How To Make A Class 5 Trailer Hitch

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Home :: Tutorials :: How To Make A Class 5 Trailer Hitch

Tutorial #109

Title
How To Make A Class 5 Trailer Hitch

Author
The Butcher

Published
Wednesday, October 22, 2008

I figured out a great way to make a trailer hitch that will look good on any truck you put it on. For the most part you would consider this hitch a Class 5 hitch. To build this hitch you will need the following supplies:

1/8” square tube styrene
.040" x .250” strip styrene
.030" x .060” strip styrene
.100” round styrene rod for the ball on the insert (some kits come with one)
Rotary drill
Hobby knife
Pencil
Ruler
Glue
Heat source (I use a lighter)
#80 drill Bit
30G spark plug wire

First you will have to measure the distance between the frame rails and cut a length of 1/8” square tubing to that size.

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Once you have that done, you are going to have to figure out how low to mount the hitch so that it clears the bumper. Cut two pieces of .040 x .250” strips to your desired length.

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Place the cut piece of square tubing in one of the corners of the .040" strip and mark where the square tube ends. After that make a diagonal cut about 2/3 down the strip. and do the same for the other strip.

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Now you can either glue the cut strips and the square tube together or you could glue the strips to the frame and let them dry then glue the square tube in between them. I prefer to glue the strips to the frame first then glue the 1/8” tube between the two.

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Cut a piece of 1/8” styrene about 3/8” long and glue in the center of the hitch frame.

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Now for the insert, you are going to use .030 x .060” strip styrene. Cut two pieces and glue them together, they will fit fairly snugly. Cut them about 7/16” long with a 45 degree cut on one end.

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Then cut another piece of .030" x .060” strip styrene about 3/8” long and make another 45 degree bend about 1/8“. This is where I use the lighter because it makes it easier to bend without snapping. Then glue it to the 7/16” piece on the end with the 45 degree cut. Mount the ball on the small end, and that’s about it.

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Finished Pictures:

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For more details, you can add chain mounts out of either triangular cut styrene mounted on the hitch with holes drilled out or small enough round rod. You can also add a connector for trailer lights wire.

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To build the triangular chain mounts cut a piece of 040" x .250” strip styrene to a 1/4” x 1/4” square and then cut diagonally.

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Then glue it onto the hitch frame and receiver side, do this for both sides.

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Once the glue is dry, drill a hole for the hooks to go through.

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As for the round rod chain mounds I used a piece of tie wire I had kicking around. I cut it 1/4" long and glued it to the frame mount and receiver side.

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For the trailer connector plug, I used a piece of .100” round rod and cut it to 1/8”. I used a #80 drill bit and drilled one hole in the front and one in the back. I then ran a wire from the back of the connector to inside the cab.

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Some model kits come with a ball for a trailer like the Revell Gone Fish 'n kit or the AMT 1984 GMC kit. If you don’t have either of these you could shape a piece of round styrene to look like the ball. I used a piece of .100” round styrene and put it in my rotary drill and shaped it with my hobby knife.

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I hope this tutorial helps many members, I know these trailer hitches have really made my landscaping company diorama that much more detailed.

Tutorial #109