towbar tongue length

Justin,
You have the best, a 80 Series and a ute. Hayman Reece make tow hitches up to 250mm long, so finding one that you want should not be a problem.
I think they go to 250mm long, it has been a while since I have fitted tow bars.

Wayne

Hey Guys,

This beckons another question. I just got a lift kit on the Patrol. I saw an adjustable (2 bolts to raise or lower) square tongue/hitch and was wondering about it's rating as all the stress is on the two bolts. I need to lower the ball height as the boat does a wheelie when being towed!

Leroy

It sounds like you have increased the total length of your 80 series without extending the wheelbase.

This may make your vehicle unroadworthy and out of spec.

Having had the experience myself in the past I found that the ADR spec basicly states that the total overhang can not exceed half the wheelbase. In other words, the distance from the centre of the rear axle to the most extreem rear portion of the vehicle (body, bumper or towbar tongue) must not be more than half the distance from the front axle to the rear axle.

Excessive overhang can result in front/rear balance problems, bad steering and loss of control.

Gday
Same thing was done to a cruiser at work, the boilies extended the chassis and put the towbar back on...no problem. I know a hitch that is longer would be easier, but it will attract everyones interpretation of what is legal. The extension was so well done, it looked original, and the towbar got longer sides to bolt to the original aswell as extension chassis, hense strengtherning it all more.
Andrew