hey guys im fairly new to this board. i have been over at ttora for a while now. anyhow, i just installed a front mount hitch yesterday. took about an hour. i had a spare toyota pickup hitch laying around. this is how i did it.
1) i took my bumper off, and with the fram sticking out i measure the distance from the ouside of one side of the frame to the outside of the other. anyone who has had the bumper off knows what the two frame rails look like sticking out.
2)i then took the trailer hitch and cut the ends off so that the length equalled the distance of the frame rails (outside to outside)
3) i then took the trailer hitch, and laid it ontop of the frame rail centered. i chose ontop for more clearence and hidden ability.
4)welded that mofo on.
i welded the hitch on, on what would be known as an upside down fashion. the square reciever end is still facing foward in the rigth direction, its just that the flat part on the bottom of a hitch used to hook safety chains to is now on the top, this helps you get to the hitch pin more easily.

with the bumper put back on you couldnt even tell there was a hitch, as the plastic portion of the bumper below the lower grill totally covers the hitch. i then took a drill bit and drilled a hole through the bumper where the center of the reciever end of the hitch would be. then i cut out a square in the plastic the size of the reciever tube on the hitch so i can slide in the accessories, I.E winch mount, cargo basket, rod racks, d-ring shackle. in all it looks awesome, worked flawlessly. with the lisence plate back on you cant even tell there is a hitch, and you cant even see the square cut out. i am in the process of finding a flip up or flip down lisence plate mount so when i want to put an accessory in the hitch i just flip the plate up or down and it slides in. THE BEST MOD I HAVE DON YET. it takes nothing away from articulation angles or ground clearance as it is welded to the top of the frame. its awesome.

 

that sounds great! do you have any pics? I have seen other peoples trucks that they did this to but not on a toyota.

 

ima try and get some pictures today, or this evening rather. ill trade you my pictures for your 4.88s

 

[ill trade you my pictures for your 4.88s]
ummmm, no.

 

ill try and get those pics up today or tomorrow, im not working so most likely tomorrow.

 

What year is your rig? Sounds pretty nice!

Break out the pics

 

Please do post some pics. I've been wanting to do that to my 2000 4Runner for a looong time.

 

How did you weld the hitch? MIG? TIG? I assume you couldn't lay a very good bead on the the inner portion of where the frame meets the hitch? Again, this is assuming that the hitch is flush with the frame. I guess I'll have to wait for the pics...

BTW - Nice screen name! Flyhalf here, I take it your an Outside Center?

 

Here's a nice front receiver/bumper protection made by dandeman:

http://home.4x4wire.com/deddleman/se...ivermount.html

 

Wow I sure do like that. Keep the stock look for the 90+ % of the time you're on the street and save the cost of a TJM and extra weight of an ARB/TJM.

 

Thats a nice looking setup. Too bad in The Peoples Republik of Illinois we have to run a front plate...

 

Front plates are simple, as long as you have the welder out, get some 2x2'' square tube at the correct length weld a plate to the tube drill a few holes and mount the liscense to the plate cost: minimal depending on what you have laying around.

 

do you think theres a way to make it work on a 96?