front hitch install article online

http://www.jeep-tech-tips.com/front-hitch-install.html

I finally got around to getting this article together, there wasn't any good write ups on this before I did my install. I just finished the article tonight and gotta run, so let me know if I missed any typos!

excellent write-up..... i have a hidden hitch on the front of mine.... install is the same... 1 thing to add though.. if you have a u-haul in your area go and buy some "fish wires" they are thin springsteel wires with a coil wound on the end to thread the bolt into... makes pulling (and pushing) the bolt thru the frame rail alot easier to align..... and remove the bumper if at all possible... i had my hitch modified by a friend to increase my aproach angle.. as with yours, the receiver "box" is mounted on the bottom of the cross bar.... we cut the box off the bottom and channeled the drawbar so the box sits inside the bar from the top.... plate steel was welded across the top and gussets were added to the sides.... my next step is to add a "belly pan" to the framework of the hitch to resemble a factory skid.... one problem i had was the bolts supplied with the hidden hitch ($89 from quadratec) were NOT the same trhead as the existing factory holes.. the guy who ws helping me stripped out the 2 extra holes for me!! pull a swaybar bolt out and take it to the hardware store... grade 8 for all the new hardware...... i like this mod better than front hooks since the load is taken by the whole assembly and not just 2 bolts thru the frame.... i have pics somewhere of the receiver before and after the modifications if anyone is interested .....
mike

I'd like to see how you fashioned your engine skid.

Very nice! Thanks!
Dave

FYI, the hidden hitch hangs much lower than the Draw Tite or the Reese. This may have saved from all the customizing?

Just good info for anyone else looking. I went with a Drawtite from etrailer.com for $97.

Jason