caravan hitch

busman maybe you could/should talk to hayman reese or other tow hitch makers i run a full hayman reese tow hitch to a 16ft jayco offroad alot of bits happen but has not shaken apart YET
steveoimagine a 03 gu 4.2tdin the picture
as i am having trouble sizing the picture

i was told to use a sprung hitch like the old hayman "shock stop" (made before the days of hayman-reese) which are no longer made.

because my 4wd is old and the van is light i was told i must have something to absorb the sharp up and down movement.

last night i was also told that tow trucks have a sprung hitch which i will investigate today. suburban towing in sydney apparently make something like this.

thanks for your comments.

I have a shock stop that i no longer use,its in very good condition,if you are interested and want to buy it please email me.
Regards Jaksun

Busman,
I am led to belive that the problem with the aerolite vans is that due to the way the chassis is constructed that the two rails pull apart so there fore to solve the problem you need to weld RHS bracings between the the rails. This should solve your problems. Hope this info is of some help! Regards Salty.

Dear Busman
We own a 17' Aerolight 1985 model which we towed with a HJ60 for about 10 years; when we bought the van we found out later that the chassis is susceptible to cracking and on close inspection found some cracks. We liked the van so we took it to a local engineering shop and they welded plate steel inside the chassis to brace the section around the axle and they also braced it between the chassis with angle in two places also bolted up through the floor; we have had no problems since. We also bought a Hayman 'Shock Stop' from Taylors Trailers here in Cairns which we were told was highly recommended for towing caravans behind stiff sprung vehicles like ours. If you get one (approx $400 new) you will find that there is no banging or rattling of the ball inside the tow hitch and the whole rig will just gently move up and down - I think this has also saved the van from further damage and is definitely worth the money. We now tow with a turbo 80 series and I still use the shock stop and we still have the van. The only damage now is from our 16 year old twin boys - like travelling with great danes, all body and tiny brains. Bye, Nige.

Hi busman, I'm sure I saw new ones at Taylor's Trailers (ph 0740321717) in cairns this year? Try them, they are quite helpful and will know if they are available or not. Good luck. Nige