Bantam BT3-3 Hitch Conversion

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C

Cat Scan

Joined
May 23, 2005
Threads
5
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135
Location
Mountain View, CA
I am new to the trailer tech forum, so I will probably really come across as a newbie. So here goes.

I have a Bantam BT3-C CivilianTrailer that I tow behind my FJ40 on the highway and on the trails. Here is a link with pictures of what it looks like.

http://www.film.queensu.ca/CJ3B/HubbardTrailers/Bantam3.html

Note that they were produced with a ball hitch design. The original hitch wore out causing a roll over in the Panamint Mountains of Death Valley. So I converted to a rigid ring/pintle arrangement. I do not have photos, so for the purpose of this post please just envision that the trailer is complete with a rigid ring instead of the ball hitch.

I have regretted the modification that I made to the rigid ring for some time as there is not the articulation provided by the lunette on the military trailers. So I contacted a surplus supplier for parts to do a conversion to the lunette style.

Below is a list of the parts quoted. I have a sneaking suspicion that I do not need all these components. I have a leg obviously on the front of the trailer. And I am wondering if, by “Pintle Hitch”, they are referring to the hitch currently on the tow vehicle. Perhaps I have a semantics issue here? I am wondering if I need some of the other parts mentioned or if some can be eliminated. That Trailer Draw Bar Brckt is pricey as well. Maybe it is necessary?

I know I should just call the guy and ask his opinion as well. But then I would not have the chance of embarrassing myself here.

So, does anyone here have any ideas? Has anyone here ever done a conversion like this? Feel free to comment on the prices as well.


Lunette 275.95ea
Lunette Spring 24.95ea
Lunette Nut 9.95ea
Trailer Leg 65.00ea
Trailer Draw Bar Brckt 195.00ea
Pintle Hitch "Used" 39.95ea



Thanks,
Cat Scan
 
Sorry guys, I checked my posted message and I still can not read it. I suspect that is the case for you folks as well. I will repost again when I figure out what the problem is.
 
There, I fixed it for ya...


I am new to the trailer tech forum, so I will probably really come across as a newbie. So here goes.

I have a Bantam BT3-C CivilianTrailer that I tow behind my FJ40 on the highway and on the trails. Here is a link with pictures of what it looks like.

http://www.film.queensu.ca/CJ3B/HubbardTrailers/Bantam3.html

Note that they were produced with a ball hitch design. The original hitch wore out causing a roll over in the Panamint Mountains of Death Valley. So I converted to a rigid ring/pintle arrangement. I do not have photos, so for the purpose of this post please just envision that the trailer is complete with a rigid ring instead of the ball hitch.

I have regretted the modification that I made to the rigid ring for some time as there is not the articulation provided by the lunette on the military trailers. So I contacted a surplus supplier for parts to do a conversion to the lunette style.

Below is a list of the parts quoted. I have a sneaking suspicion that I do not need all these components. I have a leg obviously on the front of the trailer. And I am wondering if, by “Pintle Hitch”, they are referring to the hitch currently on the tow vehicle. Perhaps I have a semantics issue here? I am wondering if I need some of the other parts mentioned or if some can be eliminated. That Trailer Draw Bar Brckt is pricey as well. Maybe it is necessary?

I know I should just call the guy and ask his opinion as well. But then I would not have the chance of embarrassing myself here.

So, does anyone here have any ideas? Has anyone here ever done a conversion like this? Feel free to comment on the prices as well.


Lunette 275.95ea
Lunette Spring 24.95ea
Lunette Nut 9.95ea
Trailer Leg 65.00ea
Trailer Draw Bar Brckt 195.00ea
Pintle Hitch "Used" 39.95ea



Thanks,
Cat Scan

Cat Scan said:
Sorry guys, I checked my posted message and I still can not read it. I suspect that is the case for you folks as well. I will repost again when I figure out what the problem is.
Click to expand...
 
Thanks Herbert for the repair of the post.

And thanks to Slosurfer for the reply. I tend to believe that you are correct. At least that will save me some money.
 
You have taken the ultimate challenge in trailering, give us an idea as to what your plans are, serious off road, casual off road, trash, or hard core crawling looking for the ultimate destination. I can save you a lot of time as I have done this several time for friends. Your hitch is the most important and least expensive part so lets do it properly and she will fly. Guarnteed.
 
Well the way things work out for our group of guys, we think something is going to be mild and it sometimes ends up wild. So I am a believer in overbuilding for intended purposes. Just part of the farm boy growing up experience.

So Rubicon or Dusy Creek type trails might not be out of the question someday with more mods to the 40 and running the trails without the trailer first just to see how they are.

So I would welcome suggestions.

I know that my ball hitch days are long behind me. And the military approch just seemed the most expeditious route. Perhaps you could share your thoughts on this.

But by the way I started this thread, you can see that I am in the saving money mode. But then again, I do not want to sacrifice functionality.
 
Hey Cat Scan, lets begin at the bumper of the 40, Do yhou have a receiver already installed. If so lets go to the trailer, if not lets do the hitch receiver. U haul and you will hear it ftrom this bunch, cheapest place to get a receiver tube. Tractor Supply if you like me are a farm brat. Once installed lets put one on the trailer, dead center welded to support the weight of the trailer if stood vertically. Now the fun part, I have and I will let you have it for a small fare, a multi position draw bar hitch pivots left to right 60 drgrees, vertically up about 60 degrees and down about 60 degrees This is the ultimate for the rocks, I have used them for several years, No bad experiences, knock on rocks... fom this point lets see what we have. Let me know and we will be first on the trail this summer. towing and happy.
 
Hey Rubiconcruiser, do you have some photos of your set up? Sounds a little off the mark for me, but I am willing to take a look and will consider it. The multi position draw bar is interesting.

I am already set up with the pintle hitch on my bumper.

While a receiver hitch on the cruiser would be great for versatilty and flexiblity of towing other trailers, I have appreciated not having one due to the racket and jolting created by such a set up. Ring and pintle make enough as it is.

Plus, we are talkiing change out of bumper or welding to put a receiver on it. And I do not want to have anything hanging lower than the bumper, so it would obviously have to be the one that goes through the bumper.

You are killing me on the receiver hitch on the trailer. Not the part about having one, but one that is strong enough to take the weight of the trailer standing verticle. Being a wise ass here, but I've already rolled the thing once and then completely cleaned it up and repainted.

So now I must prepare to stand it verticle? I pack a tight trailer and did not have anything fall out on the one roll, but not anxious about trying it while going verticle.

OK, I suspect photos would clear this all up for me. Sounds like it might be an intergral part of your set up. Hope you have some that you can post.

What is your spring set up on the trailer? SOA or SUA? I am SUA on the trailer with lift and I am considering putting on Ubolt skids like on the cruiser. I have seen many here favor the SOA, but I have the trailer body and frame at least up and away from the rocks now. And the trailer matches the lifted cruiser. But I need to protect the Ubolts a little better.

vbmenu_register("postmenu_2205380", true);
 
Hi Cat Scan, when I said standing it up, I meant strong enough to hold up the vehicle if you were to hang it from a chain fall or hoist, not rolling it. Done that as well. send me a private message with your emqil address and I will send you some photos of the rigs I have done. I dont know how to post photos on this site, wish I did though, have had a lot of requests to see them. I am not trying to sell you something you dont need just a suggestion.
 
Looks like my Spen trailer but the tailgate is different

Here are a few pick of mine and what I did to the tongue area and the turn signals.
PICT0068.webp
PICT0070.webp
 
I sent an email to you Rubinconcruiser.

D'Animal, thanks for the photos. Very similar trailer. Could not see the front of the tongue in the photo, but it appears to be close to my current set up. I am running a ring on mine to hook to my pintle hitch.

Thanks for the responses.
vbmenu_register("postmenu_2208823", true);
 
Sorry about the tongue missing in the shot. I had to resize the photo adn I guess I photo chopped that part off.

Here is how I did mine. I can slid it in or out for added tongue length. When I get to base camp I just pull the entire tongue out to deter theft.

I was going to go in the middle of the frame horns but that would have put the tongue to low. I would have drug it in the dirt at the beginning of a steep incline.

In the long setting it follows great on the twisty trails, just like a log truck. In the short setting I find I have to back up a lot to get it around things.

Hope this helps in your decision.

Dan
PICT0068-1.webp
PICT0069-1.webp
 
Thanks D'Animal. I like the sliding length idea. Might be a consideration. I have always thought my short tongue was a benefit on the rough trails. But the more opinions I read here I think I need to reconsider this as being false. Not sure either way.

Again, thanks for photos.
 
Cat scan-

You are correct... mostly. On a tight trail the closer your trailer is to the tow rig you typically will have an easier time getting it through tight stuff.

However, when you need to back up to get a good line at what you are driving over or around... you have a trailer to deal with. A good rule of thumb is you want to be able to have your trailer as close to the tow vehicle and still be able to "jack knife" your trailer at 90ish degrees.

A longer tongue makes a trailer tow smoother, and it will back up a bit easier as well.

That said, you need to still factor in track width but that is another post ;)

Rezarf <><
 
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