OK, it's on and here's some pics starting with:
Picassa Hitch Photos
and
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/phot...eat=directlink
First surprise, this hitch is way over-kill. The two side brackets and all steel plate reinforcements are 1/4" steel. The hitch's square cross tube is 3/16" steel, the bolts are half inch.
The Elkmont's frame rails (and probably the bumper bars) are only 1/8". And on the outer side of the frame where I needed to mount the hitch was a large cut-out, further weakening the frame.
Second surprise, the hitch's side brackets are ~5-6" deep. If I mounted the brackets under the frame rails, they would extend about 2-3" below the rub straps. To correct this I mounted the hitch brackets partly on the side of the frame instead. This also put more frame metal between the hitch's bracket bolts and the frame cut-out, a potential weakness if the bracket were mounted on the bottom of the frame.
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/phot...eat=directlink
The hitch's cross bar was then cut down to 49.8". Which means I probably could have used the cheaper Curt 51" RV hitch instead. Oh well... Actually, if I wasn't in such a hurry and if shipping stuff across the border wasn't so expensive and painful, the factory hitch would probably be easier.
The sides of the tin floor of the bumper storage area had to be trimmed a bit before re-installing, and it would be easier to re-install it before installing the hitch's cross bar, but I wanted that picture ...
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/phot...eat=directlink
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/phot...eat=directlink
I do have to twist the inner bike's handle bars so they don't hit the Elkmont.
Anyway, there it is. And if anything bends or breaks, it'll be the frame. But I doubt it.