RE: European trailer hitches

["Mark Battley" <m.battley@domain.elided>]

Bill Bain asked..
>OK, my '83 Spider now sports a true trailer hitch, complete with the US
>standard 1 and 7/8" ball.  The European bike rack that a Dutch friend gave
>me (still has the Dutch license plate riveted to it!) is intended to mount
>over the trailer hitch ball, *but* the US standard ball is a bit too big.
>Questions:
>
>What is the standard European size ball?

To which Chris Sweetapple replied:
>The standard European tow-ball is 50mm.  

Which doesn't explain why the US standard ball is a bit too big - 1&7/8" =
47.6mm, so if the rack is designed for 50mm, it should be too big, not too
small!!??

We have the wonderful situation here in NZ that BOTH sizes are used, the
50mm is supposedly replacing the  1&7/8". A 50mm coupling will fit (but
loosely, dangerously, and illegally) on a 1&7/8" ball, but not the other way
around. I carry a spare ball of the other size and a big spanner in the boot
of the car so I can change when needed. My boat trailer is 1&7/8", my
father's boat, caravan and small trailer are all 50mm, my father in law's
two are 1&7/8", and anything I hire can be either, although 1&7/8" is still
more common.... great eh! We also have two "standards" (round and
rectangular) for the wiring plugs/sockets, so I carry an adaptor for that
too.

My locally made bike rack fits either size.

Mark Battley
Auckland, New Zealand.

1973 Alfa Romeo 2000 GT Veloce
1989 Fiat Uno Turbo 
1989 Fiat Croma (tow vehicle)
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