Thread: Changable hitch

Lots of them are bolt on.
I had a Treg (override)which was bolt on and now a Qld caravan Components (like an Orac but no brake override) which bolts on.
Trouble is the bolt pattern is not the same and I had to drill new holes.
I think the bolt on ones have to be certifed as such from new, and the flange is usually bigger than the ORAC weld on.
If you can sort out the bolt pattern issue no problem, particularly if unbraked. Seems like a lot of hassle for not a big problem though IMHO.
Regards Philip A

Originally Posted by DiscoStew

I have an orac off-road hitch at the moment and they are a bit of a pain when you are not on level ground with a straight-line approach. Fine when you are in a caravan park but annoying when you want to get just the right spot near some trees.

I was thinking of changing back to a standard tow-ball but occasionally I will want the off-road capability so I was wondering if I could have set it up so the hitch itself was removable and then just bolt on the appropriate hitch for the trip.

Any opinions?

Assume you have considered the treg option?

Treg's Poly Block Couplings

Dale

Thanks for the info Philip.

It may well fall into the category of more trouble than it is worth however everything is relevant and right now this is our biggest issue. Which in reality means everything is pretty cosy in our camp setup. I also have a reputation amongst friends and family of going to a lot of once-off effort up-front to save a few minutes on every subsequent trip. I would hate to disappoint them. All those minutes add-up you know!!

My brother-in-law has the same setup and has so much trouble that he is just going to replace the Orac with the Ball hitch as he never goes off-road and normally goes to caravan parks. So perhaps part of my motivation is to prevent a situation where is sitting back laughing at me after he is hitched up and I am still manoeuvring around. That sort of motivation wont drive me too far though but if I can find an easy solution then great.

Originally Posted by Stuuu

Assume you have considered the treg option?

Treg's Poly Block Couplings

Dale

Thought about it but I can't see how they would be any easier than the Orac. Might go down to a van dealer and have a closer look at how they operate.

Originally Posted by DiscoStew

Thought about it but I can't see how they would be any easier than the Orac. Might go down to a van dealer and have a closer look at how they operate.

When I re-read your initial post I realised I had get most of my ankle in my mouth with the reply!

Treg is fine for general use its just a matter of changing the standard towball or the treg tow-hitch each time you want to use it. I have no probs with backing the camper on any surface with the treg.

Your choice really.

I have a standard ball but would like an Orac coupling. Main thing that has held me back is what you describe. Especially since most of the places I tow it the ball handles fine. In fact the ball has handled it even in places I didn't think it would.

Once I was bogged in the soft sand (no.1 cutting at Double Island getting off the beach). With the ball I was able to drop the trailer and drive back to the hard stuff (wasn't really bogged but anchored with the trailer) then reverse back up to to the trailer. With the aid of some other guys I turned the trailer 180 degrees, hooked up and drove off to the second/third cutting.
I don't think this would have been nearly as easy with something other than a ball.

Why not look into a Hyland coupling? Best of both worlds but expensive and there are lots of rumoured issues floating around.

Originally Posted by Utemad

Once I was bogged in the soft sand (no.1 cutting at Double Island getting off the beach). With the ball I was able to drop the trailer and drive back to the hard stuff (wasn't really bogged but anchored with the trailer) then reverse back up to to the trailer. With the aid of some other guys I turned the trailer 180 degrees, hooked up and drove off to the second/third cutting.
I don't think this would have been nearly as easy with something other than a ball.

Had a similar thing one time and the treg wasn't an issue. Really a matter of personal choice in what you use - like most things.

Originally Posted by Stuuu

Had a similar thing one time and the treg wasn't an issue. Really a matter of personal choice in what you use - like most things.

Good to hear it isn't as hard as I thought it would be as I would like an offroad hitch of some kind.