removable hi-rise hitch?

[sctsprin]

Hi All,
Is it possible to remove the rear recovery point and put a hitch receiver in that space? I'm happy to lose the spare tyre under the car to do so.

I'd like to get a higher hitch point such as the mitch hitch, but would like it ideally concealed or atleast removable so I don't kill my knees, as I don't use it often. But when I do use it, i need a good departure angle.

cheers
james

[sniegy]

You require a "Mitch Hitch"
Search Mitch Hitch.

Cheers

[101RRS]

You require a "Mitch Hitch"
Search Mitch Hitch.

Cheers

You missed the OP's second para :)

[sniegy]

Aaah Yep!

[sctsprin]

Okay so im thinking about cutting out the recovery point, and having a custom receiver welded in by a towbar company and getting it certified, like a lc200
The receiver would be flush with the bumper so the cover can go back on
I might put a kaymar on later
Does it need to be recessed for the kaymar? The kaymar probably needs a custom hole
I would remove the spare tyre and put it on a rear bumper carrier if necessary
Thoughts?

[Peteren]

Why not install this one and remove it when not in use?


Land Rover parts and servicing specialists - British Off Road - Recovery Hi Rise Tow Hitch (http://www.britishoffroad.com/products/recoveryhitch.aspx)


That's my plan, use the LR one for my motorcycle trailer which has a very low connection point and install the high rise one when I tow our off road van


Not sure that modifying the car in such a drastic fashion is really the right thing to do?

[RobA]

We have an Ultimate camper which has quite a high ride height and using the supplied LR hitch tongue creates a nose down issue. So went to our local Allin's tower suppliers here in Adelaide and for around $90 I now have an extended height, around 160mm tongue on which I have remounted our OzHitch. Looks to have fixed the problem but only time will tell

Rob

[Peteren]

We have an Ultimate camper which has quite a high ride height and using the supplied LR hitch tongue creates a nose down issue. So went to our local Allin's tower suppliers here in Adelaide and for around $90 I now have an extended height, around 160mm tongue on which I have remounted our OzHitch. Looks to have fixed the problem but only time will tell

Rob


Any photos Rob?

[sctsprin]

yeah that's probably what I'll do, but i wish it could be removed in 30 seconds, not 30 minutes



Why not install this one and remove it when not in use?


Land Rover parts and servicing specialists - British Off Road - Recovery Hi Rise Tow Hitch (http://www.britishoffroad.com/products/recoveryhitch.aspx)


That's my plan, use the LR one for my motorcycle trailer which has a very low connection point and install the high rise one when I tow our off road van


Not sure that modifying the car in such a drastic fashion is really the right thing to do?

[Peteren]

Mine should arrive later this week, will time the install/un-install time for you

[RobA]

Any photos Rob?

Peter I will get some sorted tomorrow and hopefully master the process of publishing them to this site. You are probably aware Allin's has been in the towing hitch business since Adam was in short pants so they have a very good reputation for quality of product given they are also an RAA approved supplier so I would hope that is a tick of confidence in their ability.

Will see if I can get a shot of the Ulti hitched up as well with the new one as well as a shot of the old one but without the Ulti on as I would need to swap over OzHitch connectors

Rob

[LRD414]

Why not install this one and remove it when not in use?


Land Rover parts and servicing specialists - British Off Road - Recovery Hi Rise Tow Hitch (http://www.britishoffroad.com/products/recoveryhitch.aspx)


That's my plan, use the LR one for my motorcycle trailer which has a very low connection point and install the high rise one when I tow our off road van



This is a reasonable plan but a couple of things that will slow you down with this hitch....

The upper bolt passes through the recovery eye and torques up a poly bush. Once you have done some towing you will need to replace the bush and it is also recommended to replace the bolts too. Not difficult but could get expensive if doing too often.

Also, the upper bolt is difficult to fit because of the proximity of the trailer plugs. You can undo the white plug but the wiring loom has very little slack available to pull it out of the way. I found I had to also undo a couple of loom plugs up under the car (very hard to get to with hand) to get just enough slack to pull the plug out clear of where the bolt needed to be for installation and this would be true also in reverse for removal.

If it was me, I would leave the Mitch Hitch in place and get a tongue with a few inches of drop to suit your other trailer. However, if your off-road towing is say once a year, then removal of Mitch Hitch would be viable.

Cheers,
Scott

[RobA]

Peter I will get some sorted tomorrow and hopefully master the process of publishing them to this site. You are probably aware Allin's has been in the towing hitch business since Adam was in short pants so they have a very good reputation for quality of product given they are also an RAA approved supplier so I would hope that is a tick of confidence in their ability.

Will see if I can get a shot of the Ulti hitched up as well with the new one as well as a shot of the old one but without the Ulti on as I would need to swap over OzHitch connectors

Rob

Peter after much faffing around I think I have worked it out with Photobucket. Only the techie gods know. Hopefully this link will take you to the pictures <iframe width="480" height="360" src="http://s32.photobucket.com/user/4WDTours/embed/slideshow/Discovery%204%20raised%20hitch"></iframe>

Rob

[jliquorish]

I have the same problem but have a 14 Disco 4. Looks like I'm out of luck as LR have changed the hitch. The factory tow bar will only accept the hitch LR sells. The hayman Reece is the standard box style hitch and will not fit.

[ADMIRAL]

I have the same problem but have a 14 Disco 4. Looks like I'm out of luck as LR have changed the hitch. The factory tow bar will only accept the hitch LR sells. The hayman Reece is the standard box style hitch and will not fit.

Interested in seeing pics of the change if you have any.

[ScottD4]

Hi all,

First post, but have been reading with keen interest as we are about to purchase a hitch for our first van.

Have come across this new Ritter hitch which is apparently about to go on the market, read the review on this site.

Tested&#58; Ritter Tow Hitch - caravancampingsales.com.au - caravancampingsales.com.au (http://www.caravancampingsales.com.au/content/products/2014/tested-ritter-tow-hitch-48161)

Only price they have advertised is fitted, and at $990 it is quite expensive.

Oh well, looks like another option to consider.

Scott.

[rufusking]

I have the same problem but have a 14 Disco 4. Looks like I'm out of luck as LR have changed the hitch. The factory tow bar will only accept the hitch LR sells. The hayman Reece is the standard box style hitch and will not fit.

Stuck my head under a MY14 D4 when I dropped the vehicle in for a service today. The fitting on the vehicle that accepts the LR hitch receiver appears the same as previous years so you could source an earlier D4 version one so you could use std 2" fittings.

[wbowner]

I have the same problem but have a 14 Disco 4. Looks like I'm out of luck as LR have changed the hitch. The factory tow bar will only accept the hitch LR sells. The hayman Reece is the standard box style hitch and will not fit.

Hi
Do you mean the the tongue or as some people call it the tow ball mount (TBM). The bit the tow ball is bolted to.

If so I am using a Haymen Reese TBM on my D4 which is MY14.

Sorry if I have misunderstood you.

Richard

[Mr smokey]

Land Rover parts and servicing specialists - British Off Road - Recovery Hi Rise Tow Hitch (http://www.britishoffroad.com/products/recoveryhitch.aspx)
G'day, I have an MY13. I am a little concerned when the BOR ad says "Difficult to remove, and can fall out without notice". Not the difficult to remove bit but the second "falling off" bit that is a tad disconcerting. Are there confirmed reports of the hitches dropping off ??
I will be towing 2800kg.
Trevor

[jon3950]

They don't fall out if they are inserted properly. There is a pin that locks it in place, but sometimes this needs a bit of persuasion. There have been a couple of reports on the net, but I suspect this is where the problem lies. I have had a few instances where it has been difficult to fit but it has never fallen out.

Cheers,
Jon

[ADMIRAL]

G'day, I have an MY13. I am a little concerned when the BOR ad says "Difficult to remove, and can fall out without notice". Not the difficult to remove bit but the second "falling off" bit that is a tad disconcerting. Are there confirmed reports of the hitches dropping off ??
I will be towing 2800kg.
Trevor

They can can tight and hard to operate if the mechanism dries out. Too much lubricant attracts dust etc, but if you regularly flush the mechanism with a spray lubricant, there should not be any seizing issues.

[RobA]

They can can tight and hard to operate if the mechanism dries out. Too much lubricant attracts dust etc, but if you regularly flush the mechanism with a spray lubricant, there should not be any seizing issues.


Have noted ours is getting a tad harder to remove after around 600km of off bitumen towing in quite dusty conditions. Simple solution is to give the pin and locking pin a flush with silicone spray as this does not attract dust and we use the same technique on our Oz Hitch pin as well. The practice has served us well over many thousands of outback kilometres towing the Ulti in recent years.

Like anything that moves on a 4WD it requires a little TLC on a regular basis

Rob

[Mr smokey]

I shall give it an Inox treatment.

[Graeme]

G'day, I have an MY13. I am a little concerned when the BOR ad says "Difficult to remove, and can fall out without notice". Not the difficult to remove bit but the second "falling off" bit that is a tad disconcerting. Are there confirmed reports of the hitches dropping off ??
I will be towing 2800kg.
TrevorThere's always the safeguard of using the recovery loop for your safety chains which should be used instead of the light-weight tabs when towing a heavy load anyway.

[Mr smokey]

Graeme, information I have from Vic TOG is that using the recovery loop is not legal as the chains are above the ball. 'Course given the divergence of opinion on anything towing, this may or may not be correct and may be an individual interpretation :(
Trevor.

[Trekki]

Hi All

Last week I had a new tow hitch installed by British Offroad on the Sunshine Coast; great job and great unit. The unit sits about 200mm higher than 'the plough' and makes use of the recovery point, no need to uninstall it. See photos http://www.aulro.com/afvb/d3-d4-rrs/213040-mitch-hitch-5.html#post2305825 entry #46
:D

[Graeme]

information I have from Vic TOG is that using the recovery loop is not legal as the chains are above the ball.I can see the possible problems if the chains are too short.

[Mr smokey]

I can see the possible problems if the chains are too short.

I believe the issue is related to the chains "catching" the drawbar as it drops. The information was that they are required by law to be below the tow ball. Now, I know someone is going to request the specific legislation or is going to quote sub-section d, para f, of an Act but that is the info as received.

Trevor

[Graeme]

I understand that individual states have their own regulations but there's no mention of towbar chain attachment height in VSB1, the ADR technical requirements for trailers bulletin.

[Mr smokey]

I understand that individual states have their own regulations but there's no mention of towbar chain attachment height in VSB1, the ADR technical requirements for trailers bulletin.

Graeme, no argument from me. In fact I thought it would be ideal given my dodgy back and having to fiddle with D shackles underneath.

Trevor

[stray dingo]

My chains cross under the tow ball and then extend up above to the recovery loop.
I consider if much safer than connecting to the little tabs on the (detachable) tow ball mount - it is stronger and attached to chassis (also recommended).
If I'm pulled up for it being like that, I'd certainly be kicking up a fuss to all and sundry who'd listen and take them task over it!!


Dept of Infrastructure (Federal) website says

Safety chain attachment points are the means by which the safety chains are attached to the drawbar. These points must be located as near as practicable to the tow coupling. Where two points of attachment are required, they must be mounted one on either side of the centreline of the drawbar.
Each safety chain attachment point must be capable of withstanding the following minimum forces without incurring either any residual deformation that would interfere or degrade the function of the assembly, or any breaks, cracks or separation of components:
Longitudinal tension and compression (N) 1.5 x 9.81 x ATM (in kg)
Vertical tension and compression (N) 0.5 x 9.81 x ATM (in kg).


"These points must be located as near as practicable to the tow coupling". Well they are...but I'll stick with something better.

[Mr smokey]

SD, Sounds quite sensible to me.

[Graeme]

"These points must be located as near as practicable to the tow coupling".The reference is to their attachment to the drawbar, not the towbar.