I bought my hitch at the dealership so I'd still have my hook, and I wanted the hitch bolted to the frame...the freakin' thing only cost me 100 bucks NEW at the dealer!!

Secret is, the stock hitch system IS in the frame <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/coolg.gif" alt="" />

DOH!! So, once again I did something unecessary? I'm not too bummed, as I like having both, and the lower hitch I bought saved my Monty BIG TIME at Tellico last summer. LOL

After looking at the stock hitch mount, I was under the impression that the stock location if for the mounting of pintle hook rigs which makes a lot of sense in the 3rd world places where these monty's were sold. Given the extreme angles and articulation required when traversing what passes for a 'road' in places like Indonesia etc. a "US" type trailer mount would bind up something awful whereas the pintle/ring setup is hell for strong and allows tons of articulation.

The question has to be then, why is everyone slapping below-the- bumper receiver hitches on these things? Is it because the hitch height is too high for what you are pulling?


seer

Factory trailers tend to be positioned for "Typical" family station wagon (remember those?) or mini-van bumper heights.
Most trailers also expect (and need to be) to be trailed very horizontal.

Thus must SUV's need to drop their hitches down to reach the trailer's height.

Some of us have lifted their trailer's suspension to reduce the drop required. Others add a lifted tongue to their trailers.

Boat trailers are especially sensitive to horizontal loading. If you reach the trailer's tongue up too high, the trailer becomes very front-light, and that makes for interesting hitchup exercises (done once, and never again!)

...rambling.

Word. My utility trailer is pimpin' in the back and jacked in the front.

I just have the L bracket with ball from John Baker.

Thats the supposed to be the beauty of the reciever hitch, You can get all kinds of drop/raise hitches to fit them. They flip up or down to provide drop. I thought a 2" body lift might allow the reciever tube to go Above the bumper. I have to experiment. Any rate the hitch just pulls off for off road use. But your right under bumper mounting of reciever is no good.

I posted this months ago. Some of you may not have seen it.

I got Roger Brown (AKA 4Crawler 4x4... www.4crawler.com) to fabricate a low profile hitch 2" hitch that you can use any standard stinger on for any gen I, & II Montero's.

No need to modify your stock bumper and you don't loose anywhere near as much clearance even over the unit you posted.

With Metric Grade 12.5 (better than SAE Grade 8) bolts, it comes to roughly $75.

Just the bolts alone cost like $4 ea.

Oh, it uses socket head (allen wrench) bolts.

http://www.4x4wire.com/forums/showf...in=332744&Search=true#Post332744

Ray