DO35 v3 tow hitch

ZacnEllie3 · Member

DO35 v3 tow hitch

outlaw40 · Guru

Go for it , great hitch you won't be sorry.

yobarr · Guru

ZacnEllie3 wrote:
I am considering fitting a DO35 v3 tow hitch to my caravan for better off road towing and also so I can open the back door on my Pajero! I would appreciate any feedback from anyone who has one fitted and can tell me of its merits or otherwise. Thanks.
-- Edited by ZacnEllie3 on Monday 11th of November 2019 09:40:38 PM

Best of the best! Unlike another popular brand,the DO35 does not increase your TBO (towball overhang,or distance from rear axle of car to hitch point).Keeping your TBO to a minimum means less weight is added to your car's rear axle when a van is hooked up,and the van will have less ability to move the car around....think levers. Easy to hook up,easy to unhook,and built to last.Go for it! With another brand,your TBO is increased dramatically,and this often means that a 350kg towball weight adds over 520kg to your rear axle.However,the Pajero has towing limitations in that you are limited to 180kg towball weight if your van's ATM is over 2500kg.......you may well be aware of that,and you may have a lighter van,but many Pajero owners seem not to understand the limitations of their car. If your van is over 2500kg ATM and you have an accident,your insurance company may well decline your claim if they determine that your towball weight was over 180kg.Cheers

ZacnEllie3 · Member

Thanks for the feedback Outlaw and Yobar, just as I thought but its always good to check!

Thanks also yobar for the tips re towball weight and Pajero limitations. My ATM is well under 2500kg so no issues there but thanks for bringing it up.

Cheers

dabbler · Guru

Another happy DO35 user here. What are you replacing if the DO35 gives you more rear door clearance ?

Bobdown · Guru

dabbler wrote:
Another happy DO35 user here.

X 2
Cheers Bob

ZacnEllie3 · Member

Hi dabbler. I am replacing a conventional Alko ball hitch that is approximately 50mls too high to open the Pajero door. Also wanted to update the handbrake which you can do with the DO35. Cheers

-- Edited by ZacnEllie3 on Wednesday 13th of November 2019 01:43:51 PM

Sarco Harris · Senior Member

Depending on the model of Pajero, you may need the spare wheel lifter fitted (available as a spare part from Mitsubishi).

I have an 2017 NX Pajero and have the spare wheel lifter with a D035 hitch fitted. There is only just enough clearance (elevation) for the coupling under the spare wheel to align the pin. This was not an issue with our previous 2005 NP Pajero as the spare is mounted offset not central.

Similarly, it may be necessary to use an extended gooseneck to gain the clearance, this obviously increases the TBO mentioned by yobarr.

Sarco

ZacnEllie3 · Member

Thanks for the tip Sarco. I will check the clearance and contact Mitzi if I need more clearance. Thanks for your help.

John Kay · Veteran Member

Perhaps you may consider a McHitch (Buy genuine one only) for your Pajero. I am using the Vehicle Components DO35.

yobarr · Guru

John Kay wrote:
Perhaps you may consider a McHitch (Buy genuine one only) for your Pajero. I am using the Vehicle Components DO35.

A McHitch increases the TBO,(Towball overhang,or distance from rear axle to hitch point)adding even more weight to the Pajero's rear axle,with the associated weight and instability issues.Think levers.Not sure what weight the van is,but if safety is of any concern a Pajero should not be used to tow more than 2500kg as a PIG trailer (Caravan) because of the towball weight limit of 180kg. Just go with the DO35...best of the best, I believe. Cheers

-- Edited by yobarr on Thursday 5th of December 2019 08:15:31 AM

oldvanman · Member

A quick question please ? Im possibly going to buy a new Touring van and not an off road one and was thinking of putting on a DO 35 hitch instead of the

standard Alko ball hitch. Is that worth while or a waste? my thinking is is that the Do 35 looks more "flexible" when you are off tared roads and

moving into unpaved caravan parks, reversing etc ???

Any advice would be appreciated .

Regards

Oldvanman

bomurra · Veteran Member

Hi Allen,

The 50 mm ball hitch allows all the flexibility you need for normal towing, including kerbs, driveways, caravan park sites etc., it will even take you a long way further off road than most people think. So purchasing a DO35 for that reason is not necessary in my opinion.

The benefit you gain when you fit a DO35, is that the head "swivels" should the van roll over, and so does not also roll your car in some circumstances. I have fitted one for that reason alone, a little bit of extra safety.

Hope this helps,

Regards,

Bob

Mike196 · Senior Member

Have the DO35 on the new Van and it's great. have a pajero and have the spare lift plate and there's plenty of room for hitching. I have used a shorter hitch in the receiver in preference to the long hitch supplied with the tow bar, no issues with it at all..

The Belmont Bear · Guru

The new van we are waiting for normally comes with a D035 coupling but I have opted to go with a normal 50mm ball as I want to replace our HR WDH with a lighter easier to handle Anderson hitch and it wont work with a pin.....Am I making an unwise decision as we dont intend going completely off road although we may at times have to do some dirt tracks to get to camp sites ?

BB

Possum3 · Guru

We had a DO35 on previous van it was great, easy to connect/disconnect and secure.Don't do much off-road lately so don't see need for spending money to replace standard hitch on this van.

Derek Barnes · Senior Member

We have an ALKO off road coupling which uses the standard 50mm ball and has a universal joint. What are the benefits of using the DO35 over the ALKO hitch?

ALKO hitch.jpg

yobarr · Guru

Derek Barnes wrote:
We have an ALKO off road coupling which uses the standard 50mm ball and has a universal joint. What are the benefits of using the DO35 over the ALKO hitch?

DO35 won't break in a rollover,while standard 50mm towball can,and does,snap off.

-- Edited by yobarr on Monday 6th of September 2021 09:34:09 AM

Derek Barnes · Senior Member

yobarr wrote:
Derek Barnes wrote:
We have an ALKO off road coupling which uses the standard 50mm ball and has a universal joint. What are the benefits of using the DO35 over the ALKO hitch?
DO35 won't break in a rollover,while standard 50mm towball can,and does,snap off.

-- Edited by yobarr on Monday 6th of September 2021 09:34:09 AM

Surely any off road hitch with a universal joint such as the ALKO will allow the head of the hitch to rotate over and over and therefore the ball will not snap off the tow bar. Is there anything else which is better on the DO35?

Radar · Guru

Derek Barnes wrote:
yobarr wrote:
Derek Barnes wrote:
We have an ALKO off road coupling which uses the standard 50mm ball and has a universal joint. What are the benefits of using the DO35 over the ALKO hitch?
DO35 won't break in a rollover,while standard 50mm towball can,and does,snap off.

-- Edited by yobarr on Monday 6th of September 2021 09:34:09 AM
Surely any off road hitch with a universal joint such as the ALKO will allow the head of the hitch to rotate over and over and therefore the ball will not snap off the tow bar. Is there anything else which is better on the DO35?

Compared to a ball coupling, a DO35 are fairly rare in the scheme of things and for Yobarr to say the towball breaks off "and they do" was a bit loose with that statement.

DO35 people are trying to justify there expensive coupling and I would not say one is better then the other.

I am a user of the ALKO off road hitch, the rotating head works well on rough sealed roads to a point I believe my car and caravan rides, handles so much better then the previous fix head towball arrangement.

Wanda · Guru

Would hardly call the DO35 "rare in the scheme of things", have a look around c/van parks and you see just how popular they have become.
Nothing wrong with the old 50mm ball setup"s" they have worked for years and years and years and years.
There lies the issue, it is very old technology and lets face it we are not all driving around in HQ Holdens anymore are we, and what a great vehicle it WAS. !
If your happy with the older type, go for it
Ian

yobarr · Guru

Radar wrote:
Compared to a ball coupling, a DO35 are fairly rare in the scheme of things and for Yobarr to say the towball breaks off "and they do" was a bit loose with that statement.

DO35 people are trying to justify there expensive coupling and I would not say one is better then the other.

I am a user of the ALKO off road hitch, the rotating head works well on rough sealed roads to a point I believe my car and caravan rides, handles so much better then the previous fix head towball arrangement.

Ralph,surely you jest,with each of the comments highlighted above? In my travels,I have seen hundreds of DO35s being used by more responsible caravanners who understand the frailties of a regular towball,particularly the pretty chrome type.Realistically,a towball is good for towing a 6x4 trailer load of rubbish to the tip.Again I will say that they often break,and because I have seen so many examples of this happening, I actually carry an example among my many spares so that I can assist anybody who has been unlucky enough to have this happen.Long gone are the days of a 16' Viscount behind the HQ,trundling along at 50 miles per hour.These days,many people seem to want to get there yesterday.If anyone insists on living in the dark ages,and using a towball,at least they should do themselves a favour,and regularly replace said towball.Paying a few miserable dollars for a DO35 is a good investment, considering that many cars and vans are probably worth well in excess of $70,000? Lastly,could you kindly explain how you believe that I am "a bit loose with that statement",as I would be most interested to understand your reasoning.Thanks

Possum3 · Guru

Standard ball on my vehicle cracked where thread met smooth shank - I suspect thread was machined with a tool too sharp. Bottom of threads should have radius/curve.

Wanda · Guru

Possum3 wrote:
Standard ball on my vehicle cracked where thread met smooth shank - I suspect thread was machined with a tool too sharp. Bottom of threads should have radius/curve.

Not likely

Possum3 · Guru

Not only "Likely" But a fact, I still have the tow ball if you want to come and see it..

Wanda · Guru

Possum3 wrote:
Not only "Likely" But a fact, I still have the tow ball if you want to come and see it..

Not Likely to have cracked for the reason you stated, touchy!

Ian biggrin

Derek Barnes · Senior Member

No one has answered my question. WHY is the DO35 hitch so much better than an ALKO off-road ball coupling having a universal joint? You say that tow balls often break. Do you mean that the tow balls break off in the off road hitches or in the normal tow ball hitch which have no swivel joint. Why is the "pin" type structure of the DO35 stronger than the 50mm ball?

Possum3 · Guru

Derek Barnes wrote:
Why is the "pin" type structure of the DO35 stronger than the 50mm ball?

Without having Engineers Reports it is difficult to guess - I would say the problem would be with the quality of steel in forged towball Vs DO35 Pin, the machining may be a factor as with the gap tolerance of pin to coupling Vs ball to cup (rattling/vibrating)

yobarr · Guru

Possum3 wrote:
Derek Barnes wrote:
Why is the "pin" type structure of the DO35 stronger than the 50mm ball?
Without having Engineers Reports it is difficult to guess - I would say the problem would be with the quality of steel in forged towball Vs DO35 Pin, the machining may be a factor as with the gap tolerance of pin to coupling Vs ball to cup (rattling/vibrating).

If Derek takes the time to compare the two products,and have a close look at the workings of a DO35,he should be able to see that the system he has is not even in the same class.At present I have misplaced a photo that I have of a towball tongue bent through around 90 degrees by a huge weight hanging off a DO35 hitch.The DO35 pin is not even bent,let alone broken,but the towbar is well and truly bent! I will keep looking for my photo,and post it if I can,but comparing a DO35 with the other product is a non-event.Cheers

Wanda · Guru

Derek Barnes wrote:
No one has answered my question. WHY is the DO35 hitch so much better than an ALKO off-road ball coupling having a universal joint? You say that tow balls often break. Do you mean that the tow balls break off in the off road hitches or in the normal tow ball hitch which have no swivel joint. Why is the "pin" type structure of the DO35 stronger than the 50mm ball?

Seriously, you only have to look at the two hitches and just see how well made the DO35 is

If it is not blantantly obvious to you just stick to the older Alko hitch

To me, a mechanical background, its chalk and cheese

cheers

Ian