Hyland Hitch Pro's/Con's

[JohnM]

G'day all.

I'm looking at replacing my standard camper trailer hitch(50mm ball) with a Hyland Coupling (hitch that attaches to standard ball but has a full pivot system attached to it) Camper is to be used off-road, and I really don't want to experience the trailer popping off the tow hitch etc.

If any one has used them, could they please share their thoughts on them - good, bad or otherwise.

Thanks

[incisor]

one of my clients owns/runs a large caravan repair business and when i quizzed him on them he took me to the back of his workshop and showed me a few he had removed. heaps of wear at the rim of the cup to the point that they became unserviceable. they are good for moderate work at most. there is nothing to stop the cup just laying over and rubbing....

he recommends the at35 and the orac. i use an at35 and it serves me well. discotdi has an orac on his camel and it appears to be a very good unit as well.

[retiredbob]

I have a Hyland coupling on my Trakmaster off road van. I have had the van for twelve months and travelled on a lot of outback "tracks" etc and not experienced any problems with it.

[cameron]

Hi,
I haven't got one of the hylands although I have done a bit of research on them all as I am planning on upgrading the coupling on my goldstream campertrailer some time soonish.

I like the idea of the hyland because invariably it is me hooking trailers on by myself and they are, from all accounts, HEAPS easier to hook up by yourself on uneven ground than are some of the other hitches on the market.

I have seen the hylands discussed a fair bit on the camper trailer forum (and others) and all of the people who have them are very happy with them. Generally so are the others who have the various other hitch upgrades too for that matter.

I have heard from other sources of that rubbing thing that incisor mentioned however the answer seems to be simply to use a slightly taller ball on the car end of the equation and the problem won't happen.

That is what they say anyway!

Another comment that I have seen made is that compared to the poly block styles they rattle a bit however those with them have disputed this claim.

To find out more about the hitch types check out here:
http://www.campertrailers.org/couplings.htm

Cheers,
Cameron

[DiscoStew]

Originally posted by cameron

I like the idea of the hyland because invariably it is me hooking trailers on by myself and they are, from all accounts, HEAPS easier to hook up by yourself on uneven ground than are some of the other hitches on the market.


I have an orac on my camel trailer and the first time was a nightmare because of the uneven ground. Since then I have placed a board under the jockey wheel (similar to what you would put under your jack) and I now have no problem. I also put on a inflatable jockey wheel instead of the one supplied with the trailer. Slightly more difficult than a tow ball because less margin for error. And the technique for lining up the pin is weird and learnt from much practice in the driveway. But once you have it worked out, no problem on uneven ground.

[disconut]

I have a Treg and like the above post and found a few tricks to make it easier to hook up.

Use a large dia jockey wheel.

Always place a 30cm Sq plywood plate under the jockey wheel.

When un hitching the van / trailer, ensure the jockey wheel is facing sideways. ie: you can push the drawbar sideways.

When hitching up, reverse till the hitch is alongside the coupling, within a few centimetres.

This allows you to raise and lower the drawbar to the correct height, and push the coupling sideways into the hitch.

Drop in the pin, and your done.

Trev.

[DiscoTDI]

Originally posted by incisor
one of my clients owns/runs a large caravan repair business and when i quizzed him on them he took me to the back of his workshop and showed me a few he had removed. heaps of wear at the rim of the cup to the point that they became unserviceable. they are good for moderate work at most. there is nothing to stop the cup just laying over and rubbing....

he recommends the at35 and the orac. i use an at35 and it serves me well. discotdi has an orac on his camel and it appears to be a very good unit as well.

Yes, the orac is a good hitch for the not so heavy camper :wink: