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Thread: custom receiver hitch for lite ace

  1. #1
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    custom receiver hitch for lite ace

    I wanted a receiver hitch for my 1992 lite ace 4x4 diesel, but none are commercially available so I made my own. Sharing here in case somebody else is in the same boat. Guessing this would fit the US vanwagons but have no way to check. My design replaces the brackets for mounting the bumper, so it leaves the stock bumper intact except for a cut-out where the receiver tube protrudes. The only other permanent modification is I cut out some sheet metal so the receiver tube can penetrate the body, and I had to trim a little metal inside the stock bumper. The lateral piece is 1.5" square tubular steel with a 3/16" wall thickness and the end pieces are from a scrap of 4" angle iron with 1/4" thickness. It's bolted to the tow hook mounts, with 2 additional bolts attaching it to the body. The additional bolts were handy for holding things in place while getting everything sized but don't add a lot of strength. It's a 2" receiver tube but I'm not planning on towing much with it - mostly using it for a bike rack.
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  2. #2
    Van Enthusiast bikerjosh's Avatar
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    Re: custom receiver hitch for lite ace

    Nice, clean design. Good work.
    1987 4wd 5spd Cargo van (uncut)-modding in 3,2,1

  3. #3
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    Re: custom receiver hitch for lite ace

    Nice. I want to do the same thing under the F bumper.

    Is the pin easy to access?

  4. #4
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    Re: custom receiver hitch for lite ace

    Quote Originally Posted by Ace MM View Post
    Nice. I want to do the same thing under the F bumper.

    Is the pin easy to access?
    The pin isn't hard to get at since it's only an inch above the bottom lip of the bumper. I plan to make a full bumper for the front to give a little more impact protection. Haven't looked at that yet.

  5. #5
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    Re: custom receiver hitch for lite ace

    Looks nice and tucked away. I don't imagine this would fit on the U.S. vans, the bumpers are much larger and stick out a lot more (part of the DOT requirements for getting the van sold in this country vs. the rest of the world) and there is almost no space between the bumper and the body. The hitch I built had to fit beneath the bumper, which causes my bike rack or trailer to drag on steep transitions.

  6. #6
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    Re: custom receiver hitch for lite ace

    this is really nice! I have a similar hitch but it hangs down just below the super sadly. much prefer the look of this. I bet you could even put a table leg bung in it to hide it even more! your van looks very similar to mine! got any more pics?

  7. #7
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    Re: custom receiver hitch for lite ace

    Hey guys,

    How far off are the mounting locations from the US version to the JDM?
    Outside of me taking bumper off and taking pics and measurements and posting them?

    Has anyone used this U-Haul receiver hitch?

    https://www.uhaul.com/Trailer-Hitches/
    I was a member for 2 years before I bought my van.
    Vandi-

  8. #8
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    Re: custom receiver hitch for lite ace

    Good job. Any pics of the underside?

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