I use my 04 sportsman 500 to move my popup camper around the yard. It has 180 pound tongue weight. It doesn't really like it. I have on eof those cheap reciever hitches that bolt to the original hitch on the wheeler and it is bending that. Not to mention that my front tires are almost in the air.

 

One thing to keep in mind for all of these hitch mod ideas: the book says the tongue weight should not exceed 120#, AND that the ball should be mounted no further than 4" from the end of the hitch sleeve. If you look in the Pure Polaris accessory catalog, the standard Polaris hitch does, in fact, have only a 4" fulcrum length. As you can see in the photo of my homebrew 6" drop hitch, I'm exceeding that 4" distance by a factor of about 2.5, which definitely increases the load on the sleeve. I'm aware of that and will pay close attention to tongue weights when I'm pulling a cart so as not to bell the mouth or otherwise deform the the hitch sleeve.

I think the 120# hitch limit has little to do with axle/spring capacity, considering the rear cargo capacity for the X2 tilt bed is 400#. Instead, I think it relates to the lightweight hitch sleeve tubing they used, combined with the 1200# trailer gross weight limit (120# is exactly 10% of the 1200# gross trailer weight limit). The most I'll ever have loaded in a yard cart might be 500-600 pounds of dirt or gravel anyway, so I should be ok.

It still appears to me the weak point is the hitch sleeve itself. Seems to me it should have been made of stouter stuff, although maybe it's chrome moly tubing instead of mild steel, which would help. The hitch setup is the only place on this entire machine that appears to me to have been under-engineered.

 

ill agree with that.

 

Well after much debate and contemplating, the Po-Po won over the Lawn-Mo.

Part of the reason I was wanting to do this was to avoid ruts, and the area where I am moving the boats back and forth in gets rather soft.

Also, I hate mowing the grass and love getting on the Polaris, so it seemed like more fun.

I made a homemade bolt on 3 point hitch. The Polaris has handled the two boats I have moved with it so far very well. I was surprised. The boats were fairly light rigs but I put my 200 pound brother on the tounge to simulate some more weight. Much to my surprise it did not even bottom the shocks out. With the hitch on the front you can turn them boogers around very sharply and put right where you want. Also if you start to wheely you will still have steering.

I think it's going to work out well for my purposes.

 

The tongue weight should be about the same as the rear rack weight capacity since they share the same suspension. Tow capacity is a total different subject.

 

Pictures?

Sounds like a nice set up...glad you got it worked out for your application.

 

I think but not real sure that when Polaris designed the receiver on these machines they may have possibly made them light weight to protect rear axle housings and bearings.
I think it would be a disaster if a bearing or bearing housing would shatter before the receiver gave out.Thats just my opinion though.

 

Not sure just how big of a boat you're talking but can you slide it back a foot or two on the trailer...That would get rid of some tongue weight...

 

I do not think you will have over 125# toungue weight on Boats under 19'.
Bob 06 sportsman 500 efi.

 

Time for the much awaited pictures!
She has been tried and tested on several boats in the 16 foot range and hasn't had any trouble yet. It's MUCH,MUCH easier to move a trailer around with the front of the machine.
Some bigger boats will come in this summer so I'll put it to the test.
Please note this hitch is just something I cobbled together myself with materials I had on hand. If I were to do it over again I think I would have tried to build it from the top down, like tie in around the winch and drop the receiver down from there. I've had a little trouble trail riding going across very steep ditches, you loose some clearance with this design.