E350 tow hitch

I hope that the RV dealership was able to get back with you on a trailer hitch solution. This is a picture of the Hidden Hitch (brand) found on ETrailer.com website.



Basically you have the drivers and passenger side brackets to mount to the frame. The center section with the receiver already welded on fits in between the side brackets, and is bolted in place once holes are drilled into that section, and you are done. Installation time is about 2 hours.

Unless your frame extension is 34" wide, then the E-350 club wagon hitch will not fit the E-350 RV chassis. Like stated above, my E-450 chassis is 42" wide, so the passenger van hitch will not fit it.

This page has 5 hitches that will fit frames from 18" to 60" wide. Only the 3 on the bottom of the page offer a decent tow rating of 5,000 pounds, and are priced in the $200 - $240 range.

http://www.etrailer.com/dept-pg-Specialty_Trailer_Hitches-sf-RV_Hitch.aspx

I hope that you find what you are looking for!

I would not be installing a hitch on your frame extension,(based on the pictures that you posted of the extension, it does not look all that strong) unless it is strengthened first. But if you are only going to tow 3,500 pounds, it might be OK as it is. Problem is if you fatigue crack the frame extension, the only way you will find out about it is when the rear cap starts to pull apart, or something expensive to repair starts falling apart. It would be better to mount the stronger hitch to the factory frame section, then use a 18" long hitch extension or a very long receiver hitch.

That is why I am going with a custom made hitch, welded up and then bolted to the factory frame.

Fred.

From my time in slide in truck camper where most of them are sticking out behind the trucks frame there is a manufacturer that makes hitches for this sort of think. Now I don't know if they make one that would work on you van or not but you could give them a call in WA state (very nice people) and check it out.

Company is Torklift International/

It is s double tube receiver and then you use a Super Truss Extension in it.

This morning I took it to Dixie RV which is the big go-to place around here. They're checking parts and are supposed to call with a price this afternoon, but they talked like it was no big deal, that a regular E350 hitch would work. The side brackets should mount to the Ford frame and swing backwards towards the rear enough to clear the bumper extensions and the bumper without needing modifications. Hopefully I'll be on my way soon.

Hi,

I just bought a 2001 23' long Champion shuttle bus too. Mine is based on the slightly heavier duty F-450 chassis, and my hitch is bolted to a much beefier extension than yours is. What I plan on doing is get my nephew who is a certified welder to build me a hitch. The frame in my case is 42" apart, so it is a non-standard hitch. I could have ordered a kit from ETrailer.com that can be adjusted from 30" to 44" wide, and then it bolted together, the cross frame is slid into the side mounts, then you would drill 1/2" holes into the cross piece, and install the included grade 8 bolts through the frame mounts and cross pieces.

However my nephew can acquire the 3/8" thick flat plate at his work, and cut a 3" square hole into the end of it, then punch 1/2" holes in the section that will bolt onto my frame. I will have 4 bolts into the Ford factory frame, and 2 more into the frame extension. The 3" square tubing will go from one side to the other, and a 2.5" square tubing in the center will hold the standard 2" receiver for my trailer hitch. I want to be able to tow a 10,000 pound trailer with it someday, if I buy a toyhauler travel trailer.

Because I will be making custom flat plates for each side mount, I can make them long enough to go to the factory frame, and then come rearward about 12" so that the cross member is only a few inches behind my bumper. Then the 2.5" bar that will go through the 3" crossmember will extend out to the edge of my bumper. Depending on the height of my bumper off the ground, I might cut out 3" square from the bumper, or mount it below the bumper. I still need to figure that part out.

You might want to look at this link.

http://www.etrailer.com/Specialty-Trailer-Hitches/Draw-Tite/41990-16.html


http://www.etrailer.com/Merchant2/graphics/00000001/pics/4/1/41990-16_d_50.jpg

By using 16" long frame brackets, they can be mounted so that they fit on the factory frame, and extend rearward, and downward. Then the cross member is welded to these brackets by a certified welder. Or just go to a welding company that can built a trailer hitch, and they will say $300 installed, and you are on your way. . . The picture shows the 16" side brackets upright, I would be using them on the other side and sideways, so that they extend from the front of the chassis by 16" toward the bumper, and only drop about 3" below the frame level. Then install 6 bolts from the Ford chassis through these brackets, and weld in the cross piece. This hitch kit is about $200.

You might also be able to buy a 'kit' hitch from a place like U-haul. Problem is that it is a welded hitch, ready to install on a F-350 or E-450 motorhome, and is $367 for just the hitch. U-haul will take one look at your frame, and say 'no way can we bolt this 5,000 pound rated hitch onto this extension'. So you are going to have to seek out a pro welder anyway. I did price a hitch at u-haul for mine, but planned on building one that will be much stronger.

I also considered buying a used hitch from my local Craigslist, that is 43" wide, and looks like I could modify it to fit my needs, but it is 50 miles away, and $100 that I probably will not need to spend, when I can get the raw steel the correct size for about $50. And have my nephew weld it up himself.

Good luck with your project.

Fred.

Mich F wrote:
I was just wondering when you wrote deck boat, are you talking about a relatively light pontoon boat, or a considerably heavier glass deck boat? That would definitely make a difference in what you need for a hitch.

It's a barge, 25' Hurricane Fun Deck that the specs say weighs in at 2600 lbs dry. I'll call around to the fab shops in my area tomorrow morning.

Double post

I'd suggest going to a metal fabrication shop. I had a 24' Class C on an E350 which came from Coachmen, with a 3,500# rated hitch, mounted on a frame extension, which was considerably longer than yours. I pulled off the existing hitch and the metal shop fabricated a hitch which they bolted into the main frame. It was a rather long, strong, beefy thing. Worked fine. It was cheaper than any "normal" hitch I could have bought at the time, with the bonus feature that I was not depending on the quality of the frame extensions.
I was just wondering when you wrote deck boat, are you talking about a relatively light pontoon boat, or a considerably heavier glass deck boat? That would definitely make a difference in what you need for a hitch.

I'd go to a local RV shop and see what they have to say- it seems like something I wouldn't want to trust to, for example, the U-Haul place or something the guy at the farm store said was O.K.

Ok here's a hitch extender that is rated at 10k lbs.

And another one that looks a little more beefy, if I could find a dual receiver hitch.

These might be my best/only options.

Well the actual frame rails are standard Ford, the problem being they're just about 18" in from the bumper. So are you saying a typical Class C has the frame rails all the way to the back of the body?