Need help fast on a trailer hitch

[tufftom4]

I have a trailer hitch used that I bought for my 84 venture the guy said it came off of an 83 but I can't get anything to line up plus I have no clue where it is supposed to mount,I don't know if it is the wrong one or I am trying to mount it wrong if someone has a first gen venture with a trailer hitch please call Tom @ 772 260-5431 and let me know what I am doing wrong.

[Venturous Randy]

Not a real good picture. That one looks like it got run over by a truck. Can you add some more pictures?

RandyA

[coy55boy]

I have a trailer hitch used that I bought for my 84 venture the guy said it came off of an 83 but I can't get anything to line up plus I have no clue where it is supposed to mount,I don't know if it is the wrong one or I am trying to mount it wrong if someone has a first gen venture with a trailer hitch please call Tom @ 772 260-5431 and let me know what I am doing wrong.

 

I'm not sure these will help. It may depend on who made the hitch. But essentially, you'll have 4 points of connection. Two for pulling which will generally be to a hard point such as rear passenger foot peg or in this case the lower luggage guard rail. And another two to support the weight of the hitch itself and the 15 lbs or so of tongue weight. In this case, they've used the rear frame rail (right next to tail light). These pics are of an '83, but should be fairly close.

 

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n163/coy55boy/83%20Venture%20trailer%20hitch/83rear.jpg

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n163/coy55boy/83%20Venture%20trailer%20hitch/83side.jpg

http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n163/coy55boy/83%20Venture%20trailer%20hitch/83front.jpg

[tufftom4]

OK after many hours of sweating and swearing I figured it out, When I bought the trailer hitch it was all apart and a markland. I sat there for a while and figured that the bottom hooked to where the mufflers bolted to the frame and I was right but I could not in the life of me figure where the top brackets went and I had leftover parts then....TADAAAAAAAAAAA A light went on in my little head they were hanging brackets for the hitch, now I am headed to the hardware store to get all new stainless hardware, I don't know if anyone here ever saw this type of hitch but if anyone comes across it again I can tell them how to hook it up.

[painterman67]

ok just a little hint. before oyu tighten evrything down and set it in stone so to speak, check your hitch height and the height of your trailor coupling(ball hitch) when the toungue is level. Make sure that the trailer will ride level or slightly pointing down. When I first hooked up my tralier to my bike it almost took me off the road. had my wife rides beside me and we realised that the tounge was pointed up ( towards the sky). Whenever I would lean to take a cornerthe trailer would bottom out on the hitch and force the rear end of the bike to push around in the bind.

 

 

Hope that makes since as after I lowerd the hitch an 1 1/2 it never did it again.

 

 

David

[tufftom4]

I figured it out and where the welded nuts were missing I drilled out the holes for 3/8th's stainless when I get it all together for the ride I will take pics.Wow looking at the pic my garage needs to be cleaned.

[Dano]

I hope the stainless will hold up, especially the 4 for the vertical bars. They tend to "carry the weight" and could snap. I used Grade 8 bolts for these connections and after a year and a half no signs of wear.

[Snaggletooth]

 

Stainless is not as tough as many people think. Consider the Grade 8's for safety.

 

Mike

[Condor]

I figured it out and where the welded nuts were missing I drilled out the holes for 3/8th's stainless when I get it all together for the ride I will take pics.Wow looking at the pic my garage needs to be cleaned.

 

 

Tom, I think you have those side struts backwards. That ball plate should come out just about 3" under the fender... You've got it sitting way to low.... And those hangers are supposed to be flat stock not tubular. I may be wrong but I think you need to go back to the drawing board. It almost looks like the previous owner jury rigged a MKII Markland Hitch to fit a MKI???

[Wizard765]

I agree with Condor. Something is not right. Hitch looks way too low. From the side the bars should be horizontal and there should be very little gap between the hitch and the bottom of the fender. On my hitch the uprights are not bolted to the trunk rack. In fact you can't really see my upright because they are inside the fender and hook up to the fender bolts at the top of the frame. Also those are flat stock. I can't really take a picture any more because I have the wrap around light bar that hides the whole thing.

I've never seen a hitch that attaches to the trunk supports at the top.

On the 84 the original exhaust bolts to the passenger peg bracket.

I believe the Markland bolts to the same bracket.

Mine is not a Markland and it bolts to just above that bracket where the two parts of the frame come together. I had to get a longer bolt for that junction.

Edited September 1, 2010 by Wizard765

[Flyinfool]

OOpie

The pics I posted were for a MKII not a MKI, their different.

Edited September 1, 2010 by Flyinfool
Wrong year info.

[tufftom4]

OK I figured out how to post the pics this is the final product everything seems great I jumped on the hitch and brought the front tire off the ground ( fat bastard here ) I put new tires rims and valve stems on the trailer the only thing left is to wire the lights when I was working on it I put my glasses on the seat of the bike and did not notice the wind blew them off so when I went around the bike I stepped on them and cannot ride without them story of my life. If someone can walk me through the wiring process it would be helpfull.

[Flyinfool]

That first pic sure looks like the hitch is way to low, but in the second pic it looks just right. Nice job.

[painterman67]

That first pic sure looks like the hitch is way to low, but in the second pic it looks just right. Nice job.

 

 

 

I think that is because of the camera angle on the first pic.

 

 

 

David