Rear hitch

[Bigdog]

Am I ok to fit a nato hitch on this cross member, do I need the adjustable plate, thanks

[Alan Drover]

Military Land Rovers had a NATO hitch bolted directly to the cross member. Mine is on a slider plate to fit to my adjustable tow hitch.
If you want to tow ball hitch trailers too then an adjustable tow hitch is necessary then you can have a slider plate with each type of hitch on it.
It's up to you really

[GHOBHW]

you can also buy a plate that bolts onto the 4 smaller bolt holes, then fits the NATO hitch onto the plate.

this is what they used for the land rovers with civvy crossmembers in military use.

i think its in the optional parts book

[w3526602]

Hi,

My problem with matching trailers to Series Land Rovers was matching the height of the hitch with the ball.

I believe (1) that most trailers, with a ball hitch, are designed for a standard height of ball from ground. Does anybody know what that "preferred height" should be? I'm guessing 10" or 12".

I found that I needed a 12" drop-plate on the back of my SWBs, to suit my various cargo trailers and caravans. Only my narrow Sankey might have matched a hitch bolted directly to the Landy's rear X-member.

I believe/suspect (2) that the NATO coupling, fitted on top of the Sankey chassis, can be fitted under UNDER the chassis, which will deduce the coupling height by about 4". Other mods will be required to the brake linkage. Can anyone comment?

My Sankey was extremely cheap, as it appeared to be ex-Marines, and seemed to have had a lot of interaction with water. The tub floor was rusted out, so I cobbled up a wooden box. The chassis seem unaffected.

But just about every moving part of the braking system was siezed with rust, All brake shoes were rubbing metal to metal ... the linings were "long gone". It had obviously been towed many miles with the brakes siezed hard on.

I stripped out/off all the brake linkage, and complete back-plate assemblies but left the drums in place. The expander mechanism and adjusters were rod operated, and seem to have been taken from a Series parts-bin. I left the knackered drums in situ, but stripped all the rods and siezed linkage from the chassis, and constructed a wooden tub.

A visit to my local (private but friendly) weigh-bridge, declared that my "special" weighed a smidgen under half a ton. Having no brakes, it was restricted to a MGW of 750kg (3/4 ton). But the same weighbridge declared my S1 88" bodied, S2 powered and transmitted, and Marsland S3 chassied Landy weighed a smidgen over 1450Kg, so I "plated" the trailer at 700kg, using the set of Alpha/Numeric stamps bought specially for the purpose. Memory (possibly faulty) suggests that I had a 250kg payload, without exceeding the 750kg MLW limit for an unbraked trailer. That was sufficient to carry a cement mixer and building. carpentry tools.

That trailer made two journeys, from the Swansea Valley to our "project" near St. Malo, about half-way down France. 400 miles each way. I had extended the A-frame with a bolt-on scaffold pipe extension, and 50mm hitch. That was once in my S1 Bitza, and once in my S2 LWB station wagon.

We were once stopped by the "Revenue Men", who would not be convinced that it was quicker and cheaper to drive from St.Malo to Swansea, via Calais/Dover (using the tunnel) than from St.Malo to "wherever".(Portsmouth, I think) once in my rechassied LWB Series One, and once behind my Disco. I will disregard several journeys in lesser vehicles.

If you are driving up France in a Hippy-mobile, expect to be stopped by the Revenue Men, riding big bikes, and carrying big guns (even the women officers). Meeting two very friendly German Shepherds in the caravan seemed to provoke a "rethink". Barbara usually tried to introduce her service in UK C&E into the conversation (albeit it being assessing toys and children's clothing for Purchase Tax.

OT. Barbara once spent a long time arguing with an importer, about whether ABACAS were toys, taxable at 25%. Eventually she conceded the point ... and directed the importer to the next office, who dealt with Stationary ... also taxed at 25%. That was Purchase Tax, eventually replaced by VAT.

Doh! Barbara was unemployed, following the arrival of our second baby when all the promotions, due the change from PT to VAT, took place. No sense of timing, that woman. 

602

[Serious Series]

Came across this drawing years ago but not sure if you need the packing plate.
The plate for inside the chassis is needed.
Had a NATO hitch on my series 1 but no pics.