Bushtec Hitch?

[Silverado6x6]

On my 89 Venture Royale it has a weird looking hitch, sort of a chromed rod except the upper half will thread off, the bottom is welded to the hitch frame and has a link welded to bottom, I have never seen anything like this and I am about to pull out the cutting torch to remove it and convert to a standard 1 7/8" ball. I am fabricating a trailer for my bike and the only recourse I see is to get a swivel rod end that will go over this, I do not see anything on the Bushtec site about buying just the swivel tongue.

 

My fabrication skills are upper level but I just do not see any threads about building a matching tongue to this style of hitch. Ok, just did a search, mine looks just like this one.

http://i1092.photobucket.com/albums/i418/twigg2324/1986%20Yamaha%20Venture%20Royale/IMG_0502.jpg

Edited August 13, 2013 by Silverado6x6

[Silverado6x6]

Apparently its an early Bushtec design, I manage a concrete batch plant and I have tons of rod ends lying around though I just did a search on Ebay and they have some nice chromed stuff pretty cheap, next step will be to integrate that on a swivel tongue, I have built similar attachments though much bigger for tractor trailers being a diesel mechanic, scale just goes down. When I get to the shop I will measure the shoulder and just get a heim joint, it will be in a captive swivel unit I will have to fabricate.

I plan on using a lightweight torsion bar axle with low profile snow machine trailer tires. I already have a sled trailer so I want the same tires.

I think the PO had some form of electrical brakes on whatever trailer they had, there was a flat 6 way plug and harness, I removed it because it was not very well installed using heaven forbid, scotchlocks!

[CaptainJoe]

I don't know what diameter rod your lookin at but a trip to Tractor supply or the like might solve your problem.

 

http://www.belarusagsupply.com/Top-Links_c_19.html

 

I cut one in half and welded it on to a smal trailer and the grass sweep so i could tow behind the 4 wheeler over uneven surfaces(a ball wouldn't work due to infexibility)

[Silverado6x6]

I have a chunk of schedule 80 thickwall tubing, it will have a 3/4" hole drilled through a welded plug at one end for a 3/4x3/4 Heim joint, the threaded section will have flat washers and a locking nut on the inside so it will have some ability to rotate but not loose.

thats just off the top of my head, I also have various bearings I can also use and thrust washers, or just have a sleeve of Delrin to make it very smooth turning, this piece is then to be the trailer tongue with a 360 degree swivel and the no slack of a heim joint which has its own internal bearing, the Bushtec pin measured very close to 3/4". more like .746 I think it was. I am a fabricator and machinist, when I can I will post pics of my version of a Bushtec tongue.