MIC 9 trailer hitch templates

[grantgoold]

Does anyone have a template or diagram with details on a good trailer hitch. I would like to build one and the local steel shop has agree to cut out the metal (via computer) if we can come up with some specific dimensions and measurements.

Anyone do this already and willing to share?

Thanks


Grant
Sacramento

[jjrbus]

This is a simple option. It consists of a 1/4"X6X6X54 1/4" angle iron. 1 piece of 2X2 seamless tubing and some 1/8th in strapping.
 Remove the back bumper, there will be a plate from side to side bolted into the engine rails remove the plate. Hold angle in place and mark 2 bottom  holes on each side, drill holes. Mark and drill hole for hitch pin in tubing, much easier to do befor welding on to angle. Weld tubing to center of angle iron (not on side with holes. Add support/braceing between angle and tubing  You will also need somthing to hook safety cables into(use imigination and common sense) Clean, prime and paint angle.Obtain some grade 8 bolts longer than what was holding the plate on and some washers.
 Put angle behind plate and put 2 bolts on each side. Bolts above plate will need to be shimmed 1/4" with washers. Install bumper, done!
 This setup would also lend itself well to an offset hitch. If doing it again I would use a center tube and an offset tube. Anytime you check oil, water ect you can inspect hitch mounting by simply looking down. Check all clearences, measurements ect befor proceding. I have this hitch on my 5C and has worked well for years.

[cody]

I have a reciever from an MCI9 sitting in my yard right now, if you want I can take some pictures of it and measure what you want and email them to you, it unbolted from an MCI9 and I'm going to modify it to fit my eagle, let me know and I can do that today for you if you want but tell me exactly what measurements you need, the picture will give them a guide line to work from, have you approached any charter companies yet? I got mine from a charter company that said they just remove them and throw them away.

[cody]

Let me know if this is what your looking for, I can email the measurements.

[DavidInWilmNC]

Let me know if this is what your looking for, I can email the measurements.

I'd love to know the measurements, too.  Maybe you could post them here so their available for future searches on the topic; otherwise, I'd like to receive them via email, too.   I'm assuming a MC-9 hitch would be the same as a MC-8 hitch.  Thanks!

David

[cody]

the main tube is 40 inches long total, from the point where the ball slides into the tube it's 7 inches back to the first crosser thats 2 inch angle and 31 inches long, the next crosser is at the back and is 2x3 tubing thats 33 inches long, at the ends of the back crosser there are 2, 1/4 inch plates that bolt to the frame of the bus, these are 14 inches, the holes can be drilled at each point in the ends of these plates to bolt to the frame, the holes are 1/2 inch holes.  Hope this helps, any further details on the measurements let me know.

[grantgoold]

Cody, thanks for the information and pictures.  Can you remember how the hitch looked when connected? How much clearance forward from the bumper? I have heard others say they would have liked perhaps two inches more sticking out for easy of hook up.

Your thoughts?

Grant

[ChuckMC9]

Yes, I read somewhere (gumpy?) that the reason that writer wanted more inches out was to enable the towbar to be folded up, and with his short neck there wasn't a way to do that. He had to remove the towbar every time.

This topic is one I'm following closely as I'm another couple of months out from tackling this.

Thanks for the good input folks!

[cody]

When I got the reciever it was already removed from the other bus so not sure how it looked then.