Hitch?

[somewhereinusa]

Before I weld this together. Is the hitch too close to the rear of bus?



I'll be pulling this.

 

[Redbear]

I ain't never towed a toad, but I understand that the important thing is for the ball to be higher than the connection to the toad's bumper, so it doesn't pole vault through the back window of the bus on a sudden stop.

The distance the ball is from the bumper really only affects how tight of a turn you can make with the bus versus the toad, usually in backing. You aren't going to be backing up connected to the toad. (Are you?) Having the ball as close the the axle as possible improves maneuverability, but you can't have a pin directly over the rear axle on the bus.

I took the curved drawbars for my SUV, and drilled new holes for the retaining pin as close to the receiver as possible, to bring the balls about 2-4 inches closer to the bumper. When backing trailers with short ball-to-axle lengths they don't try to jackknife quite as quickly, and the tongue weight doesn't exert as much leverage in dropping the rear or lifting the front of the car. But I don't think a few inches one way or the other is going to make much difference on a 12 ton+ bus with 25% of its length behind the drive axles.

 

[bansil]

No easy answer,the bus is 8 ft wide so 4 feet on each side.

Towbar is ? 3 feet long...a guess

So unless you jack knife backing up you shoud be fine; look at most 16/20 ft car haulers your in same ball park....

I can measure my trailer Friday so you can compare tounge length if you want,keep it level with toad and you'll be fine

 

[lornaschinske]

Looks like ours but we have a longer drop. Our bus looks like it may sit higher than yours. Same for your tow bar... mine is a Stowmaster 5000 with the hidden brackets... that might drop the tow bar down a bit too. You want the ball and the tow bar to be as flat level as possible. So hook up and see it it's fairly level. Don't forget to use safety cables. We lock our safety cable to the bus and use a threaded link with a thread lock fluid on it to attached to the Jeep (tow bar stays on the Jeep 24/7/365). Reason for doing this is because we had a safety chain stolen once off our popup. It was not in a campground but in a hotel parking lot. After that we welded the safety chain to the trailer tongue. Also I have read enough posts where someone stole safety chains/cables and hitch pins when the RVer was stopped for gas, overnight and for longer than 5 minutes. We also have a locking hitchpin. Our drop ball can be removed since we use the receiver tube to store the Jeep's Hitchhaul while we are parked (locked to the bus).

BTW, I really like the Stowmaster. So easy to hookup with only one person!

 

[lornaschinske]

... So unless you jack knife backing up ...

You are not going to back up a 4 down towed more than a few inches. The front tire camber will not allow you to do more than that.

 

[lornaschinske]

David says that in most states, it's a law that your ball isn't more than 15" from the ground. He said he doesn't think it's an enforced law because he has seen pickups with balls set higher. The main thing is the tow bar is level between the towed and the ball or receiver if you are going "ball-less". If you are ball-less, then there's just not much I can say... in public that is.

 

[Das Mel]

David says that in most states, it's a law that your ball isn't more than 15" from the ground. He said he doesn't think it's an enforced law because he has seen pickups with balls set higher. The main thing is the tow bar is level between the towed and the ball or receiver if you are going "ball-less". If you are ball-less, then there's just not much I can say... in public that is.

I have just died from laughter. You're all invited to my funeral, but someone has to dress up as Death (complete with scythe).

And I want sausage on my Tombstone.

 

[JakeC-SKO]

LOLOLOL!!

 

[gbstewart]

as long as it hits you right in the knee cap when walking by it , you should be ok.
gbstewart

 

[lornaschinske]

as long as it hits you right in the knee cap when walking by it , you should be ok.
gbstewart

You sound like you speak from lots of experience.

Of course it's hard to miss the hitchhaul we store on the back of the bus... and I usually have the bruises to prove that.

 

[somewhereinusa]

David says that in most states, it's a law that your ball isn't more than 15" from the ground.

No problem.



I think that there's a good chance they might damaged when I leave my driveway. :twisted:

 

[lornaschinske]

I'd hate to be that guy. That would really hurt!
--- David

For some reason I have a desire to watch Mel Brooks' History of the World.... I just love "Quicktime Har" (Madeline Kahn - Choosing Escorts). 8)

 

[bansil]

OMG...how to respond!!!!!..

Brass balls on bus.....just don't put a huge bell to lure cows....that may turn the 16 yr girlies on.....but damn what a pain in the arse to listen too...........

 

[lornaschinske]

OMG...how to respond!!!!!..

Brass balls on bus.....just don't put a huge bell to lure cows....that may turn the 16 yr girlies on.....but damn what a pain in the arse to listen too...........

This is true, I kid you not.....
Roswell has a rather large amount of dairy farms. They provide a great deal of the milk for the largest mozzarella factory in the US... Leprino Foods. PLUS Roswell has a lot of beef cattle as well.

One day, earlier this summer, there was a herd of cows being herded down the highway in front of the campground. They took up the whole road and had several people on horse back with border collies herding the cows. The cops stopped traffic for the cows when they crossed Main Street. Out in front of the herd was an old truck with... a cow bell on it. The cows were following the truck!

This was not the first time a herd of cows was moved down the street, but it was the first time I heard the bell.

 

[somewhereinusa]

There's a interesting story about Charles Goodnight’s (He's the guy who invented the chuck wagon.) Old Blue, a lead steer on his cattle drives.

Click for story

Dick

 

[keith-SKO]

also beware in the state of FLA u can not hang your ball at all.they will fine u,and take your nuts. :shock: ......so u have been warn

 

[bansil]

also beware in the state of FLA u can not hang your ball at all.they will fine u,and take your nuts. :shock: ......so u have been warn

:shock: ....so wrong.....just so wrong......if you "lose" ur nuts in the driveway?
Should we call you "Bill" :mrgreen: yup...went there ......peace

 

[keith-SKO]

bansil ,,u see them flat landers down there don;t have a sence of humur, like us mtn boy's do ,so it a no ball state..lol ..we like our corn liquoir and mtn oyster and women.......

 

[lornaschinske]

bansil ,,u see them flat landers down there don;t have a sence of humur, like us mtn boy's do ,so it a no ball state..lol ..we like our corn liquoir and mtn oyster and women.......

Those are uptight New York yankees. They moved to FL, said how wonderful it was thst there wasn't all the rules and restrictions like they left up North. Then the idiots started making all kinds od rules and restrictions until most of the native Florida Crackers ( I can use that term... you can't) moved to other places.

I'm a 7th generation barefoot Floridian. My kids were born in the Southern Appalachian Mountains of NC.

 

[juliol]

No problem.



I think that there's a good chance they might damaged when I leave my driveway. :twisted:

Hey SOMEWHERE, by any chance do you have pics to see how you installed your hitch, also what have you tow with this hitch?

J