DIY Ball Swivel for Vise/Welding Positioner Out of Reclaimed 2x2 Hitches

I harvested the parts for this build from some old hitches I had laying around and leftover bolts from previous projects. There are several substitutions that could be made throughout the project in hardware/tool choice. I used the following:

• A Hitch Ball, I used a 2 inch ball.
• Two hitches but you could use some thick plate steel with holes drilled instead.
• 1/2-13 Bolts, nuts, washers. M12 threading is roughly the same size and superior, I just had these on hand.
• Assorted Drills, Taps, and corresponding hardware.
• 3/4 wrench
• Angle Grinder
• Sander
• Portable bandsaw
• Files
• Hacksaw
• Calipers/Markers/Layout Tools
• Penetrating Oil
• Torch
• Center Punch
• Drill
• Lathe
• A spring if making an adjustable handle from scratch.
• A plate to mount the vise and work holding to. I used a part I pulled from the scrap at an old job and trimmed it to meet my needs. Then I used some assorted steel drops to make more work holding options.
• A pair of vice grips

The attached youtube video shows the function of the device but this instructable is more detailed if you want to make one for yourself.

If you do make one please share it below with the "I made It!" button. If you like this project but don't have the means to make one I will likely be doing a small run of a more refined version of this project soon. To sign up for my email list and get updates on the swivel and other future projects signup here Email list sign up.

I've been wanting a swivel like this for along time. Commercial options like the Wilton are fairly expensive, albeit slightly nicer. A DIY option I saw was the bowling ball welding positioner but those take up a lot of floor space.

Step 1: Removing the Trailer Balls

Removing these trailer balls and preserving them so you can reuse them is tricky and sometimes a futile effort.

1. One of the balls unscrewed very easy. By very easy I mean I had a wrench with a long cheater bar over it for leverage. I will be reusing this ball for the swivel.
2. The next ball didn't budge even after I tried soaking it in penetrating oil for a few days.
3. After that didn't work heated it up with a torch.
4. Then doused it in penetrating oil again and mounted the part the hitch receiver I welded into my bench.
5. With it still being hot I gave it my all with the wrench and cheater bar. The nut didn't budge but my welding table moved and the nut started to round over.
6. Finally I admitted defeat and cut it off. I couldn't reuse this ball but I can reuse the part it was attached to for one of the clamping jaws.

Step 2: Drill Out the Ball Mounts

The hitches come predrilled with a hole for the threads of the ball to go through but I figured the bigger this hole the more surface area the jaws will have in contact with the ball. More contact means it should be more rigid.

1. I enlarged the existing hole with the largest drill bit I have, a 29/32 bit. I held the pieces in my hitch vice, more of can be seen HERE, while drilling them. I like to put my trash can under my part when I'm drilling to make cleanup easy. You could probably get away without doing this if you don't have a larger drill bit.
2. I deburred the holes on both sides thoroughly since I will be handling them a bit.

Step 3: Making the Clamping Jaws

1. I laid the two drilled out hitches next to each other and lined up the holes as best I could. From there I measured where I would have to trim the smaller hitch, marked it and cut it with a portable bandsaw.
2. In the 2nd picture I did a test fit of the pieces and they fit together nicely.
3. The 3rd picture I layout my hole and scribe a "x" so I know where to drill.
4. I used an automatic center punch then drilled a small pilot hole.
5. After that I moved up to a larger bit then a stepped or "Christmas tree" drill bit as I like to call them. The tip of my Christmas tree broke but as long as I have a hole larger than the break it will work fine. Using a series of progressively larger bits along with something to lubricate it makes drilling through metal like this relatively quick.
6. The fourth picture shows the two clamping jaws, clamping bolt, and ball unassembled. The clamping bolt is a carriage bolt and has a rounded cap with a square under it. The previous hole I drilled is smaller than this square. When the bolt gets tightened it draws the square into the hole and locks it in firmly. This square peg in a round hole seems very secure, if it ever strips out I will update this with a new solution.
7. The assembly is shown in the 5th image. It's not complete at this point but it's starting to take shape and kind of works.

Step 4: Adding Pivot Point for the Clamping Jaws

1. In the first image I drill and tap a hole in the clamping jaw that has the 2x2 tubing on it. The hole is perpendicular to the last hole I drilled.
2. In the next image I screw a bolt into the freshly taped hold before trimming it with a hacksaw. This will function as a pivot point.
3. Images 3-5 I scribe a notch in the other clamping jaws, rough saw it with a hacksaw, then file to the line. The notch will rest on the bolt we just installed and trimmed on the other clamping jaw.
4. The last image shows it all assembled. The pivot point keeps the rear of the movable jaw from sliding forward and allows the clamping bolt to really tighten up.

Step 5: Optional: Turn Down the Ball Flange

Removing the flange from the ball will give you a greater range of motion in the swivel but is optional. This step requires a lathe so you can skip it if you don't have access to one. If you know someone with a lathe chances are they might want to make one of these swivels too and you could try and work out a labor trade. There are not really critical dimensions when turning it down, I just wanted to make it as small as I could quickly.

Step 6: Optional: Making an Adjustable Handle

You could just used a wrench like I did in the first image but it eventually leads to a lot of wasted time looking for this misplaced wrench. They also sell adjustable kipps style handles but I had all the parts to make this at home so I decided to send it.

1. Images 2-4 show my test assembly. It uses 3 washers, 2 nuts, a bolt, and a spring. The nuts/washers capture the position of the wrench. The spring pushes the wrench onto the tightening/loosening nut, if you push the wrench into the spring you can rotate the wrench without turning the nut. The makes the handle adjustable if the bench or something is in the way. I adjust the nuts here to get my spacing correct and verify that the fit works.
2. Images 5-7 I trim the bolt and wrench then sand the edges smooth. I used a hacksaw on the bolt but took the wrench to my outside hitch/vise and used an angle grinder.
3. In the last three images I retest my fit and lock the outside nut in position using red lock tight.

Step 7: Adding Vise Plate

The Vise plate I reclaimed from a part I pulled out of the scrap bin at an old job. Took some doing to make it work but it was the best material I had around.

1. First I marked out the vise's bolt pattern with a center punch and drew with a sharpie where I was going to trim the plate.
2. Then I took the plate outside to my outside workbench with a hitch receiver and hitch vise setup to trim the tabs.
3. After That I sanded the edges of the plate so I wouldn't cut myself on it later. I do all the sanding and grinding that I can outside to keep the shop clean and healthier.
4. I sanded all of the zinc coating off of the hitch ball nut so I can weld it to the plate. The zinc welding fumes are very bad for your health and you should not weld over it, especially in the age of covid.
5. Drilling out the new bolt pattern for the vice created some issues. The new holes over lapped with the old holes so I decided to make a slot by drilling them both out a little larger then rocking the bit back and forth to connect the holes. This is not ideal since it is rough on the drill chuck, bit, and operator but it can be done and is far quicker than getting a mill set up.
6. I deburred the slots then got set up to weld the nut to the plate using a third hand welding tool I made. It puts just enough pressure on small parts to hold them in place while you tack weld.
7. I tacked the nut in three places before welding it all the way around.
8. Then I welded on a piece of C-Channel to the plate. This will serve as a stop for the hitch ball threading and also give me real estate to mount other fixtures in the future.
9. The final part to this process was drilling and tapping a M6 hole in the nut so I could use a bolt as a lock. When I tighten the M6 bolt it squeezes on the hitch ball thread and doesn't let it come loose. Of course I used a reclaimed bolt from some long forgotten project, the pile provides.

Step 8: Adding Some Vice Grips

Hey remember that tab we cut off of the reclaimed vice plate? Well I'm reclaiming that tab mid reclaimed material Instructable like some sort of Inception tribute. It will serve as a mounting point for vise grips and really help with fabricating smaller parts.

1. I welded the reclaimed tab onto the C-channel to take advantage of the nice countersunk hole already on it.
2. Then I cut and drilled out one of the rivets holding the head of a pair vise grips on.
3. Finally I bolted vise grips through the hole with a countersunk head M6 bolt. I didn't plan on this when I started the project which made it even more satisfying to see it come together.

Step 9: Enjoy Your New Work Holding

Here are some final shots of the finished tool. I may paint it one day but I have it oiled for now in case I want to weld any other attachments to it. I look forward to seeing people make their own and what attachments from other trades they add on the end of the swivel. Thanks for reading, I hope you found this instructable helpful, educational, or interesting.