2" hitch receiver. (2 Viewers)

Bryan

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Jul 19, 2007
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When the hitch is referred to as a 2" hitch, is the measurement the internal or external measurement of the "tube"?

Bryan
 

ruffingitsmoothly

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Hi Bryan I would say that it is the external measurment of the square slide in tube

SANY0316.jpg



Regards Pat
 

monaco

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Jul 21, 2008
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2'' Hitch

The square box of the hitch is 2'' but the americans also use 2'' ball couplings
euro couplings are 50mm . 1mm differance

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pappajohn

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Aug 26, 2007
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The square box of the hitch is 2'' but the americans also use 2'' ball couplings
euro couplings are 50mm . 1mm differance

now thats a very good point....

the ball will need changing for a 50mm euro ball unless you are using a US 'A' frame of course.:Doh:

2" = 50.8mm so the cup will be too tight unless the ball is well worn.
 

scotjimland

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Jul 25, 2007
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now thats a very good point....

the ball will need changing for a 50mm euro ball unless you are using a US 'A' frame of course.:Doh:

2" = 50.8mm so the cup will be too tight unless the ball is well worn.

Never had any problems with mine and I've had two different trailers ( both new), now have an A frame.. I don't think the hitch and ball are manufactured to such tight tolerances..

The ball wasn't worn, I fitted it brand new..
 
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monaco

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Jul 21, 2008
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Hi all
it is very easy to see the differance between 50mm and 2''
the 50mm has a flat top to the ball and the 2'' has not

the picture a the preavious post is 50mm

regards

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scotjimland

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Hi all
it is very easy to see the differance between 50mm and 2''
the 50mm has a flat top to the ball and the 2'' has not

the picture a the preavious post is 50mm

regards

Thanks for that,

just checked mine and it's flat, 50mm so explains mine fitting ok , I thought mine was a yank ball .. :Doh:

I'll get me 'at :Blush:
 
OP
OP
Bryan

Bryan

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Jul 19, 2007
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Thanks for the replies...but the ball bit does not interest me :winky:

So do american RV's generally have a 2" hitch, not a 2" receiver? In other words, the bit that slides 'in' is the bit that measures 2" across - not the 'hole' that is on the RV?

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davejen

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Aug 21, 2008
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I think that the size refers to the ball in either case
Regards, Dave:thumb:
 

ruffingitsmoothly

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Jan 2, 2008
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never mind the one at the back what about this one on the front?what is it used for?:ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:

Not sure if this is a serious question but here goes, the ball hitch on the front of a vehicle is usually used to manoeuver caravans and trailers more easily instead of having to reverse, you quite often see landrovers on residential parks with tow balls on the front bumpers there are sometimes two, with an extra one off centre to the nearside so the driver can see along the side of whatever he is moving into position!

Regards Pat
 
Jul 29, 2007
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Hi the ball on the front is incase you break down and need towing, a lot of yanks have low fronts meaning that any towbar will snag it.

Olley
 

monaco

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Jul 21, 2008
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American A
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Hitch

Hi again
you are right in that the bar that slides in is 2'' and the bit it slides into is

called a 2'' reciever. sorry if I complecated things.

the post with the ball on the front is that most american A frames have

the 2 point fixing on the tow vehicle and the single point on the towed

vehicle. ( 3 point linkage but backward to ours )

regards
 
T

TJ-RV

Deleted User
Hi the ball on the front is incase you break down and need towing, a lot of yanks have low fronts meaning that any towbar will snag it.

That's a new one me Olley. I've seen a number of coaches towed, but never with a front-mounted ball. I doubt you'd find a ball with a high enough rating to tow most class A motorhomes. The popular 2" ball is rated for up 3500 pounds with a 3/4" shank or 6,000 pounds with a 1" shank. A 2-5/16" diameter ball is rated for 6000 pounds with a 1" shank or 6-10,000 pounds with a 1-1/4' shank. Over 10,000 lbs the hardware changes dramatically.

Typically, you'll see a class A motorhome having either the front or rear lifted off the ground for towing. It won't be just "snagged by any towbar". The towing/recovery vehicle will be something like this.

Some folks who tow boats behind their coach will sometimes have a front mounted ball because they think it's easier to launch the boat. I've towed boats behind motorhomes for years and have yet to have any problems launching the boat reversing down a launch ramp.

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Jul 29, 2007
6,526
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Hi TJ only telling you what one of the ARV members told me when I asked him why he had one fitted on the front. He could have been winding me up but sounded serious.

Breakdown trucks over here aren't geared up for RV's like in the states. Over most lorries have tow pin on the front, and if they can't be towed they are pulled on to a lowloader, most lowloaders have ramps which are to steep for an RV, your bum scrapes on the ground. ::bigsmile:

Olley
 

Geo

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I reckon these guys could handle RV recovery
I would'nt let one of those beasties near my RV:Eeek: underlift towing would almost certainly pop your screen out and twist the bells out of a chassis with fibre glass walls great for lorries and suchbut i would insist on one of these low loaders
And as for the front tow balls Luggnut was closest, the fad started many moons ago when 99% of tow vehicles were rear wheel drive, and a front mounted tow ball allowed the user to launch his boat whilst keeping the drive wheels well out of the water and slippery moss that grew on slipways:thumb:

low-loaders-2.jpg

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Jul 29, 2007
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Hi Geo so your saying that people fit tow balls to the front of their 35' RV's so they can roll down a slippery slip to pull or push a boat in the water............................emm not sure your right their. :ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:

Olley
 

Geo

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Hi Geo so your saying that people fit tow balls to the front of their 35' RV's so they can roll down a slippery slip to pull or push a boat in the water............................emm not sure your right their. :ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:

Olley
Absolutely a resounding yes, were not talking rowing boats here mate 25foot plus cruisers
but not always Olley, sometimes they use them to pull out folk who reversed there boat in and cant drive out:Doh::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:
I fitted one to the front bumper of my air cooled VW for just that reason, I only launched backward once and nearly lost the motor as well as the boat, the drive wheels just spun on the weeds, next time out my drive wheels were 16 foot from the water:thumb:
I dont know what experiance you have of launching from a trailor on a slipway but you need to totaly submerge the trailor to float the boat and to do that the towing vehicle wheels are often fully under water too:Eeek:
I would love to see your alternative and reverse an RV down a slipway:cry::cry::cry:
Geo
 
Jul 29, 2007
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I would love to see your alternative and reverse an RV down a slipway:cry::cry::cry:
Geo

Hi Geo, my alternative!! don't go near slipway with my RV forwards or backwards. I think anybody who drives down a slipway with a 10ton+ RV to launch a boat needs certifying. ::bigsmile:

Olley

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ruffingitsmoothly

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I would'nt let one of those beasties near my RV:Eeek: underlift towing would almost certainly pop your screen out and twist the bells out of a chassis with fibre glass walls great for lorries and suchbut i would insist on one of these low loaders
And as for the front tow balls Luggnut was closest, the fad started many moons ago when 99% of tow vehicles were rear wheel drive, and a front mounted tow ball allowed the user to launch his boat whilst keeping the drive wheels well out of the water and slippery moss that grew on slipways:thumb:

low-loaders-2.jpg

High Geo

That trailer would probably do more harm than good:Sad: as the rear of the RV would ground out before you could be winched onto it, this is what you really need for recovering an RV a sliding axle recovery trailer:thumb::thumb:

2u9hehc.jpg


Regards Pat
 

hereford bull

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if its pictures of low loaders and rvs you want im yer man
moto_0006.jpg


moto_0007.jpg

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T

TJ-RV

Deleted User
olley said:
I think anybody who drives down a slipway with a 10ton+ RV to launch a boat needs certifying.

Sorry Olley, but we did that for many years (in reverse, not forward). In fact, it was much more controllable than reversing a boat and trailer down a launch ramp with our 4x4. The long overhang of the coach also allowed the rear wheels to stay dry, whereas our 4x4 had to be reversed in to where the exhaust tail pipe was in the water. We were in good company - lots of others launching their boats with class A motorhomes.
 
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T

TJ-RV

Deleted User
Some friends of ours had a slight mishap with their coach last week. They pulled off road to turn around and the rear wheels sank in soft dirt. Attempts by a couple of pickup trucks failed to pull them out, and eventually a big-rig tow truck arrived and got them out pronto.
 

Geo

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Jul 29, 2007
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some friends of ours had a slight mishap with their coach last week. They pulled off road to turn around and the rear wheels sank in soft dirt. Attempts by a couple of pickup trucks failed to pull them out, and eventually a big-rig tow truck arrived and got them out pronto.
ouch $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

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Jul 29, 2007
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Sorry Olley, but we did that for many years (in reverse, not forward). In fact, it was much more controllable than reversing a boat and trailer down a launch ramp with our 4x4. The long overhang of the coach also allowed the rear wheels to stay dry, whereas our 4x4 had to be reversed in to where the exhaust tail pipe was in the water. We were in good company - lots of others launching their boats with class A motorhomes.

Tom you have been away to long, we don't have slipways 800yds long or wide. ::bigsmile:

I expect we would call your slipways, 4 lane motorways. :ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:

Olley
 
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T

TJ-RV

Deleted User
LOL Olley. I've reversed a motorhome and boat down short, narrow launch ramps as well as busy 7-lane ones with a good runway. On the busy ones, you don't get a chance to get it wrong the first time without getting lots of people mad at you.

The toughest one I navigated was a very short ramp barely wide enough for the trailer wheels, at a sharp angle to the narrow levy dirt approach road. I had an audience of RVers from the adjacent campground lined up on the levy. When I successfully launched the boat in one try, everyone was clapping and cheering. One guy told my wife "we were betting he couldn't do that".

FWIW I used to launch down our favourite ramp at a state park after 10.00pm (pitch dark). Admittedly, it was several lanes with a decent runway, but nothing like 800 yards ::bigsmile:
 
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