I had an Idea, not sure if it will work but thought it would be neat. I'm lowering the rear of the truck so that the truck sits level. I got a fiberglass roll pan for the truck, so what I wanted to do was mount the hitch behind the license plate on the roll pan, and have the license plate on a spring loaded door so that It can be flipped up to access the hitch receiver. Truck isn't here so I can't run out and look, but could the receiver be moved up and mounted inside the C channel frame rails?

 

I used to have my winch set up like that behind the flip up license plate. You will have to weld up your own mount but it is possible. The question would be is it legal and how much of a drop you will need for the ball. Drop hitches put a big torque on the receiver so it will need to be stout. The legal questions are; Will the hitch need to be certified for highway use in your state and what does your state say about the license not being visible at all when the vehicle is in motion.

 

You may be able to mount something upside down, if its something narrow enough you can fit inside the frame rails. Maybe one of the weld-together sets. I wouldn't cut/weld an existing receiver if you can help it, since it would probably be less likely to hold up in a legal sense.

 

I figured that since a trailer would be in the way when the hich was being used that there wouldn't be any legal issues. But IDK.

 

I don't know what your locale is like, but the DOT likes to do roadside checks around here on a few of the major highways. Mainly for stuff like safety chains, overweight, working breakaway box (if applicable) and so on. But if they suspect anything, or you fail otherwise, they can get more detailed.