I don't like the ball hitch - what's a better replacement?
Mike Harding said
04:24 PM Sep 30, 2019
Pretty much as the subject says:
I do not have confidence in the standard ball hitch for my 2.7T caravan on bush roads or bumpy bitumen roads (especially those with "waves"!) and would like to replace it.
Appears you do a lot of off-road. I'd second the do35. A mate just changed over & says it's easier to hook up & quieter.
Cheers Pete
Radar said
06:11 PM Sep 30, 2019
Mike Harding wrote:
Pretty much as the subject says:
I do not have confidence in the standard ball hitch for my 2.7T caravan on bush roads or bumpy bitumen roads (especially those with "waves"!) and would like to replace it.
Suggestions appreciated.
Been around a long time, you are well its rating.
Its a bit like reinventing the wheel.
Mike is your caravan a single axle? There possible lays some of the problem with a lot of weight on one axle.
yobarr said
06:27 PM Sep 30, 2019
wasn_me wrote:
Appears you do a lot of off-road. I'd second the do35. A mate just changed over & says it's easier to hook up & quieter. Cheers Pete
Hi Mike. Another vote for the DO35.Your TBO will remain as it is,which cannot be said for the other 'popular' choice.Your van is a bit too big for your car,from memory,so it is absolutely critical to minimise your TBO,if safety is of any concern.Cheers
Greg 1 said
10:46 PM Sep 30, 2019
I have a McHitch auto hitch. Best thing I have ever used quite frankly. Very easy to hitch up and a very secure coupling.
yobarr said
07:40 AM Oct 1, 2019
Greg 1 wrote:
I have a McHitch auto hitch. Best thing I have ever used quite frankly. Very easy to hitch up and a very secure coupling.
Hi Greg...the McHitch is undoubtedly a nice piece of gear,but it is a definite "No-no" if you have any weight issues.The reason is that the McHitch increases your TBO (distance from rear axle to hitch point),which means increased instability,as well as transferring a much higher weight to the car's rear axle when a van is connected.Among those who understand (or very quickly learned) about weights there are many examples of the McHitch being dumped for a DO35.The McHitch is a nice unit for a lighter van, but forget it if you are towing a heavy van.When I was researching weights,and studying options for a hitch,I quickly spotted the problem,and opted for a DO35,even though I had been offered a brand new McHitch for free....a friend had bought one,and he too quickly saw the short comings! Cheers
moamajohn said
03:53 PM Oct 1, 2019
Hi I am with Greg.I got my Mchitch the day they were released by express delivery in 2013 and have never looked back .I have 2 mates I travel with and they to have them with vans close to 3tonne ,never a problem and we have done many thousands of kays ! Cheers .
Mike Harding said
04:38 PM Oct 1, 2019
Thanks guys, I appreciate your responses.
Yobarr seems to know what he's talking about in this area, would anyone care to dispute his statement regarding the McHitch?
My van is a twin axle and is at the vehicles maximum tow weight (2.5T) with empty water tanks but I usually travel with 200kg of water - all seems stable. (Don't waste your electrons lecturing me).
The DO35 looks OK but the damn video is so "Gee Whiz Zap!" it doesn't actually tell me anything useful except that a very bed-able chick uses this hitch!
It looks like it would be difficult to line up when hitching up? Is that the case as I have enough trouble with the towball, doing it on my own.
markf said
05:19 PM Oct 1, 2019
For my money I reckon the good old poly block coupling can't be beat. Cheap, robust and simple.
Radar said
05:42 PM Oct 1, 2019
Hi Mike.
This is a one day when I get around to it job to change our fixed head to a offroad type Alko like in the photo.
But be warned I spent money making my car a tow vehicle, played with tyre pressures. Weighed and reweighed my set up and 80 litres of water is not a big deal only if its totally in the wrong spot and surely you would not have it in the wrong spot.
Hope this helps. Ralph
Ps. Believe me caravan do not travel like there not there.
Hi I am with Greg.I got my Mchitch the day they were released by express delivery in 2013 and have never looked back .I have 2 mates I travel with and they to have them with vans close to 3tonne ,never a problem and we have done many thousands of kays ! Cheers .
Hi John...Is that photo one of your own car and van?If so,what is your car? I am not great at identifying vehicles from a distance,but surely that is not a Pajero? Cheers.
moamajohn said
09:22 PM Oct 1, 2019
Yo barr Can you be any friggin ruder ? Pajero and 21 ft classic Supreme .Feel free to find fault with it as you seem to be a specialist at faults !
Little Briney said
09:51 PM Oct 1, 2019
I'm in the same boat as Radar. I intend to fit the Alko off-road ball hitch soon. The reason I prefer it to a pin hitch type is that, if your vehicle needs to be recovered, the tow truck will put your vehicle on its tray but your caravan will need to be towed. Ninety-nine point nine nine nine percent to tow trucks will have a towbar and ball but very few will have a pin to match the various other types of hitch.
Baz421 said
10:34 PM Oct 1, 2019
I switched to Alko off road pin coupling when original needed replacing and was out of production
Greg 1 said
11:19 PM Oct 1, 2019
Yobarr and I have had this discussion before and have agreed to disagree.
If you take the 3500kg McHitch auto hitch and assume that the centre of the universal joint in the coupling is the pivot point, that is exactly 90mm rearward of the centre of where a normal ball coupling would be.
If you do the math the effect of 90mm on the lever to your vehicle is negligible even with a 3 tonne van
My van goes 2980kg ATM with a 308kg ball load. I would defy anyone to pick any instability caused by that 90mm.
Sorry yobarr. Total bs mate. Have now done about 50,000ks with the McHitch with no adverse affects on my rig and only good points.
Is it the only good hitch? No of course not. There are a number of others such as the DO35, but the McHitch has won a couple of hitch comparison tests against all comers conducted by caravan mags. If there was an instability issue it certainly wouldn't have got the gong so I am not the only one who thinks its the ducks nuts.
I'm in the same boat as Radar. I intend to fit the Alko off-road ball hitch soon. The reason I prefer it to a pin hitch type is that, if your vehicle needs to be recovered, the tow truck will put your vehicle on its tray but your caravan will need to be towed. Ninety-nine point nine nine nine percent to tow trucks will have a towbar and ball but very few will have a pin to match the various other types of hitch.
Recovery vehicles now days carry DO35 hitch connection - Probably now the most popular off roader's choice.
Rob Driver said
08:42 AM Oct 2, 2019
It is a DO 35 for me but would agree the the McHitch is probably a tad easier to hook up.
The McHitch coupling requires the height of the vehicle and the van to be matched fairly closely when hooking up and the height is also important when unhitching as the coupling can jamb. Anyone using one soon gets into a routine so as to eliminate any problems. I guess this applies to all couplings.
When I considered the McHitch it was difficult to use aWDH with it at that time.
If you are considering a Poly Block coupling just check the load rating as I am not aware of a 3.5 T rating. I do stand to be corrected on this. Having said that you may not need a coupling with that rating.
Any coupling is easier to hook up with a camera fitted in a good spot to the rear of the tow vehicle.
Regards
Rob
-- Edited by bentaxlebabe on Wednesday 2nd of October 2019 09:07:15 AM
outlaw40 said
09:12 AM Oct 2, 2019
Personally use and recommend a DO35, have also used a mchitch auto and found it great but on this i am afraid i must agree with yobarr ( I know I know it wont happen again sorry ) the mchitch can cause a tbo issue with certain vehicles .As far as tow truck is concerned just take your particular pin ( do35 , mchitch whatever ) and put it on the tow truck . SIMPLES ! surely everyone carries a spanner to tighten pin/ball if required .
yobarr said
09:49 AM Oct 2, 2019
Greg 1 wrote:
Yobarr and I have had this discussion before and have agreed to disagree. If you take the 3500kg McHitch auto hitch and assume that the centre of the universal joint in the coupling is the pivot point, that is exactly 90mm rearward of the centre of where a normal ball coupling would be. If you do the math the effect of 90mm on the lever to your vehicle is negligible even with a 3 tonne van My van goes 2980kg ATM with a 308kg ball load. I would defy anyone to pick any instability caused by that 90mm. Sorry yobarr. Total bs mate. Have now done about 50,000ks with the McHitch with no adverse affects on my rig and only good points. Is it the only good hitch? No of course not. There are a number of others such as the DO35, but the McHitch has won a couple of hitch comparison tests against all comers conducted by caravan mags. If there was an instability issue it certainly wouldn't have got the gong so I am not the only one who thinks its the ducks nuts.
Hi Greg...because your car has a 3200mm wheelbase and only a 1200mm TBO,the extra weight applied to your rear axle,and the instability issues,are minimised.However,contrary to your assertions,the McHitch increases TBO by over 120mm or 10% in your case.This means that your 308kg ball weight puts 435kg onto your rear axle.As for your comment that "..defy anyone to pick any instability caused by that 90mm" simple physics proves you wrong....think levers.Because you have a decent sized car,and a smaller van,you can no doubt cope,but others cannot.I will explain again in my response to Johns friendly comments. As an aside,when I this morning visited Kedron to again measure a McHitch (I had lost my measurements) I was told that they no longer use McHitch because of "...too many problems",and now use DO35s.Another McHitch supplier said that he no longer stocks them,again because of "....too many problems",but he was able to bring up dimensions and photos on his computer, showing that on a 3.5 ton model, TBO is increased by over 120mm.Cheers
yobarr said
09:57 AM Oct 2, 2019
Possum3 wrote:
Recovery vehicles now days carry DO35 hitch connection - Probably now the most popular off roader's choice.
Absolutely right Possum and for good reason.Simple to hook up,simple to use,light,and no increase in TBO.Why would you even consider anything else? I spent months doing research,taking measurements and talking to owners and suppliers of various hitches before I bought a DO35. Do it once,do it well.Cheers
yobarr said
10:19 AM Oct 2, 2019
moamajohn wrote:
Yo barr Can you be any friggin ruder ? Pajero and 21 ft classic Supreme .Feel free to find fault with it as you seem to be a specialist at faults !
Hi John...It is not my intention to be rude",rather to ensure that you are aware of some of the problems that a McHitch can cause. Your car is a perfect example of what I am saying,as the wheelbase is only 2780mm,and it already has a long TBO ex-factory. Increasing that TBO with a McHitch is not even half-smart,as your maximum allowed towball weight up to 2500kg ATM is 250kg.That 250kg puts an absolute minimum 350kg (more like 370kg) extra weight onto your car's rear axle,leaving only 400kg for passengers,luggage,accessories,towbar structure,tools etc etc.With a lightweight rear axle of only 1780kg on your car,you are likely to quickly become overloaded,unsafe and uninsured.This is unlikely to be what you want to hear,and you may well protest that you always drive to the conditions" etc etc,but I simply wanted to be sure that you are not a member of the "head in the sand" brigade,which is a seemingly well-supported group.Safe travels.Cheers
Eaglemax said
10:52 AM Oct 2, 2019
Oh Yobarr
",but I simply wanted to be sure that you are not a member of the "head in the sand" brigade,which is a seemingly well-supported group"
One day I hope you can step down from your height.
Tony
Greg 1 said
11:09 AM Oct 2, 2019
yobarr wrote:
Greg 1 wrote:
Yobarr and I have had this discussion before and have agreed to disagree. If you take the 3500kg McHitch auto hitch and assume that the centre of the universal joint in the coupling is the pivot point, that is exactly 90mm rearward of the centre of where a normal ball coupling would be. If you do the math the effect of 90mm on the lever to your vehicle is negligible even with a 3 tonne van My van goes 2980kg ATM with a 308kg ball load. I would defy anyone to pick any instability caused by that 90mm. Sorry yobarr. Total bs mate. Have now done about 50,000ks with the McHitch with no adverse affects on my rig and only good points. Is it the only good hitch? No of course not. There are a number of others such as the DO35, but the McHitch has won a couple of hitch comparison tests against all comers conducted by caravan mags. If there was an instability issue it certainly wouldn't have got the gong so I am not the only one who thinks its the ducks nuts.
Hi Greg...because your car has a 3200mm wheelbase and only a 1200mm TBO,the extra weight applied to your rear axle,and the instability issues,are minimised.However,contrary to your assertions,the McHitch increases TBO by over 120mm or 10% in your case.This means that your 308kg ball weight puts 435kg onto your rear axle.As for your comment that "..defy anyone to pick any instability caused by that 90mm" simple physics proves you wrong....think levers.Because you have a decent sized car,and a smaller van,you can no doubt cope,but others cannot.I will explain again in my response to Johns friendly comments. As an aside,when I this morning visited Kedron to again measure a McHitch (I had lost my measurements) I was told that they no longer use McHitch because of "...too many problems",and now use DO35s.Another McHitch supplier said that he no longer stocks them,again because of "....too many problems",but he was able to bring up dimensions and photos on his computer, showing that on a 3.5 ton model, TBO is increased by over 120mm.Cheers
Yobarr I have personally measured the thing from the Rangers normal ball hitch position to the centre of the uni joint and it is 90mm. Don't care what some muppett at Kedron says. I have a little experience professionally at waving around a tape measure and driving Auto Cad so I think I know 90mm when I measure it.
I will just say one last thing on the subject.
I purchased this hitch purely to solve a rear door issue with our Pajero we had at the time. Had no other expectations of it other than that, except to say I quite liked the concept, and I had done some research into it from an engineering point of view.
Subsequently to that, after towing our new van home from Melbourne to Perth, I realized that the van manufacturer was one of those figure fudgers and that the van tow ball weight was far above that claimed. A measure of that prior to licensing in WA confirmed my suspicions and we swapped cars for the current Ranger given that the measured ball weight was far in excess of the Pajero's limit.
I have now towed our van about 50,000 kms all over this country, over all sorts of terrain with that McHitch. Our van is a 21' that weighs in at 2980 ATM and although not a monster, I wouldn't call it small, as it is approaching the Rangers practical capacity. The McHitch has proven itself as being an excellent product with absolutely no instability issues on two different tow vehicles, and in fact the conditions that our hitch has experienced would do justice to most road test regimes for long term evaluation. Over the 48 years I have been caravanning I have used a number of different hitches, none that were bad but some better than others. The McHitch is by far the top of the heap. Would buy another in an instant if the need arose.
So unless you have towed a van around of similar size and weight over similar distance with a McHitch, you are in no real position to criticise what I and others have found to be a excellent product with absolutely no instability issues whatsoever. From my experience, both as an owner of one and from my professional background, I can recommend this product to anyone considering using it.
If you have some wild ideas that this hitch is some how devil incarnate then don't use it, but don't bag it either unless you have put in the hard yards to test it as I have.
Enough said.
yobarr said
11:10 AM Oct 2, 2019
bentaxlebabe wrote:
It is a DO 35 for me but would agree the the McHitch is probably a tad easier to hook up.
The McHitch coupling requires the height of the vehicle and the van to be matched fairly closely when hooking up and the height is also important when unhitching as the coupling can jamb. Anyone using one soon gets into a routine so as to eliminate any problems. I guess this applies to all couplings. When I considered the McHitch it was difficult to use aWDH with it at that time. If you are considering a Poly Block coupling just check the load rating as I am not aware of a 3.5 T rating. I do stand to be corrected on this.
Having said that you may not need a coupling with that rating. Any coupling is easier to hook up with a camera fitted in a good spot to the rear of the tow vehicle. Regards Rob
As Rob suggests,there seems to be no on-road Poly Block hitch with a rating above 3 ton,although there is 3.5 ton model available for agricultural use only.Cheers
Greg 1 said
12:30 PM Oct 2, 2019
As an aside, I use a WDH with the McHitch without any issues. I have tried it without the bars but prefer the better steering feel the WDH tends to give you.
The issues that people have had with a WDH and McHitch maybe related to the type of WDH used. Mine is a Mr Hitches where the bars push into the towbar receiver from underneath rather than the side roll in Reese type bars.
Yuglamron said
01:53 PM Oct 2, 2019
My two Bob's worth.
I used a drop on McHitch for several years with no problems. I towed a Suzuki Grand Vitara of roughly 1.5 tons behind my MH of 8.4 Tons. At those weights I didn't need any extra braking over and above the Over ride brakes.
My main reason for liking the McHitch Drop on. Is the method of attachment. On the top of the Hitch you have a large round handle with a half inch thread which screws down on the Towpin it also has a spring ratchet to help stop it loosening off .The secondary attachment is the pin that goes through the McHitch pin groove.and locates the hitch onto the Towpin and you could use a Standard Locking pin in the Hole for theft security.
If I was Towing a 2.7 ton Van I would use the 4.5 ton McHitch with no qualms. I am a believer in the European 80% principle. Only tow up to 80% of the Van weight. Gives you a better safety margin.The people who say that the centre of the attachment is longer, is frankly scare mongering.Your Standard over run braking system moves more than the numbers quoted.
Eaglemax said
12:02 AM Oct 3, 2019
Yuglamron wrote:
My two Bob's worth.
I used a drop on McHitch for several years with no problems. I towed a Suzuki Grand Vitara of roughly 1.5 tons behind my MH of 8.4 Tons. At those weights I didn't need any extra braking over and above the Over ride brakes.
My main reason for liking the McHitch Drop on. Is the method of attachment. On the top of the Hitch you have a large round handle with a half inch thread which screws down on the Towpin it also has a spring ratchet to help stop it loosening off .The secondary attachment is the pin that goes through the McHitch pin groove.and locates the hitch onto the Towpin and you could use a Standard Locking pin in the Hole for theft security.
If I was Towing a 2.7 ton Van I would use the 4.5 ton McHitch with no qualms. I am a believer in the European 80% principle. Only tow up to 80% of the Van weight. Gives you a better safety margin.The people who say that the centre of the attachment is longer, is frankly scare mongering.Your Standard over run braking system moves more than the numbers quoted.
Post of the month in my view.
Welcome to the forums Yuglamron
Tony
HandyWalter said
02:37 PM Oct 3, 2019
I have the DO35 and have a Discovery with tow assist and hook up. No need to worry about tow hook and caravan coupling being about the same height. Put car in reverse, press the button and the car goes backwards lines itself up and lowers or raises the suspension as required and hooks up the van. Best piece of a LR accesssory I ever purchased even though at the time I thought it was just a gimmick. I have used a polly block before and found it hard to line up. Also the tow attachment is bulky and a real leg scratcher/basher. McHitch looks OK to me for people who have difficulty lining car and van up. Hooking a van up seems to be the most talked about arguement in caravan parks and it seems to create the most domestic arguements closely followed by the reversing of a van into a parking site lot!
Pretty much as the subject says:
I do not have confidence in the standard ball hitch for my 2.7T caravan on bush roads or bumpy bitumen roads (especially those with "waves"!) and would like to replace it.
Suggestions appreciated.
cruisemaster.com.au/couplings/
Been around a long time, you are well its rating.
Its a bit like reinventing the wheel.
Mike is your caravan a single axle? There possible lays some of the problem with a lot of weight on one axle.
Hi Mike. Another vote for the DO35.Your TBO will remain as it is,which cannot be said for the other 'popular' choice.Your van is a bit too big for your car,from memory,so it is absolutely critical to minimise your TBO,if safety is of any concern.Cheers
Hi Greg...the McHitch is undoubtedly a nice piece of gear,but it is a definite "No-no" if you have any weight issues.The reason is that the McHitch increases your TBO (distance from rear axle to hitch point),which means increased instability,as well as transferring a much higher weight to the car's rear axle when a van is connected.Among those who understand (or very quickly learned) about weights there are many examples of the McHitch being dumped for a DO35.The McHitch is a nice unit for a lighter van, but forget it if you are towing a heavy van.When I was researching weights,and studying options for a hitch,I quickly spotted the problem,and opted for a DO35,even though I had been offered a brand new McHitch for free....a friend had bought one,and he too quickly saw the short comings! Cheers
Thanks guys, I appreciate your responses.
Yobarr seems to know what he's talking about in this area, would anyone care to dispute his statement regarding the McHitch?
My van is a twin axle and is at the vehicles maximum tow weight (2.5T) with empty water tanks but I usually travel with 200kg of water - all seems stable. (Don't waste your electrons lecturing me).
The DO35 looks OK but the damn video is so "Gee Whiz Zap!" it doesn't actually tell me anything useful except that a very bed-able chick uses this hitch!
It looks like it would be difficult to line up when hitching up? Is that the case as I have enough trouble with the towball, doing it on my own.
For my money I reckon the good old poly block coupling can't be beat. Cheap, robust and simple.
Hi Mike.
This is a one day when I get around to it job to change our fixed head to a offroad type Alko like in the photo.
But be warned I spent money making my car a tow vehicle, played with tyre pressures. Weighed and reweighed my set up and 80 litres of water is not a big deal only if its totally in the wrong spot and surely you would not have it in the wrong spot.
Hope this helps. Ralph
Ps. Believe me caravan do not travel like there not there.
Hi John...Is that photo one of your own car and van?If so,what is your car? I am not great at identifying vehicles from a distance,but surely that is not a Pajero? Cheers.
.
.youtu.be/MaDsGwcLVm4
Recovery vehicles now days carry DO35 hitch connection - Probably now the most popular off roader's choice.
It is a DO 35 for me but would agree the the McHitch is probably a tad easier to hook up.
The McHitch coupling requires the height of the vehicle and the van to be matched fairly closely when hooking up and the height is also important when unhitching as the coupling can jamb. Anyone using one soon gets into a routine so as to eliminate any problems. I guess this applies to all couplings.
When I considered the McHitch it was difficult to use aWDH with it at that time.
If you are considering a Poly Block coupling just check the load rating as I am not aware of a 3.5 T rating. I do stand to be corrected on this.
Having said that you may not need a coupling with that rating.
Any coupling is easier to hook up with a camera fitted in a good spot to the rear of the tow vehicle.
Regards
Rob
-- Edited by bentaxlebabe on Wednesday 2nd of October 2019 09:07:15 AM
Hi Greg...because your car has a 3200mm wheelbase and only a 1200mm TBO,the extra weight applied to your rear axle,and the instability issues,are minimised.However,contrary to your assertions,the McHitch increases TBO by over 120mm or 10% in your case.This means that your 308kg ball weight puts 435kg onto your rear axle.As for your comment that "..defy anyone to pick any instability caused by that 90mm" simple physics proves you wrong....think levers.Because you have a decent sized car,and a smaller van,you can no doubt cope,but others cannot.I will explain again in my response to Johns friendly comments. As an aside,when I this morning visited Kedron to again measure a McHitch (I had lost my measurements) I was told that they no longer use McHitch because of "...too many problems",and now use DO35s.Another McHitch supplier said that he no longer stocks them,again because of "....too many problems",but he was able to bring up dimensions and photos on his computer, showing that on a 3.5 ton model, TBO is increased by over 120mm.Cheers
Absolutely right Possum and for good reason.Simple to hook up,simple to use,light,and no increase in TBO.Why would you even consider anything else? I spent months doing research,taking measurements and talking to owners and suppliers of various hitches before I bought a DO35. Do it once,do it well.Cheers
Hi John...It is not my intention to be rude",rather to ensure that you are aware of some of the problems that a McHitch can cause. Your car is a perfect example of what I am saying,as the wheelbase is only 2780mm,and it already has a long TBO ex-factory. Increasing that TBO with a McHitch is not even half-smart,as your maximum allowed towball weight up to 2500kg ATM is 250kg.That 250kg puts an absolute minimum 350kg (more like 370kg) extra weight onto your car's rear axle,leaving only 400kg for passengers,luggage,accessories,towbar structure,tools etc etc.With a lightweight rear axle of only 1780kg on your car,you are likely to quickly become overloaded,unsafe and uninsured.This is unlikely to be what you want to hear,and you may well protest that you always drive to the conditions" etc etc,but I simply wanted to be sure that you are not a member of the "head in the sand" brigade,which is a seemingly well-supported group.Safe travels.Cheers
",but I simply wanted to be sure that you are not a member of the "head in the sand" brigade,which is a seemingly well-supported group"
One day I hope you can step down from your height.
Tony
Yobarr I have personally measured the thing from the Rangers normal ball hitch position to the centre of the uni joint and it is 90mm. Don't care what some muppett at Kedron says. I have a little experience professionally at waving around a tape measure and driving Auto Cad so I think I know 90mm when I measure it.
I will just say one last thing on the subject.
I purchased this hitch purely to solve a rear door issue with our Pajero we had at the time. Had no other expectations of it other than that, except to say I quite liked the concept, and I had done some research into it from an engineering point of view.
Subsequently to that, after towing our new van home from Melbourne to Perth, I realized that the van manufacturer was one of those figure fudgers and that the van tow ball weight was far above that claimed. A measure of that prior to licensing in WA confirmed my suspicions and we swapped cars for the current Ranger given that the measured ball weight was far in excess of the Pajero's limit.
I have now towed our van about 50,000 kms all over this country, over all sorts of terrain with that McHitch. Our van is a 21' that weighs in at 2980 ATM and although not a monster, I wouldn't call it small, as it is approaching the Rangers practical capacity. The McHitch has proven itself as being an excellent product with absolutely no instability issues on two different tow vehicles, and in fact the conditions that our hitch has experienced would do justice to most road test regimes for long term evaluation. Over the 48 years I have been caravanning I have used a number of different hitches, none that were bad but some better than others. The McHitch is by far the top of the heap. Would buy another in an instant if the need arose.
So unless you have towed a van around of similar size and weight over similar distance with a McHitch, you are in no real position to criticise what I and others have found to be a excellent product with absolutely no instability issues whatsoever. From my experience, both as an owner of one and from my professional background, I can recommend this product to anyone considering using it.
If you have some wild ideas that this hitch is some how devil incarnate then don't use it, but don't bag it either unless you have put in the hard yards to test it as I have.
Enough said.
As Rob suggests,there seems to be no on-road Poly Block hitch with a rating above 3 ton,although there is 3.5 ton model available for agricultural use only.Cheers
My two Bob's worth.
I used a drop on McHitch for several years with no problems. I towed a Suzuki Grand Vitara of roughly 1.5 tons behind my MH of 8.4 Tons. At those weights I didn't need any extra braking over and above the Over ride brakes.
My main reason for liking the McHitch Drop on. Is the method of attachment. On the top of the Hitch you have a large round handle with a half inch thread which screws down on the Towpin it also has a spring ratchet to help stop it loosening off .The secondary attachment is the pin that goes through the McHitch pin groove.and locates the hitch onto the Towpin and you could use a Standard Locking pin in the Hole for theft security.
If I was Towing a 2.7 ton Van I would use the 4.5 ton McHitch with no qualms. I am a believer in the European 80% principle. Only tow up to 80% of the Van weight. Gives you a better safety margin.The people who say that the centre of the attachment is longer, is frankly scare mongering.Your Standard over run braking system moves more than the numbers quoted.
Post of the month in my view.
Welcome to the forums Yuglamron
Tony