The Need for a Lock and Roll Hitch When Overlanding

[fike]

I am preparing to pull the trigger on a ruggedized teardrop. I am not planning on getting a full-bore offroad version, but TCTeardrops has a ground clearance package that I think will be adequate for the forest service roads that I frequent in my Subaru Forester.

How far off angle does a traditional hitch need to go before you are going to have issues? Is there a risk of the trailer jumping off a traditional ball-hitch connection? I know that Little Guy Rough Riders have a pintle hitch. How do they compare to a lock and roll? I am guessing there is less articulation but a bit better safety than a regular hitch.

What are the tradeoffs on a lock and roll? Are they inferior at high speeds? Do they require more maintenance?

the most problematic scenario for a traditional hitch that I can think of doing some strange off-axis parking into wildcat camping spots where you are squeezing into an awkward spot. I have been in spots where the entry and exit to the improvised campsite is really awkward. they might have some small but immovable boulders to navigate or involve traversing through ditches and washouts.

I don't plan on taking my teardrop rock crawling. I expect it to see a lot nasty forest-service-road potholes and a fair share of shale shelves on those same roads...perhaps some nice washouts too. Will a traditional ball hitch be okay?

 

[Lucky j]

With a subaru forester, I would go with a well adjusted 2" ball hitch in a 2" receiver call it a day. You can exced you tow limite very easly with a 2" ball.

In my neck of the wood, every one but a very few heads out in the forest for hundreads of mile with theire boat, atv and utility trailers all the times. So in my book, forest road with a suby, you are good with that. But lock the handle with a safety pin like you are supposed to do.

Inly crazy people like me have a pintle set-up. Lol

 

[Semi-Hex]

There are several recent threads regarding Rock and Roll, Max Coupler and Pintle hitches. They are easy to find.
I started with a ball hitch but found on Red Canyon Jeep trail the trailer was binding and I was lifting wheels all the time. That's all I needed to know, I went with the Max Coupler and haven't looked back.

 

[Robert Bills]

I towed a Bantam T3-C trailer offroad for decades with a 2" ball hitch, all without any adverse incident. Lock N' Roll hitches and Max Couplers had yet to be invented. One trip was the length of Baja California to La Paz and back home before the route became a paved highway.

For a Subaru Forester on graded forest service roads you will probably be fine. You may find that "one spot" where a specialized offroad hitch is necessary, but I would wager that with your tow rig you won't be getting into situations where you won't be able to find an alternate line for towing your trailer into a campsite or another campsite just as good if access to the first campsite really is impossible with a standard hitch.

Admittedly, I now own a Lock N' Roll hitch (purchased because "everyone" was buying them and it was the new "latest and greatest" accessory at the time), but 95% of the time I still use my standard 2" ball hitch and coupler because it is easier.

 

[tarditi]

Ball is common for road and cheap compared to lock-n-roll or max coupler, so that's why you don't see them much in on-road applications.
Military/industrial use pintle/eye a lot, but this may be to reduce component complexity.

 

[fike]

What about pintle ball combos? Do they increase safety of traditional on-road hitches or are they just to allow a pintle trailer to be towed by a ball hitch?

http://www.etrailer.com/Pintle-Hitch/Tow-Ready/TR63011.html

 

[TriBeard]

They just serve as a combo so that you can tow ball trailers and pintle trailers with one hitch. You leave the pintle part up when using a trailer with a ball.

 

[Xrunner]

It's also worth noting that not all ball couplers have the same amount of articulation.

There was a thread here on ExPo that ran a general test but I can't seem to find it currently.

 

[fike]

It's also worth noting that not all ball couplers have the same amount of articulation.

There was a thread here on ExPo that ran a general test but I can't seem to find it currently.

That sounds interesting. I didn't know that different ball couplers had different traits like that.

 

[fike]

It's also worth noting that not all ball couplers have the same amount of articulation.

There was a thread here on ExPo that ran a general test but I can't seem to find it currently.

Is this the thread you were thinking about?

http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/129893-Limitations-of-the-ball-hitch

It looks as if one guy swears by the 1 7/8" ball. He has some pretty extreme pics that suggest it works very well.

 

[Jeepinaaron]

A 2" ball will be fine for your needs. Here is my trailer with a 2" in Moab.

 

[Arya Ebrahimi]

I'm also in the "2" ball should be fine" camp.

I built my trailer with intentions of using a pintle or offroad style hitch, but have yet to find the limitations of the 2" ball setup I threw on in a hurry for a trip 5 years ago. We have wheeled several trails outside Ouray, CO and in the Bitterroot mountains in Northern ID that required a lot of articulation and also creative maneuvering. In one instance we had to turn around on a section of trail that was roughly 20' wide with a steep embankment on one side and a sheer drop off on the other(this was when we were towing with a crew cab short bed Duramax). I had to jackknife the trailer up the embankment in order to do it. The hitch coupler just barely kissed the ball mount, but never bound up.

The 2" setup is also easily sourced and repaired just about anywhere should you ever have a problem.

 

[Septu]

I've owned two trailers - a m101 off road rig with a pintle and a Little Guy Rough Rider with the option for either a ball or a lock-n-load hitch. I used the lock-n-load hitch 100% of the time, and would put that on any trailer of mine that was going to see more than a paved highway. Is it needed (even when not going "off roading")? No. However I know that there's no chance whatsoever of either of those hitches (lock-n-load/pintle) unhooking for any reason. So for that peace of mind, I think they (either) is well worth it.

Realistically from what you describe a ball hitch would probably be okay. But for the $150/250 (or whatever a pintle/locknload) cost, the peace of mind will be invaluable. As for actual towing with them, I've noticed no difference other than the noise of the pintle in traffic (every time you stop you get the "clunk" as the trailer moves forward to the front of the hitch). Annoying at times, but you get used to it pretty quickly. Now, I don't really even notice it any more.

 

[Martyinco]

I've owned two trailers - a m101 off road rig with a pintle and a Little Guy Rough Rider with the option for either a ball or a lock-n-load hitch. I used the lock-n-load hitch 100% of the time, and would put that on any trailer of mine that was going to see more than a paved highway. Is it needed (even when not going "off roading")? No. However I know that there's no chance whatsoever of either of those hitches (lock-n-load/pintle) unhooking for any reason. So for that peace of mind, I think they (either) is well worth it.

Realistically from what you describe a ball hitch would probably be okay. But for the $150/250 (or whatever a pintle/locknload) cost, the peace of mind will be invaluable. As for actual towing with them, I've noticed no difference other than the noise of the pintle in traffic (every time you stop you get the "clunk" as the trailer moves forward to the front of the hitch). Annoying at times, but you get used to it pretty quickly. Now, I don't really even notice it any more.

Glad to read that about the Lock'N'Roll, I just ordered mine yesterday

 

[K2ZJ]

A 2" ball will be fine for your needs. Here is my trailer with a 2" in Moab.

Where and when was this? Onion Creek heading toward Polar Mesa? After that STEEP downhill section?