Factory hitch receiver - flip?

I am eyeballing my factory receiver, thinking it would sure gain a lot of departure angle if that hitch was flipped. I have already moved up everything but the receiver and the exhaust, and the exhaust will be moved up and turned out the side very soon, leaving just that receiver to clearance. Has anyone done this, or moved it up some other way? Tyia!

 

I think the receiver hole would be blocked by the rear bumper/crossmember…I think.

 

If you don't tow, just remove it completely:



From this:

 

What is the part number for this trim piece? I am looking to do the same as I rarely use the hitch receiver and it is starting to develop some surface rust. Thanks!

 

I'm trying to imagine how it could be flipped? So that the opening is on top of the bumper?

Removing it would help as mentioned, but it sure makes a nice recovery point.

 

I think the earlier 5th gens are lower (OP has a 2012).

Dunno for sure but the plastic on the earlier ones is definitely lower and more extensive...

 

I have bad knees, so I put a step on mine to facilitate getting into the rear.

 

Just looking at it, it looks like there is enough room for it to fit on top of the crossmember and still be below the plastic bumper(barely). I know it will require some fabricating if I decide to do it. I can’t just remove it…I just finished my fancy swing out spare carrier. I just want to move it “up” a bit.

 

There are two bolts which attach the hitch to the bottom of the rear cross member, those are threaded into captive nuts inside the frame crossmember which do not exist on the top. So you would have to just leave those off or figure out a solution for that.
There is also a bumper support that runs along the top of the crossmember under the plastic bumper which may have some interference.
I am also not sure if the crossmember is evenly spaced so that the bottom lip of the hitch would slip over the top of the crossmember properly if flipped and using the original bolt locations on the front face.
Doesn't hurt to try though!

 

I appreciate that. I have not had time to pull the bumper off yet, but after looking at pics I will probably have to just cut and flip the whole center piece and fab it back in a couple inches lower. I’m not scared to cut and weld my frame. I’m never selling it anyway.

 

Why not just lift the runner a few inches?

 

It already has 898s. I can’t lift it any more than it already is.

 

I have clearanced everything but the tow hook, exhaust and hitch so far. My vision is a 1.75” DOM tube hugging the plastic bumper all the way around to the wheel wells, gusseted & attached to the frame in the rear and sides. It will be like a rear bumper rock slider, to which I can weld steps and recovery points. The hitch needs to be a couple inches above the top of that tube so my swing out spare tire carrier isn’t the first thing contacting a rock.

 

I just went and looked at mine and measured 21" floor to the bottom of hitch receiver, I've done quite a bit of off road and never had that problem even with the bever tail on or my tire carrier. How much clearance do you have? I put the TRD exhaust on for that reason. It turns out to the right side. Now you got me wondering.

 

The bottom of my hitch is 20.5”. I have a sleeping platform with drawers, tools, kitchen in there all the time. I guess I could unload the truck when I go rock climbing. A friend and I went to Hidden Falls a few weeks ago and I was dragging the hitch, spare carrier, broke a mudflap, and beat up everything else, thus all this effort. I need to get 1 more piece to shorten the exhaust to frame level and run it out the side through a hole behind the wheel well.

 

…and I need a 2nd set of wheels with 35s on them.

 

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CfH557lFxd1/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
That precisely is what I am trying to avoid.

 

Yeah I don't think moving the hitch two or three inches upwards is going to prevent that, haha.

The driver mod would have probably been more effective in that case.

 

Nice cat!

 

If you don't offroad, remove it. It's a clutch rear recovery point if you do though.

 

I didn’t do all that cutting to jump curbs at Home Depot.

 

Many do, that's why I mentioned it.

 

For the amount of effort described here, why not just get a high clearance rear bumper with a swingout?

 

I already have more clearance than anything available except that stinking receiver lol. The method to the madness: I was given a swing out motorized wheelchair carrier by a friend, so it was minimal effort to turn it into a really nice, super heavy duty (650 lbs) swing out spare carrier. Right now I have about $38 invested in it and I will stand it beside a $1600 Rigd anyday. It ain’t as pretty, but it will carry more and last longer at a $1500 savings. Gotta go with it!