towbar for ATV

[Rgillard]

Hello,

I am currently building a small trailer that will be used for rolling out sheep wire. It is for the fencing contractor that I work for. I have to weld a towbar onto the back of his quad(ATV) in order to pull this trailer. Where is the best place to weld to. I was going to weld to the frame but it moves with the suspension. Would I be better off taking it from the back axle. The trailer is fairly light and shouldnt put too much strain on the ATV. If anyone has any advice on putting a towbar onto an ATV I would really appreciate it. Dont really want to make a bullocks bag of the back of the ATV.

Cheers
Gilly

 

[gspig]

ATV tow points are mostly off the rear axle housing. Most manufacturers offer a bolt on bracket for towing. Lots of aftermarket tow hitches available. I wouldn't want to weld to the axle housing, too much risk of weakening the tube or overheating the aluminum differential, or melting a rubber seal.

 

[Lazy]

Hi
here is a pic of my hitch on my ATV.

Charlie.

 

[Rgillard]

Thanks for the photo. Is it just a steel plate welded onto a crossbar on the frame. What sort of attachments do you pull with this. I think i was going to overcomplicate the hitch when maybe a simple plate would be strong enough. Appreciate the help. Thanks.

 

[Lazy]

Hi
we have used it to pull a trac vac model 860 and a yard cart and it works great. Also use it to move or relocate a 16 foot trailer.

charlie

 

[Rgillard]

Am i right in thinking that you welded the steel plate directly to a cross member. is that the only connection there is. is there any need for a 45 degree verticle strut to conteract any turning moment that the towbar will be subject to???

 

[Bowhunter]

I'm pretty certain that Lazy's atv came with that hitch setup from the factory.

What type (brand and model) atv do you have? This could help us in giving information.

 

[Rgillard]

Im just at work at the minute.i cant remember the manufacturer. The ATV is not mine. Ill try post a picture of the back end of it when I get home in about an hour. That might be more helpful to you guys suggesting idea's. Thanks

 

[Lazy]

Hi
You are correct it came with the hitch. It is a 2 inch receiver tube welded to the frame.

Charlie

 

[Bowhunter]

Arctic Cat had a heck of a good idea including the 2" receiver tube as part of the package. I like their MRP system too. Other manufacturers need to do something similar.

 

[Rgillard]

here is the back end of the atv.its made by a company called motortek???never heard of them.

 

[Rgillard]

here is the towbar i made for it. After a lot of thought we came up with an idea of being able to catch the towbar behind the crossbar. Then we bolted it to the chain guard which is also pretty rigid. The trailer is fairly light so there wont be much pressure on the quad.left life very easy.here is a pic of the end of the towbar that catches behind the crossbar

 

[Rgillard]

here is the towbar caught on the crossbar

 

[Rgillard]

here is the finished towbar.

 

[Rgillard]

here is it mounted on the atv

 

[Rgillard]

here is the trailer the quad will be pulling. Its not so much a trailer as a tool for rolling out the sheep and barb wire. The wire is simply placed on a bar between the two upright sections. It is then held and the atv then moves forward slowly. it will save two men carrying a crowbar walking 100 metres with the roll then walking back. one man can do it in half the time now.

 

[Bowhunter]

Great job! It looks like it should work very well.

 

[Kevin_in_VA]

<<We interrupt this thread to ask a trivial question>>

"Bowhunter, which MRP system did they use?"

<<We now return you to your regularly scheduled dialog>>

 

[Rgillard]

here is the trailer complete and ready for delivery. hope it doesnt fall to bits the first time its used.

 

[Bowhunter]

Arctic Cat offers a package on their 2004 and newer utility atvs called MRP....Multi-Rack Platform....that allows you to easily add accessories to the racks. Check this link and click on the icon for "The 2004 MRP Models" to find more info.