heck out of them.
I still think the winch line would break before the hitch, receiver, pin or bolts.
I'll also agree that a weird pulling angle might cause some problems also.
But what I wont be called a dummy about is the other things. That thing isnt going to fail pulling a truck out. The winch line or winch is going to fail before the hitch would. Think of the stock tow hooks on the front - if you pull on them they dont break - unless you jerk the heck out of them.
I still think the winch line would break before the hitch, receiver, pin or bolts.
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From: Florida
I'll stand corrected for the 5000 tounge weight coment. That was stupid.
I'll also agree that a weird pulling angle might cause some problems also.
But what I wont be called a dummy about is the other things. That thing isnt going to fail pulling a truck out. The winch line or winch is going to fail before the hitch would. Think of the stock tow hooks on the front - if you pull on them they dont break - unless you jerk the heck out of them.
I still think the winch line would break before the hitch, receiver, pin or bolts.
I'll also agree that a weird pulling angle might cause some problems also.
But what I wont be called a dummy about is the other things. That thing isnt going to fail pulling a truck out. The winch line or winch is going to fail before the hitch would. Think of the stock tow hooks on the front - if you pull on them they dont break - unless you jerk the heck out of them.
I still think the winch line would break before the hitch, receiver, pin or bolts.
You can not believe it all you want, but ratings are there for a real good reason. I surely don't have more confidence in a product than the company who makes said product (and rates it). Like I said above, the bolts and pin are completely irrelevant. We're not discussing the strength of Grade 8.8 bolts here, we discussing the strength of the hitch and it's anchor points.
Winch line has nothing to do with it. Are you saying you think the winch line on a 12k or 16k winch would break before something that's rated for a max of 5k lbs? That makes no sense at all. Using that same logic, you could say it's OK to tow 15k with a Class III 5k rated receiver as long as it uses Grade 8.8 bolts and a pin rated for 10k. Would you even think about doing that???
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From: West Virginia
Dan, nobody called you a "dummy" man.
You can not believe it all you want, but ratings are there for a real good reason. I surely don't have more confidence in a product than the company who makes said product (and rates it). Like I said above, the bolts and pin are completely irrelevant. We're not discussing the strength of Grade 8.8 bolts here, we discussing the strength of the hitch and it's anchor points.
Winch line has nothing to do with it. Are you saying you think the winch line on a 12k or 16k winch would break before something that's rated for a max of 5k lbs? That makes no sense at all. Using that same logic, you could say it's OK to tow 15k with a Class III 5k rated receiver as long as it uses Grade 8.8 bolts and a pin rated for 10k. Would you even think about doing that???
You can not believe it all you want, but ratings are there for a real good reason. I surely don't have more confidence in a product than the company who makes said product (and rates it). Like I said above, the bolts and pin are completely irrelevant. We're not discussing the strength of Grade 8.8 bolts here, we discussing the strength of the hitch and it's anchor points.
Winch line has nothing to do with it. Are you saying you think the winch line on a 12k or 16k winch would break before something that's rated for a max of 5k lbs? That makes no sense at all. Using that same logic, you could say it's OK to tow 15k with a Class III 5k rated receiver as long as it uses Grade 8.8 bolts and a pin rated for 10k. Would you even think about doing that???
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From: Florida
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From: Western Colorado
If you had hit the same deer with your truck/bumper I bet it would have still done at least $500 in damage. Have you ever seen one of those aftermarket bumpers get pushed into the hood/grill/fenders? Maybe if the deer went under the truck it would cause minimal damage, but not if it hits higher up on the grill guard part.
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From: West Virginia
So if my class 5 hitch for the rear is only rated at 10,000 why in the heck has it lasted for all these years when I am pulling and yanking on things that weigh as much as 20,000 plus pounds. I would think that pulling a sled is probably more intense on a hitch than pulling a trailer. When the sled drops it can go from 20,000 lbs to 40,000 lbs depending on the sled. So if I am exceeding the hitch capacity by double to 4 times and doing it to where the truck stops moving and would dig four holes till I let off when is that hitch going to fail?