A tube is cut to form a tube-formed box with an opening on its top side. A hitch ball is pivotally mounting on the tube-formed box, so as to extend above the tube-formed box when the hitch ball is in the operative position and to reside within the tube-formed box when the hitch ball is in the inoperative, stowed position. The tube-formed hitch box is joined to and extends through an underbed plate, with the top surface of the tube-formed hitch box higher than the top surface of the underbed plate, so the bed of the truck can ride on the underbed plate up to and even with the tube-formed hitch box. In another aspect, the door of the hitch includes one or more recesses around the finger hole, such as a finger access recess on one top side and a finger grip recess on the opposite bottom side of the door.