Has anybody put a front hitch on their truck ?

 

They are available, though I think the meanest I have found was rated at 9000 pounds. I wanted to put one on the front of my truck, for use with a hitch-mount winch. That, and I think it would make 'backing' trailers into tight spaces easier.

 

I have one. I think it's a curt. I could take a pic but I am (literally) 8k miles away from my truck. I had to hog out the holes a little for it to fit, but I'm happy

 

Not in Kansas any more?

 

Not sure if I'm even still in Deutschland.

 

Yeah, but it came wrapped in a big bumper.

 

Yep.
I got a rear hitch from a junk yard, cut both of the mounting plates off then welded it to the cross member on the front of my truck. it is flush with the bottom of the bumper and is great for a front tow point. I decided that I needed one when I was buried in the mud and had to hook a chain to the cross member because I had nowhere else to put it.

 

I just installed factory hooks on mine, I'm going to get some heavy angle, and, using longer bolts on the hook part, attach the angle between the hook and the bracket, then I will add a square tube between the two angles and hang a receiver tube under that. Mainly for putting my cooler carrier on the nose, and moving light trailers around the yard in tight areas, occasionally hooking my winch into it. It will be a lot stronger than whats on there now. I like the idea of using an old rear hitch, I'll look into that.

 

There are front receivers specifically designed for our trucks. I think they are rated to like 9000 pounds.

 

This is true, but...
1) I'm a cheap barsteward....
2) I like designing and building my own stuff
3) The hitches I've seen tend to sit a little low, which can be an issue if I'm out in the woods needing a severe approach angle. Not uncommon for me to drag the rear hitch in the dirt.
4) I don't really need that kind of capacity. I could see using it if I had it, as my winch is designed to slide in and out of a receiver hitch, but I've made it this long.
5) I'm a cheap barsteward......but, if I found one in a JY, I might drop a few bucks. I will be at one tommorow, looking for a right side battery tray out of a diesel, I want to go to dual batteries, I have an inverter and a 12V cooler I run almost constantly. If I forget to unplug the cooler at night, I have to jump the truck in the morning. Having a second battery on an isolator circuit means I will always be able to start, gives me the ability to jump start myself, and provides a 2nd power source for the winch. The 2nd battery will be a deep cycle.