On Fri, 21 Dec 2007 01:21:40 -0600, Don Foreman wrote:
On Thu, 20 Dec 2007 09:39:57 -0600, Ignoramus31412 wrote:
On 2007-12-20, Pete C. wrote:

You make a good point...the truck gets a front mounted hitch in the
future.

If it's a receiver hitch, it's also handy for use with receiver mount
winches so you can use them front or rear as convenient.

Pete, do you have any example of front mounted receivers that I could
look at (on a webpage or some such)?

I have never seen one, but became convinced that it may be necessary
sometimes.

You can make one with about $25 worth of steel and a bit of welding. I
made both of mine. It needs to be sturdy enough to handle tongue load
and push up a hill, but you won't be doing more than 10 mph with a
front hitch. Not for long, anyway.

Well, you can, though I wouldn't really want to... But it's a very
expensive and involved process that starts with swapping out your old
rear axle for an appropriate sized "front" axle, getting a set of
spools to replace the locking hubs, and then tapping off the power
steering pump and rigging up a hydraulic rear-steer system.

Hell, leave the locking hubs. Perfect anti-theft system, even if
they get it started and put it in gear nothing happens. At least till
one of the hubs blows up, and then (unless it's a 4WD and you can
drive on the front axle) you aren't going anywhere either.

Oh, and two more things. One, you have to steal a transmission
tailshaft parking brake off an old Dodge Truck, because front axles
don't have parking brake linkages - unless you can find a set of
calipers with the parking brake hardware. That, or a "Mico Lock"
hydraulic check valve system.

And you need a hydraulic safety center lock for the rear steer. You
REALLY don't want to be going down the freeway at 65, have a
2-year-old or your hound dog bump that switch on the dashboard when
you aren't looking, and suddenly you are taking up two lanes wide and
desperately counter-steering the wheel to avoid hitting things...

-- Bruce --