A HISTORY OF HITCHES
Tow hitches must have been around since soon after August Fruehauf built the first semi-trailer to transport an inland built boat behind a converted model “T” Ford to the nearest sea-port.
Given the length of time that ball type hitches have been used in heavy duty transport in South Africa (more than twenty years), it is surprising that European manufacturers took so long to realize the advantages of this type of hitch, when we already have about more than six thousand in operation on our roads.
Changes in the SA road ordinance, designed to favour the use of Interlinks and single truck/semi-trailer combinations, caused considerable shrinkage in the overall hitch market, but ball hitches have continued to rapidly increase market share.
Ball hitches used in this country can be categorized into two distinct types:
- Where the “ball” is mounted on the drawn vehicle, or pup trailer.
- Where the “ball” is mounted on the drawing vehicle, or the semi-trailer, in the case of a combination of three vehicles.