Project Deli – Let’s get Classy! Without the ball?

I know, that was supposed to be a smartly worded pun and turned out to sound like something I pulled from Urban Dictionary. How many of you out there understand the different tow hitch classes?

I put a class III receiver hitch on the Delica. They come with a factory bumper bar that’s positioned low, which doesn’t make sense. Unless you are in Japan, where this thing is like a monster jacked up 4×4, and that bar will stop cars from taking out your spare tire.  

The kit was from some place in South Carolina. A small fabrication shop has begun making accessories for the Delicas, as well for similar Honda and Toyota vans currently being imported under the 25-year rule.

Hard to believe there are enough Delicas coming into the country to tool up manufacturing. From the price, I can tell they haven’t yet achieved economies of scale. But the quality is definitely there.  

One side bolted on in under 30 minutes. The other side took me over two hours. Somewhere in the past, that bumper bar got a little bump.

Just enough to misalign one entire side (the kit uses existing bolt mounts and factory frame holes). Nothing that a big hammer and a lot of dirt in the eyes couldn’t fix.  

The van is unibody, and with only 140 hp, I don’t plan to do any towing with it (although a light utility trailer might be fun). My big plans are for a bike rack. I’d love to start taking that Swiss Army Bike I converted to an eBike on my travels.

For now, I slide into the hitch a nifty step. One that will stop others from parking too close, and give me a little leg up for the roof rack. Ah, the custom roof rack build! But you’ll have to wait for that one!

 

GoatBoy out!!!