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General => General Discussion => Topic started by: Bullant4x4 on August 23, 2016, 06:39:41 PM

Title: Auto McHitch Coupling
Post by: Bullant4x4 on August 23, 2016, 06:39:41 PM
Just seeing if anyone has anything bad to comment about Auto McHitch couplings? I've heard they are great?

I'm just wondering if they hook up ok on uneven ground? How good are they for off-road.

Unhooked my camper (MDC ADR 62/02 Approved Off-road Poly Block) and can only see me connecting it one more time to go it swapped for the "Auto McHitch".

Thanks for any feedback.
Title: Re: Auto McHitch Coupling
Post by: GeoffA on August 23, 2016, 06:57:47 PM
Fear not Bullant, there'll be a few fans along shortly to sing their praises.... :cup:
Title: Re: Auto McHitch Coupling
Post by: Swannie on August 23, 2016, 07:17:03 PM
Love the auto Mchitch,

Swannie
Title: Re: Auto McHitch Coupling
Post by: KingBilly on August 23, 2016, 07:18:28 PM
Fear not Bullant, there'll be a few fans along shortly to sing their praises.... :cup:

Let's combine a McHitch with dual axles. Ohh, what a wonderous thing that would be  ;D

KB
Title: Re: Auto McHitch Coupling
Post by: Marty on August 23, 2016, 07:25:49 PM
Hi Bullant, I fitted one to my caravan last year and found it very easy to use no more winding the jockey wheel up under load. No problem on uneven ground, on first hookup I marked the jockey wheel at that height and now adjust it to that level when hitching and unhitching. The only problem I had was that the connection/pivot point is about 150/200mm longer making the chains and electrical connections tight when fitted, luckily I was able to have the shank redriled making it shorter to fix the problem. Also due to the setup of my drawbar I was not able to use the weight distribution bar rollers which is ok as I have always removed them when doing tight manoeuvring in parks. Hope that makes sense, Marty
Title: Re: Auto McHitch Coupling
Post by: GeoffA on August 23, 2016, 07:33:17 PM
Let's combine a McHitch with dual axles. Ohh, what a wonderous thing that would be  ;D

 :cup:

It would indeed KB..... ;D
Title: Re: Auto McHitch Coupling
Post by: johnmm on August 23, 2016, 08:15:37 PM
Hi Bullant,

Just changed over from Hyland Ball to the McHitch Auto-coupler on my Johnno's Walk-up camper about 2 months ago and just completed approx. 9500km of Savanah Way, Cape York, Old Telegraph Track to the tip and return to Katherine. Fantastic hitch, no issues at all. (Only thing I did was bend the bottom of the handbrake lever as I left a little too much below the drawbar (should have shortened it before I left....) somewhere on the OTT (likely Cockatoo Creek from memory)

During the install though, I did have to weld and redrill the holes on the camper draw bar as the Hyland bolt pattern was smaller than the now standard hitch pattern.

Towed very well behind our Landcruiser 105 series.

Cheers

John
Title: Re: Auto McHitch Coupling
Post by: Bird on August 23, 2016, 08:17:48 PM
isn't this about the 10th thread on these in 2 weeks?
Title: Re: Auto McHitch Coupling
Post by: pank on August 23, 2016, 08:18:32 PM
Very happy with ours. Tows very well. 8000km's now. Still need to line it up well, which is pretty easy. If i'm doing it on my own I just back up close and line it up then back onto the hitch. If its offline by much, it wont engage properly.
It does respond to a light spray of wd40. I just give it a light spray and wipe it off.
Title: Re: Auto McHitch Coupling
Post by: Coiled on August 23, 2016, 08:26:47 PM
Even my accountant wife says why didn't we do this sooner! Not a change you will regret  :cup:
Title: Re: Auto McHitch Coupling
Post by: Bullant4x4 on August 25, 2016, 03:16:26 PM
Thanks all. Got the McHitch Auto 3.5T and can't see too many stress sessions with the Mrs lining me up :) :)

Although getting another male to help, the poly block was pretty easy.

Paid $330? On eBay they were $400+ so hoping it was a good price.
Title: Re: Auto McHitch Coupling
Post by: Muckinhell on August 25, 2016, 07:30:07 PM
bought one second hand recently for half the price so thought worth a go. By golly it is awsome compared to a trigg and a ball hitch our dove came with. so much easier to hook up. And to save the fights i get the wife to drive the car back slowly adjust height and wamo all hooked up. seat the pin and the safety snap and good to go. great piece of gear.
Title: Re: Auto McHitch Coupling
Post by: moose2367 on August 26, 2016, 11:08:11 AM
Thinking about getting the 6T model to replace the pintle hook setup on my big flat top.  Even though the pontl hook is a matched aet it is still a little noisy at times.
Just got it registered yesterday, had to fet it weighed first, 2.22T empty,  which suprised me, still hardly feel it though

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Title: Re: Auto McHitch Coupling
Post by: GeoffA on July 02, 2017, 08:40:16 AM
Let's combine a McHitch with dual axles. Ohh, what a wonderous thing that would be  ;D

KB

:cup:

It would indeed KB..... ;D

Ordered one this morning.... ;D
Title: Re: Auto McHitch Coupling
Post by: KingBilly on July 02, 2017, 09:18:22 AM
Await your adulations  ;D

KB
Title: Re: Auto McHitch Coupling
Post by: kylarama on July 04, 2017, 08:51:10 PM
Looks like business is booming.

http://www.speedcafe.com/2017/07/04/bjr-uncovers-new-look-percat-townsville/
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170704/233cf767fbcadaf30ce4afd794fe7abb.jpg)

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Title: Re: Auto McHitch Coupling
Post by: Moya on August 03, 2017, 09:20:35 PM
I sent Joe an email 2 days ago asking a simple question and have not had a response.

I will ask it here incase some one knows the answer:
The 2 tonne Auto coupler with handbrake option is the same price as the 3.5tonne one which has the handbrake included. Is there any advantage or disadvantage of going the 3.5t over the 2t?
Title: Re: Auto McHitch Coupling
Post by: GeoffA on August 03, 2017, 09:22:59 PM
Let's combine a McHitch with dual axles. Ohh, what a wonderous thing that would be  ;D

Done...and it is... ;D ;D ;D
Title: Re: Auto McHitch Coupling
Post by: Cruiser 105Tvan on August 03, 2017, 09:57:19 PM
I sent Joe an email 2 days ago asking a simple question and have not had a response.

I will ask it here incase some one knows the answer:
The 2 tonne Auto coupler with handbrake option is the same price as the 3.5tonne one which has the handbrake included. Is there any advantage or disadvantage of going the 3.5t over the 2t?
The 3.5 tonne hitch seems to be a standard across the board for trailers from most makers.
At least all the off road ones. They don't seem to be using Hitch's that just allow or cater for the weight of the trailer they are fitted to.
I'd go the 3.5 just for piece of mind.  Especially if there is no real difference in the bulk of one compared with the other.
Title: Re: Auto McHitch Coupling
Post by: Bookleaf on August 04, 2017, 10:19:00 AM
I asked a reseller about the difference.  He said the only difference was the size if the cylinder on the trailer section.  Mounting patterns are the same. All other sections were exactly the same.  Hence a no brained. For the same price go the 3.5ton.


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Title: Re: Auto McHitch Coupling
Post by: KingBilly on August 04, 2017, 12:53:17 PM
Done...and it is... ;D ;D ;D

Excellent  :cup:

KB
Title: Re: Auto McHitch Coupling
Post by: Moya on August 04, 2017, 08:40:33 PM
Thanks for those opinions. Looks like I will order the 3.5t one.

 :cheers:
Title: Re: Auto McHitch Coupling
Post by: HEM19X on August 05, 2017, 02:06:43 AM
Probably not an issue for a CT but the extra length on the McHitch can cause problems when towing bigger vans.

 
Title: Re: Auto McHitch Coupling
Post by: Swannie on August 05, 2017, 11:33:15 PM
Probably not an issue for a CT but the extra length on the McHitch can cause problems when towing bigger vans.

What problems?
Title: Re: Auto McHitch Coupling
Post by: Bookleaf on August 07, 2017, 04:31:30 PM
And if you are replacing an existing ball hitch (like I have just done) you need to extend the chains and wiring harnesses.
Title: Re: Auto McHitch Coupling
Post by: mynance on August 07, 2017, 06:46:12 PM
What problems?

Have heard people say this moves the ball weight further back from the tug, but this is a not correct as the weight is still all on the tongue where the ball would of been.

Myles


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Title: Re: Auto McHitch Coupling
Post by: Ben.Archer on August 07, 2017, 06:52:38 PM
Have heard people say this moves the ball weight further back from the tug, but this is a not correct as the weight is still all on the tongue where the ball would of been.

Myles


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If anything as the moment arm increases with a longer lever the mass at the hitch point will go down.
Title: Re: Auto McHitch Coupling
Post by: Swannie on August 07, 2017, 09:20:32 PM
I've had the mchitch on a jayco Camper and now a jayco Starcraft with the hitch on 3 different cars and not one issue at all and the chains and leads fitted no worries. It's  a great product and well
Designed

Swannie