Printable View
I think the crush tubes were too long on early hitches. This led to the expanding bush being unable to close and expand properly. Since the bush is loose it will wear in the recovery eye and bend and may eventually break when given a shock load.
I have seen a return which failed when it hit a wshout at spead. Van stayed attached. The hitch just bent and stayed attached via the bottom plate.
It is always good practice to check and tighten the bolts particularly the top bolt.
On what bit Garry? I'm only suggesting we stick to facts.Quote:
Originally Posted by garrycol
So far we only have the (1) claimed total failure. No substance yet and nothing to base it on.
To date this is the only claim I've found (searched a heap of other forums).
Doesn't provide sufficient info at this stage to ascertain cause, model, mode of failure, circumstances etc.
Example: he may have suffered a rear end collision the week before. Or dropped off a rock ledge smashing the hitch hard. Or poor installation etc etc.
Without info we cannot work this out.
Something still stinks though - what happened to the other 2 bolts?????
I totally agree with you that they should replace / provide upgrade/rework kit for free.
ummm, i agree with tombie, we haven't got the full story.....
this is Burmo's first and only post and he has been back on the forum since Terry's PM and hasn't given us an update......
It sounds like ........ 'sucked in' ... four pages long. If you want to shoot down a product what better way to do it than on a forum like this for an item that quite a lot of us use.Quote:
Originally Posted by weeds
'A picture is worth a thousand words.' In this case would be a clarifying moment.
Cheers
or he might be helping out another company that is about to release a hitch......Quote:
Originally Posted by mervwho
Or he may have been in contact with his lawyers since the first post and they might have told him to keep his mouth shut in public on the topic. Still that would not stop him putting up a couple of happy snaps to show his original post is genuine.
So lets give Burmo the opportunity to back up his original comment with a picture or two, who knows he might become a valuable member of the forum if we give him a chance.
Anyway again this thread is going down the path of pure speculation, this time on his intent.
cheers,
Terry
sounds like speculation to meQuote:
Originally Posted by TerryO
As this hitch was originallly my idea and I was involved in the initial design I may be more informed.
I never did see the point in the crush tube. Crush tubes are used for rubber/silicone/poly bushes which are very compressable to restrict the compression of the bush. The bushs used in the hitch is nylon which is not very compressable. It is in two parts which when tightened together forces the outer part to expand. The is a limit to the amount the nylon itself will compress and mould into the metal recovery eye.
I have seen two failed hitches both of which were in the early batch made. The original poster would have had at least a lter match or the new design as he has a D4. I think given the new design it is more likely that the failure was due to poor installation or failure to re-tighten after first use.
I'd still like to see some photos and/or a detailed report on what caused the failure, as I stated in an earlier post this is a very important piece of equipment for us that wish to tow with our vehicles... I was going to buy a Mitch hitch (from Ritters - Melb) very soon, but I've put it off for a while till I see some more detail of this particular case. If it all comes down to a newer version of the hitch/bolts/bushes I'd want to make sure I was buying the correct one.
It would be nice if the Mitch hitch people themselves put some sort of post on here (assuming that they are aware of the incident of course) this would go a long way to allay an concerns that people may have about their product.
Thanks to everyone who has put in their two cents worth - the value of this forum is immeasurable.
cheers
All hitches have had the larger bolt for a couple of years. Unfortunately Mitchell bros don't frequent here as they are more Jap crap modification types. :(:angel: