Date:         Thu, 30 Aug 2001 15:56:04 -0400
Reply-To:     "Fitz-Randolph, Douglas" <Doug@BEACONMARKETING.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         "Fitz-Randolph, Douglas" <Doug@BEACONMARKETING.NET>
Subject:      Re: SA Trailer Hitch
Content-Type: text/plain

Not to belabor this, but...

I just read Ron's post about the "typical" experience with the
SA trailer hitch, and I'd just like to say that I'M NOT A MORON. No,
I'll admit it did not take two entire days - it probably took 8
hours spread over two days.

Brackets:
There were indeed two sets of angle brackets - that would mean
there were 8 different mounting options...
(2 brackets) * (this-way-or-that-way) * (this-side-or-that-side)
...Not one of them worked. I tried most of them to be sure. The
closest would have left my bumper about an inch higher than it should
be, and about an inch too far from the body. It isn't that I didn't
take the time to work it out or that I needed instructions - which-
ever bracket I was supposed to be using was simply not made correctly.
In the end, I cut off the long section of two of the brackets with a
hacksaw, bent them to shape, and drilled holes where they should be.
Add 45 minutes downtime for this since my cordless drill's battery
didn't do too well drilling 1/2" holes in 3/8" steel.

Captive nuts and cages:
They were so far off I was n-e-v-e-r able to engage the last two
bolts - the two farthest toward the front of the van. The cages were
off by at least 1/2 inch. Rather than drill a new hole in the frame
and possible give rust a place to start, I just left them off. The
remaining four would not thread without significant "reshaping" of
the retaining cages. There were probably other ways around this, but
I went out Saturday afternoon expecting this to be a 1-hour bolt-on
job - who would have suspected? - and by the time the mosquitoes
drove me inside I was wicked steamed and in no mood to be creative.

With the exception of "just removing 8 bolts" from the manifold
when replacing my exhaust system, I think the hitch experience was
the most frustratingly miscalculated time estimate I have yet made.
In retrospect I should have sent it back, but I just wanted to get
it over with. Proceed with caution!

> Doug Fitz-Randolph
> Freeport, ME
> '90 Syncro