Towing

[Hellfish]

Well im curious if i can get some qucik help here. i have a 97 Aersotar and bought a hitch for it ( I spent too much money on it), and was advised that my bumper should be able to hold a hitch for towing lighter things. I only plan on towing a 14 fter and 16 fter nothing to fancy or too overly heavy. So im wondering if i return the expensive hitch and get one of the cheaper ones prolly save me around 200.00 bucks, wondering if anyone has any experience with this?? thnx in advance.

[Fisherman]

Call the dealer on this, otherwise your boat trailer may become myteriously equipped with a "front bumper". Better safe than loosing a boat at 100k/mh.

[easton13th]

I had a 93 Aerostar and the bumper rating was 750lbs towing and 75lb tongue weight... I put a class 3 hitch on. $180.00 for the hidden hitch. You could get away with a class 2 hitch. Around the same price. Very easy to install all hole are there in the frame....I would not tow anything with just a bumper hitch on mine.

Edited May 2, 2007 by Easton

[express168]

I had a 94 aerostar a few years back and I bought a class 2 hitch set up from a wrecking yard for $50. I knew I wouldn't have the van for too long and it installed easy, as said the holes are already in the frame. Just call a wrecker and ask if they have an aerostar with a good hitch setup on it. The new blazer already came with the hitch. But based on how many things fell apart on my aerostar I wouldn't trust a bumper hitch.

[pikehunter]

I have a '97 Aerostar too! Had it since new. I put a Reese Shadow Mount - Class I, 2000 lb./200 lb. tongue weight hitch on it from Can. Tire. I pull a 16' tinny with a 25 Johnson. It does the job, you don't need the bigger hitch for this size of boat. I had to buy the receiver bar with the bend in it though as the straight one didn't raise the trailer tongue high enough.

 

The day I bought this hitch was the same day that a hitch shop was to put a class 2, something like the Omni Fit Class 2 in the below link, on my van, after sitting there for over an hour (had an appointment too) they came and told me that they thought that there was one in stock but they were wrong. I left, went to Crappy Tire, bought the class 1 and did it myself. Not that hard to do.

Reese Shadowmount link

 

3rd hitch picture from the top is the one I have. Sorry, can't remember what it cost.

[boatman]

I wouldn't trust a 16' boat on a van bumper. Better to have a proper hitch.

[pikehunter]

I wouldn't trust a 16' boat on a van bumper.

Myself neither, I wouldn't trust to tow anything on a bumper hitch. The shadowmount is frame mounted.

 

Would an Aerostar even be able to use a bumper hitch? The bumpers are only a frame covered in plastic.

[OhioFisherman]

LOL, mom bought a 78 cougar new, my brother bought a 79 t-bird new a couple of months later, both rear bumpers fell off a little after the warranty was off. Rusted out were they were attached. A problem for those years fords. I use frame hitches, I want to be able to tow to the max capacity of the vehicle. Might not need it but better than a do over.

[lookinforwalleye]

I have a 2000 Explorer and i use the bumper hitch it is rated at 3000 Lbs.

[ssauvain]

I have a 2002 Ford Ranger and the bumper hitch is rated at 2000 lbs and a tongue weight of 200. I have a 14 footer v-hull Aluminum with a 9 HP motor...and it does just fine!!!

[pikehunter]

You're right about the Ranger and Explorer bumper hitches, but they are formed into the bumper just like a regular pickup truck bumper, right? Hellfish is referring to an after market bolt on affair. This I believe is not the same as what you have. Aerostar's rear bumper is not the same as a ranger's, it is more like a car's bumper.