Madcowz Posted January 4, 2009 Posted January 4, 2009 I picked up a NATO hitch on the popular online Tat Bazaar we all love to hate, but it looks a lot smaller than ones I have seen before. The mounting holes on the back match the holes in my Crossmember perfectly but it is the jaw that looks small. Will this tow a Sankey? Also, I take it there are different sizes available for towing larger things like tanks? Am I just suffering from hitch envy? I amgoing to follow this thread on fitting http://forums.lr4x4.com/index.php?showtopic=2690 thanks. Quote
western Posted January 4, 2009 Posted January 4, 2009 Looks like a standard LR NATO hitch to me rated @ 5tonnes. rather than have it permanently mounted, just bolt it to a spare slider for the adjustable hitch thats already fitted, thats how mine is done. http://forums.lr4x4.com/index.php?act=Atta...st&id=11333 Quote
Madcowz Posted January 4, 2009 Author Posted January 4, 2009 rather than have it permanently mounted, just bolt it to a spare slider for the adjustable hitch thats already fitted, thats how mine is done. What a good idea. Why didn't I think of that! I was worried about losing the ability to tow the Estate cattle trailer when setting up the clay shoot but this will mean that a 15 minute spanner session and I am sorted. Thanks Ralph. Quote
western Posted January 4, 2009 Posted January 4, 2009 even less time if you use the dixon-bate pin & lynch pin arrangement to attach the nato slider, see the link in my reply above, thats my nato slider above the pin/ball slider. Quote
DaveSIIA Posted January 5, 2009 Posted January 5, 2009 It looks like a standard 5 tonne NATO pintle. A simple check would be to fit the jaw to the towing eye on the Sankey before bolting the pintle to the back of your LR. Quote
Madcowz Posted January 5, 2009 Author Posted January 5, 2009 even less time if you use the dixon-bate pin & lynch pin arrangement to attach the nato slider, see the link in my reply above, thats my nato slider above the pin/ball slider. Of course! My slider is the same, although attached by two pins (rather than one as in your picture), and my steps stop the ball being raised or lowered as I can't remove the pins but that hasn't casued any problems yet, and to be honest, all I ever use the steps for is to whack my shins off. So I can have both on at the same time as the pintle will sit at the top with the normal tow ball lower down. Brilliant. Now to get the parts. Quote
western Posted January 5, 2009 Posted January 5, 2009 & turn those ball hitch bolts around while your doing the step removal. if the bolts are a bit to long either shove a thick washer under the head or [the best way] cut some of the exposed thread after the nuts are torqued up nice & tight. Quote
Madcowz Posted January 5, 2009 Author Posted January 5, 2009 & turn those ball hitch bolts around while your doing the step removal. if the bolts are a bit to long either shove a thick washer under the head or [the best way] cut some of the exposed thread after the nuts are torqued up nice & tight. huh? Is this to stop the thread becoming rusty and gunked up or is there another reason? Quote
western Posted January 5, 2009 Posted January 5, 2009 standard practice.also it keeps the threaded part of the bolt away from the trailer hitch. & best thing is you've saved a heck of a lot of cash with a used pintle, click the link & be sat down, cos you might fall over when you see the price http://www.dixonbate.co.uk/towing/product....PartNo=FV987958 Quote
Madcowz Posted January 5, 2009 Author Posted January 5, 2009 Yup, definately got a good deal there. £20 all in as it was only 3 miles off the M6, so picked it up on the way back from Edinburgh. Was wifes Birthday as well so not only were we driving on her birthday but we had to go to a *$£!"$ing land Rover Dealers to pick up a %&&$**!!ing rusty bit of metal. Trying to find a spare slider for this thing and so far I have come across this: which is the right one if I have a Dixon Bate extended height adjustable coupling: Only trouble is they are an eye watering £39.10 + 2 x £11.70 for spare pins. (Trailer Couplings site) I think I may just go back to my original 15 minute spanner job rather than spank a credit crunch busting £62 on bits of metal. Quote
western Posted January 5, 2009 Posted January 5, 2009 any slider will fit, one of mine came from the LR Supermarket near Liverpool, I only use 1 pin to secure the slider. have a look on ebay for a slider. 3 here from DLS less than 25 quid too. Was wifes Birthday as well so not only were we driving on her birthday but we had to go to a *$£!"$ing land Rover Dealers to pick up a %&&$**!!ing rusty bit of metal. belated happy birthday Mrs madcowz Quote
dirkthe1 Posted January 5, 2009 Posted January 5, 2009 ive seen the ajustable 110 ones going for pennies-worth pillaging a slider off one?? maybe put a post in wanted-you never know! Quote
101sean Posted January 6, 2009 Posted January 6, 2009 All sliders aren't the same! My Nato hitch is on one that is bolted to the top holes on the drop plate, you can't get a pin through. The combined hitch is on a Dixon Bate slider that fits on bottom hole, pin goes in OK. The original bottom slider had 2 holes and was fastened with 2 pins. I did a swap with my brother in law who tows every day, gave him 2 pin slider as he his single pin clattered all the time and was wearing, we are talking 3 axle Ifor Williams with mini digger etc on board. I rarely tow so swap suited me, I've never seen a 2 hole slider advertised though. Quote
bonjovi Posted January 6, 2009 Posted January 6, 2009 yours does look the right size for your trailer ,you do get a larger one on the trucks(daf and bedford) with a greater weight capacity Quote
western Posted January 6, 2009 Posted January 6, 2009 the truck version is much bigger & will not bolt to a slider plate or a rear x member, cos the bolt hole centres are to wide & it's a 10tonne rating as oppossed to a 5tonne for a LR. Quote
Madcowz Posted January 7, 2009 Author Posted January 7, 2009 What are the recommended bolt sizes for attaching this to the slider? I have seen M16 x 70 mm stated on another forum, but a thread on here says M12 thanks. Quote
DaveSIIA Posted January 7, 2009 Posted January 7, 2009 The bolts can be either M12 or 1/2 inch UNF. Make sure to use high tensile bolts with either double nuts on each (to lock) or nylok nuts. Quote
David Sparkes Posted January 7, 2009 Posted January 7, 2009 What are the recommended bolt sizes for attaching this to the slider? It depends what 'this' is. If it's the 50mm tow ball, then 16mm is the correct diameter. If it's the Nato hitch, then the drawing shows the holes at 9/16" / ~14mm diameter (and 4" centres). However, many people do use 12 mm, presumably because this give some leeway for 'tolerance' when the holes were made, either in the hitch, or in the metal they are bolting it to. 8 holes, they ALL have to be in the right place if you use a bolt that 'just' fits an individual hole. What diameter are the holes in the slider? HTH Quote
western Posted January 7, 2009 Posted January 7, 2009 What are the recommended bolt sizes for attaching this to the slider?I have seen M16 x 70 mm stated on another forum, but a thread on here says M12 thanks. IIRC mine is fitted with 4 x M12 high tensile bolts & 2 nuts per bolt, plain shank to suit so it's in full bearing & so it just appears on the nut side of the slider plate. 2 nuts per bolt for 1 to be the actual securing nut & the 2nd acts as a safety nut/lock nut to prevent 1st undoing. Quote
Madcowz Posted February 28, 2009 Author Posted February 28, 2009 Hooray!! Finally got one. Came with a brand new damper as well. Quote
western Posted February 28, 2009 Posted February 28, 2009 Tidy trailer, drop tailgate too if I need a new damper I know where one is now Quote
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