I used to have difficulty holding up the hitch and trying to wind as well -very hard on the back.After some pondering I came up with this simple solution,
Ingredients- A peice of 1" square tube about 6-8" or any length you find comfortable'.
Some means of cutting it eg hacksaw ,angle grinder
Mary thanks for taking the time to show us your helper. Am I correct in thinking you jamb it in the mechanism, wind the jockey wheel down and then release it as it slips onto the ball?
Mary said
01:11 AM May 19, 2013
Thats right-just lift the handle above the ball slide the helper in and then wind until the hitch clears the ball.then simply remove.
Also applies to connecting-lift -slide helper in-reverse under-lower jack-remove helper-check that hitch is engaged
makes it a one hand task with no stress on the back
Cheers,
Mary
herbie said
05:42 AM May 19, 2013
What a brilliant idea,so simple but also so effective ,a lot of the solo ladies ,will be so grateful for this idea....and i guess the solo male will find it a grate help as well.
justcruisin01 said
12:09 PM May 25, 2013
I use the saftey lock clip to hold the handle up, just release the saftey lock clip, lift handle & release clip so that it sits on top of the eye where you fit a lock pin, simple.
JC.
-- Edited by justcruisin01 on Saturday 25th of May 2013 12:10:42 PM
jimricho said
01:05 AM May 26, 2013
justcruisin01 wrote:
I use the saftey lock clip to hold the handle up, just release the saftey lock clip, lift handle & release clip so that it sits on top of the eye where you fit a lock pin, simple.
JC.
-- Edited by justcruisin01 on Saturday 25th of May 2013 12:10:42 PM
I used to own a boat trailer where you couldn't do this so I used a large shifting spanner as a spacer in a similar manner to that suggested in the OP.
Beth54 said
07:09 PM May 27, 2013
I don't quite get the jist of what you're all talking about. Maybe my old van has a different type of hitch. The hardest bit for me is getting the chain connected, because it's so low down and having to screw the pin in. But someone told me about a marine thingy (a women's technical term) that connects easier.
It's function is to make it easier to unhitch the van.Don't know about your hitch but on mine I need to lift and hold the hitch whilst winding the jockey wheel .Quite difficult.If you lift the hitch handle and slide the helper .in you can stand back and wind with no effort.
Hope that makes ti a little clearer or will post further pics if needed,
Cheers,
mary
Beth54 said
05:30 AM May 29, 2013
Thanks Mary. I get it now. No, mine's different. I can do them seperately.
The hard part for me is pulling on the handbrake. So my friend gave me a piece of one inch square galvanised piping, about 2 foot long, which fits neatly onto the handle, therefore giving me more leverage to pull it on more securely. This was after the caravan nearly ran over him because I didn't have the brake on hard enough.
Rip and Rosie said
04:26 PM May 30, 2013
Our van has a safety clip at the side of the handle that locks it when down, so when I pull it up, I just flick the clip into the exposed space, which holds it nicely.
bowlerbear said
05:11 PM May 30, 2013
Beth, what's the "marine thingy" you use. I have trouble getting down to put the chains on also and screwing the pin in. Chris
Beth54 said
07:18 PM May 30, 2013
bowlerbear wrote:
Beth, what's the "marine thingy" you use. I have trouble getting down to put the chains on also and screwing the pin in. Chris
I haven't got it yet Chris. I'm just hoping that when I go to a marine place, they'll know what I'm talking about when I explain what I want it for.
Cupie said
05:12 PM Jun 1, 2013
A word of caution ...
Make sure that the 'Marine thingy' has an adequate load rating or it won't do the job if the trailer breaks away. Bit of a co-incidence as I am off today to get a couple of very large bow shackles for mine.
I have an old towel that I use for wiping off the pipes before I store them away. When I need to get down low to do some set up tasks, I throw it on the ground to sit or kneel on. Stops me getting dirty or wet or even kneeling on sharp stones etc. It lives on top of the bolted down spares & tool box behind the rear spare tyre. If I am too lazy to go & get the towel, I use my upside down hat to kneel on.
Talking about brakes .. I always chock the trailer wheels front & rear on both sides before I unhitch. Don't trust those hand breaks ... & my van ofetn lurches forward a bit before the brake shoes fully engage .. or the van lurches to one side when I haven't backed up in a straight line .. a common occurrence.
ps. I always leave the trailer mate, I think that's what you call it, hitching device (the 'V' shaped metal guard) in place until the van is off the ball.
Beth54 said
09:34 PM Jun 1, 2013
Cupie wrote:
A word of caution ...
Make sure that the 'Marine thingy' has an adequate load rating or it won't do the job if the trailer breaks away. Bit of a co-incidence as I am off today to get a couple of very large bow shackles for mine.
I have an old towel that I use for wiping off the pipes before I store them away. When I need to get down low to do some set up tasks, I throw it on the ground to sit or kneel on. Stops me getting dirty or wet or even kneeling on sharp stones etc. It lives on top of the bolted down spares & tool box behind the rear spare tyre. If I am too lazy to go & get the towel, I use my upside down hat to kneel on.
Talking about brakes .. I always chock the trailer wheels front & rear on both sides before I unhitch. Don't trust those hand breaks ... & my van ofetn lurches forward a bit before the brake shoes fully engage .. or the van lurches to one side when I haven't backed up in a straight line .. a common occurrence.
ps. I always leave the trailer mate, I think that's what you call it, hitching device (the 'V' shaped metal guard) in place until the van is off the ball.
I use chocks before I unhitch too Cupie. One of the many things my brother-in-law taught me. And I don't unhitch unless I really have to. Makes life easier when I'm ready to move on. I don't have a trailer mate, but I do have a camera to go on the back of the car.
Crashtac said
07:38 AM Jul 11, 2013
Mary wrote:
I used to have difficulty holding up the hitch and trying to wind as well -very hard on the back.After some pondering I came up with this simple solution,
Ingredients- A peice of 1" square tube about 6-8" or any length you find comfortable'.
Some means of cutting it eg hacksaw ,angle grinder
Thanks for the tip, I have had the same problem before so I guess I will have to make one of these.
I used to have difficulty holding up the hitch and trying to wind as well -very hard on the back.After some pondering I came up with this simple solution,
Ingredients- A peice of 1" square tube about 6-8" or any length you find comfortable'.
Some means of cutting it eg hacksaw ,angle grinder
Mary thanks for taking the time to show us your helper. Am I correct in thinking you jamb it in the mechanism, wind the jockey wheel down and then release it as it slips onto the ball?
Thats right-just lift the handle above the ball slide the helper in and then wind until the hitch clears the ball.then simply remove.
Also applies to connecting-lift -slide helper in-reverse under-lower jack-remove helper-check that hitch is engaged
makes it a one hand task with no stress on the back
Cheers,
Mary
What a brilliant idea,so simple but also so effective ,a lot of the solo ladies ,will be so grateful for this idea....and i guess the solo male will find it a grate help as well.
I use the saftey lock clip to hold the handle up, just release the saftey lock clip, lift handle & release clip so that it sits on top of the eye where you fit a lock pin, simple.
JC.
-- Edited by justcruisin01 on Saturday 25th of May 2013 12:10:42 PM
I used to own a boat trailer where you couldn't do this so I used a large shifting spanner as a spacer in a similar manner to that suggested in the OP.
I don't quite get the jist of what you're all talking about. Maybe my old van has a different type of hitch. The hardest bit for me is getting the chain connected, because it's so low down and having to screw the pin in. But someone told me about a marine thingy (a women's technical term) that connects easier.
Hi Beth,
It's function is to make it easier to unhitch the van.Don't know about your hitch but on mine I need to lift and hold the hitch whilst winding the jockey wheel .Quite difficult.If you lift the hitch handle and slide the helper .in you can stand back and wind with no effort.
Hope that makes ti a little clearer or will post further pics if needed,
Cheers,
mary
Thanks Mary. I get it now. No, mine's different. I can do them seperately.
The hard part for me is pulling on the handbrake. So my friend gave me a piece of one inch square galvanised piping, about 2 foot long, which fits neatly onto the handle, therefore giving me more leverage to pull it on more securely. This was after the caravan nearly ran over him because I didn't have the brake on hard enough.
Chris
I haven't got it yet Chris. I'm just hoping that when I go to a marine place, they'll know what I'm talking about when I explain what I want it for.
A word of caution ...
Make sure that the 'Marine thingy' has an adequate load rating or it won't do the job if the trailer breaks away. Bit of a co-incidence as I am off today to get a couple of very large bow shackles for mine.
I have an old towel that I use for wiping off the pipes before I store them away. When I need to get down low to do some set up tasks, I throw it on the ground to sit or kneel on. Stops me getting dirty or wet or even kneeling on sharp stones etc. It lives on top of the bolted down spares & tool box behind the rear spare tyre. If I am too lazy to go & get the towel, I use my upside down hat to kneel on.
Talking about brakes .. I always chock the trailer wheels front & rear on both sides before I unhitch. Don't trust those hand breaks ... & my van ofetn lurches forward a bit before the brake shoes fully engage .. or the van lurches to one side when I haven't backed up in a straight line .. a common occurrence.
ps. I always leave the trailer mate, I think that's what you call it, hitching device (the 'V' shaped metal guard) in place until the van is off the ball.
I use chocks before I unhitch too Cupie. One of the many things my brother-in-law taught me. And I don't unhitch unless I really have to. Makes life easier when I'm ready to move on. I don't have a trailer mate, but I do have a camera to go on the back of the car.
Thanks for the tip, I have had the same problem before so I guess I will have to make one of these.
Cheers Andrew