Date: Fri, 28 May 1999 21:51:32 -0400
Reply-To: David Beierl <synergx@IBM.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: David Beierl <synergx@IBM.NET>
Subject: Bus Depot Trailer Hitch
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed
I just finished putting in the Bus Depot Monster Trailer Hitch on my '84
Westy. I'm very satisfied with it. There are a few points, though, that I
thought worth mentioning.
First, someone has suggested that the hitch mounting (which replaces the
original bumper mounts) is not as sturdy as the originals. I don't think
this is true. The original mounts are of rectangular tubing and have two
very heavy bolts attaching them to the frame tube. The hitch, instead, has
a solid strap which is much longer than the originals, extending past a
third hole in the frame which is not used by the original setup. It uses
three somewhat lighter bolts. I think it is about equal to the
original. Note that the towing eyes are part of the original bumper
mounts, and are lost. Of course on my previous hitch they were occupied by
the hitch mounting bolts....
Second, Michael Sullivan reported sloppy alignment on one of his bumper
brackets. My brackets were fine but I found that two of the six pockets
which capture the nuts for mounting to the frame were misaligned. One was
passable but I had to remove the other one by grinding off the spot-welds
and reweld it to the strap. A minor nuisance that would have been worse if
I hadn't had welding gear. When I was mounting it to the frame I kinda
wished I'd fixed the marginal pocket, but it finally went in ok.
Third, there is no provision for safety chains. I solved this by welding a
large (2 1/4") muffler clamp to the bottom of the ball mounting plate. My
torch (#5 tip) had to really struggle to heat that big plate to welding
temps, but we got there eventually. Arc welding would have probably been
easier, but gas equipment is what I've got. Note that the mounting plate
has two sets of holes in it for the ball. If the ball were mounted to the
upper set, the lower would be available for bolting on something for the
chains. So you don't really need to weld, assuming everything is lined up
properly. I don't see how you would fix the nut-keepers without
welding. No, I take it back. You could tap a small hole in the strap and
bolt something on. Big nuisance though.
Fourth, the bumper brackets (metal bumper) have slots in them for mounting
the bumper. Unfortunately the slots are just about one bolt-width too far
apart on each side. So I extended the holes in the bumper, and also the
pockets in the rubber strip that accommodate the bolt head. Dremel tools
are really nice...
Finally, the bumper ends up at least a couple of inches astern of where it
was before, and either raised or lowered a little, depending on which way
you orient the brackets. I thought it was better in the low
position. This leaves the license-plate door hinges in plain view, as well
as giving a generally better look at the sheet metal back there. Doesn't
bother me any. And the extra clearance means you can crumple the
bumper-end a little more before it hits the sheet metal. HOWEVER -- this
also means that the bumper end caps no longer match the holes in the side
sheet metal, so they have to be attached firmly to the bumper instead. I
think this is better engineering than attaching it to the sheet metal, and
the PO of my bumper had already carriage-bolted the ends to the bumper
(thanks, Paul). He did it for the same reason that it's a good idea --
someone had tapped the bumper and torn out the mounting holes in the sheet
metal.
BTW, I've now had the chance to handle an OEM and an (unknown) aftermarket
bumper at the same time. The aftermarket bumper was already relieved on
the bottom where the hitch passes, which was nice. But is also was only
about 2/3 the gauge of the original.
david
David Beierl - dbeierl@ibm.net
| 
