Mitch hitch height?

[DiscoClax]

Hello all, I've got a Mitch hitch on its way to me and I'll need to get a drop ball mount to suit it. Ideally I'd like to order this before it arrives so I have both together and ready to go. I know what height I'd like the ball, but not where the square receiver is in relation to that.

Does anyone here have a genuine Mitch Hitch on an L320 RRS and can provide the height above level ground for a reference point on it (ideally the top of the square receiver hole, but pin centre would also work)? At standard 'normal' height please and advise if your tyres are standard height or not so I can factor that in.

Thank you :)

[Tombie]

Why not one of these?
ANDERSEN RAPID ADJUST 4" RISE OR DROP TOWBAR TONGUE HITCH 50MM TOW BALL CARAVAN 871155004607 | eBay (https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0'mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com.au%2Fulk%2Fitm%2 F401449377841)

[Eevo]

i have one of these
Adjustable Ball Mounts (http://intertradeholdings.com.au/mister-hitches/adjustable-ball-mounts.html)

its great cause on the rrs i need to raise the ball and on the d2 i need to lower the ball.

[DiscoClax]

Why not one of these?
ANDERSEN RAPID ADJUST 4" RISE OR DROP TOWBAR TONGUE HITCH 50MM TOW BALL CARAVAN 871155004607 | eBay (https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0'mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com.au%2Fulk%2Fitm%2 F401449377841)

Thanks Tombie,

I did look at those, however,

a) very expensive, and
b) heavy, and
c) all my trailers are about the same height so I don't need the ability to adjust height incrementally. Plus they are all lightweights so setting them up to the nearest half-inch isn't critical.

I can buy a set of three forged drop mounts for less than half the cost of one of those...

Cheers.

[DiscoClax]

i have one of these
Adjustable Ball Mounts (http://intertradeholdings.com.au/mister-hitches/adjustable-ball-mounts.html)

its great cause on the rrs i need to raise the ball and on the d2 i need to lower the ball.

Thanks Eevo, but for similar reasons to my response to Tombie it's not what I'm after. My D1 is set up just right already so no need for swapsies... :)

[Tombie]

No problem mate...

[loanrangie]

If a Mitch hitch on a D3 is the same height I can
measure mine ?

[Tombie]

No problem mate...

[DiscoClax]

Thanks LoanRangie.

I believe(?) that the rear chassis is essentially identical so the only difference should be the standard ride height and any tyre diameter effects. I'm pretty sure that the RRS sits a little bit lower than a D3, like 1/2" ish? But that might be solely in the different tyre sizes used between them? Anyone know?
If you wouldn't mind measuring yours at some point when convenient (no hurry), and advising tyre size, then I should be able to work it out from that. Cheers :)

[Tombie]

Mr Clax...

Knowing the unit sits directly back from the factory loop, could you not extrapolate from that point?

[DiscoClax]

Ah... but if you read my sig you'll see I haven't got a reference point yet...

.... and I'll thank you to not rub that in. [emoji14]

[Tombie]

Ah. No worries. Don’t see the sig file on the phone app.

[DiscoClax]

Fair call :)

It was a good plan with just one minor drawback....

[Ean Austral]

If no one has replied I can do it for you on Tuesday. I sm camping at the moment and the car is on uneven ground and hasn't been started since Friday so if I measured it now I am unsure how accurate it would be.
I have a D3 with 265/60/18 on it so should be close .

Cheers Ean

[DiscoClax]

Thanks Ean. That'd be great. I'll be fitting 285/60s so that's an easy calc.

I mean... I could wait until:
a) I get the hitch, and
b) I get the car
and then just measure it up myself. But it's like Christmas and I want to play with my new presents :)

[Tombie]

I thought the 285/60 on the RRS was a bit too tight..?

[loanrangie]

Approximately 600mm to the center of the receiver, on 265/60/18's.

[DiscoClax]

Thanks LoanRangie. That's very helpful and useful.
I'l get a second data point from Ean and if they align well enough I can go shopping :)

[Ean Austral]

Approximately 600mm to the center of the receiver, on 265/60/18's.

600mm are you sure , my car must be at access height , that seems very high just sitting here looking at the back of the car

cheers Ean

[DiscoClax]

I thought the 285/60 on the RRS was a bit too tight..?

All the research I've done seems to indicate that both the 285/60 and 265/65 are pretty similar and about as big as you'd want to go without getting cutting and bashing tools out... Currently has 285/35R22s (yeah, I know, right?) on it and they won't be on there long after it lands here.

Gordon runs 275/65s on his with minimal mods, so this should be safe enough with a tweak here or there. Looking to fit a long range tank so the spare fitment issues shouldn't play either.

[Ean Austral]

I should add that I recently overhauled and refitted my air compressor so should maybe read up if the system needs recalibration which could explain why 600mm sees very high compared to my D3.

cheers Ean

[DiscoClax]

600mm are you sure , my car must be at access height , that seems very high just sitting here looking at the back of the car

cheers Ean

That does seem a lot. ~2 feet in the old scale. Hmmm. That would mean I need around a 6"/150mm drop...

[Ean Austral]

That does seem a lot. ~2 feet in the old scale. Hmmm. That would mean I need around a 6"/150mm drop...

i don't have a tape measure with me but using 2x 300mm cable ties I reckon to the bottom of my tow hitch on the camper is approx 500mm . Am guessing between 450 - 480mm would be where mine would sit .

will confirm if I need to recalibrate the suspension and what the measurement is when I get home on Tuesday .

Cheers Ean

[DiscoClax]

i don't have a tape measure with me but using 2x 300mm cable ties I reckon to the bottom of my tow hitch on the camper is approx 500mm . Am guessing between 450 - 480mm would be where mine would sit .

will confirm if I need to recalibrate the suspension and what the measurement is when I get home on Tuesday .

Cheers Ean

Ah cable ties, is there anything they can't be used for?! No hurry, no dramas. Enjoy your holiday and stop thinking about hitch heights :)

[101RRS]

Just measured mu Mitch Hitch height on my RRS with 255/60R18 tyres (worn) at onroad height - is 565mm from the ground to the center of the reciever.

I use a standard tow bar insert and have never needed an adjustable one - my box trailer (with Haflinger in it) and camper tow perfectly level. Also towed a friends 8x5 dual axle tradies trailer with the Haflinger in it and is perfectly level.

So I would test it first to check how a standard insert works before spending good money on an adjustable one you may not need.

Garry

[DiscoClax]

Thanks Garry. Just confirming that was at OFFROAD height you measured that? So Normal height is about 40-50mm lower off the top of my head?

[101RRS]

Thanks Garry. Just confirming that was at OFFROAD height you measured that? So Normal height is about 40-50mm lower off the top of my head?


Sorry no - doh typo - no was at onroad height - silly me.

[DiscoClax]

Sorry no - doh typo - no was at onroad height - silly me.

And now that you've edited your post, I look like I can't comprehend simple English [tonguewink]

I'm not going to get too hung up on it because my trailers are all single-axle and about the same height anyway. And I've towed them at different times with significant nose down and nose up attitudes behind various different vehicles and never seen an issue. From all reports the D3/4 and RRS are pretty awesome towing rigs anyway. I was really just trying to get a feel for where the ball would sit, and to get a drop mount that would put the ball in the range of most 'normal' trailers so hiring/borrowing/obtaining another trailer would be without any added attitude issues.

Garry, you mention you run a 'standard' tongue. By that do you mean a fairly common 2" drop tongue (where the top of the ball-mount face is about level with the bottom of the square receiver hole)?

Interesting that when I calculate the height (allowing for tyre size differences) LoanRangie's comes up significantly higher than Garry's. Like 1-1/4" higher. I would have thought that, by design, these should all come up to the same height given the air suspension and self-levelling, etc? It'll be interesting to see where Ean's comes in...

As Tombie (aka Kill-Joy) suggested, and given the variation reported, I may just need to wait until I get the vehicle and measure the recovery point on it specifically to work out what'll work. Darn it :(

[Tombie]

Aww. I didn’t want to spoil your excitement.

When does the new toy arrive?

[DiscoClax]

Aww. I didn’t want to spoil your excitement.

When does the new toy arrive?

Not exactly sure. Shipping tracking do-dad reckons 19April. Still many big sleeps to go [bigsad] I'm definitely taking the day off when it arrives [bigsmile] :burnrubber:

[101RRS]

And now that you've edited your post, I look like I can't comprehend simple English [tonguewink]

Garry, you mention you run a 'standard' tongue. By that do you mean a fairly common 2" drop tongue (where the top of the ball-mount face is about level with the bottom of the square receiver hole)?

There are no flys on me.

Yep just a standard Hayman Reece unit.

138263

[101RRS]

Well it looks as if I haven't been as diligent as I should have been. Got the car out to go for a drive and remeasured it at 565mm but when driving I realised I had LLAMS on the low setting so set it to zero height difference and got 575mm. When I parked on the flat I measured again and got 590mm but while measuring the car farted and it dropped back to 575mm. When I got back home I measured again and it was down to 565mm even with LLAMs at zero.

So the height can change a bit just in normal use - so pick a number between 565 and 590mm [thumbsupbig].

[DiscoClax]

Thanks Garry for all those data points. That's really helpful and still only an inch variation really. A coiler would easily move that much with minimal loading changes. Interesting that it's lower than LoanRangie's, but his might have been at the high end of the band when the tape was applied.
So... somewhere between 550 and 600... probably :)

[101RRS]

He has bigger tyres - about 12mm greater diameter so will give 6mm greater height. Also my tyres have covered 70,000km so are a bit down so maybe another 5mm there so there should be somewhere about 10-12mm difference overall.

Garry

[Ean Austral]

Measured the car when I got home , and to my surprise it was similar to Garry and Loanrangie's , so my apologies to them for questioning their measurements.
Tyres 265 60 18 road tread about half worn

To the inside lip on the top of the hitch receiver 585mm , it was at 590mm but the car levelled and dropped about 5mm.

Cheers Ean

[DiscoClax]

Bewdy. Thanks Ean. And Garry and LoanRangie. I really appreciate you guys taking the time to measure this for me.

BTW - great service from the Mitchell Bros. The Hitch arrived today. Really well packed and surprisingly fast delivery. And they communicated each stage throughout. I know they've copped a bit of a bad rap from some in the past but my experience was exemplary. Can't fault it. Thanks.

[Ean Austral]

I must admit looking at the car with the rear wheel carrier , and esky and fridge in the back , sitting on uneven ground I thought I may be in need of new suspension , but seems close to the other 2 so happy with that.

Cheers Ean

[loanrangie]

And you guys had me 2nd guessing [thumbsupbig]

[DiscoClax]

My work here is done, then [emoji14]

[DiscoClax]

There are no flys on me.

Yep just a standard Hayman Reece unit.

138263

Garry, that's a neat, short little trailer plug converter you've got. Is that a standard 7-pin round to 7-pin flat converter, or something fancy? All my trailers are 7-pin flat, so I'll need to adapt.

[101RRS]

Just a standard 7 pin converter available cheap in the trailer section of Super Cheap.

Garry

[drowell]

Garry, that's a neat, short little trailer plug converter you've got. Is that a standard 7-pin round to 7-pin flat converter, or something fancy? All my trailers are 7-pin flat, so I'll need to adapt.
My D4 came with an adapter from the dealership...

[drowell]

I have a Mitch Hitch. Not comfortable giving you height from ground level. My D4 has a LLAMS controller and no guarantee it sits at the normal height.
What I can say is that the top of the insert (or the inside top of the Mitch) sits 100mm below the top of the bumper.
I have a Kaymar rear bar, but I think it's pretty close to the original height. 5-10 mm below the bottom of the tailgate.
I have a standard insert for my TVan which has a DO35 hitch and I have a crazy long drop hitch for the tandem box trailer which sits stupidly low.
I hope this helps.

[afloat]

The centreline of the receiver on my 2005 Sport is 530mm above the road. I do have 60 rather than 55 profile tiles although, when measured, the tread was < 50%. The difference should be minimal.

I started with a tongues with a 100mm step down but had to replace it with one with minimal step down for our new caravan. There is no such thing as a standard coupling height in caravans.

Afloat

[Stanleysteamer]

Hi All, page 178 of Land Rover Monthly, number 242, May 2018 issue.

Factory recall for all the above models as the cassette type detachable tow hitch "was designed to be used for occasional towing duties like the family caravan on weekends" If left on, water, mud etc, gets in and has an abrasive effect causing wear. If wear is excessive, Land Rover franchise dealers will give a free check, possible replacement of rear chassis and heavy-duty multi-height tow hitch will be fitted free of charge. This is available no matter where you bought it from. ring Land Rover dealer quoting "customer service programme Q393" I hope this is true in Oz at it is true in the UK.

Multi height? May be of use to you?

[Tombie]

Hi All, page 178 of Land Rover Monthly, number 242, May 2018 issue.

Factory recall for all the above models as the cassette type detachable tow hitch "was designed to be used for occasional towing duties like the family caravan on weekends" If left on, water, mud etc, gets in and has an abrasive effect causing wear. If wear is excessive, Land Rover franchise dealers will give a free check, possible replacement of rear chassis and heavy-duty multi-height tow hitch will be fitted free of charge. This is available no matter where you bought it from. ring Land Rover dealer quoting "customer service programme Q393" I hope this is true in Oz at it is true in the UK.

Multi height? May be of use to you?

Applicable only in UK and we don’t have their multi-plate couplings approved for Au..

[DiscoClax]

This place is always a wealth of info. So much stuff comes out. Marvelous. [emoji16]

I did my calcs and ordered my drop hitch yesterday. If I got it horribly wrong I can use the one on the D1 and it means I have another height option on the shelf.

Thanks again to all that contributed their time and knowledge.

[Tombie]

Except if I pinch your new ride as it passes by [emoji41]

[DiscoClax]

You may actually prefer the old one... But I'd prefer them both [emoji16]

[DNB]

Sorry to hijack the thread..... but did you guys have any issues with the Rear Reversing/Parking Sensors "going off/sounding" after you installed the Mitch Hitch and Towball Receiver Hitch? I'm yet to get mine installed and the fitting instructions say the car "might" sense the Mitch Hitch once installed.

Lastly, did anyone need to ground out the existing Recovery Point slightly, to fit the White Bushing in there? (I have a D4 and the bushing just doesn't want to go in)

Cheers, Don :)

[101RRS]

Yes you need to shield the inner sensors from the Mitch Hitch - clear plastic furniture protectors from Bunning work. Cover the side of the sensor closest to the hitch.

Even with the small quadrant on the sensor cut out it still works fine.

138454

[Tombie]

Sorry to hijack the thread..... but did you guys have any issues with the Rear Reversing/Parking Sensors "going off/sounding" after you installed the Mitch Hitch and Towball Receiver Hitch? I'm yet to get mine installed and the fitting instructions say the car "might" sense the Mitch Hitch once installed.

Lastly, did anyone need to ground out the existing Recovery Point slightly, to fit the White Bushing in there? (I have a D4 and the bushing just doesn't want to go in)

Cheers, Don :)

The instructions for fitting the hitch clearly
State you will need to dremel the inside of the recovery point due to a casting mark...

[loanrangie]

The instructions for fitting the hitch clearly
State you will need to dremel the inside of the recovery point due to a casting mark...

Yes its a tight mf and without any instructions i filed it out to suit.

[DNB]

I had the Mitch Hitch fitted today, I watched them fit it. They just put a touch of grease on the Female bushing to help it go into the D4 Recovery Point and used some big grips/pliers and edged it in without any need to cut the bushing or grind out the Recovery Point .

Tip: if you are trying to put the Male bushing in enough to get the Hitch on..... Use the 60mm bolt and washers to squeeze the bushings together, then remove the 60mm bolt etc to put the Hitch and 70mm Bolt on ;) (see pic below)

Tip: you will have to pull the entire 12S (White) Trailer Connector just enough out of the "connector space" to get the 70mm Bolt through the bushing, as it won't go in by just "pushing it to the side".

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2018/04/419.jpg