Thread: Ex-Army trailers

Originally Posted by stooge

Not sure, was thinking of using as is (buy the pintel) and just use it... but not sure just yet what to do. Ill let you know when I have a look at the options

I now prefer the pintle and lunette over any other coupling. Easy on and off, articulation aplenty.

Im not convinced with Treggs, the poly blocks are an issue for me (already seen one starting to develop lots of surface cracks! )

Question is, what Pintle Hook can I buy to suit the trailer?

Im thinking this would suit... 5 tonne pintle hook as a one piece 50mm receiver arm to suit the LR hayman/reece receiver?



Also, i read that the trailer should be level with the car, in other words, with pintle arrangement the trailer has to be level? Why is this, what happens if the trailer is slightly taller so trailer faces forward?

Pintle and lunette are a very strong towing option when travelling forward although the knock, knock, knocking with power-on and backing-off can be annoying.

Where pintle-lunette couplings have their failures is with backing, particularly with rough and sloping ground. The directional stability is variable and with the short wheelbase of the No.5 it can be difficult to reverse into narrow driveways. At my Sydney home in the side drive, I have 5 different sideways slopes 6 different grades and at each change in slope or grade the No.5 changes direction with the most significant one being the rise up from the kerb. It often takes me 5 or more back and forths to get the trailer into place. It is easier to uncouple the trailer and walk it back in, except when loaded which is when the directional instability is worst. In the same driveway, I can back-in my ball-coupling car float in a single movement leaving 3" on one side and 18" on the other.

The other issue is that most No.5 have their lunette fixed and they rotate the pintle. This is the result of research done by the military which determined the safest configuration is to have the pintle rotate and fixed lunettes. This makes most pintles available to the public unsuitable for off-bitumen use with a No.5.

Originally Posted by stooge

<snip>
Also, i read that the trailer should be level with the car, in other words, with pintle arrangement the trailer has to be level? Why is this, what happens if the trailer is slightly taller so trailer faces forward?

All trailer couplings should be level with the towing vehicle (trailer chassis horizontal with ground). This allows the maximum/equal travel with changes in aspect between tow and trailer (ramp-over etc). It is why companies like Hayman-Reece make variable height couplings.

With pintle-lunette couplings the pintle should also be vertical, not sloping up or down. The pintle in the post above would be incorrect to use with an ARB step bar on a RRc or a receiver on a Disco where the receiver angel slopes down towards the front.

Diana

So what your saying is that because both pintle and lunette do not rotate on its axis, then, in a givenarticulation scenario, where trailer and vehicle are X, you could have binding occuring?

So what have others done to recitify this? I know you mentioned the tregg, but not everyone has replaced their pintle/lunette with an aftermarket hitch.

The hayman/reece receiver on my Disco does not point downwards, possibly sighlty upwards due to spring lift (rear being taller than front). So are we saying that the above pintle wouldnt be suited for these 2 reasons (not axis twist and incorrect receiver angle)?

Cheers,

PS: I know very little about pintle/lunette set up, hence the questions

Originally Posted by stooge

So what your saying is that because both pintle and lunette do not rotate on its axis, then, in a givenarticulation scenario, where trailer and vehicle are X, you could have binding occuring? ...<snip>

More than binding, in an off-bitumen situation with opposite articulation between trailer and vehicle the limitation in coupling rotation could cause a roll-over. Usually this would be the trailer but given the coil springs on a Disco and leaf springs on the No.5 the Disco is likely to roll before the trailer. The Army restricted the use of No.5 trailers behind Perentie 110s for this reason.

Originally Posted by stooge

<snip>... So what have others done to recitify this? I know you mentioned the tregg, but not everyone has replaced their pintle/lunette with an aftermarket hitch. ...<snip>

They purchase off-road trailers, usually with Treg hitches (although I personally do not like them in on-road situations) designed to be towed by coil sprung vehicles.

What ever hitch you use one element of the pair must rotate, the Army research suggests the pintle. If you don't have a rotating pintle (or ball etc) then the lunette must rotate.

Originally Posted by stooge

<snip> ...The hayman/reece receiver on my Disco does not point downwards, possibly sighlty upwards due to spring lift (rear being taller than front). So are we saying that the above pintle wouldnt be suited for these 2 reasons (not axis twist and incorrect receiver angle)?

Cheers,

PS: I know very little about pintle/lunette set up, hence the questions

Perhaps my description was not good. When I suggested the downward pointing receiver, I was talking about the perspective when you insert the coupling to the receiver. The receiver is higher at the rear of the vehicle with the forward most part of the receiver lower.

A pintle in this alignment would be preferable to one on the opposite slope. I have a pintle fitting for my ARB bar on my RRc that mounts a bolt on pintle horizontal and at the correct height for a particular plant trailer. It would not be correct height for my No.5, although I could possibly reposition the pintle on the assembly by drilling new holes.

If your No.5's lunette does not rotate, then to use it with a non-rotating pintle you must remove the rotation locking plates from inside the lunette's mounting flange.

Thanks for that. I just found some suggestions on the forum (http://www.aulro.com/afvb/remlr-item...-hhitch-2.html) that talks about having the Lunette rotate

Still not sure what you mean about the pintle position tho, ill re-read your post again.

Thanks so much for your input in this.

Going from the posts above, I am unsure what pintle to buy. I understand that they vehicle and trailer need to be level (as per Lotz-A-Landies posts), so im looking at these:

Pintle receiver arm (for hayman/reece) allows for 4 positions. Click on "Pintle Hook and Couplings (CM510) 6 HOLE PINTLE RECEIVER ARM"
TRAILER PARTS & SPARES

Pintle 5t bolts onto receiver above. Click on "Pintle Hook and Couplings (PH-003) 5 TONNE PINTLE HOOK"
TRAILER PARTS & SPARES

Will this suit the lunette on the No.5? Can someone confirm before I purchase these as I really have no idea if these are suitable.

Cheers,

The No5 is designed to be pulled behind a IIa with a further 1 inch of suspension raise. This is pretty close to the standard height of a Defender, but then the hitch-receiver is lower than the rear crossmember. You will need a 50mm hitch with a plate allowing the pintle to be about the same height as the rear crossmember.

While being level is nice, I've been happy enough towing a Workshop (No 5 chassis with inbuilt timber workbenches and a raised canopy) behind a Pajero, and the hitch would have been sitting about 50mm lower than design. Not ideal but good enough.

Have a look at the REMLR info and get the Lunette ring rotating again (reverse the modification) is my suggestion. Mine rotates, I use a non-rotating Pintle. AFAIK the reason for the rotating Pintle was to allow the LR to move equipment with fixed Lunettes i.e. field artillery.

The big issue with backing a No.5 is the short drawbar. If at all possible, don't back it. The Army didn't design them for backing, they designed them for maximum mobility in the forward direction.