 | Home > For Sale & Wanted > Wanted - Dixon Bate for my elderly 300 Tdi |
 
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| diesel_jim Member Since: 13 Oct 2008 Location: hiding Posts: 6037   
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I've got a "ladder" bit, that holts to the crossmember. it's a bit rough (bottom has been splayed out slightly from off road use, but 5 mins with an oxy torch and a tap with a hammer will soon have them straight again)
See here:  Click image to enlarge You can have it; I've got no use for it. Not got the angled stays though. You can have the saddle and 50mm ball too if its any use? It's in Swindon. |
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18th Apr 2012 7:57am |
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| Lookers Park Royal Member Since: 19 Jun 2008 Location: London Posts: 338
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Thanks Jim! I'll do a bit of research re the stays, and hope that perhaps my existing tow bar stays might work with it? I do need to have the stays as I will be towing the Sankey over the rough stuff so do not want to end up damaging the crossmember, therefore I need to spread the weight/strain.
I will let you know how my investigations go. Thanks again, much appreciated. James  |
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18th Apr 2012 9:14am |
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| blackwolf Member Since: 03 Nov 2009 Location: South West England Posts: 16884 
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Not wishing to be a pedant, but the NATO hook is the "pintle" (and the thing on the trailer that goes in it is the "lunette") If you are planning to tow the trailer off-road you would actually be better off fitting the pintle directly to the cross-member, since the DB adjustable hitch is always the thing that grounds out first at the back of the vehicle. I am not sure about the mounting arrangements for the pintle on a 300Tdi cross-member (although someone in the forum will be able to advise). On the Series LRs it was easy, since the crossmember was designed just to have the four 1/2" (later M12) bolts put straight through it and was reinforced to suit. The Puma I know is not, it has threaded inserts in the rear face for the mounting setscrews, and since the rear face is not in itself strong enough for this you must use an appropriate reinforcing plate. this fits between the pintle and the crossmember but also includes a length of steel angle which screws to the bottom of the crossmember to which the plate is bolted. I suspect that the 300Tdi may use a similar arrangement. The DB bracket bolts to the crossmember in a similar way to the pintle but also has the angle bracket (as described above) and then has the two reinforcing straps which run back to where the lashing eyes (or JATE rings) are fitted. these straps would be very simple to fabricate if you had to. If you are only going to use the NATO pintle it will inevitably be mounted at the top of the adjuster and you could get by without the two reinforcing straps. You must however have the angle that fits under the crossmember. Don't forget also that if the trailer has a fixed (ie non-rotating) lunette you must have the pintle free to rotate. If the lunetter is the older style rotating one, the pintle must be fixed, and you need to take great care straightening up from large angel articulation to avoid the risk of bending the lunetter or crossmember (this is the reason for the change to fixed lunettes). Please note that the info above is based on that assumption that the 300Tdi crossmember (which I am not familiar with) is broadly similar to series and Puma crossmembers (which I am). |
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18th Apr 2012 10:27am |
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| bob neville Member Since: 30 Apr 2009 Location: Marbella Posts: 3247  
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That will be the kit that I have been looking for and now found
KNK100090 - I did find references for this being applicable to vehicles back to 1984 so may be the correct version for James ? James, get your parts department on the case, Yeovil have a kit on order for me
Bob 2015 Jaguar XE240 R Sport - goes like ....... !! 2013 Defender 90 CSW - sold 2009 Defender 110 Double Cab - sold 2001 TD5 90 CSW - offroad project - sold to a forum member 2011 Porsche Boxster - for the sunny days ! |
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18th Apr 2012 11:30am |
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| Lookers Park Royal Member Since: 19 Jun 2008 Location: London Posts: 338
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Thanks all!
It sounds like I need the 'angle' in addition to the support straps then? I knew this Sankey would turn out to be a 'good idea at the time'!! Jim, I may need to look into this a bit more as it sounds like you just have the slider as opposed to the other bits? Bob, I have emailed the guys in our parts dept to find out what the part number relates to and if they can do me a forum discount  !
My issue is that I need to switch between a domestic tow ball for launching a RIB (and driving it a 1.5 miles to the slip), and then a Nato hitch for the Sankey. I am now wondering if I should convert the Sankey to a ball hitch as it won't be used hugely in anger off road. This then poses another problem that I will need to vary the height from one hitch to the other which takes be full circle back to a DB set-up!! If this is the case then I'd still be grateful of Jim's slider or saddle (if that is the term) so I can swap between the two easily. Or the other option would be to try to have both with the domestic at normal height and the Nato on to the crossmember. Looking at my existing tow bar I may be able to have the two in conjunction, however it will be trial and error. I'm not sure if you can see from this pic (only one of the rear that I have to hand) which I think was an aftermarket accessory bar at the time. NB the pin in the tow ball is raised in this pic to stop it dragging along the ground, I obviously would not recover from it with it not being all the way through. Just thought I'd mention in case it's spotted!! 
Click image to enlarge Any advice if gratfully received. James |
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18th Apr 2012 2:35pm |
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| blackwolf Member Since: 03 Nov 2009 Location: South West England Posts: 16884
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James,
If you need to switch between the NATO pintle and a standard hitch then fit the standard DB adjustable bracket in the normal way and use two sliders, one for each hitch. I have been doing exactly this for over 30 years, with my Series Ones, a SII, my Puma, and a Disco 2 and it is without doubt the best solution. It is also useful that you can swap hitches between vehicles. It isn't clear from what you say how rough the rough terrain you'll be towing the Sankey over will be, but in my experience as long as you don't mind the bottom of the "ladder" thudding into the ground now and again you will have no problem. My view always was that the bracket was protecting the crossmember. I have taken vehicles with the DB bracket over exceedingly rough terrain on many occasions, and although the bracket has often ploughed a channel in the ground it has never suffered any damage. It also provides a useful location to lift with a hilift. There's a good photo of the complete bracket on (I think) a Puma here:- http://www.mudstuff.co.uk/Dixon-Bate%20Sli...Pins.shtml Last edited by blackwolf on 18th Apr 2012 3:14pm. Edited 1 time in total |
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18th Apr 2012 3:12pm |
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| bob neville Member Since: 30 Apr 2009 Location: Marbella Posts: 3247
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Hi James
Sorry about the eblag link but it is the only decent picture of the knk kit I can find to show the components. http://www.ebay.com/itm/LAND-ROVER-PLATE-T...0239759353 The rectangular plate fits to the existing holes on the cross member and the angled bit fits under the crossmember. The bottom two bolts of the plate attach to to this angled bit. This link from the Nak site shows it fitted. http://nakatanenga-tours.de/shop/article_K...d%3DKNK%26 Hope that makes sense and helps ! Bob 2015 Jaguar XE240 R Sport - goes like ....... !! 2013 Defender 90 CSW - sold 2009 Defender 110 Double Cab - sold 2001 TD5 90 CSW - offroad project - sold to a forum member 2011 Porsche Boxster - for the sunny days ! |
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18th Apr 2012 3:14pm |
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| blackwolf Member Since: 03 Nov 2009 Location: South West England Posts: 16884
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James,
I meant, but forgot, to say in my preceding post that I personally don't feel that the effort of converting the Sankey to a ball-hitch is worthwhile. 1) Unless you radically alter the front of the trailer you will still need to move the coupling up and down between trailers. If you have a DB bracket to do this, it is much cheaper/easier/more satifactory to have two sliders. 2) The NATO pintle and lunette is a much better engineered and stronger coupling arrangement than the DIN ball and socket If you really wanted to opt for a single-coupling-solution, I would be more inclined to convert the boat trailer to a NATO lunette than the Sankey to a ball! |
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18th Apr 2012 4:19pm |
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| Martin Site Admin Member Since: 02 Apr 2007 Location: Hook Norton Posts: 6482 
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James, just to clear this up, are you after everything here:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Land-Rover-Defen...0621637963 Except the movable slider which you already have? 1988 90 Td5 NAS soft top
2015 D90 XS SW |
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18th Apr 2012 4:49pm |
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| diesel_jim Member Since: 13 Oct 2008 Location: hiding Posts: 6037
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I have the ladder frame thing (As seen in that picture crudely bolted to a bent bumper)... this is the bit that bolts to the back of the crossmember. And there is a slider & pin (and a 50mm towbar) So you'd need, to make a "complete" DB kit, two angle iron stays, and the angle that bolts to the bottom of the crossmember & the "ladder" bit..... both very easy to knock up with some 1.5" angle and a drill. (and some drill bits, tape measure and a vice, obviously ) |
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18th Apr 2012 5:36pm |
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| Lookers Park Royal Member Since: 19 Jun 2008 Location: London Posts: 338
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Quick update........... I'm personally useless when it comes to vehicular DIY, and due to the LEZ I can't get my 90 into the dealership for any attention. Therefore I've taken the plunge and ordered the kit from RST that Martin posted the link for. It should give me everything I need, plus I get a 2nd slider for my domestic tow ball (I can swap from one to another), and even a mechanical dim-wit like me should be able to fit it with a socket set and some determination!
 
Special thanks to Diesel_Jim for your very generous offer, it's much appreciated but I've taken the easy (but far more expensive) route! 
Thanks for Blackwolfe and Bob's advice too, it's certainly helped to get to grips with what I need and has saved me a lot of messing around with alterations and half measures.
Thanks Martin for the link, and offer of assistance earlier via PM.
James |
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18th Apr 2012 8:32pm |
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| familymad Member Since: 13 Dec 2011 Location: Bucks Posts: 3464  
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Re the LEZ james,
I've just sucessfully argued (with only one letter) that the fitment of seats into my mates 2001 TD5 hardtop therefore indicates it's not a van and should be LEZ exempt. They asked for some photos which I sent in and hey presto, LEZ exempt hardtop. I borrowed said seats and they were not screwed down but worked a treat. You need to write to the LEZ lot not the DVLA. 1951 80" S1 2.0 1995 110 300TDI 1995 90 300TDI |
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20th Apr 2012 6:16am |
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| Lookers Park Royal Member Since: 19 Jun 2008 Location: London Posts: 338
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Familymad,
Thats interesting as I too wrote to them and included pictures of my rear seats (with kids sitting on them smiling sweetly!), but they responded with a big NO! They suggested that I downloaded a from, which I did, however it referred to making chages or adding a DPF, therefore there wasn't a section relating to seats. It's a huge shame as in the summer it's nice to drive the old girl into town with the roof off. Perhaps I need to revist this as it was a little while ago. James |
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20th Apr 2012 12:45pm |
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