Mud-club

Vehicle & Technical => Discovery => Topic started by: Andy. on June 18, 2004, 12:02:15

Title: Advice needed.
Post by: Andy. on June 18, 2004, 12:02:15

Need advice please on towing a Sankey Trailer with a Discovery.

I know about the electrics and nato hitch, but I more concerned with the actual towing set up?

Ride height, is this a problem with a Discovery and what is the best way to attach the nato hitch, an adjustble tow hitch?

So is there any other members who tow a Sankey with a Disco?

Cheers.

(Looking at buying one this weekend so need to know before committing).

Title: Advice needed.
Post by: strapping young lad on June 18, 2004, 12:14:24

andy

what is your current hitch setup?

from memory the hitch needs to be as high as possible on the car so the trailer is as level as possible

nato hitch is easiest to do this with the sankey due to the thickness of the ring hitch on the trailer

i dont think the normal pinbal wizards from dixon are big enough to handle it

there is an alternative i suppose if you are prepared to do some work on the sankey

mount the hitch underneath the drawbar instead of above, and put a domestic ring hitch or even a ball hitch mount on it instead

just a thought

Title: Advice needed.
Post by: datalas on June 18, 2004, 12:32:07

The ride height of a sankey trailer is spookily the same as the rear cross member on a 90 or 110 (hmm I wonder why that is)

as has been commented a NATO hitch is the appropriate towing device, again no real suprise since the NATO hitch is called a NATO hitch for a reason and the sankey is an army trailer ...

I would have thought that adding the hitch to the back of a disco is reasonably straight forward, my only hesitation would be that the bumper (where it would ideally be placed) is made out of poorly bent tinfoil (or possibly drainpipe) and won't take the strain.

If you have a dixon-bate arrangement I suppose you could put the drop plate on upside down :|

Title: Advice needed.
Post by: strapping young lad on June 18, 2004, 12:39:35

i think the alternative is to have a reinforced plate behind the bumper to take the strain?

this i think constitutes quite a bit of work though

CT vehicles had nato hitches mounted in thie manner though (on discos i mean)

but datalas is right the heigh of the hitch is the same for the 90/110

a sankey is something i have quite fancied for a while but the 3/4 ton one not the 1/2 ton

Title: Advice needed.
Post by: Wanderer on June 18, 2004, 12:57:48

Kev Hobbit tows a Sankey with his Disco, He'll no doubt be around later.

Ed

Title: Advice needed.
Post by: strapping young lad on June 18, 2004, 14:52:41

as does wizard

Title: Advice needed.
Post by: hobbit on June 18, 2004, 20:14:44

I'm not towing the sankey yet with the disco, but still working on it, I'm going to get a tank guard and have it modified with an attachment to to with off it, looking at the ride height the height for the sankey is about level with bumper, so thats what I'm working on.

The other thing is I have tow a car trailer too, so looks like an interchangeable unit will be best, able to drop into a socket on the rear plate. one with nato hitch set high and a standard hook set low for the other trailer

It will be done sometime in the next couple  of months all being well

kev

Title: Towing
Post by: Music Junky on June 18, 2004, 20:26:59

I tow a one and a half ton mini digger with the metal bar you knock in and it pulls the digger no problem.
Ive also towed the digger with the ball joint but like the bolt thing for safety.
Mine is set in the middle position and towing the digger is really easy with the disco.
I didant think that litte bar of metal you drop in would take the weight of a digger ? but it surprised me.
Sorry guys i dont know the names of things yet.
Darren

Title: Advice needed.
Post by: Wanderer on June 18, 2004, 20:30:51

I don't want to be wro..... twice in one night but I think the Sankey trailer has a much thicker tow hitch than normal which means a NATO hitch is needed.

Ed

Title: Advice needed.
Post by: hobbit on June 18, 2004, 23:12:58

Yes ed,
the sankey is thicker than a standard dixon bate will take, but I believe they do a heaver version which might fit it, but not sure on that one though

kev

Title: Advice needed.
Post by: Sooty on July 12, 2004, 11:09:35

Quote from: "Hobbit874"

I'm not towing the sankey yet with the disco, but still working on it, I'm going to get a tank guard and have it modified with an attachment to to with off it, looking at the ride height the height for the sankey is about level with bumper, so thats what I'm working on.

kev

Will most likely make a drop plate for the NATO hitch to fit the guard (when I can get the fabricators arse(can I say that?) in gear).
Soon I hope.

Title: Advice needed.
Post by: Bush Tucker Man on July 12, 2004, 11:56:10

Kevin, have a look at Mike Rogers site ('Muddy Mike').
He's got a very nice hybrid Light-Weight, which he uses with a Sankey & a normal trailer.
He made an adaptor that looks the 'biz', esentiallly it's a NATO ring with a 50mm ball bolted to the flat plate. It's spaced to be held securely in the NATO jaw & braces to a couple of pick-up points on the chassis.

I'm sure he'd clarify the process for you on request & post some pics.

http://www.mattishall.org.uk/

Title: Advice needed.
Post by: hobbit on July 12, 2004, 12:03:26

Thanks Richard

I'll have to look at that tonight, and make some notes, lightweight on hold at the moment, disoc taking priority with the seat mods and roof rust for my hols

If i dont write it up I will have forgot by tomorrow :cry:

Cheers   Kev