UGRADING THE HITCH

I am considering upgrading my standard 50mm ball hitch as some constant wear is evident on the ball. Ninety per cent of my travel with a 3-tonne van in tow is on the bitumen, but then regularly I will pull in to ‘free camp’ style country which certainly extends the articulation between van and ute! Also, when traversing corrugated gravel roads with dangerous washaways I am concerned about relying so much on the garden-variety 50mm hitches.

Do you think it is worthwhile investing in a stronger hitch for a traditional budget-conscious grey nomad like myself?

Thanks for your interesting and educational column,

Rob Barker

A G’day Rob.

If you are at the limit of articulation, you are possibly putting stress on the cast coupling and your drawbar and A-frame so you should look at coupling with more articulation. You do not want to stress cast alloy, used in most hitches, as it may fatigue and crack.

In my personal opinion, there is no better coupling than the DO35A from Cruisemaster, and typically my sentiment is shared