McHitch is Finished

Ivan 01 · Guru

McHitch is Finished

rgren2 · Guru

DO35 is the go.

Ivan 01 · Guru

rgren2 wrote:
DO35 is the go.

Yep, even if McH didnt close.

yobarr · Guru

Ivan 01 wrote:
rgren2 wrote:
DO35 is the go.
Yep, even if McH didnt close.

Absolutely correct Rod, and Ivan. McHitch was a good hitch for lazy people with light vans, but those who have any understanding of weights and dynamics would never use one with a heavy van behind a lighter vehicle.

Increased TBO multiplies the weight applied to the car's rear axle by towball weight, as well as increasing the dangerous effects of yaw. When I was setting up my car and van I was offered a brand new McHitch at no cost, but I quickly recognised the negatives and instead bought a DO35, which is a great piece of gear. Cheers

P.S DO45 is big brother.

-- Edited by yobarr on Wednesday 11th of January 2023 11:08:13 PM

Possum3 · Guru

DO35/45 is a proven piece of gear - I cannot understand why they haven't been made compulsory when towing.

Gundog · Guru

Possum3 wrote:
DO35/45 is a proven piece of gear - I cannot understand why they haven't been made compulsory when towing.

Why ? My 50mm ball has served me well over many years.

Possum3 · Guru

Tow balls are sufficient for 6 X 4 box trailers - Caravans/trailers between 750kg and 4500kg should be required to have a more positive "lock' onto towing vehicle as they could bounce off a "ball" - that's why chains are mandated.

Even if a trailer bounces off a ball coupling and is "captured" by safety chains, the trailer can still cause catastrophic damage to oncoming vehicles and the occupants of same.

Ivan 01 · Guru

The wear in a tow ball coupling is hidden to the layman.

Unless an operator knows how to test for wear and adjust if adjustment is fitted then they can quite easily be unserviceable to the point where it is the weight on the ball that keeps it all together.

Not so much these days but in days gone by there were 1 and 7/8inch, 2 inch, and 2 and 1/8 inch and many times these couplings were mismatched with the ball easily having the larger tow bar fitting dropped onto a smaller ball by some unknowing operator.

The design of the D035 is virtually foolproof.

The only drawback with the D035 is that good old China has made a unit that is a direct copy and at least at the time of manufacture was not approved in countries like Australia.
Might now be different, I dont know. Just watch for them if buying one.

Cuppa · Guru

Each of the various hitches have their fans.
Aside from the standard 50mm towballs on box trailers the only other I've had has been the DO35. When our first one (Mk 1) was damaged (operator error) I could see no reason to change to anything else. Replaced it with a Mk 3 which was an improvement in several ways. Still think they are a good thing.

Ivan 01 · Guru

I dont think the use of ball couplings is fan based as much as it can be just being put down to it is what equipment you get when you buy a new van.

I ordered a D035 to be fitted to my last van prior to delivery.

Possum is on the money

Possum3 wrote:
Tow balls are sufficient for 6 X 4 box trailers - Caravans/trailers between 750kg and 4500kg should be required to have a more positive "lock' onto towing vehicle as they could bounce off a "ball" - that's why chains are mandated.

Even if a trailer bounces off a ball coupling and is "captured" by safety chains, the trailer can still cause catastrophic damage to oncoming vehicles and the occupants of same.

Radar · Guru

Gundog wrote:
Possum3 wrote:
DO35/45 is a proven piece of gear - I cannot understand why they haven't been made compulsory when towing.
Why ? My 50mm ball has served me well over many years.

And are you trying to tell us a trailer can not come unattached with a Do hitch.

rgren2 · Guru

Radar wrote:
Gundog wrote:
Possum3 wrote:
DO35/45 is a proven piece of gear - I cannot understand why they haven't been made compulsory when towing.
Why ? My 50mm ball has served me well over many years.
And are you trying to tell us a trailer can not come unattached with a Do hitch.

If used correctly and the bolt is tight, no!

Possum3 · Guru

Radar wrote:
And are you trying to tell us a trailer can not come unattached with a Do hitch.

Once the slide lock is in place on DO35/45 it would not be possible for the hitch to come off mandrel - the mechanism will also retain its hold when car/van is rotated in rollover of either vehicle without torquing the other vehicle into a rollover, being prevented by the unique universal joint.

yobarr · Guru

Gundog wrote:
Possum3 wrote:
DO35/45 is a proven piece of gear - I cannot understand why they haven't been made compulsory when towing.
Why ? My 50mm ball has served me well over many years.

Hi Graham. Using your "logic" can we assume that you still have a Black and White TV that has "served me well over many years"?

Does your car still have drum brakes?

Do you still run cross-ply tyres?

When towing, most of us no doubt would like to think that we're doing the best we can to have a safe vehicle?

It is not sensible to pigheadedly stick to that which has "served me well over many years" when far better products are available at little cost. Cheers

yobarr · Guru

rgren2 wrote:
Radar wrote:
Gundog wrote:
Possum3 wrote:
DO35/45 is a proven piece of gear - I cannot understand why they haven't been made compulsory when towing.
Why ? My 50mm ball has served me well over many years.
And are you trying to tell us a trailer can not come unattached with a Do hitch.
If used correctly and the bolt is tight, no!

And most importantly, the physics of a DO35 have no effect on towball weight, whereas the McHitch will substantially increase TBW. Cheers.

P.S Sorry about siz e of pictures but poor internet service here.

-- Edited by yobarr on Thursday 12th of January 2023 05:49:49 PM

Gundog · Guru

Ivan 01 wrote:
The wear in a tow ball coupling is hidden to the layman.

Unless an operator knows how to test for wear and adjust if adjustment is fitted then they can quite easily be unserviceable to the point where it is the weight on the ball that keeps it all together.

I replace my ball every 2-3 years and the coupling every 5 years.

Just an observation of vans arriving at the CP, many don't have to chains adjusted correctly along with breakaway pin.

Ivan 01 · Guru

Gundog wrote:
Ivan 01 wrote:
The wear in a tow ball coupling is hidden to the layman.

Unless an operator knows how to test for wear and adjust if adjustment is fitted then they can quite easily be unserviceable to the point where it is the weight on the ball that keeps it all together.

I replace my ball every 2-3 years and the coupling every 5 years.
Just an observation of vans arriving at the CP, many don't have to chains adjusted correctly along with breakaway pin.

That is a good procedure for maintenance.

Not many realise that the ball suffers wear on the underside.

Speaking of quiet observation many ball couplings I have seen while people are manoeuvring in caravan parks is that a large percentage of the couplings are stuffed.

Possum3 · Guru

yobarr wrote:
And most importantly, the physics of a DO35 have no effect on towball weight, whereas the McHitch will substantially increase TBW.

The DO35/45 Hitch doesn't in itself increase towball weight, unlike McHitch - but it cannot decrease the towball weight.

Ivan 01 · Guru

Possum3 wrote:
yobarr wrote:
And most importantly, the physics of a DO35 have no effect on towball weight, whereas the McHitch will substantially increase TBW.
The DO35/45 Hitch doesn't in itself increase towball weight, unlike McHitch - but it cannot decrease the towball weight.

Can I get a couple of WDH bars with that? biggrin

kgarnett · Senior Member

Possum3 wrote:
DO35/45 is a proven piece of gear - I cannot understand why they haven't been made compulsory when towing.

There are better hitches than the DO35/45. eg the Hitch-Ezy.

Perhaps we should make the Hitch-Ezy compulsory !

yobarr · Guru

Ivan 01 wrote:
Possum3 wrote:
yobarr wrote:
And most importantly, the physics of a DO35 have no effect on towball weight, whereas the McHitch will substantially increase TBW.
The DO35/45 Hitch doesn't in itself increase towball weight, unlike McHitch - but it cannot decrease the towball weight.
Can I get a couple of WDH bars with that?

Mike, I'm sure that you understand that if a more suitable vehicle is used, there is absolutely no need for a WDH. Many people, and this is from many discussions on my travels, have NO idea what a WDH does, but have one simply because some smooth-talking salesman told them it was needed. Again I will say that in MOST cases a WDH is used only in an effort to make a car do things for which it was not designed. But you already know that, I'm sure? Cheers

Ivan 01 · Guru

The Hitch EZY looks like a good unit.

From first observations I think the price of it is its major drawback if compared to to same rated D035.

It might have other advantages over the D035 ??

yobarr · Guru

Ivan 01 wrote:
The Hitch EZY looks like a good unit.

From first observations I think the price of it is its major drawback if compared to to same rated D035.

It might have other advantages over the DO35?.

Perhaps Ken would be kind enough to point out the claimed advantages?

Whatever these claimed advantages may be, the fact remains that both units are superior to a McHitch for heavier vans. Cheers

-- Edited by yobarr on Thursday 12th of January 2023 06:18:47 PM

Cuppa · Guru

Ivan 01 wrote:

I dont think the use of ball couplings is fan based as much as it can be just being put down to it is what equipment you get when you buy a new van.
Yep. Poor writing on my part. I wasn't thinking of ball couplings when I said each hitch has it's own fans. I can see how my wording could mislead. I was meaning DO35's and their various competitors in the market place.

Radar · Guru

rgren2 wrote:
Radar wrote:
Gundog wrote:
Possum3 wrote:
DO35/45 is a proven piece of gear - I cannot understand why they haven't been made compulsory when towing.
Why ? My 50mm ball has served me well over many years.
And are you trying to tell us a trailer can not come unattached with a Do hitch.

If used correctly and the bolt is tight, no!

The same with any trailer hitch if and only if it is connected correctly.

-- Edited by Radar on Thursday 12th of January 2023 08:32:44 PM

Radar · Guru

Possum3 wrote:
Radar wrote:
And are you trying to tell us a trailer can not come unattached with a Do hitch.

Once the slide lock is in place on DO35/45 it would not be possible for the hitch to come off mandrel - the mechanism will also retain its hold when car/van is rotated in rollover of either vehicle without torquing the other vehicle into a rollover, being prevented by the unique universal joint.

Since my retirement in 2013, showing interest in anything caravan have never seen or heard of a tow ball hitch in-car/caravan/trailer coming unhitched in a roll over.

We are using a Alco rotation ball head on our caravan and if we were buying a new caravan I would investigate an alternative hitch only.

Sorry but I think you are trying to justify your expenditure on a expensive hitch.

Ivan 01 · Guru

The Alko 3500 rotating ball off road coupling is only slightly more expensive than the D035 so probably no real advantage having one type over the other.

Further up the page it was pointed out that with couplings using balls the actual ball can suffer from wear over time as does the coupling internal parts and this wear may not be visible to an untrained eye of any operator.

That is the only downfall with the Alko that I can see but maybe others have differing views that could be substantiated with fact.

-- Edited by Ivan 01 on Thursday 12th of January 2023 10:18:56 PM

RickJ · Senior Member

I have a DO 35 fitted to my current van.

The day I turned up at the dealer Jayco, to pick up the van the workshop guy was fitting the new coupling.
I backed the car in and he replaced the tongue and ball with the new bits.

When he had finished he took the ball that was on my old tow bar and showed me the wear both on the top and on the underside of it as well.
I am not a mechanical type but the surfaces were quite scarred where the coupling touches the ball surfaces. There were big scratches and shiny marks on it.

The technician threw it in the bin. He also said it was good in his opinion that I replaced it with the new van.

Hylife · Guru

One of the main reasons for the variety of new hitchs on the market is the proliferation of semi and full off-road vans and trailers.
There is a legal height restriction on 50 and 70 mm balls.
For 50mm the height to the centre of the ball must be between 350 and 420mm from the ground (many web sites incorrectly state 460mm).
When we bought our vehicle in 2016 it was ordered with a range of genuine Toyota accessories including of course a tow bar. On collecting the car there was no hitch in the hitch receiver.
I commented to the dealer that I thought it was a little bit of a Scrooge to not include a hitch and ball, to which he stated that it was sitting in the cargo compartment as they can not legally fit it with a ball.
This was when I first learned of the height restrictions on balls and was told pretty much every stock standard 4x4 sold today has their hitch receiver 'outside' of the legal heights for a ball unless you buy an aftermarket height adjustable hitch.

So, whether one believes that DO couplings are better than a ball coupling is mostly irrelevant for many of the vans built today as they have their coupling too high for a ball to be legal.

kgarnett · Senior Member

FYI.

VSB1: Para 16.4.1 50mm Ball Couplings

Ball couplings on towbars are required to be installed so that the height of the centre of the body of the ball coupling is between 350mm and 420mm from the ground when laden .
Alternatively, if complying with the requirements of ADR 62/02 the maximum height of the centre of the body of the ball coupling may be increased to 460mm. However, the ball may be installed at any other height, provided it is also capable of being adjusted to at least one height within the 350-460mm range.