Make sure you check your towbar

[Revs1972]

Remember as a kid , we were on holiday in North Wales when a van pulling a huge plush looking boat drove past. Everyone was looking at it , then as the van went round the roundabout, the boat decided on a more direct route and ended up with itself and the van on its side. What a waste

 

[julianf]

I had a trailer come off on the M25.

I was about 1.5hrs into the trip. Had been on bumpy country roads right at the start of the trip, then A roads, and it had survived all that, but on the smooth M25, somehow, it came off.

I was in the slow lane. The break away cable didn't break and I ended up dragging the trailer a short way by the cable itself.

Jumped out all adrenalin fueled and lifted it back onto the hitch. Drove real cautiously until I could check it (as in better than I could on the hard shoulder). Then drove real cautiously the rest of the 4hr trip.

I still don't know how it happened. Damn lucky escape though.

 

[R-D-R]

Check your towbar especially if it’s a removable one some of them can be awkward to lock and some develop slop and play. Just as important though is to double check your hitching I have caught Mrs RDR twice not hitching correctly once with no breakaway and the other the trailer not on locked down on the ball it would have jumped off as she went down the road !

 

[Migmac]

I have had one trailer come off. I hadn’t put it on correctly, trailer hitch was just sitting on top of the ball. The break away worked perfectly when the trailer eventually came off. Never done it again, I always give the hitch one last push down with my foot to make sure it’s properly in place.

 

[bert]

My Focus has a removable witter tow bar and last year towing my caravan on the a34 I had to brake a bit hard and the caravan rear ended the car. When I got out the tow bar had one out of the housing. It had been in there for 2 years and is done a few thousand miles of towing with it.

Fortunately not much damage but I won't tow with it anymore and bought a galaxy with a fixed tow bar.

 

[bricol]

Ahh but what happens if the whole towbar comes off?
Tbh I don't have much faith in the brake away cable either and tend to use chains.

Theres a thread on the garage journal forum - American hitch which has 3/8 thick side plates to secure it to truck chassis had simply rusted through! So even chains wouldn't have helped much.

 

[tlovatt]

There are some vehicles with known problems, my fathers Discovery had to have part of the rear cut out so a new socket could be welded in. It was only 3 years old and he tows occasionally, the tow bar had developed a lot of play (but you have to be quite firm when checking them to discover it) but having done some research it was happening to a lot of them. Great design, the mounting bracket was welded to the vehicle in the factory making it very difficult to replace and the breakaway wire mounted to the tow bar so if the tow bar fell out (which there seems to be quite a number of cases of) there is nothing to stop the trailer going on its merry way.

 

[Greeves246]

What happened to the proposed legislation to add trailers and caravans to the MOT list? Prompted by a number of caravan crashes caused by out of date and perished tyres I believe.

 

[daleyd]

A LR lost a trailer like this on a busy street in Bristol a few years back.
Took a 3 yr old out of his mother’s hand and killed him.

As you say, check your towbar.

Anyone into motorbikes from the 80’s/early 90’s may remember Leon Moss, the owner/founder of LEDAR tuning shop, who did a lot of work with Performance Bikes magazine back in those days. He was sadly killed when a trailer became unhitched and hit the car he was travelling in.

 

[Melvyn Best]

Ford Ranger pick up trucks have the exhaust gases blasting directly onto the tow bar causing them to corrode through, I’ve replaced a couple both owned by farmers that towed regularly , modified the exhausts with a simple bend. Tow bars and the mounting areas are now part of the MOT which is how they were spotted , unfortunately trailers and caravans aren’t yet tested

 

[fizzy]

There are some vehicles with known problems, my fathers Discovery had to have part of the rear cut out so a new socket could be welded in. It was only 3 years old and he tows occasionally, the tow bar had developed a lot of play (but you have to be quite firm when checking them to discover it) but having done some research it was happening to a lot of them. Great design, the mounting bracket was welded to the vehicle in the factory making it very difficult to replace and the breakaway wire mounted to the tow bar so if the tow bar fell out (which there seems to be quite a number of cases of) there is nothing to stop the trailer going on its merry way.

I don't believe it is just some vehicles. I don't trust ANY of the plug in tow bars. And the Land Rover ones are built in Germany by the same people who make them for many other companies.
It's just Land Rover tend to be used a lot more for towing!

 

[TechnicAl]

I don't believe it is just some vehicles. I don't trust ANY of the plug in tow bars. And the Land Rover ones are built in Germany by the same people who make them for many other companies.
It's just Land Rover tend to be used a lot more for towing!

Havent LR recalled their detachables

 

[fizzy]

Havent LR recalled their detachables

Yes they have. But it isn't theirs. Made by Thule
Effects Audi and anyone else using the same make.
I don't trust them or the swan neck style either. Very flimsy looking.
The problem is LR are called on a lot more to do heavy towing than most of the other makes.

 

[anto]

I am glad I went with a bolt on one now instead of the detachable that is available!

 

[Seadog]

Anyone into motorbikes from the 80’s/early 90’s may remember Leon Moss, the owner/founder of LEDAR tuning shop

I remember Leon, he used to grind Gold Star cams for us and also built me a pair of CI/CE cams for my G85 engine. A really nice chap, a real "boffin" and called "Merlin Moss" in Ogri's strip.

I knew he'd been killed in a car accident but didn't know the circumstances until now.

 

[daleyd]

I remember Leon, he used to grind Gold Star cams for us and also built me a pair of CI/CE cams for my G85 engine. A really nice chap, a real "boffin" and called "Merlin Moss" in Ogri's strip.

I knew he'd been killed in a car accident but didn't know the circumstances until now.

I remember reading his obituary in PB at the time. He seemed a very talented guy and was a regular contributor to PB and it's predecessor Motorcycle Mechanics, they had some great technical articles back then with guys like John Robinson. I think it was a horse box that caused the accident IIRC.

 

[clift_d]

I vigorously check mine on a regular basis
View attachment 206862

You can imagine the graphic designer / illustrator really in stitches putting that page together for the manual.

 

[indy4x]

There are some vehicles with known problems, my fathers Discovery had to have part of the rear cut out so a new socket could be welded in. It was only 3 years old and he tows occasionally, the tow bar had developed a lot of play (but you have to be quite firm when checking them to discover it) but having done some research it was happening to a lot of them. Great design, the mounting bracket was welded to the vehicle in the factory making it very difficult to replace and the breakaway wire mounted to the tow bar so if the tow bar fell out (which there seems to be quite a number of cases of) there is nothing to stop the trailer going on its merry way.

There is a LR recall to test your removable hitch, if it fails or you tow big loads they replace it with a fixed tow bar

Always use the factory recovery eye on the rear of my D3 to attach the breakaway cabke

 

[indy4x]

My mate drives class 1's, he was stuck on the outside lane with the air brakes locked on the trailer and was underneath trying to free them off. While under there he spots an Ivor Williams coming towards him not attached to anything and hits the back of his trailer. Transit stops to try and hitch up the runaway trailer only to find the tow ball bracket had broken away from the tow bar

 

[Migmac]

Ford Ranger pick up trucks have the exhaust gases blasting directly onto the tow bar causing them to corrode through, I’ve replaced a couple both owned by farmers that towed regularly , modified the exhausts with a simple bend. Tow bars and the mounting areas are now part of the MOT which is how they were spotted , unfortunately trailers and caravans aren’t yet tested

I drive a Ranger with a trailer on everyday, never had an issue with any of my tow bars. One to watch for and another possible problem to add to my list of why I don’t like my Ranger