so my hitch/receiver has broken off the axle. It looks like previous owner welded it on (pic below). I was going to remove this one and replace with this Couldn't get online instructions and to my dismay I found out that this one attaches to an existing hitch. My Honda is a 2007 foreman 500. This is my situation...any good hitches/receiver to suggest?
Do you have any other pictures of the broken hitch? I can see a little of a bogarted weld on the axle tube.
Yes bad weld job. I do see what looks to be a crack now. That sure doesn't appear to be that beefy. The built-in hitch on my Kawasaki bayou is mega sturdy. It's the same style, solid rear axle with a built-in hitch point.
This is what I could find for your quad but you’ll have to get the axle tube fixed first for this to work judging by the picture.
It looks to me like when Ray Charles welded up the receiver hitch, there was too much heat and burned through the thin steel of the axle tube when the guy was not close to the two parts he was welding, but I could be wrong. If it was me, I would get a piece of angle iron, like 3x3 x 1/4 inch, cut 4 inches long, and then (2) u-bolts the size of your axle tube. First use a 4-1/2 grinder to grind off what remains of the weld, then put the angle iron so that one flat side is horizontal towards the top of the axle tube, and the other end is flat up against the axle tube. Drill 4 holes to take the (2) u-bolts. Then drill a hole big enough to take trailer ball, or if a pin type hitch, big enough for your pin. In this way, it is a non-welded fix, yet will be far more stronger than what you have. If a junk yard cannot get you that steel, you can order it online too. This is a pretty easy fix that you can do yourself without welding.
Thanks Lodged Tree? You mean after fixing the axle tube crack right? Was thinking of patching it up instead of replacing.
It also be easy to sleeve the axle. A piece of schedule 40 or something similiar cut in half and then I bolted over the axle. Would be about bullet proof. Even exhaust clamps would work well there.
Huh....yeah, I'm awake...ouch, yeah that doesn't look good! Believe it or not guys, I think that is the factory hitch weld you are looking at there. That is why I am not a fan of these aftermarket hitches that stick way out like that...too much leverage on the axle housing...and they are not that thick to begin with. That said, I think the rust and mud are making it tough to see just whats what there, I bet the weld is not as bad as it looks...and I think it has just plain rusted through...it kinda does look like a crack, but I think it just got rusted thin and then that huge aftermarket add on hitch just added stress to an area that was too thin to take it anymore. The biggest issue is how much mud/water has gotten into the axle bearings? The bearings on the left side are in the rear gear housing there...don't want to tear those up...you wouldn't believe what it cost to rebuild those lil suckers! I guess the only actual "axle bearing" is the one on the right side over by the brake. Anyways, after you determine that no water or mud has gotten in there, you need to figure out how to fix the hole water tight. If it were me (as Pete already suggested) I'd do a sleeve out of pipe I think...slit in half lengthwise and then weld or bolt (with some flanges welded on) around the axle housing....I'd probably lean toward bolting on so that it could be sealed up with a layer of polyurethane caulk under it. Then buy an aftermarket hitch that bolts onto the gear housing and/or uses the axle housing bolts. I'll see if I can find a good one...BRB... EDIT: OK, not finding a ton of options for this bike anymore...that said, this one should solve your problem RH102 - Receiver Hitch For Honda Foreman 500 - STRONG MADE it bolts on but doesn't use the factory hitch mounting. You can just fix that hole in the tube and move on...I wonder if a wrap or two from a fiberglass repair kit around the whole tube wouldn't be a good option...maybe even a couple wraps of Flex Tape (hey, it would seal it...that's good stuff!) The key to not ruining anything else in the future is to then make sure your hitch point is as close to the axle as possible...not hanging out 8-10-12"...that adds a TON of stress to something with a tow load capacity only a little more than a lawn tractor... This one would be a good ATV hitch...it is from Ventrac tractor...they are very short, 6-8" overall length
thanks man. I had to re-read this post a few times to make sure I understood it. But the gist of it is: 1) Make sure there's no water or mud in the the axle bearings...well, this thing was stored indoors and never driven through mud, only dirt. I suppose that minimizes the risk 2) Remove the existing hitch and receiver...fix with a half pipe (cut lengthwise), attach it (weld or bolt) 3) install a hitch that is short...btw teh receiver I bought is pretty short. the long arm is to extend back to attach to the frame and then bolt to the hitch 4) in future when towing, take it easy. I think this thing cracked because of me. I drove it pretty hard with a load of wood on the back, which is pretty stupid. That work?
Yeah, sorry about that...I get long winded and confusing trying to explain what I'm thinking sometimes. Yeah, sounds like you are probably OK then. If the hitch you bought does not need the factory hitch attachment points to mount then you just need to seal that hole/crack up...you could even grind the remainder of the weld that's left there, that might make things simpler depending on how you decide to repair the hole. How you repair it is up to you I guess...since you aren't a mud runner, it could be as simple as a couple wraps of duct tape if that works for you...personally I'd do something a little more elegant and robust than that. Yup, keep the hitch ball, or whatever you use to attach your load with, as close to the axle housing as possible...the further you go behind the axle, the more stress you are putting on everything...and a couple extra inches can increase the stress load exponentially...effectively cutting the factory tow load rating down to almost nothing in no time flat. Yup, even when overloaded, a little finesse goes a long ways.
Pictures of the new hitch are not coming up for me but if it was mine I would make some ears to weld to the axle carrier and then bolt the new hitch to that. Whatever you do, make sure you have enough clearance to get to those bolts should you need to disassemble the axle.
