Making a hitch for snowmobile

[Yellow Dog]

Just purchased a 1996 Polaris Touring and I need a hitch to tow otter shack. Any ideas on how to make a hitch? I have a grab bar/bumper on the back.

I would think it'd have to be hinged somehow...but I can't figure it out.

[MN Mike]

If you don't mind it being a little crude, I made one out of angle iron a couple years ago for my ZL 500. Bought a piece of iron big enough so that it could be bolted to the back of the sled, right above the snow flap and still reach the bumper where I drilled thru the bumper and bolted it to the bumper as well. Figured out a hinge heavy enough to support what I was pulling and that was it, good to go.

You don't need a very wide piece of angle iron, if you get it too wide you can't get your hands around the lift handle if you need to spin your sled around or lift the rearend for some reason.

Mike

[Surface Tension]

Like Mike I make my own hitch or you can pick one up a Dennis Kirk for under 20 bucks. You'll then need the Otter tow bar which can be purchased anywhere Otters are sold.

[Gus]

Like ST mentioned you can pick up a hitch pretty cheap at Dennis Kirk or similar places. One of my sleds I bought had a hitch made out of a barn door style hinge. It was bolted to the bumper of the sled and the single triangle shaped end was where you connected the sled/trailer etc. It rotated up and down just like the factory one my other sled has. Not a single problem yet.

[iffwalleyes]

Now Gus why didn't I think of that. That sure would be a quick and easy way to make one. I myself just made one this past weekend. I used 2 pieces of 3/4 X 3/4 tubing and then got a solid piece of round bar and welded a 1 1/2 X 2 in piece of flat iron to it. Then I bolted the tubing on the back of the sled and the round bar fits inside and can pivot up and down. The the barn door hinge sounds way easier.