Getting Hitched: A Plain-English Guide to Caravan Couplings
Getting Hitched
There are many different caravan hitches (couplings) on the market, each one with its own pro’s and con’s. While you may not have given the old hitch any thought, there may be a better alternative to the one you’ve got.
This could make life with your van easier, safer and more reliable.
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The 3 Most Popular Caravan Hitches
Whilst there are many other hitches on the market, these 3 seem to be the most popular.
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50mm Ball and Coupling
This would be the oldest and cheapest way to connect your caravan to your tow vehicle. They have a strong and robust design with few failures. You will see them generally on road-oriented caravans and trailers. They are easy to use with a simple locking d-handle to pull up when connecting/disconnecting.
Lining up the tow ball with the coupling can be a little challenging for some, as you need to be fairly accurate to get a smooth connection. If you are a little off with your alignment, usually a bit of a push on the a-frame can help line up the coupling with the tow ball to give you a smooth connection. Sometimes disconnection can be a little tricky if your van is at a different angle to your tow vehicle. Level ground will always be the easiest.
👉 Shop 50mm Ball and Coupling here
The 50mm ball and coupling can tend to be a bit noisy (clunks and rattles). There is an adjuster on the coupler that must be used to take out the free-play between the ball and coupling. This will make the connection quieter while travelling as well as safer, as it will assist in locking the coupling onto the tow ball.
The biggest Achilles heel for the 50mm ball and coupling is its lack of articulation. For road travelling, its design is perfectly Ok, but when things get a bit undulated on tracks and trails, the 50mm ball and coupling can run out of articulation, and damage can occur. There are better options for off-road travelling.
Poly Block Coupling (Treg Coupling)
Poly Block Couplings (also known as Treg Couplings) have been around for quite some time and are the answer to off-road capability for your caravan. They are a relatively cheap, simple, yet effective design that allows greater articulation for your caravan. It is basically a universal joint which gives your caravan a great range of pitch, roll and yaw. They are quieter than a 50mm ball and coupling and are quite robust (depending on what quality you buy).
While the poly block has a lot going for it, the main gripe from users (and I am one who struggled with this too) is connecting / disconnecting. When reversing up to your caravan, you must be very accurate with your alignment, left / right / up and down. If you are off by a few mm, it just won’t go in.
This makes it a two-person job, one person to reverse the vehicle and the other to control the height of the caravan. As the person who is controlling the height of the caravan, avoid temptation to “hold” the poly block level as the tow-vehicle is reversing as this will only lead to crushed fingers, ouch! Then, once you have managed to make the connection, you need to slide in the locking pin. Once again, if you have gone a few mm too far (or not enough) it also won’t go in.
The next challenge is pulling the pin out if there is any pressure on the coupling. If you have stopped on uneven ground and the caravan is pulling away or pushing towards the tow-vehicle, removing the locking pin can be quite difficult.
Once you have mastered the coupling/uncoupling of the poly block hitch, they are quite a good choice for a hitch, but there is a newer and better option.
DO35 / DO45 Hitch
This hitch is known as the Rolls-Royce of hitches, and it comes with the price tag to match. It is quiet, gives you the same articulation as a poly block hitch, and the system for coupling/uncoupling is the easiest that I have used. For off-road travelling, the D035 hitch would have to be the most popular choice.
👉 Get your DO35 hitch here (this is the one that we have)
Instead of using a traditional ball and socket, it uses a unique pin and coupling that lock together. When connecting the two together, you don’t need to be too accurate (within a few cm) as the coupling will self-centre onto the pin. Once the coupling is fully down onto the pin, you just need to press a little button that locks the coupling onto the pin.
When uncoupling, you simply press the button, which allows you to open the locking mechanism and wind up the coupling off the pin. Even if the ground is uneven, the D035 hitch couples / uncouples quite easily. If it doesn’t, then usually a bit of a “nudge” on the caravans a-frame will do the trick.
It also uses a type of universal joint which gives you full articulation, perfect for off-road travelling.
Maintenance
No matter what type of hitch you have, you will need to do some basic maintenance and adjustments. All hitches will have grease points, some with grease nipples and some without. If you have been travelling on gravel roads, tracks or trails, periodically clean off any grease that has been contaminated by dirt and reapply with fresh grease. Check all the nuts/bolts and re-tighten when needed.
Our maintenance schedule covers hitch checks like this too, along with the rest of what’s worth going over before a big trip. And once your hitch is sorted, here’s the rest of the tow-vehicle checklist.
