Hidden Hitch Redesigned it!

[98 Xplorer]

Hey all,

Back in July I posted some questions about Hidden Hitches round tube hitch and how low it hung when it was mounted on my 98. Just to refresh your memories I first received and installed the #70637 hitch. When mounted the receiver hung 2 1/2" below the bumper and you could also see the hole hitch including the brackets from the back. Then they sent the #70670 hitch and that too hung about 2" below the bumper and the hole hitch was still visable. Well I just received the redesigned hitch #70647 for the 98 Xplorer. Can you believe they got it right this time the hitch fits tight against the bottom of the bumper and the tube is almost not visable at all. Its the most hidden hitch I've seen on the road to date, they did a good job. It only took them since june 23, to get it right(thats when I ordered the first hitch).

If you look at some of the 98's on the road you are bound to see the hitches I am talking about they hang real low and they don't look right , I have seen several in the Annapolis MD. area so there has to be some elsewhere.

Sorry for rambling, I am just glad they got it right because when I received the first one I almost had heart failure when I mounted and thought I would be stuck with it(I ordered on the net) and that was after I had taken a Draw-Tite back because of the way it was hitting the spare tire, but that was from a local store so it was easy to return.

It really is one of the most hidden hitches I've seen to date as compared to the Draw-Tite, Reese, and U-Haul.

Alan
98 Xplorer

 

[Peter Weber]

Alan, I'm getting one in a week or two. Where did you get yours from, J. C. Whitney?

 

[98 Xplorer]

Peter,

I got it from BAGE CO. an internet company in Florida. It costs me about 130.00 plus shipping. I have heard the prices at J C Whitney are better, but make sure that they order the #70647 for you.

Alan
98 Xplorer

 

[Paul Gagnon]

You mean it is hard to see the hitch like this one? It is a little dark but if you look closely you can see the sticker.
Dead Link Removed

 

[rock883]

I got one of those round tubes for my 91. Wish I wouldn't of spent the extra money on the round over the box, seeing as you can't even see the tube, so there is no advantage. But afterI put mine on, my mom said, "I thought you put that thing on", and I told her I did, and then she kinda stood back and bent down and finally saw it, it is pretty well hidden up there, and the box sits flush with the bumper step.

Hey Paul, wht in the hell are you doing in that picture? Not enough parking spaces or somethin?

 

[Peter Weber]

Alan, thanks. I'll let you know later how it turned out.

 

[drvred]

I just installed a round tube Hidden Hitch on my 93. It looks awesome! The receiver is about 1/2 inch below the bumper. I have seen a square tube hitch on an early model, and thats why I spend the extra bucks.
I bought mine from Auto Acc Connection. The hitch was 139.90 with no shipping but a 5.95 handling charge?
It was shipped direct from Hidden Hitch though. 1-800-632-3290 so you might be able to get a better price there.

Rick
93 XLT

 

[kilroy]

I can't see how those hitches would be strong enough. Are they rated for 10000# ?

 

[gijoecam]

Yyyyup!

They're class III... rated for 10000 lbs. Unfortunately the tow rating for my Sport is a measley 4075 lbs. :-( Luckily, I can yank the cr@p out of it before it dislodges itself from my frame! Just a note on the Draw-tites... they DO make one that fits the vehicles with the 16 inch wheels, however it's not the tube-type... it's the square one and it isn't as pretty, but when the underside is covered with mud, nobody notices.
-Joe-

 

[Robert]

Re: Yyyyup!

Originally posted by gijoecam
They're class III... rated for 10000 lbs. Unfortunately the tow rating for my Sport is a measley 4075 lbs. :-( Luckily, I can yank the cr@p out of it before it dislodges itself from my frame! Just a note on the Draw-tites... they DO make one that fits the vehicles with the 16 inch wheels, however it's not the tube-type... it's the square one and it isn't as pretty, but when the underside is covered with mud, nobody notices.
-Joe-

The ratings for Class III are: Up to 5,000 lbs Gross Trailer Weight Up to 500 lbs. Tongue Weight. Class IV carry a rating of: Up to 10,000 lbs* Gross Trailer Weight Up to 1,000 lbs. Tongue Weight.

 

[kilroy]

AHHH OK I have the classIV hitch on mine, I really don't mind how it looks since the main reason I bought the truck is for towing. Besides who's really going to notice the receiver with that big ass WD drawbar I have sticking out of it!

 

[Jim F]

Valley got it right the first time.

I bought a round class III receiver hitch from UHaul in Dec of 98. It is made by Valley Industries for UHaul and fit like a glove the very first time. I was very impressed with the accuracy of the fit. The only part that sticks out from the bummper is the reinforcing ring around the opening of the receiver and the rest hugs nicely to the new for '98 shaped bumper. A 16 inch spare tire will fit just fine with this hitch.

This is what it looks like:

Actually this is the same color as by Explorer.

 

[98 Xplorer]

I can't see were the 98's bumper is that much different then the other years, so that the hitch when mounted on the 98 would hang 3" lower.

Paul,
Your right its too dark to see well, but I trust that it fits tight under the bumper. Thanks for the Pic. What were you doing?

Jim F,
The Xplorer also looks like mine, the hitch fits similar to the redesigned Hidden Hitch. I had seen the U-Haul on an Xplorer in a parking lot, but that was after I had begun this adventure with Hidden Hitch so it was to late, But I had used "it" as ammunition for my fight to get one that would fit better.

Now visualize the receiver hanging down 3" from where it is in the pic. pretty nasty(oxymoron statement)looking Hah!
The distributor had nerve to question if I had mounted it right, please, I would hope the most mechanically impaired person would be able to mount a hitch with no problem.

Thanks for the pic. I should say the pic. looks like mine until this weekend when I do the T-Bar twist.

Alan
98 Xplorer

 

[gijoecam]

ok....

Sorry, you're right about the classes, but I'm curious now... why does Ford put a class 3 hitch on every F-150 with the trailer tow package, and then rate it for 7000 lbs??? Also, why is there a difference in the weight carrying ability of the hitch when you use a weight distributing setup? If it's pulling 7000 lbs with or without a weight distributing hitch, it's still pulling 7000 lbs, isn't it? (I understand how it works, and why it's safer, but isn't it the same hitch bolted to the truck??? Therefore, can't it withstand the same load?)

 

[kilroy]

It's a matter of tounge weight. Some hitches can only go a certain amount of weight at the tounge, so that limits how much overall weight it can handle.

A WD hitch distributes the trailer and tounge weight to both axles, therefor more overall weight capacity. It uses spring bars to lift the rear end up using the trailer as a fulcrum point, forcing more weight towards the front axle. There are different weight classes of spring bars also, 600, 800, and 1000#, depending on how heavy a trailer you are going to pull. I have 800# spring bars since my trailers gross is only 7000#. You would use the 1000# spring bars for a 10000# trailer.

The Explorer is rated at 6800 # towing capacity, which is on the conservative side for the V8, so my trailer is well within the limits since I doubt I would ever have 2 1500# horses in it at once, since I don't even have any 1500# horses. I was pulling it without the hitch, and aside from the steering being a little light, it handled well. Once the hitch was on the only thing different I noticed between pulling the trailer and not having it was the acceleration, it rides like a limo.

 

[Paul Gagnon]

What was i doing?

I thought that was how you measured your RTI! LOL It is called truck stacking. Basically you drive up the other guy's tire or whatever and you see how many you can pile on top of eachother. Sheesh.... you guys have got to get out and play some more... LOL


From looking at the pic, the U-Haul hitch hangs down more than the Hidden Hitch design. Not in the centre but at the outside edge of the hitch.

 

[Jim F]

I have not compared the ratings between the two hitches, but from what I have seen, the hidden hitch mounts back farther and the receiver tube has a longer run to clear the bumper (more leverage on the weld) than the Valley.

 

[jt1970m]

I just got the Hidden Hitch #70647 round tube and it fit perfectly. Install was very easy. I got mine from ACC like somone else mentioned in here. The new design is very nice you can hardly see it. Totally satisfied with the outcome. Got a question thought did you guys impact wrench your bolts ? Think I will before I tow anything.

 

[TarHeel085]

i wanna see pics!

 

[Jason_25]

Originally posted by jt1970m
I just got the Hidden Hitch #70647 round tube and it fit perfectly. Install was very easy. I got mine from ACC like somone else mentioned in here. The new design is very nice you can hardly see it. Totally satisfied with the outcome. Got a question thought did you guys impact wrench your bolts ? Think I will before I tow anything.

Does it cover the underside of the bumper pretty well?