Snowmobile Hitch Ideas?

[Majestic]

What does everyone use on their snowmobiles to pull their portables with a tow bar? I'm looking for something quick and easy for a trip I have coming up in a couple days. I'd like to bolt something on the back bar or something. I won't have time to weld anything or get to fancy.

[Esox_Magnum]

Big eye bolt, I drilled mine through the rear bumper.

[MNfish4fun]

I used a gate hinge from the hardware store on mine, bolted it on with u bolts.

[Ed Carlson]

Look up the Digger Rear Hitch Kit once, not expensive and it is easy to install on a snowmobile or on a ice shack. It is hinged to take less space and flex with the object in tow, heavy duty aluminum, strong, never will rust. $20 Mills Fleet, Red Rock, Reeds, and others have them.

They also make a very good lightweight Front Tow Hitch system. $40

So for $60, your all set with a quick detach tow bar system and a tow hitch, it is a good deal. Made in the USA, in fact in MN.

[FrontenacPike]

This is what I used for my ATV, with a little snowmobile customization it can be done. I did mine for about $15 from Mendards in about 30 min. Click link below.....Hope this helps

Home made tow bar

[Bigbartguy]

I've built clamps that clamp onto the rear bar (u-bolts with foam padding to minimimize scratching the bar)and a piece of 2x4 with a gate hinge on it.

that being said - I recently forgot the wrench to install the clamp and just hooked up carbiner thru the ice house pull-rope and around the bar and it worked fine. As long as your not on trails, I didnt see any issue w/ just using the rope method.

Of course the guy behind me stopped quick and his portable smacked mine, but no damage done.

[Majestic]

Thanks guys, looks like I'll have to run to the hardware store and see what I can find. I already have an Otter tow bar, I just need some ideas to connect it to my sled. My old snowmobile had the hitch attached right to it and this newer one I have now does not.

[Loft]

I used a Door hinge replaced the pin with a bolt and lock nut, drilled two holes and bolted it the back bar. When I get a chance I will round off the corners for clearence but it has not been an issue yet.

[Wanderer]

Thanks guys, looks like I'll have to run to the hardware store and see what I can find. I already have an Otter tow bar, I just need some ideas to connect it to my sled. My old snowmobile had the hitch attached right to it and this newer one I have now does not.

Majestic,

Check your tow bar to see if it has to have a vertical position hitch or horizontal. My buddy's Otter tow bar couldn't rotate 360 degrees so it needed to be hooked to a horizontal mounted hitch. We had to tie a short piece of rope to my vertically mounted hitch to pull his house.

My simple hitch is just a U-bolt with additional nuts for spacers and two of the flat pieces on either side of your rear bumper. I would install a thin piece of rubber or at least fabric to cut down on marring your paint. All my hardware is stainless steel and I dont' drill my bumper for concerns of weakening it.

It would sometimes move from side to side on tough trips so I recently added a piece of angle aluminum with a center notch cut out to eliminate the slide and reinforce the bumper a little more. I'll see if I can post a pic later tonight.

[Majestic]

My tow bar looks pretty much like what Ed posted, it has the double holes in the same position.

[Northlander]

Look up the Digger Rear Hitch Kit once, not expensive and it is easy to install on a snowmobile or on a ice shack. It is hinged to take less space and flex with the object in tow, heavy duty aluminum, strong, never will rust. $20 Mills Fleet, Red Rock, Reeds, and others have them.

They also make a very good lightweight Front Tow Hitch system. $40

So for $60, your all set with a quick detach tow bar system and a tow hitch, it is a good deal. Made in the USA, in fact in MN.

Ed I have 2 of these hinges and I will be putting 1 on my new Otter Lodge and they are top notch stuff. Easy to mount and very durable. I ran one on my old Otter Cabin for 2 years with no issues. The Otter Cabin that I had one on I sold and the guy liked it so much he wouldnt let me take it off. Oh well it made the sale for me.

[Wanderer]

It looks like that might be your best bet then Majestic. And for $20? A good deal in my book.

Not that this will help you but I took the pics anyway. Simple. Clean. Effective.

The two bolt on the inside of the bumper are mounted in factory holes with inserts. It's just the way that bumper was made.

[Walleyehooker]

I bought a bracket at Cabelas that had U bolts so you didnt need to drill holes in the bumper.It worked well on my Cat.It was a couple years ago so Im not sure if they still sell them.They were in the ATV section.