Topic: Nato Hitch workings (Read 7255 times)

landroverkeith · « **on:** March 06, 2008, 02:39:55 »

Evening all

does anyone have a exploded diagram of the workings of the nato hitch plz?

mine has never span through 360 it was thought that the previous owner had painted it and just well gunked it up but ive got the thing in a vice now and took off the front 2 plates in the vain effort to try and clean away the paint and make it move.
no real signs of paint on the front but the back part of the block seems to be welded?? would this stop the thing revolving?

not overly important that it does move i just wanted to if i could make it work but as i say if its welded theres no way i can get it too now

cheers keith

Range Rover Blues · « **Reply #1 on:** March 06, 2008, 05:38:20 »

If it's the spinny type, then the back plate has a circular cut-out machined into it, then a spigot is welded in through the back, perhaps the welding you can see.
The spigot goes inside the back of the jaw to support the towing weight.
The front 2 plates then cover the circular foot of the jaw casting which is machined to fit the circular cut-out in the housing. The front plates only really support the towing force, not the noseweight.
There is a grease nipple for thew spinning part on the driver's side. The spigot should have a flat machined onto ti to prevent grease forcing the jaw off the spigot when greaded, otherwise you could dissasemble the hitch with grease pressure.

hobbit · « **Reply #2 on:** March 06, 2008, 10:42:20 »

Can you post a pic of the one you have?

landroverkeith · « **Reply #3 on:** March 06, 2008, 13:18:29 »

ill try and get a pic posted later on after work then

but yes it does seem to be the spinning type as is has the twin jaws that lock it it in the upright position as to speak and as rrb says once ive taken the plates from the front of the jaws are indeed part of the round swivel bit behind the plates. its the welding on the back thats threw me

ill get a pic up asap guys ty :)

Lucy1978 · « **Reply #4 on:** March 06, 2008, 16:04:28 »

When I got mine it wouldn't spin either. I bolted it to something solid and put a long pole through the jaw and lent on it till it started moving worked it till it was free and greased it up. This process may have involved beating it with the no. 1 adjusting tool a bit too, but that sort of goes without saying. ;)

Guardian. · « **Reply #5 on:** March 06, 2008, 22:36:14 »

jesus, dont bolt it to jour chassis then! :lol:

are sure its the 360 one as there are 2 types, not sure if your aware, not taking the mickey.

Range Rover Blues · « **Reply #6 on:** March 08, 2008, 06:08:38 »

Quote from: Guardian. on March 06, 2008, 22:36:14

are sure its the 360 one as there are 2 types, not sure if your aware, not taking the mickey.

Didn't know that, unless you mean the one that doesn't spin at all. All mine have been 360 degree ones, which is a PITA if you leave them unlocked at the inveariably end up upside-down.

Range Rover Blues · « **Reply #7 on:** March 08, 2008, 06:10:22 »

http://www.dixonbate.co.uk/Towing/pintles.asp

hobbit · « **Reply #8 on:** March 08, 2008, 09:38:09 »

Have you tried soaking the whole unit in a bucket of diesel (or another penatrive oil based product) for a few days?

May be worth the effort then go back to it and see if you can loosen off anything else

Guardian. · « **Reply #9 on:** March 09, 2008, 09:34:43 »

yes some of them dont spin through 360 degrees, they are just a solid fixing, but i think they are perhaps aftermarket types and not military supplied, not sure.

TBM · « **Reply #10 on:** March 09, 2008, 11:27:10 »

http://www.takeforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=6662&highlight=nato+hitch+overhaul&mforum=mvwf#6662

Try this link, show's how to refurb a hitch.

stageonesimmo · « **Reply #11 on:** March 09, 2008, 17:32:21 »

Quote from: Guardian. on March 09, 2008, 09:34:43

yes some of them dont spin through 360 degrees, they are just a solid fixing, but i think they are perhaps aftermarket types and not military supplied, not sure.

Yeah, got to admit to being surprised when you mentioned it earlier - I've NEVER found a NATO hitch on any military kit that doesn't swivel 360 degrees - or if it doesn't it soon does after a good clean and re-grease anyway! So I'd reckon the non-swiveling version is a civilian 'pattern' part as all of the ones fitted to mil kit have the 360 swivel........

Range Rover Blues · « **Reply #12 on:** March 09, 2008, 20:13:15 »

I've seen the fixed type too, but I don't know who makes them.

hobbit · « **Reply #13 on:** March 10, 2008, 21:47:24 »

Quote from: Guardian. on March 09, 2008, 19:55:30

THE ONLY 1 IVE SEEN WAS ON EBAY, APART FROM THAT IVE ONLY EVER SEEN THE SWIVEL TYPE.

Got a fixed one on the front of the hybrid, cant remember where it came from though, ok for recovery, but unwilling to use it for towing the sankey with, although I did use it to push the trailer into where I needed being a bit tight and I was on my own, had no probs

Guardian. · « **Reply #14 on:** March 10, 2008, 22:28:49 »

they would be fine for towing anyway, they only need to swivel if your offroading. mine is always locked and never a problem.
its the first time ive found reversing a pain in the arse though, a sankey with a 110, they soon flick round!

stageonesimmo · « **Reply #15 on:** March 10, 2008, 22:37:26 »

Mmmmm, got to disagree there mate - I've recovered enough upside-down sankeys from the side of tarmac roads to know that if it wasn't for the swivel action I'd have been doing some side-over-side recoveries on the towing landrovers as well..............

SOP for us is to always have the swivel lock-tab unlocked - you never know.............

Range Rover Blues · « **Reply #16 on:** March 11, 2008, 03:23:29 »

The only time you need to unlock the NATO is when you have one of the modified snakey with the big piston on top of the overrun mech, such that the eye cannot swivel. It will say on top of that piston that the pintle must be free to rotate.

EIther that or on some of the guns the eye was not on an overrun mech and as such could not swivel, also some oddball trailers.

if you have both eye and pintle free to rotate it WILL end up upside down, or on it's side. Though it's technically safe it's not adviseable.

Either one part or the other has to be able to spin, not both.

landroverkeith · « **Reply #17 on:** March 11, 2008, 15:16:15 »

:roll: ;) think ill just put in back on the drop plate and leave it lol..... dont need it too spin anyways lol i can get stuck in the mud perfectly well without the need to tow a trailer across it lol

cheers for your help guys :clap:

stageonesimmo · « **Reply #18 on:** March 11, 2008, 15:31:36 »

RRB,

Well spotted - I should have added that we only have locked draught-eyes, so default setting is unlocked tow-jaws as a result - there are very few trls left now with swiveling eyes so it doesn't come up that often, if at all.

Range Rover Blues · « **Reply #19 on:** March 11, 2008, 17:46:55 »

So all the swivelling eyes have been sold off, to the likes of us :) and the newer stuff have the locked eyes? does that include the disc-braked Sankeys (wolf some people call them) and the brand new ones too.

hobbit · « **Reply #20 on:** March 11, 2008, 17:57:33 »

Dunno about new ones, that one of mine is fixed

Thats disc braked hydraulics and is around tennish years old

Range Rover Blues · « **Reply #21 on:** March 13, 2008, 05:24:29 »

I know a lot were modified with a big piston assembly mounted above the over runn assy, often painted red or red oxide on the ones I've seen.

Only 10 years old eh Hobbit. Mine is a 1983 vintage.

News:

AuthorTopic: Nato Hitch workings (Read 7255 times)

Guardian.

Guardian.

Guardian.