Tow Hitch Removal.

[dirvine]

I am trying to remove my tow hitch so I can fit a Mitch Hitch. The car manual says insert key and turn pull the green nob out and turn it until a click is heard. I dont hear any click so I assume the small tongue in the hitch is still locked into place. Anybody got any ideas on how to get this off. I notice on the other side of the key is a cover plate held by an allen key. Just wondering what this gives access to. Maybe the pin? Or do I just put in a whole lot of WD40 and hope it works?

Thanks

[John_D4]

I am trying to remove my tow hitch so I can fit a Mitch Hitch. The car manual says insert key and turn pull the green nob out and turn it until a click is heard. I dont hear any click so I assume the small tongue in the hitch is still locked into place. Anybody got any ideas on how to get this off. I notice on the other side of the key is a cover plate held by an allen key. Just wondering what this gives access to. Maybe the pin? Or do I just put in a whole lot of WD40 and hope it works?

Thanks

From what I remember you insert the key, unlock it, then pulls and rotate the green knob. I don’t remember hearing a click. It might be just stuck in there especially if you don’t remove it regularly. If you feel underneath on the front side of the hitch you can feel the hole that the locating pin locks into.

I bought a 2nd hand Recovery brand Hitch (similar to Mitch Hitch) and the manufacturer couldn’t tell me how tight to do the main bolt. Somewhere on here I learnt that it’s something crazy like 250lb. My torque wrench doesn’t go that high but it’s 150lb plus 1/4 of a turn. I needed a meter of pipe on the end of my big breaker bar.

I also needed to remove the left light socket to get access for the bolt.

[OldGuy]

I am trying to remove my tow hitch so I can fit a Mitch Hitch. The car manual says insert key and turn pull the green nob out and turn it until a click is heard. I dont hear any click so I assume the small tongue in the hitch is still locked into place. Anybody got any ideas on how to get this off. I notice on the other side of the key is a cover plate held by an allen key. Just wondering what this gives access to. Maybe the pin? Or do I just put in a whole lot of WD40 and hope it works?

Thanks

I had the same problem, while holding the green knob out just kept giving it a wriggle the pin finally clicked and it came out. A bit of WD40 would probably help.

[ATH]

If it's been left attached to the vehicle it could be full of all sorts of crap stopping it from coming out easily. Few shakes and wobbles plus a bit of oil or washing it out should help remove it.
That's one reason I remove mine after every time I use it and put the plastic plug back into the hole.
AlanH.

[Ceebrady]

Mine was stuck rather solidly, in getting mine off I removed the chrome cover on the opposite side to the green handle, and dismantled it as much as possible. from memory I think this allowed the pin to be retracted without manually holding against the spring force thus allowing two hands the hammering required to loosen and extract it.

[John_D4]

I am trying to remove my tow hitch so I can fit a Mitch Hitch. The car manual says insert key and turn pull the green nob out and turn it until a click is heard. I dont hear any click so I assume the small tongue in the hitch is still locked into place. Anybody got any ideas on how to get this off. I notice on the other side of the key is a cover plate held by an allen key. Just wondering what this gives access to. Maybe the pin? Or do I just put in a whole lot of WD40 and hope it works?

Thanks

What did you end up doing? Did you get it sorted?

[dirvine]

Not yet. Have not had the time. I am going to remove the spare tyre 1st and see if I can spray WD40 in the locating pin hole and give the pin a bit of a tap with a centre punch. If that fails then pull the side plate off and go from there. Then sell the plough on ebay. Hopefully this weekend!!

[dirvine]

Finally got some time to remove the hitch. I lowered the spare and noted the turning the green nob did in fact retract the pin. I can also confirm that the plate on the otherside held in by a Allen key headed bolt does not give you access to the pin. So I sprayed some WD40 around, a tap with "block buster" to loosen it up and it came out. So now its for sale if anybody wants it.

As an aside I notice that my spare tyre "heat shield" is now in two pieces. Will have a think about whether to keep it or throw it away. (I have 265/65/18 tyres so its a tight fit).

Thanks All

[DieselLSE]

Finally got some time to remove the hitch. I lowered the spare and noted the turning the green nob did in fact retract the pin. I can also confirm that the plate on the otherside held in by a Allen key headed bolt does not give you access to the pin. So I sprayed some WD40 around, a tap with "block buster" to loosen it up and it came out. So now its for sale if anybody wants it.

As an aside I notice that my spare tyre "heat shield" is now in two pieces. Will have a think about whether to keep it or throw it away. (I have 265/65/18 tyres so its a tight fit).

Thanks All
I have a tyre shield in perfect condition that you can have if you want. I removed it at 60,000km to fit a Brown Davis auxiliary fuel tank. I live in Brighton.

[dirvine]

I have a tyre shield in perfect condition that you can have if you want. I removed it at 60,000km to fit a Brown Davis auxiliary fuel tank. I live in Brighton.

Thanks but I think the reason its in two bits is that the tyres I run are really too big and I think they have rubbed on it. I am not sure I really need it anyway. But thanks for the offer.

[John_D4]

Thanks but I think the reason its in two bits is that the tyres I run are really too big and I think they have rubbed on it. I am not sure I really need it anyway. But thanks for the offer.

Have you tried delaying your spare? I hear they fit better

[dirvine]

Yes I did deflate the tyre when it was new. I rotate the tyres every 10K and only noticed that it had split this time. With the standard hitch in place even though its a D4 type, the tyre needed to be raised with the hitch side raised in 1st. However I did notice this time with about 40K on the tyre, it can now be raised like the old 19" tyre. Diameter of tyre is now a lot less. I do wonder if the heatshield is really needed in any case. It still hangs there on the two brackets, just that its now in two separate pieces.

[Oskar]

Every time I have had the caravan out (quite frequently) the tow hitch was difficult to remove. Suitable persuasion with a rubber mallet while holding the green knob rotated usually did the trick but not always. The Land Rover Dealer method is to remove the spare and use a drift to knock the silver pin in to break it away from the dust/mud. Last time I found an alternative. Put a hydraulic jack under the hitch; put a small amount of upwards load using the jack and a small tap of the rubber mallet does the trick (all while holding the green knob rotated) - simples!

[dirvine]

Every time I have had the caravan out (quite frequently) the tow hitch was difficult to remove. Suitable persuasion with a rubber mallet while holding the green knob rotated usually did the trick but not always. The Land Rover Dealer method is to remove the spare and use a drift to knock the silver pin in to break it away from the dust/mud. Last time I found an alternative. Put a hydraulic jack under the hitch; put a small amount of upwards load using the jack and a small tap of the rubber mallet does the trick (all while holding the green knob rotated) - simples!

I dont have this problem anymore. Fitted the Mitch Hitch !!