semlin
curmudgeon
anyone know the size and thread of the trailer hitch bolts?
hitch bolt size? (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter semlin
- Start date
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That would be 12 x 1.25 mm.
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And buy the zinc coated ones. I used some German made ones with the same size and pitch that were uncoated and painted black. They started rusting maybe 3 weeks later. And I live in a high desert without much moisture.
use antisieze on the threads.
I know I might sound stupid here, when you say the hitch bolts, does that mean the 12mm threaded holes in the middle of the back bumper? can I just bolt a tow ball to that location or is it to be used by another type of item?
snowwolfwarrior said:
Yes you can bolt a Tow Ball to it it would have to be the 4 bolt verierty thee are usualy the ball and pin type, The normal hitch that goes there is a Nato pintle hitch the military type .
semlin said:
Why are you limited to 1500lbs using a pintle hitch? is that the legal towing weight in the US at this point cause I asure you I tow considerably mor at this point with no problems at all
This is the type I use. http://www.dixonbate.co.uk/html/pintles.htm
semlin
curmudgeon
- Thread starter
- #11
the answer is because someone else here said so once and I believed them I think Slee mentions it also at his site.
I would assume it is because of the limited strength of the rear cross member that forms the bumper. A regular hitch is bolted right into the longtitudinal frame and can be expected to have a strength far exceeding the mechanical towing capacity.
I think Slee mentions it also at his site.I would assume it is because of the limited strength of the rear cross member that forms the bumper. A regular hitch is bolted right into the longtitudinal frame and can be expected to have a strength far exceeding the mechanical towing capacity.
The cross member on the 80 ihas thicker steel that a defender and they also tow 3.5 KG from there.
The standard type tow bars are if you looka t them just boted on by I think 10mm bolts.
This is the standard Nato towing point, they would not be up to much just towing 1500lbs,
The standard type tow bars are if you looka t them just boted on by I think 10mm bolts.
This is the standard Nato towing point, they would not be up to much just towing 1500lbs,
semlin
curmudgeon
- Thread starter
- #13
You are the first person I have ever heard imply that the 80 rear cross member is beefy. I am also impressed if a Defender can tow 3500 kilos (7,700lbs) safely with any hitch, but you may be right that it is function of north american laws. I don't think you can have a horizontally bolted trailer hitch rated at class 3 here, so the maximum possible rating in north america for this type of mount would be a class 2 hitch at 3500lbs regardless of the truck's towing capacity.
I checked and Slee says that the pintle location is not rated for towing in the US by toyota at all and wisely refuses to say whether or not to use it. SOR sells both a class 1 and class 2 receiver hitch that would fit rated at 2,000 and 3,500lbs and it lists both as available for multiple cruiser models including the 80 series. That still does not tell me whether the 80 bumper could handle that weight.
Goldfinger, maybe you can call a toyota dealer in the UK and see what the pintle hitch location is rated for there?
I checked and Slee says that the pintle location is not rated for towing in the US by toyota at all and wisely refuses to say whether or not to use it. SOR sells both a class 1 and class 2 receiver hitch that would fit rated at 2,000 and 3,500lbs and it lists both as available for multiple cruiser models including the 80 series. That still does not tell me whether the 80 bumper could handle that weight.
Goldfinger, maybe you can call a toyota dealer in the UK and see what the pintle hitch location is rated for there?
The rear crossmember in my opion is very strong. It's built just as the frame is, with the exception of the lack of enclosed boxed, especially for the two bottome bolt holes. I belive calling the rear crossmember weak is like calling the entire frame of the wagon weak. My olny concern to using a pintle hook is that the bottom 2 bolts, bolt to the out side of the crossmember. I would recommend welding a equal or larger pice of steel to the inside of the crossmember and attching the bottom bolts to it. This is what I plan to do, and NAPA seems to have the cheapest prices on ball pintle hooks. I've held off becuase the ome springs may make the tow point too high, so a hitch with a drop down adapter might be best suited for lifted 80s.
The main reason that I can see for tow bars is to allow a drop in height for the towed trailer, the majority of which seem to be desighned very low for cars. That is the case over here. if a drop braket were used in this case from the pintle holes then a lever arm would be set up ie moments about the bumper causing it to twist, in this case additional reinforcing would be needed or a underslung tow bar, which is what most of you seem to use. Very few trailers have there towing eyes at the same height as the rear bumper of an 80 or a Defender, I tend to tow military trailers because they are the correct hight and are designed to be used off road.
semlin
curmudgeon
- Thread starter
- #17
that does make sense that the drop creates undesirable leverage and torque. The class 2 receiver drop design at SOR expects you to bolt from below as well.
http://www.sor.com/sor/cat240.tam?xax=1323&page.ctx=cat240.tam
http://www.sor.com/sor/cat240.tam?xax=1323&page.ctx=cat240.tam
Does anyone actually have a manual or any real data from Toyota that the pintle mount is not legal or rated in the U.S.?
According to my 1993 FZJ80 Owner's manual, pg113, "Hitches":
"Use only a weight carrying hitch designed for the total trailer weight. Toyota does not recommend ussing a weight distribution (load equalizing) hitch."
"The hitch must be bolted securely to the vehicle frame and installed according to the hitch manufacturer's instructions."
NOTICE:
Do not use an axle mounting hitch as it may cause damage to the axle housing, wheel bearings, wheels and/or tires."
It does specify not to use this:
Or Axle mounted hitches that must be so bad that I can't seem to locate an image of them for cars or trucks. Just ATVs...
If pintles were so bad, they surely would have mentioned them.
According to my 1993 FZJ80 Owner's manual, pg113, "Hitches":
"Use only a weight carrying hitch designed for the total trailer weight. Toyota does not recommend ussing a weight distribution (load equalizing) hitch."
"The hitch must be bolted securely to the vehicle frame and installed according to the hitch manufacturer's instructions."
NOTICE:
Do not use an axle mounting hitch as it may cause damage to the axle housing, wheel bearings, wheels and/or tires."
It does specify not to use this:
Or Axle mounted hitches that must be so bad that I can't seem to locate an image of them for cars or trucks. Just ATVs...
If pintles were so bad, they surely would have mentioned them.
