McHitch users

[BonVoyager]

Anybody here purchase a hitch from McHitch recently?

I hear they changed owners and I thought I read that they were having issues at first, want to make sure there are no more issues when ordering a hitch.

[mbarr10]

Anybody here purchase a hitch from McHitch recently?

Never heard of McHitch. Looking into it. I was just going to get a Chucksters, hitch. I like I can remove the ball and get different heights. And Cheaper than Marv's. (Not a fan of the one Buckey1313 is getting, I like the design but no ball adjustment.) Since I do not have a trailer yet Chucksters gives me flexibility. Currently building a wire harness so I do not have to cut factory wires. Looking into it and interested in More comments.

I understand I am not much help for the post but am Interested in learning more. I like the mounting points, looks very interesting.

[BonVoyager]

Get a harness off eBay with an isolator, that’s what I got. My Time Out camper has separate turn and brake lights so I got that specific 5 wire harness. Typically the harnesses you see are 4 wire for the combo brake/turn lights and need a controller to separate the signal. It is plug and play and if anything should happen on the trailer like a short, it will flip the internal breaker and protect the bike wiring harness.

The McHitch allows you to remove the drawbar and it attaches to the frame and not the saddlebag mounts like the others and you don’t have to remove it to pull the wheel.

This is the guy I got my harness from. I asked him for the harness for the separate brake and turn signals, super nice guy and speedy shipping.

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F18 2717402168

[mbarr10]

Get a harness off eBay with an isolator, that’s what I got.

Damn it, I missed that. I found the plugs from Joe at Cycleterminals.com and they will be here Thursday. And have a Hopkins 46255 convertor / isolator already.

Tell me more about the 5 plug, I found a trailer wired that way but do not understand I guess, since I thought the 5th was for Brakes. And I Had to pass on a trailer since My truck will only haul 7 or 4 pins with my adapter. and the trailer did not have brakes.

I have heard you do not need to remove the chucksters hitch to change a tire either

[Lumberjack]

All you need to do is purchase a trailer wire isolator for a car. Preferably a small one, that is sealed.

Example
https://www.etrailer.com/Wiring/Tekonsha/119190.html

[BonVoyager]

All you need to do is purchase a trailer wire isolator for a car. Preferably a small one, that is sealed.

Example
https://www.etrailer.com/Wiring/Tekonsha/119190.html



Yeah, I mentioned that and he has the Hopkins harness with an isolator in it already.

The one you show and the one he got are not plug and play like I got.

Some of us don’t like modifying our wiring. So the connectors would also need to be purchased like he did already.

Also, the one you show is only 4 wire so won’t work for trailers like the Time Out camper that have separate brake and turn signals. The 5 wire ones for cars are all $100+ and aren’t plug and play to our bikes.

That’s why I also shared a link to the one specific to our bikes that I got.

[BonVoyager]

The 5 wire gets wired up so that the turn signals, and brake lights are separated instead of the 4 wire plug that has turn and brake lights together in the same unit and needs a signal converter to separate the signals.

I will pull out my wiring diagram and post here tomorrow, but if I remember correctly, the brown wire became the running light circuit and the blue (electric brake/12v power) wire became the brake light circuit.

I use the small chrome round 5 wire trailer connector on my trailer and bike. I also have that connector wired to my other vehicles as well as the standard flat 4 wire connector that most trailers use so I can tow my Time Out with my vehicles as well.

[mbarr10]

Hopkins 46255 convertor / isolator

The Hopkins 46255 Converter/Isolator also is powered. I was told the stock bike does not have enough volts?/Amps to run both trailer and bike lights. So this Isolator also adds power to the Trailer lights to avoid the extra draw on the bike lighting system. The Moderator on FB ( Who is also a Vulcan Rider) "Motorcycle trailer towing and Touring" And others on the site recommend the extra volts/amps for the stock system along with the Isolator.

[BonVoyager]

I’m actually converting all my lights on the trailer to LED, so they will have little draw. I’m also considering running fused power down to the trailer for an electric cooler that sits on the tongue so it will keep our food items cool while traveling that or a solar panel on the top of the trailer to power the cooler that we can also use while camping, haven’t gotten that far yet to start really thinking about it.

[mbarr10]

or a solar panel on the top of the trailer to power the cooler that we can also use while camping,

Love the Idea. Thought about it myself.
I have also bought a fuse box to cut down on the battery terminal crap. 30mm m6 terminals on the battery is all I will go, it is time for a better solution. Looking at putting the box in my tool case slot tomorrow.

BACK TO YOUR ORIGINAL POST. I HAVE NOT HEARD BACK FROM SOME FEELERS I PUT OUT THERE. I will post when I get some feed back on the "McHitch". I am also Interested in it, because of the design.

[mbarr10]

I hear they changed owners and I thought I read that they were having issues at first, want to make sure there are no more issues when ordering a hitch.

People that have responded like the hitch, But seems to be an issue with actually purchasing it. No one Knows how long the web site has been down. It says a few weeks but it could have been last year for all they know. I will keep you posted if I find out more.

[BonVoyager]

I just found this one. Same idea as the McHitch, but the drawbar is vertical so when it is removed, the hitch is hidden.

http://www.openroadoutfitters.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=69_110&products_id=469

[mbarr10]

Same idea as the McHitch, but the drawbar is vertical so when it is removed, the hitch is hidden.

I like it, how can you adjust the ball height though. For the ideal tonged weight towing a trailer it maybe to low. it will not tow the trailer well. You would have to buy a trailer to match the ball height.

[smokier]

Greetings,

Have Chuckter's on both bikes, and using the Hopkins 5 wire round. There is a knock off of the Hopkins/Hoppy that is less money. DON'T GET the knock off. The knock-off does not fit with the HOPPY/HOPKINS and another brand. The Kuryakyn is the Hopkins with a nice chrome mounting bracket. You pay$$ for the chrome bracket. Additonally, when ordering the Chuckster hitch, Joe was gracious enough to mount the bracket to the hitch for me…

http://www.hopkinstowingsolutions.com/products/trailer-wiring-connectors/5-pole-round/48345.html

Have two trailers and two bikes, so switching it up happens. Additionally, put a HOPKINS on the Highlander too. Three vehicles to pull two trailers, the ability to just plug and go is awesome. Yeah, four wire can do that too. I am selling the thought/advantage of five round and using the same vendor for all the involved vehicles for compatibility.

Love the solid mounting of the 5pin round as compared to the flat four flapping in the friggen breeze.

[Lumberjack]

I noticed you have caps covering the open ends of your trailer hitch. I just realized mine is missing all of them and sent an email - thanks
Update: They are in the mail already! I have always had great communication with Chucksters regarding their products.

Greetings,

Have Chuckter's on both bikes, and using the Hopkins 5 wire round. There is a knock off of the Hopkins/Hoppy that is less money. DON'T GET the knock off. The knock-off does not fit with the HOPPY/HOPKINS and another brand. The Kuryakyn is the Hopkins with a nice chrome mounting bracket. You pay$$ for the chrome bracket. Additonally, when ordering the Chuckster hitch, Joe was gracious enough to mount the bracket to the hitch for me…

http://www.hopkinstowingsolutions.com/products/trailer-wiring-connectors/5-pole-round/48345.html

Have two trailers and two bikes, so switching it up happens. Additionally, put a HOPKINS on the Highlander too. Three vehicles to pull two trailers, the ability to just plug and go is awesome. Yeah, four wire can do that too. I am selling the thought/advantage of five round and using the same vendor for all the involved vehicles for compatibility.

Love the solid mounting of the 5pin round as compared to the flat four flapping in the friggen breeze.

[BonVoyager]

I like it, how can you adjust the ball height though. For the ideal tonged weight towing a trailer it maybe to low. it will not tow the trailer well. You would have to buy a trailer to match the ball height.

No, you can buy different height vertical drawbars just like you can for horizontal drawbars. Additionally, you can buy tow balls with different length necks if you didn’t want a different drawbar.

[Lumberjack]

You actually want it slightly lower. Note: You can usually increase height but can only go so low until you hit ground.

No, you can buy different height vertical drawbars just like you can for horizontal drawbars. Additionally, you can buy tow balls with different length necks if you didn’t want a different drawbar.

[mbarr10]

Love the solid mounting of the 5pin round as compared to the flat four flapping in the friggen breeze Damnit where were you a week ago. To late now. Harness is done and it sucked making it. But all done with the isolator for shy of 30 bucks = 4 prong will be flopp'in in the breeze now. :yep:

[BonVoyager]

Damnit where were you a week ago. To late now. Harness is done and it sucked making it. But all done with the isolator for shy of 30 bucks = 4 prong will be flopp'in in the breeze now. :yep:


Yeah, this is what I said in my 4th post in this before he mentioned it, I always mount them to the hitch. I use the small chrome 5 round connector.

[BonVoyager]

You actually want it slightly lower. Note: You can usually increase height but can only go so low until you hit ground.

Yup, nose tilted just slightly down to put downward pressure on the rear when braking, don’t want it lifting the back of the bike with the trailer angled up. I doubt I would need any other drawbar or ball with that setup, it likely has it at just the right angle.

Mcbarr was saying he thought it looked too low, so my comments were about going up with the drawbar or ball, not down.

[mbarr10]

I will pull out my wiring diagram and post here tomorrow, but if I remember correctly, the brown wire became the running light circuit and the blue (electric brake/12v power) wire became the brake light circuit.

I use the small chrome round 5 wire trailer connector on my trailer and bike. I also have that connector wired to my other vehicles as well as the standard flat 4 wire connector that most trailers use so I can tow my Time Out with my vehicles as well.

Yah, I remember reading it thinking the timeout trailer had brakes and I did not want to deal with that. And...... What happened to wire diagram?

I can pull the Hopkins from the Harness. I made the Plug "Y" with all 5 wires. I guess it is not to late? I still need the hitch and I do Not Know where I will be getting the trailer yet. Thing is if I find a trailer and it is 300 miles away the only thing I have is the bike to pick it up with. Looking for a tag-a-long or old harbor freight ( money is tight) and they mostly have 4 pins.
I guess I could use Bullet plugs on the Isolator and then I can swap them out on the fly. Mounting to come later after I get a trailer. :hmm:

[BonVoyager]

Time out doesn’t have brakes as standard. They are an option, but you don’t want to tow a trailer with brakes on a motorcycle, bad idea.

Forgot about the diagram, will run out to the shop and grab it and post it in a few hours, sorry about that.

[BonVoyager]

Here is the diagram and what the wires are for:

The black notch on top is indicating the notch on the actual connector so you can’t put the connector in the wrong way. Don’t forget the wires on the bike side will be a mirror image of this diagram for the trailer side.

*Yellow= Left Turn

*Green= Right Turn

*Brown= Running

*Red= Brake

*White= Ground

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180513/f0e7cc03f1a67878795004d9db7c3903.jpg

[smokier]

I noticed you have caps covering the open ends of your trailer hitch. I just realized mine is missing all of them and sent an email - thanks
Update: They are in the mail already! I have always had great communication with Chucksters regarding their products.

Good eye LJ, those were kinda dark photos!
Yeah, Joe @ Chuckser's is awesome!

Ride safe,
Smokier

[smokier]

Bon V, after looking at your diagram, looks like I wired mine "wrong".:hmm:>:(
Guess I have some work to do! Thanks man, I needed that! :cheers:

After Googling 5 pin round wiring diagrams, there are different pin locations. Argh...

Ride safe,
Smokier

[mbarr10]

After Googling 5 pin round wiring diagrams, there are different pin locations. Argh...

Now I am really confused. one pic shows the pin of the round plug at the brown, the other pic shows the pin at the yellow. This 4 pin Flopping in the breeze is looking better all the time now. Never seeing a 5 pin plug may have me at a disadvantage I guess.

[mbarr10]

CURT Vertical Receiver Tube Ball Mounts 45507

[BonVoyager]

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/cht-45507?seid=srese1&cm_mmc=pla-google-_-shopping-_-srese1-_-curt-manufacturing&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIotz39eOC2wIVDb7ACh3X5AAHEAYYCCAB EgKmxfD_BwE

Link doesn’t work for me, it goes to some random page that isn’t related at all.

[BonVoyager]

Bon V, after looking at your diagram, looks like I wired mine "wrong".:hmm:>:(
Guess I have some work to do! Thanks man, I needed that! :cheers:

After Googling 5 pin round wiring diagrams, there are different pin locations. Argh...

Ride safe,
Smokier

Yeah, I noticed that too a long time ago.

To be honest, I forgot that I messed up and accidentally put the red and brown wires in each other places when wiring it up and since this isn’t a standard way of wiring a round 5 wire trailer connector like this with using the electric brake location for the brake lights I just left it alone, wired up the other end the same way and made a diagram for myself to make sure I wire up all my other vehicles the same way.

Not like I will be towing anything else with this type of wiring connector with my bike or my vehicles so it doesn’t actually matter, the wires themselves are being used correctly. Everything else I tow with my other vehicles uses the standard flat 4 wire and any other trailer I may tow with my bike will just get wired this way.

I actually have to replace my wire end as I stupidly left it hanging against the ground over the winter and it got corrosion from the snow and mud. I think I will just go and fix my mistake and wire it the way it shows in the right of the picture you posted and just swap the brown and red wire locations as that’s the only thing that is different than the picture.

That picture you posted would be how the vehicle side gets wired as it is a mirror image of my trailer harness picture I posted once I swap red and brown.

[mbarr10]

https://www.amazon.com/CURT-45507-Vertical-Receiver-Mount/dp/B005CC315W

Says summit racing in the Link but I have no clue on the redirect. This one should work. I was wondering if this might clear the rear fender?

[BonVoyager]

https://www.amazon.com/CURT-45507-Vertical-Receiver-Mount/dp/B005CC315W

Says summit racing in the Link but I have no clue on the redirect. This one should work. I was wondering if this might clear the rear fender?

Certainly looks like it will clear the rear fender. I still highly doubt it will be needed. You don’t want the trailer perfectly level, it should ideally be just slightly tilted down, if that can’t be achieved, level at most.

I’m hoping to make a decision here this week and get a hitch ordered up. Still unsure of which way to go.

[BonVoyager]

Well, I bit the bullet and got this hitch straight from their website, it was $14 less than if I bought it from them on eBay, so it cost me $185 shipped.

http://traileretc.com/product/kawasaki-vulcan-voyager-1700-2009-2015-trailer-tow-hitch/

I think McHitch is closed for good and that one from Open Road that I posted a link for would cost me $350 shipped ( they want $50 to ship it!!). Even though I would have preferred to have it mount directly to the frame, I just don’t see the need for it after doing a LOT of research into this. I just haven’t found a single issue with these hitches that mount this way.

I also would have preferred a regular drawbar, but I have an idea for that addition to this hitch, so I’m not worried. What I like the most about this hitch is that it is one piece (well, two pieces when you count the tongue.)