Tow tongue with big drop required

[tempestv8]

My Discovery has a particularly high tow tongue hitch receiver (Hayman Reece style).

The standard Disco II tow hitch receiver is under the plastic bumper, but when I replaced the rear bumper with a Kaymar bar, the hitch that Kaymar use is a bit higher - in fact it's smack in the middle of their bar. About 3" higher.

With a 2" suspension lift, this has further raised the hitch, and finally with bigger 32" tyres :angel: (stock tyres are 29" diameter), that's an additional 1.5" lift.

So, where can I find a tow tongue with at least an 8" drop, so that my campervan is going to remain level?

Most Hayman Reece stockists that I've rung only offer a 3' or 4" drop in their tongues which really isn't enough to level out the campervan.

Help! BTW, I won't entertain ideas of lowering the Disco..... :p



Lawrance Lee

[rangieman]

My Discovery has a particularly high tow tongue hitch receiver (Hayman Reece style).

The standard Disco II tow hitch receiver is under the plastic bumper, but when I replaced the rear bumper with a Kaymar bar, the hitch that Kaymar use is a bit higher - in fact it's smack in the middle of their bar. About 3" higher.

With a 2" suspension lift, this has further raised the hitch, and finally with bigger 32" tyres :angel: (stock tyres are 29" diameter), that's an additional 1.5" lift.

So, where can I find a tow tongue with at least an 8" drop, so that my campervan is going to remain level?

Most Hayman Reece stockists that I've rung only offer a 3' or 4" drop in their tongues which really isn't enough to level out the campervan.

Help! BTW, I won't entertain ideas of lowering the Disco..... :p



Lawrance Lee
Id try hayman reese they are in dandenong vic , but i dont think they sell direct to the public , give them a call im sure they would put you on to a agent

[sclarke]

All i can think of is getting one made.

Steve

[tempestv8]

All i can think of is getting one made.

Steve

G'day Steve,

I did think about this but was a bit concerned after reading somewhere on the internet (is everything you read on the internet true? ;)) that the tow hitch needs to be "plated" for it to be a legal hitch.

What is "plated", I hear you ask? On the tongue, there should be a metal plate that names the manufacturer and the max ball weight rating. I've checked my Land Rover factory tongue, and indeed there is a metal plate riveted on it with the specs. I checked my mate's Toyota Prado, and yep, true enough, there's also a plate on his Toyota hitch.

So unless I find a workshop that will put their name and rating on the hitch (and I don't believe they will do it), I'm not too keen on getting a "custom" hitch.... :( It's all about complying with the insurance companies. :mad:

I will try Hayman Reece on Monday, hopefully they can help me. I can't believe that there's so many mega lifted four wheel drives out there yet no one asks about hitches with long drops to accomodate towing requirements. What do Ford F250 drivers use for towing a bog standard garden trailer? ;)

Cheers,

Lawrance :)

[Jezzaol]

I've rarly seen a tounge "plated" all those things are correct about having a tow bar plated ! The most that Hayman Reece drop is about 4". I have had them made buy an engineer, but when the drop gets bigger than 4" im led to beleve it should be solid. It would be interesting to see if there is a law related to the tounge requirments ?

Cheers


G'day Steve,

I did think about this but was a bit concerned after reading somewhere on the internet (is everything you read on the internet true? ;)) that the tow hitch needs to be "plated" for it to be a legal hitch.

What is "plated", I hear you ask? On the tongue, there should be a metal plate that names the manufacturer and the max ball weight rating. I've checked my Land Rover factory tongue, and indeed there is a metal plate riveted on it with the specs. I checked my mate's Toyota Prado, and yep, true enough, there's also a plate on his Toyota hitch.

So unless I find a workshop that will put their name and rating on the hitch (and I don't believe they will do it), I'm not too keen on getting a "custom" hitch.... :( It's all about complying with the insurance companies. :mad:

I will try Hayman Reece on Monday, hopefully they can help me. I can't believe that there's so many mega lifted four wheel drives out there yet no one asks about hitches with long drops to accomodate towing requirements. What do Ford F250 drivers use for towing a bog standard garden trailer? ;)

Cheers,

Lawrance :)

[lokka]

sounds to me like your camper was designed to be towed behind a car and id be looking at it first if it has a beam axle and leaf springs why not do a spring over on it by fitting the axle to the underside of the leaf's this will give you the extra hight for the tow hitch and also give your camper beta clearance for towing off road :D:D:D:D:D

[DiscoStew]

sounds to me like your camper was designed to be towed behind a car and id be looking at it first if it has a beam axle and leaf springs why not do a spring over on it by fitting the axle to the underside of the leaf's this will give you the extra hight for the tow hitch and also give your camper beta clearance for towing off road :D:D:D:D:D

I agree, On my std D2 I had to get a tongue with a 6" lift to make the trailer level. Bought it from a towbar workshop and it is not plated.

[EchiDna]

simplest has to a spring-over-axle conversion of the camper with larger tyres fitted...

surely you can get 4+ inches of camper lift this way?

[Utemad]

If you post a pic of your D2 with camper in tow then people might be able to suggest other ideas to help level it out.

At the very least it will give me something to look at on this rainy day :)

I'd think an 8in drop tongue would be fairly weak.

[100I]

Ditto the spring-over. You gained all that clearance with the car yet are now restricted by the trailer's height.

[rick130]

the Land Rover Australia supplied/fitted tow bars and hitches are/were made by ARB, so maybe contact them.

What drop is on the standard Disco II hitch ?
centre of horizontal top tube to top of tongue would be great, thanks.

[TheLowRanger]

Go and talk to Rod at Kaymar. They manufacture all their own hitches to suit their towbars and have a nice array of various size tongues to suit. All they need to do is weld one up for you. If they don't have on the shelf, they have the equipment to be able to manufacture one to suit your application (atleast when I worked there they did) so shouldn't be a big deal.

[sumo]

My Discovery has a particularly high tow tongue hitch receiver (Hayman Reece style).

The standard Disco II tow hitch receiver is under the plastic bumper, but when I replaced the rear bumper with a Kaymar bar, the hitch that Kaymar use is a bit higher - in fact it's smack in the middle of their bar. About 3" higher.

With a 2" suspension lift, this has further raised the hitch, and finally with bigger 32" tyres :angel: (stock tyres are 29" diameter), that's an additional 1.5" lift.

So, where can I find a tow tongue with at least an 8" drop, so that my campervan is going to remain level?

Most Hayman Reece stockists that I've rung only offer a 3' or 4" drop in their tongues which really isn't enough to level out the campervan.

Help! BTW, I won't entertain ideas of lowering the Disco..... :p



Lawrance Lee




Mate just call into a steel fabrication shop, they will knock one up no worries, on that lenght it will need extra gussets, but can't see that being a drama.

cheers Sumo:D

[sclarke]

Just keep using that Great Tent you have......

[tempestv8]

sounds to me like your camper was designed to be towed behind a car and id be looking at it first if it has a beam axle and leaf springs why not do a spring over on it by fitting the axle to the underside of the leaf's this will give you the extra hight for the tow hitch and also give your camper beta clearance for towing off road :D:D:D:D:D

G'day guys,

Thanks to all who responded. Regarding the campervan, it is a Jayco Outback, so the axle is already under the springs.

OK this is where it gets interesting. On the road going (non Outback) model, the tow hitch is located on the top of the draw bar.

However, on the Outback model, the tow hitch is located at the BOTTOM of the draw bar.

I queried Jayco about this and they say that this is Aussie design rules and regulations. The tow hitch cannot exceed 450mm from the ground, so with all their Outback models, even though the rear of the frame is off the ground a lot higher, the tow hitch has to be located at the bottom of the draw bar to comply with the Aussie rules. :mad:

Go figure hey? Jayco has been fighting an unsuccessful battle with the governing authorities - all Jayco customers who buy an Outback (higher) variety of their campervans have this problem with the tow hitch being located too low for their four wheel drives. ;)

If I get the tow hitch modified, it will void the insurance, according to one of the specialist caravan insurers. Naturally, I don't want to be in a situation where my caravan causes damage to a 3rd party and I'm not covered..... :o

Lawrance

[Bushie]

Not cheap but have a look here

Titan Trailer Brakes (http://www.titanbrakes.com.au/)

Rapid hitch - about half way down page.



Martyn

[EchiDna]

..........I queried Jayco about this and they say that this is Aussie design rules and regulations. The tow hitch cannot exceed 450mm from the ground.........

so i guess all the camper trailer manufacturers just ignore this one then? :eek:
possible, even probable...

[Graeme]

I understood that the 450mm max height was for the tow hitch on the towing vehicle and that there are other specs re the rear ground clearance combined with overhang length for attached trailers/vans. But this was years ago so maybe is no longer the case.

[tempestv8]

I don't know if the other camper trailers are adhering to the regulations or not, but I'm going to get a tow tongue tomorrow with a 7" drop, so hopefully that will even things out a bit.... :twisted:

[rangieman]

I don't know if the other camper trailers are adhering to the regulations or not, but I'm going to get a tow tongue tomorrow with a 7" drop, so hopefully that will even things out a bit.... :twisted:

Where are you end up getting the tongne from :cool:

[tempestv8]

Alas, the tongue turned out to be a fizzer. It was long, very long in fact, but the length was not drop related but instead it was the length of the part that slides into the square slot. Doh!!! ;) A bit of miscommunication with the towbar person. They don't have a longer drop that will suit my needs.

So I'm back to square one again.

I looked at some brand new Goldstream Campervans and once again, the offroad version of the Goldstream product also has the tow hitch mounted on a plate that is welded onto the bottom edge of the draw bar. The on-road Goldstreams have their hitch mounted to the top of the drawbar, so it's the same scenario as Jayco.

I think it could be time to give Rod at Kaymar a call.....

Lawrance

[tempestv8]

Where are you end up getting the tongne from :cool:


Hi Chris,

Today, with a stroke of good luck, I found a company that specialises in tow bars and accessories who will custom fabricate me a long tongue. Yay! :p

They are called Prestige Towbars, located in Dandenong, just off the Frankston-Dandenong Road.

They will only manufacture one if I bring my vehicle to them, so off I go to see them tomorrow with my measurements. It will cost me $150 to get it custom made up.

Yay! :)


Lawrance

[rangieman]

Hi Chris,

Today, with a stroke of good luck, I found a company that specialises in tow bars and accessories who will custom fabricate me a long tongue. Yay! :p

They are called Prestige Towbars, located in Dandenong, just off the Frankston-Dandenong Road.

They will only manufacture one if I bring my vehicle to them, so off I go to see them tomorrow with my measurements. It will cost me $150 to get it custom made up.

Yay! :)


Lawrance

Im glad to hear you have finaly got it sorted mate:D

[tombraider]

Hi Chris,

Today, with a stroke of good luck, I found a company that specialises in tow bars and accessories who will custom fabricate me a long tongue. Yay! :p

They are called Prestige Towbars, located in Dandenong, just off the Frankston-Dandenong Road.

They will only manufacture one if I bring my vehicle to them, so off I go to see them tomorrow with my measurements. It will cost me $150 to get it custom made up.

Yay! :)


Lawrance

Why didnt you just go with the 150mm drop one from the site above?

http://www.titanbrakes.com/ifactorycms/v2/pdf.php?pdf=DropDown100withball.jpg

STINGER 150mm (THATS 5.9 inches) , 100mm, 50mm DROP.
When only the best will do! The perfect drop bar for boat, RV, horsefloat, any towed mass. Solid bar aluminium fits a 2" (50mm) standard receiver. NO PAINT. NO RUST. EVER! 4500kg trailer GVWR and 400kg tongue weight.



At $87.00 it would have done the job beautifully....

:cool:

[tempestv8]

Hi Mike,

I need at least 9 inches to do the job properly.....

(oh dear, that didn't sound quite right, did it?) :p


Kaymar rear bumper has a relocated receiver, then there's the lifted suspension, then there's the bigger tyres. As you know, the stock standard DII factory hitch is already a "goose neck" type of design, so I need an even longer "goose neck". :(


Lawrance :)

[tempestv8]

Aargh! The saga continues.

The drop that is required is TOO LONG.

So Prestige Towbars will not do the job. Back to square one. :(

A suggestion that they have made is to weld on a new tow receiver to the bottom part of the Kaymar bumper carrier.....

So hopefully that is the go. I'm booked in for the job to be done tomorrow.

Will this saga never end? ;)

[Bushie]

The rapid hitch Titan Trailer Brakes (http://www.titanbrakes.com.au/) handles 250mm drop (I have no connection just remember seeing them in a mag once)

Martyn

[tempestv8]

In the end, I got the good folks at Prestige Towbars in Dandenong South to weld on a new hitch receiver below the Kaymar one.

With the new hitch, and the Land Rover tongue in place, the ride height for the camper is now PERFECT! It's taken a while but I'm finally there! :)

Here's how the new hitch looks like:

http://s116.photobucket.com/albums/o35/tempestv8/Land%20Rover/?action=view&current=P1030712.jpg (http://s116.photobucket.com/albums/o35/tempestv8/Land%20Rover/?action=view&current=P1030712.jpg)

http://s116.photobucket.com/albums/o35/tempestv8/Land%20Rover/?action=view&current=P1030713.jpg (http://s116.photobucket.com/albums/o35/tempestv8/Land%20Rover/?action=view&current=P1030713.jpg)

P1030714.jpg - Image - Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting (http://s116.photobucket.com/albums/o35/tempestv8/Land%20Rover/?action=view&current=P1030714.jpg)


Can't wait for the holidays to begin! :p

[Chucaro]

[QUOTE=tempestv8;646358]G'day Steve,

I did think about this but was a bit concerned after reading somewhere on the internet (is everything you read on the internet true? ;)) that the tow hitch needs to be "plated" for it to be a legal hitch.

An engineering/ welding shop which makes tow bars can make the tongue for you. I have 1 made in Bundy (Qld) for my Peugeot 505. It is money well spent because the insurance and legal issues.

Cheers
Chucaro

[tempestv8]

Hi Chucaro,

I've managed to reuse my "plated" Land Rover tongue with the new hitch, so I think I'll be OK. I've also got paper work from the company who welded on my new Hayman Reece receiver so I'm sure that the insurance company won't have any problems with the work being done by a "proper" tow hitch specialist.

Finally the Kaymar bumper itself also has a riveted plate which indicates that it is rated for 3500 kgs braked trailer and 250 kg ball weight. So this should all be sufficient for the insurance company, which is the same company for both my tow vehicle as well as my camper.

Cheers,

Lawrance

[Chucaro]

hi tempestv8
Remember that the 250kg ball weight is for your peace of mind but not legal in a Disco. It is above the limit of the factory specifications.
In case of accident you loose the car insurance cover and are liable if you caused a 3rd party damage.

Cheers
Chucaro

[Graeme]

hi tempestv8
Remember that the 250kg ball weight is for your peace of mind but not legal in a Disco. It is above the limit of the factory specifications.
In case of accident you loose the car insurance cover and are liable if you caused a 3rd party damage.

Cheers
Chucaro
No so unless the vehicle is already loaded to max gvm in which case its 150kg.
The handbook states that 250kg is max, just have to reduce the rear-end max load by 100kg.

[tempestv8]

hi tempestv8
Remember that the 250kg ball weight is for your peace of mind but not legal in a Disco. It is above the limit of the factory specifications.
In case of accident you loose the car insurance cover and are liable if you caused a 3rd party damage.

Cheers
Chucaro

Howdy Chucaro,

I'm a bit puzzled by your comment. The Discovery Series II does have a max 250 kg load limit on the tow ball, according to the user manual.

Anyway, I will be travelling very light inside the vehicle with just one passenger in front, empty rear seats, fridge in the cargo area, and every thing else in the camper.

Hopefully this is not going to exceed the Disco's towing abilities.

Land Rover also quote a braked trailer of 3500 kgs, and my camper is only 1000 kgs with electric brakes and 125 kgs down weight on the tow hitch, so it should be well within the towing and weight capacity of the vehicle.

:angel: