graham wrote:

So, to cut to the chase, has anyone altered one of these hitchs to work
more sanely? If so how did you go about it?

I gave up on the seat-post mounted trail-bikes. It's a poor design, both
for the pilot and the stoker.

I bought a used Burley Piccolo. Six years later I sold it for about $10
less than what I paid for it. The Burley mounting system is much better.

Used Piccolos don't last long on craigslist.