 | Home > Maintenance & Modifications > Nato hitch attachment - help needed |
 
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| alantd Member Since: 14 Dec 2008 Location: Northamptonshire Posts: 1513   
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I just bought myself a rather fine wide track Mk III Sankey trailer (the Wolf one with the disc brakes).
My question is how to attach the NATO hitch (bought with it). I've already got one of the standard tow ball and pin jobs from Land Rover and I'm keen not to lose that as I also have to shift horse boxes and other trailers that don't fit the NATO hitch. From what I can see, the NATO bolts straight to the crossmember but the holes appear to be partially obscured by my current plate. I was wondering whether anyone else has done this. Also - do people tend to make a spreader plate for the back of the crossmember (the bloke I'm buying it off doesn't think it'll need it) and if so, do you have the dimensions of the plate? All thoughts and help needed - I've not tried to use the NATO hitch before. One that started out as a 2.4 TDCi 110 XS + New Defender 110 First Edition |
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2nd Oct 2009 10:07pm |
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| double cab happy Member Since: 01 Jun 2009 Location: merseyside Posts: 573  
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i do remember seeing advertised in LRO a couple of years ago a nato style hitch that had the lower jaw in the shape of a 50mm tow ball, so jaw locked open and its a normal tow ball lock it closed and its a nato hitch, sorry i cant give you any direction to go looking.
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2nd Oct 2009 10:59pm |
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| Laurie Member Since: 22 Feb 2008 Location: Sussex, England Posts: 2897 
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Fit a Dixon-Bate adjustable hitch and buy a second shoe.
Fit towball on one and NATO hitch on the other. You then have the best of both worlds  |
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3rd Oct 2009 1:54am |
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| scatt Member Since: 24 Aug 2009 Location: nottingham Posts: 103 
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Ive fitted a nato hitch with a southdown tank guard/ tow bar set up. I had to take a few mm off each of the bolt heads on the tank guard so the nato hitch would sit inside them then i made a 10mm steel plate to pck the nato hitch off enough to get clearence. All works perfect and i have a removable tow bar, then a tank guard with the nato hitch on the rear cross member for offroad recovery
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I will take a photo and post it later. |
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3rd Oct 2009 9:52am |
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| 110SEB Member Since: 29 Jan 2009 Location: Essex, England Posts: 1444 
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I fitted the Dixon Bate adjustable slider and have two shoes as suggested above. The big benefit being unless you intend to pull your Sankey every day, you won't smash your knees on the tow jaw every time you want something out of the back.
I thought about a spreader plate, but abandoned the idea. I don't know how you'd get on with a spreader plate, but if I were you i'd make it as big as possible. Also, if you do attach it to the rXm, you won't be able to open your back door when you have the trailer on. A consideration. Post some photos when you're done.  |
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3rd Oct 2009 10:13am |
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| diesel_jim Member Since: 13 Oct 2008 Location: hiding Posts: 6092 
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LR sell an "adaptor kit" for a NATO hitch, part # KNK100090, although I think it's NLA but the individual parts are, wich makes perfect sense
Anyway, all it is, is a piece of angle iron that bolts to the bottom of the crossmember (like the bit does for the dixon bate adjustable jobbie..... I've got one here if anyone wants it.... the one i took off the 110 (See below)) and a hefty piece of 10~12mm plate with some holes drilled in it, so I made my own: First of all, as my chassis had been galvanised, the threads were a bit bunger up with zinc. I tried the M12 tap but it was still loose, to bit the bullet and drilled & tapped it to M16... nice and beefy!  Click image to enlarge Click image to enlarge Click image to enlarge Had to cut another spacer up to move the hitch out a bit, to clear the heads of the M16 bolts... Click image to enlarge Then later on, i got hold of a southdown tank guard, which has the little "lip" that would normally bolt in the place where that 12mm thick spacer is, so with the grinder and welder, i modified the guard to suit: Click image to enlarge Click image to enlarge Click image to enlarge Click image to enlarge |
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3rd Oct 2009 4:12pm |
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| alantd Member Since: 14 Dec 2008 Location: Northamptonshire Posts: 1513
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Thanks for the replies guys.
I think you might be right about the dixon bate + extra shoes. Diesel_jim - those photos really help. I think I might extend my current plate as a spacer for the short term before I swap over to a different setup. Question: How have you mounted the electrics? Mine are currently on an extension to my current mount - below the crossmember. Have you moved them to the crossmember (in that hole to the right of the hitch)? One that started out as a 2.4 TDCi 110 XS + New Defender 110 First Edition |
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3rd Oct 2009 9:28pm |
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| scatt Member Since: 24 Aug 2009 Location: nottingham Posts: 103
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Those photos are basiclly what ive got but not welded together. My electrics are mounted in the hole on the rear cross member.
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3rd Oct 2009 9:59pm |
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| diesel_jim Member Since: 13 Oct 2008 Location: hiding Posts: 6092
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Yes, mounted my socket (I used the military 12 pin one to match my sankey) in that hole on the crossmember.
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4th Oct 2009 6:08am |
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| 110SEB Member Since: 29 Jan 2009 Location: Essex, England Posts: 1444
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Me too, it's tucked away there and doesn't get so much weather as well as being less prone to knocking or damage.
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4th Oct 2009 7:41am |
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| alantd Member Since: 14 Dec 2008 Location: Northamptonshire Posts: 1513
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Thanks guys.
I'm going to re-wire the sankey to fit a 7 pin plug so i retain comparability with other trailers. I have the wiring diagram and it is pretty straight forward. One that started out as a 2.4 TDCi 110 XS + New Defender 110 First Edition |
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4th Oct 2009 10:17am |
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| diesel_jim Member Since: 13 Oct 2008 Location: hiding Posts: 6092
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yeah, it is easy to do. I wanted to keep my sankey " military" as the 12 pin plug is nice and unbreakable, as is the socket on the 110. I've got a shogun should i wish to tow anything with a 50mm ball, so my 110 only drags the sankey (i've also got the southdown adaptor to give a civvy 50mm type towbar mounting, but i'm not sure i'd actually want to tow anything heavy with it  |
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4th Oct 2009 1:51pm |
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| Sonic3d Member Since: 28 Jan 2008 Location: Ross on Wye Posts: 1505 
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I bought the 2" reciever type hitch from Safari Equipe so i can change between the 50mm ball and nato hitch easily
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4th Oct 2009 9:17pm |
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| nedkelly Member Since: 12 Feb 2008 Location: Dorset Posts: 19 
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I have a late-model 2005 TD5, and have just bought a narrow track sankey - I mounted the nato hitch straight onto my cross member, as I couldn't get to the rear of the cross member.
After a long search on related forums, I found a couple of posts that stated later model TD5s could be fitted with an LR spreader plate behind the hitch and on the front of the cross member, to transfer braking / towing forces across the face of the cross member - still relies on the threads within the cross member to actually hold the hitch in though! I am going to ring my local LR dealer for their view tomorrow - I will post their comments, although need to bear in mind they have a vested interest in flogging me extra LR bits. |
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11th Oct 2009 5:48pm |
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