# Hitch Storage



## Swany (Mar 2, 2006)

I am sure that all who tow TTs will understand of which I speak. You load up, hitch up, and off you go to your favorite camp site. You arrive and set up. You have all of the luxuries of home, all ship shape, a place for everything and everything in its place. Right? ... Wrong!

The hitch! What about the hitch?

Here are your choices. One, leave it plugged into the back of the tow vehicle. Now all of you who do this raise your hand. Now all that have banged their shins on it raise your hands. Now all of you that have been given a greas job by doing this raise your hand. How about when you go to the store with the darned thing out in the aisleway of the parking lot. Do you worry about. You know when somebody hits it they are going to look at you like it's your fault don't you!

Choice two, throw it in the back of you tow vehicle. Now you have a 50+ pound sharp cornered projectile beating the daylights out of the back of your vehicle. To say nothing of its rubbing grease all over everything it gets near. When it gets time to hitch up, where is it. It is clear up in the front of the pickup, right?

Choice 3, put it in the storage area of your RV. I do mean "put" because if you sit it down too hard it is going to damage the flooring. While in the storage area it will do you the favor of greasing everything it comes in contact with and every time you want something out of the storage area you get to handle the hitch again!

Choice 4, drop it on the ground near the tongue of the trailer. I suspect that this is the most desireable of the 4 options except for one thing. PEOPLE STEAL THINGS.

Choice 5,
In answer to this peski problem I fabricated a hitch storage gizmo. It is made out of two lengths of 1 1\8" thin wall square tube and a short peice of 2" square tube and a short peice of flatbar. As you look at the pictures you will notice that you slide the equalizer bars into the two 1 1\8" square tubes and that these tubes are blocked on the other end. Then you drop the hitch into the 2" square tube. In doing this it makes it impossible to remove the eq bars as the hitch blocks them from sliding back out. Slide a locking hitch pin into the hitch shank and nobody is getting away with anything!

This fixture will be welded crossways of the tongue toward the trailer end. This will allow a jackknife no problem. I will weld it to the angle irons that the batteries set in, not to the tougue itself. It will be accessable from the driver's side. You undo your eq bars and slide them in, then you pull the hitch out of the receiver and drop it in. Put the locking pin in and there you have it! Now how cool is that! Might have to patend it, ya think? Next I will drill and tap the top of the verticle shank on the hitch and fab up a "T" handle to screw into it for further convienience. When I park the trailer for any length of time I will probably put a garbage bag over the hitch.

Now if I have done my "my space" on msn correctly and have linked it properly (50 50 chance) you can see pictures by clincking on the link below. If not, sorry!

http://swanytoo.spaces.live.com/PersonalSp...amp;_c=blogpart


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## wicandthing (Jul 11, 2005)

Swany said:


> I am sure that all who tow TTs will understand of which I speak. You load up, hitch up, and off you go to your favorite camp site. You arrive and set up. You have all of the luxuries of home, all ship shape, a place for everything and everything in its place. Right? ... Wrong!
> 
> The hitch! What about the hitch?
> 
> ...


I like it! I like it! That may be my mod project during the holidays. I've been trying to figure out some way to store that thing myself. I may also "make" a waterproof cover since I don't like storing my hitch out in the weather.

Later!


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## PDX_Doug (Nov 16, 2004)

That's a pretty slick solution you have there, Swany. Well done!









I normally leave the hitch on the truck, and just stash the bars under the tongue, but have often planned on building something to at least hold the bars. You may just have a marketable item there if you can build it in such a way that it can be attached to the trailer frame without the need for welding. Along the same lines, I would take a look at other brands, and see what would be required to make a 'universal' mount (That would fit various 'A' frame designs).

Happy Trails,
Doug


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## Swany (Mar 2, 2006)

PDX_Doug said:


> That's a pretty slick solution you have there, Swany. Well done!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I suppose you could you could attach it with a clamp like the eq bar clamps?


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## Swany (Mar 2, 2006)

wicandthing said:


> I am sure that all who tow TTs will understand of which I speak. You load up, hitch up, and off you go to your favorite camp site. You arrive and set up. You have all of the luxuries of home, all ship shape, a place for everything and everything in its place. Right? ... Wrong!
> 
> The hitch! What about the hitch?
> 
> ...


I like it! I like it! That may be my mod project during the holidays. I've been trying to figure out some way to store that thing myself. I may also "make" a waterproof cover since I don't like storing my hitch out in the weather.

Later!
[/quote]
My water proof cover will be a garbage bag.


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## 3LEES (Feb 18, 2006)

Nice design and work Swany. I'm sure it'll fit you needs to a tee.

For me, I think that setup would be just as bad as leaving the hitch in the TV receiver. I am SURE I would run into it, and I am SURE my son would run into it ( acorn doesn't fall far from the tree).

What I have done for hitch storage is fabricate a platform that sits in the extra battery storage area under the propane cover. I keep my hitch under the cover and out of sight. Not totally secure, but out of sight, out of mind.

I also have a lot less scars on my shins with this setup!

Dan


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## Swany (Mar 2, 2006)

3LEES said:


> Nice design and work Swany. I'm sure it'll fit you needs to a tee.
> 
> For me, I think that setup would be just as bad as leaving the hitch in the TV receiver. I am SURE I would run into it, and I am SURE my son would run into it ( acorn doesn't fall far from the tree).
> 
> ...


It is actually tucked back in the corner enough to make it out of harmfuls way. Plus it drops in easlily without pinching any fingers. Under mu battery cover it is full of batteries and LP tanks.


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## HootBob (Apr 26, 2004)

Very sweet idea Swany









Don


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## Rubrhammer (Nov 27, 2006)

That is a slick solution. In the past I have left mine coupled with a lock on the coupler and a locking pin in the head. I think I have shin scars that inspired me.


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## Carey (Mar 6, 2012)

Really great idea there Swany! Looks like that would work great.

Nice Job!
Carey


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## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

Like your mod...nice work.

I fall into the Opt #1 category. I just back the Suburban up to an area where people won't walk. Never had any issues...guess the kids have figured it out as well, because I haven't seen damage to their legs or grease on their clothes.


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## skippershe (May 22, 2006)

I think your mod is great!

We haven't had any problems with cracked shins or grease yet (knock on wood) We just leave the hitch on the TV sometimes with a baggie over it, and stow the bars just inside the back of the burb...everything is ready to go when we are









Happy Camping,
Dawn


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## Thor (Apr 7, 2004)

Great Mod
















I like it









Thor


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## mswalt (Sep 14, 2004)

Seems like you put a lot of thought and effort into that mod!









Too much work for me, however. I have plenty of room in the 31's "garage" to worry about coming up with something that extensive. It's no trouble to take off the hitch and load it into the 31 in the front compartment.

Mark


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## BenandTina (Jul 13, 2005)

To prevent grease from getting everywhere, take a 16oz. Aquafina water bottle and cut in half. This will fit on the ball perfectly. 
Ben


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## Mgonzo2u (Aug 3, 2004)

Thank you for sharing your mod.

We're simpletons though. I simply tie a white plastic grocery bag around the whole thing.

1) It keeps the hitch and camper(s) clean

2) Its a good visual warning sign (day or night) to those approaching it as it sticks out like, well, a grocery bag over a big piece of heavy metal.

3) Its affordable and easy enough for anyone to use.


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## Swany (Mar 2, 2006)

BenandTina said:


> To prevent grease from getting everywhere, take a 16oz. Aquafina water bottle and cut in half. This will fit on the ball perfectly.
> Ben


Ah yes Ben, but what about the grease on the eq bar piviot points? Do they go in the bottle too?


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## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

mswalt said:


> Too much work for me, however. I have plenty of room in the 31's "garage" to worry about coming up with something that extensive. It's no trouble to take off the hitch and load it into the 31 in the front compartment.
> 
> Mark


Mark...I'm guessing you just drive the Suburban INTO the 31RQS's storage area....







That trailer must have 3x-4x the storage I have. If I only had the 8 liter engine I'd have that Outback for sure!!


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## mswalt (Sep 14, 2004)

> Mark...I'm guessing you just drive the Suburban INTO the 31RQS's storage area.... That trailer must have 3x-4x the storage I have. If I only had the 8 liter engine I'd have that Outback for sure!!


Three to four? I'm guessing more than that. I coudn't even begin to load my 26RS with even a fraction of what I've got in the 31. And that's just the outside storage.









There's really too much room. Not living space, mind you, but storage. I am not even close to filling it up with stuff.

Mark


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## Rubrhammer (Nov 27, 2006)

There's really too much room. Not living space, mind you, but storage. I am not even close to filling it up with stuff.

Mark
[/quote]
Just wait, just like a barn or an attic. The more room you have the more stuff you acumulate. It just takes longer with bigger spaces.


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## BenandTina (Jul 13, 2005)

Swany, I don't have an Equalizer hitch so I don't have to worry about that.








Ben


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## Swany (Mar 2, 2006)

BenandTina said:


> Swany, I don't have an Equalizer hitch so I don't have to worry about that.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Alright, you win. Have a good one


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## BritsOnTour (Sep 15, 2006)

Just my two pennies worth..I actually storge the hitch, bars and towing mirrors next to the gas tanks and then the cover goes back on. Out of the way, protected from water and to hand.....they were there all winter and were in good shape.

Dave


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## Mjeronimo (Feb 16, 2014)

I store mine in the pass through, hitch head goes in a holder that holds tongue jack foot.


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