double cross tube reciever

[fauch]

just finished installing homemade receiver on my '06 2955RL
these photos do not include completion of belly skin reinstalled. The forward 2 inch tube has a hanger bolt through the I beam flange on each side, which were installed after the skin was slipped back in over the whole assembly. The forward tube will take the upward force from torquing of the main rear tube.

[Champ_49]

Very nice work. Should take care of your needs and more!! Good Job

[fauch]

all 1/2" bolts are grade eight, lock-nutted and torqued to 110 pound ft.
the 'bracket bolted to the I beam webbing is of two opposing Pieces of 5" W x 1.750" flange x 0.190 web thickness, welded where flange edge meets web on each side.
The forward cross tube intersection with the receiver tube is bolted between two pieces of 1/4" plate with four 1/2" grade 8 bolts.

[fauch]

Thanks Champ. Had plenty of help from two brothers with welding skills and plenty of equipment.
Getting them to minimize change engineering to my design is always the hardest challenge.

[gar&lin]

Excellent job fauch! We just picked up an 08 295RKS and want to add a hitch to that as well. I've built many hitches over the years and was wondering how to proceed with the Monty, have never dealt with an enclosed/insulated model. Your idea looks top notch.

Question: The rear cross member, does it run against the reciever or does the reciever run against the cross memeber? It kind of looks like the cross member is cut, then welded to the reciever. Is that correct? Would make sense to me with the gussets you welded to both.

With the roads we have up here in MB I think I will extend the c so I can bolt the front cross member through the c to keep that solid over the bumps.

Thanks,
Gary

[DQDick]

Really great looking job!

[Rondo]

Frank, What did you do with the spare tire and assembly? I'd like to put a hitch under our unit but the spare in right in the middle of the back section.

[fauch]

thanks garnli!
the receiver runs through the rear square tube. ...or the rear tube beam butts the receiver tube. the gussets/welding that make this connection were copied from the class III factory hitch on my Super Duty.
The receiver butts the forward cross beam tube.

making the opposing channels both 12-18" would be a good idea. my main concern was the upward force on the forward end of the receiver tube. in other words to transfer the twist of the rear tube to the forward one. this 'ladder' configuration changes the force on the rear tube from a torque twist to a straight downward flex force. On the 2955 RL there is some interference with the fresh water tank and it's support structure to get bolts installed. The only load on the hanger bolts on the front tube would be from upward bounce of the bike rack (or trailer)

Looks like the only bounce I am getting now is from the slop between the bike rack tube and the receiver. This has been tightened up with shims for now. I am installing a turnbuckle strut connecting the bike rack tube and the receiver tube, I'll post some pics when i get this completed. may even use gas strut like the ones on a door hatch lift, to tension that connection.

[gar&lin]

Yup, I agree with what you say regarding upward force, twist of the rear cross etc. Right on. Since I plan to be pulling a boat, I know there will be a fair amount of upward force on the ball of the reciever from the trailer tongue bouncing because of the rough roads. Bolting the front cross to the frame would eliminate that flexing and subsequent rattling etc.

Thanks for sharing. This is the best design I've seen. You are among those who make this site great.

I joined this site recently after purchasing our mountianeer and have learned incredible stuff from incredible people! Never knew I could learn so much about monty's in here in hick town Manitoba.

[fauch]

Hey Rondo, this whole assembly is rear of the spare tire on my 2955RL. I did have to move the stabilizing jack-set forward about four inches

BTW garnli, those 'hanger' bolts are 5/16" and run through the I-beam flange. and these bolts are definitely not stand-alone on loading. ...of course the more significant, upward force on the forward tube is blocked solid to the Ibeam with a plate spacer.

[southern thunder]

looks good.

[fauch]

garnli, thought i should mention again, the photos were taken prior to belly skin being re-installed. bolt connection on forward tube was not installed until after this step., so bolt-up of forward tube is not shown in photos

[gar&lin]

Yep, I overlooked that. I'll say it again, looks real good, congrats and thanks again.

[Art-n-Marge]

Oh my gosh... this is the second topic in a row I've looked at where it looks like the pictures have been edited out today, this time by the OP (fauch).

I'm not gonna ask anymore. If I needed to know, I would have been told, or it would be more obvious the reason why. All the nice comments are wierd to read when you can't see what they're referring to.

[Rob Walters]

I'm with Art, can't see any links to photos on this thread, and all I saw was "delete" on the thread about the counter extension. These are both mods that I wouldn't mind exploring.

[DonandBonnie]

Art x2

[K0LCB]

Art X 3

[fauch]

Sorry about the link loss. Had a bascarfullos in my cloud. Will see if i can stash and link phots somewhere else

[fauch]

Try this link:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/118419948@N08/

[Rondo]

Thanks Frank! You da man!!!