How to Mount a Hitch Ball to a Front End Loader

A ball hitch can be mounted on the bucket of the loader.

A front end loader can be equipped with a ball hitch to move trailers around. The steel of the loader bucket should be strong enough to lift the tongue weight of the trailer without bending or bowing the bucket. The advantages of using a ball hitch on a bucket include not having to hook a trailer up to the rear of a vehicle, not having to crank the landing gear of the trailer up or down and being able to simply lower or raise the bucket to hook the ball to the trailer. According to Automotive Accessories Connection, "hitch ball thread shank diameters are 3/4 inch for class 1 and 2, [and] 1 inch diameter for class 3."

Things You'll Need

• 1/4-inch steel drill bit
• 1/2-inch steel drill bit
• 3/4-inch steel drill bit
• 1-inch steel drill bit
• Electric drill
• Heat reducing lubricant
• 3/4-inch or 1-inch flat washer
• 3/4-inch or 1-inch lock washer
• 3/4-inch or 1-inch nut
• Crescent wrench

Instructions

1. Position the bucket of the front end loader far enough off the ground to be able to work on both sides. Decide where, along the length of the bucket, you want to mount the ball hitch. Measure 4 inches back from the lip of the loader bucket. Place a mark where the hole for the ball hitch will be drilled. Squirt a generous amount of heat reducing lubricant over the mark to be drilled.

2. Insert the 1/4-inch drill bit into the electric drill. Tighten the drill bit with the chuck. Hold the drill straight up from the surface of the bucket. Place the tip of the bit on the mark and begin drilling until a hole is all the way through. Add lubricant throughout the drilling process to keep the bit cool.

3. Insert a 1/2-inch drill bit and drill the hole bigger. Insert a 3/4-inch drill bit and drill the hole bigger. If the ball hitch has a 3/4-inch shank, this hole will suffice; if the shank of the ball hitch is 1 inch in diameter, drill the hole again using a 1-inch drill bit. Use lubricant throughout the drilling process.

4. Insert the shank of the ball hitch all the way through the drilled hole. Place a 3/4-inch or 1-inch (depending on the size of the hole) flat washer on the threaded shank. Place a 3/4-inch or 1-inch diameter lock washer on the shank. Thread a 3/4-inch or 1-inch nut onto the threaded shank of the ball hitch and tighten it down with a crescent wrench.

Tips & Warnings

• Use a second crescent wrench on the ball side of the hitch to keep the hitch from spinning while tightening the nut.

References

• Automotive Accessories Connection: Trailer Hitch Balls, Mounts And Draw Bars