Building a dropped towbar

Well i'm getting ready to build my towbar. I really need it to be a dropped one. I remember Dan Stewart talking about this before with his jeep, and how severe of an angle he had with his old one, now that he did the spring over, and how the jeep would wander while towing. I am going to build a fairly long one (at least 36") and that should take care of the wandering portion.

Does anyone have any ideas on building a dropped unit? I will use flat bar. My old drawbar was a flat bar unit and worked really good, but it is a straight one and I need it to be about 10" to 12" lower. I was wondering if I could copy the design used on some of the semi trailers (dump truck dirt type haulers) where they have a real low connection at the trailer, and then the drawbar goes up to the truck. The exception would be that I would not have the towbar go up to the Suburban but rather have it drop straight down off of the frame connection of the jeep, to the height of the receiver on the suburban, then straight forward. (am I making any sense?)


There is quit a bit of difference in height between my receiver hitch on the Suburban and the height of the Jeeps frame rails. It's about a 12 to 15 inch difference. Do you all think I would be better off just buying a 12" dropped receiver, instead of building a dropped towbar, and then turning it upside down to match the height of a level towbar coming off of the jeep? Do they even make a receiver that has that much drop? The one I have now for the Suburban is about a 6" drop, turned upside down, so it's definitely not enough.

So I guess in a nutshell, i'm trying to compensate for a 12 to 15" difference in height between the Jeep and the Suburban. Any ideas or links. I tried a web search, but was unsuccessful, and I can't afford to buy one, so i'm going to have to make it.

 

You could always make it for a pintle style hitch. A lot more slop, but you could for sure run that angle. I think if you tried to make the bar droop down by JEEP)--\__{Suburban then when you would try to stop at that jeep would wanna climb upward and possible tear off the hitch and crash into you. It would be different with a regular trailer becouse there is not front axle that has upward give due to suspension. Does that make sense? I Hope it did not loose you. Good luck.

 

That's what I was thinking in my feeble little brain as well, and you just verified what I thought might happen.

I am actually going to use the two points sticking out from my bumper as my attachment points for the towbar. I guess what I will do is just build a flat style towbar, and get a dropped hitch and turn it upside down, or build one the height I need. I just stopped at the metal shop and picked up some 1 3/4" x .120 wall round tubing for my spare tire carrier, and some 2 1/2" x 1/2" flat for the towbar, so I have lots to do tonight. Wish I didn't feel like poo poo, so I could get motivated to get this done.

 

I've been using a drop hitch turned upside down for about three years. But I'm towing with a 3/4ton truck with a pretty heavy duty hitch mount. It mounts to the frame, not to the bumper. I'm using about a 6" drop/rise.

 

Sheesh, maybe I should just buy a trailer.
So your saying I can't turn a receiver ball mount upside down to run it as raised instead of dropped? I don't see why not since the towing forces are the same either way. It's being pulled under acceleration and pushed under braking. Seems like it would work as long as I got one high enough to match my towbar, which will be at frame level. I've seen some of the big Ford F-350's raised 20 inches running huge dropped ball receiver mounts. Just seems like turning it over isn't going to change much.

I have a class 5 receiver on my Suburban too posimoto.

 

I had the sme problem you are talking about. I used a drop turned upside down when I wanted to tow the CJ behind my wife's 2wd surburban. I used a 4" or 6" drop(couldn't find it here at home must be at the shop) for about several years. Only prolem I faced was when I wanted to open the gate/doors was no interferance but just tight. Oh yeah I have a tow bar made out of 1/4 X 2 flat bar. A friend had it built at a local shop, worked well for him for years as well for me. I'd think the material your using is more that adequate.

 

Don't drop the towbar! Raise the Suburban!

 

Yeah jd, I have the barn doors on my Sub. so it would cause an issue there, but I could deal with it. I'll get it figured out. Not sure i'm going to be able to get it done in time for Death Valley trip next weekend or not. I need more hours in the day

Joel is that the new version of new improved administration: "Smart Alec Comments" R) R)

 

Aren't you supposed to be hooking a computer, rather than making silly comments yourself?

 

make the sides of the towbar an "L" to drop the tow bar. have seen a few like that.

 

I've looked at this also, however, the angle on my towbar is not really very steep.
I would consider trying to take up the height difference in more than one way.
Like use a short upside down drop hitch - I wouldn't go more than 4 or 5 inches max.
Since you have made the tow bar yet why not make it with the attachments raised? As in if you looked at the tow bar from the side the part that hooks to the Jeep would be above the rest of the tow bar. And, make the attachment on the very bottom of the bumper (it may be too late for this?).

Oh, and use air shocks (or air bags) on the back of the Suburban.

 

Boyink,
Usually the back end of most rigs (and especially Suburbans I've seen) sag when you load in all the stuff for a trip. I use air shocks on my truck to bring it back up to level when I load it down and tow the Jeep for a trip. Just my experience.
Jerry

And, I meant to say "Since you haven't made the towbar . . .".

 

That's the thought I had on this originally. (amazing how I overcomplicated it in my original post ) My concern though, was the forces applied to everything. Especially under braking. Thought that the jeep might try to do a wheelie. Would be easy enough to build like that for a test, then if it doesn't work change it.

Jerry,

With all my camping gear and 3 kids, the wife, and ,myself, the rear drops about 2".



See those stubs sticking out in the front. That is going to be my attachment point. My original thought was to drop straight down off of those, however much I need, then go forward to the tow vehicle, keeping the towbar level. Of course I would put appropriate bracing to keep things solid. I realize the longer drop I have the more problem i'm liable to run into.
So maybe I could split the difference, and drop down from my mounts 6", then use a 6" drop receiver ball, turned upside down to get the 12" difference I need.

 

Yes, I think you're on the right track splitting the difference. Might consider 5" and 5" and let it not be level. Just trying to think. . . my towbar drops down about 4 or 5 inches from Jeep to the truck and seems to work fine.
The air shocks are only about a hundred bucks so that seems like a cheap way the get back 2 more - or go for 3!

Great looking bumper.

 

put lots of air in back tires of surburban and let the air out of the front tires of the jeep. R) R)

 

Now we're getting somewhere!

 

Hopefully i'll get a chance to work on it tonight at work. Gotta get the rosebud tip out to heat and bend that 2 1/2 x 1/2