Temporary trailer hitch on '95 L400 bush bar?

Mitsubishi Delica L400 production commenced in 1994 -- After much anticipation, the L400 arrived on Canadian Soil in 2009!
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ealanm
Posts: 59
Joined: Mon Sep 13, 2010 5:57 pm
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Vehicle: '95 L400
Location: Surrey, BC

Temporary trailer hitch on '95 L400 bush bar?

Post by ealanm »

I'm planning to mount a trailer hitch on the front of my '95 L400, for manoeuvring a boat in my driveway. This is a temporary hitch only. I'll pop it on when I need to move the boat, then remove it again. It'll never be used on the street or at anything above a slow walking speed, and only on level ground.

The all-up weight of the boat and trailer is about 3,000 lb (1400 kg). I haven't measured the tongue weight yet but I estimate it to be between 200 and 300 lb (90-135 kg). I'm wondering if anyone else has done something similar and has experience with how much load the bush bar can handle. I expect it's very strong in the fore-and-aft direction, but how much can it hold vertically? It seems pretty stout.

I'll be fabricating everything myself, so the design is wide open (but I already have something sketched out). I am trying to avoid welding, though, because I don't have easy access to any welding equipment at the moment.
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Thomasdontgiveacrap
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Joined: Wed Dec 07, 2016 7:37 pm
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Vehicle: L400 Chamonix
Location: Calgary

Temporary trailer hitch on '95 L400 bush bar?

Post by Thomasdontgiveacrap »

Hi, I haven't done anything like this but I was rear ended [in low speed] and bush bar [chrome] took nearly all the impact. It's a garbage now and I had to remove it as it got ripped out from it's mounting points. They are not the strongest... Bush bar is in there mostly for looks I guess. But there are two recovery points fully welded to the frame. I'd use those in your case.
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ealanm
Posts: 59
Joined: Mon Sep 13, 2010 5:57 pm
Member's Photo Album: http://www.delica.ca/Photos/
Vehicle: '95 L400
Location: Surrey, BC

Temporary trailer hitch on '95 L400 bush bar?

Post by ealanm »

Damn, I didn't think through what I wrote. I'm talking about the bush bar on the front. I already have a hitch on the back. But thanks for your thoughts.
"The trouble with quotes on the internet is that it's difficult to determine whether they've been correctly attributed."
-- Abraham Lincoln
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