• Hey Guest!
    British Car Forum has been supporting enthusiasts for over 25 years by providing a great place to share our love for British cars. You can support our efforts by upgrading your membership for less than the dues of most car clubs. There are some perks with a member upgrade!
    **Upgrade Now**
    (PS: Upgraded members don't see this banner, nor will you see the Google ads that appear on the site.)
Tips
Tips

TR6 TR6 trailer hitch?

Share this page

I

ichthos

Darth Vader
Country flag
Offline
I have five cars, and I would have to say I am not having fun doing so much repair work all the time. I need more time to just enjoy driving. I want to down size the number of cars I own by getting rid of two of them. In order to do this, I would need to have one of the three cars left have the capacity to pull a small trailer - maybe five times a year. I don't know if this sounds impracticle or what, but my TR6 is the most likely candidate due to the frame and engine size. So, I have a number of questions: 1) Does anyone currently have a hitch they are happy with? 2)What model/brand do you have and what is the price? 3)Is it something easily installed by a novice, or is this something I should have done professionally? Any suggestions would greatly be appreciated.
Kevin
 
Kevin,

Trailer hitches are rated by the amount of weight
that will be resting upon the ball of the hitch.

The viability of a trailer hitch is also determined
by the braking capacity of the vehicle.

"Safe" trailer hitches are installed by professionals
and usually involve welding to the vehicle's steel frame
members.

You could devise a trailer that added no weight to the hitch
ball but the vehicle's brakes would then be the determining
factor.

Go visit a professional with your concepts.

regards,

d
 
A small trailer carrying how much weight?
Have it done by a pro because you'll need a wiring harness made for the lights/brakes that will plug into your present harness.
I haul horses all of the time (up to eight @ a time) with my one ton dually and always fall on the side of more capability than I use (dual rear tires and double rear axle brakes on the trailer and a 5th wheel rig so the weights over the truck axle).
If you're only pulling a few hundred pounds with the TR6 you'd be ok but I'd not go with too much more.
The problem is not with the 'pulling' but with the emergency stopping.
On a bumper hitch when you brake hard the weight of the load is magnified by the G's involved and bears down directly on the ball hitch (if you don't have load levelers), since this load is behind the rear axle it unweights the front wheels reducing your braking capability and in serious cases lifting the front wheels off of the ground...you are now steered by the trailer, into traffic or the ditch.
Sorry for the diatribe but I've seen serious trailer accidents by folks pulling heavy loads with a car/suv just because it would pull them.
 
Tinster said:
You could devise a trailer that added no weight to the hitch ball
Click to expand...
NO! DON'T DO THAT!!

The center of gravity of the trailer MUST be in front of the trailer's axle, meaning a MINIMUM of 10% of the trailer gross weight must be on the hitch. Anything else can easily turn into a death trap, even when the trailer weighs significantly less than the tow vehicle.

I won't argue the professional/amateur aspect again; but keep in mind that the trailer hitch effectively becomes a highly stressed part of the frame/suspension of the vehicle/trailer combination. If you feel competant to design and create a suspension piece, then have at it.

Wiring isn't all that difficult either, but you will need to build or buy a "converter". 99% of trailers use combination brake/turn lamps, while of course all Triumphs use separate brake/turn lamps.
 
I have been studying this problem for a couple of years and think I have come up with a way to do it. I do need to do some engineering yet though to be sure of it.

And the TR6 does have a factory rated 2,000lb towing capacity, trailer brakes suggested over 1,000lbs.

Here are two possibilities. Both are easily in the lower range. One ready to go and the other needing some paint and other TLC.
 
According to the service manual, a TR6 can tow a trailer and cargo, with no brakes up to 440 lbs. If the trailer has brakes you can go to 2235 lbs., but I would not go that high. By the way, the maximum cargo capacity for a TR6 is 440 pounds. Dale probably has that in his trunk.

Seek out a professional shop. A lot of U-Haul centers sell and install hitches.
 
Thanks for the tips. I am confused. If you can have 440 cargo pounds, and 440 towing pounds, can't you just have total load of 880 towing pounds? I have a small trailer and I occasionally need the trailer to haul supplies and such from the hardware store or visit the recycling station.

Kevin
 
TR6oldtimer said:
According to the service manual, a TR6 can tow a trailer and cargo, with no brakes up to 440 lbs. If the trailer has brakes you can go to 2235 lbs., but I would not go that high. By the way, the maximum cargo capacity for a TR6 is 440 pounds. Dale probably has that in his trunk.

Seek out a professional shop. A lot of U-Haul centers sell and install hitches.
Click to expand...

boat1.jpg
 
Dale, you are sick puppy and far too good with Photoshop.....
 
Back
Top