towbar

[DaveCool]

Hi.

I have a new towbar which I will be fitting. The problem is I do not want to chop through my bumper, and the design of towbar means I have to.

I want to use the towbar for carrying bicycles, maybe the occasional trailer but never for a caravan.

My idea then, is instead of bolting the towing eye directly to the towbar, as designed, I will make add some strips of strong metal to lower the towing eye, thus running it below my bumper.

Obviously this is not the intention of the design, and probably illegal in my country, but what do you guys think?

If I use strong enough plate, and it is only for 60kg load - should be ok?

Any other ideas around the bumper...

 

[rtbcomp]

I've added your images as attachments because 1) your links didn't work and 2) we prefer not to use external image hosting sites.

 

[mike os]

I thought EC type approval was applicable for this?

Basically I think it would work fine (assuming the ground clearance is OK) but you could still be done for having a non approved/modified towbar.

 

[penfold]

True, but surely that would only be if you actually towed with it? And practically, when was the last time dibble or a VOSA inspector had a shufti at a towbar(at least one that wasn't the cause of an accident...)?

 

[rtbcomp]

True, but surely that would only be if you actually towed with it? And practically, when was the last time dibble or a VOSA inspector had a shufti at a towbar(at least one that wasn't the cause of an accident...)?

A quick read of this thread might be appropiate:-

http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=18941

Apparently VOSA will prosecute on the flimsiest of excuses.

The OP is not UK based, so different rules may apply!

 

[madkayaker]

the bumper cuts are normally not visible adding the plate will change the forces involved as it will increase leverage

 

[brightspark]

any vehicles registred after 1st of august 1998 must be aproved even if not used for towing .otherwise it doesnt comply with the road trafic act. anything before that date is exempt as long as properly constructed . if an acident was caused with a home made tow bar and was badly constructed and caused an acident prosecution would be likely

 

[penfold]

That's tacho law though, they're just after easy pickings who can be heavily fined to plug the black hole in the treasury; the chances of them grovelling on the ground to check for the presence of a CE mark on a towbar assembly are not high(not that I would advocate doing anything dangerous, what the OP proposes would be fine for hanging bikes off). The law on this is pretty farcical; quite what good is done for public safety by forcing Mrs. BurgerVan to install a very expensive tacho is unclear to me. The nature of her business is peripheral to driving; if she ends up in an accident due to tiredness it won't be because she has been behind the wheel too long, therefore nobody is any safer.

 

[the snooper]

in the uk you can legally buy drop plates so they may be available for your towbar

 

[SC_BK]

Legally towbals are also supposed to be a certain height off the ground, possibly why the towbar involves cutting away at the bumper, I doubt you would get into any trouble over it


Why not just do it properly and make the small cut in the bumper, atleast you know it is then safe and legal to tow whatever the car can

 

[oz.]

I'd be worried about the different forces on the bolts more than anything else

 

[Justme]

Here the tow bar is now inspected as part of the MOT as well.

 

[pidgeon chit welder]

Legally tow balls are also supposed to be a certain height off the ground, possibly why the towbar involves cutting away at the bumper, I doubt you would get into any trouble over it


Why not just do it properly and make the small cut in the bumper, at least you know it is then safe and legal to tow whatever the car can

I'd go along with this ... lowering a bar is fine if you have enough clearance when the vehicle is fully laden ... having clearance for bounce of the suspension without up rated suspension / suspension assisters is where I see the difficulties ( shedding cycles all over the road) especially if you have to negotiate " sleeping policemen type speed restrictive bumps in the roar surface.

Also those towbar add on devices look like they are soon to be outlawed due to altering the centres of gravity & therefore the likely to affect the steering of your car as the height of the leverage above the tow ball changes the forces effecting your car will be far different to a simple towed trailer .

Your insurers would undoubtedly invalidate your insurance if they find out, for I believe that as of some three years ago throughout the EEC , a tow bar of a registered and fully tested design applicable to an individual vehicle model is all that is allowed for towing on the public highway.

I also understand that UK wide enforcement of this is starting to take place .


So unless you have the 100,000 Euros or more to get your design fully tested and registered as TUV & C.E. compliant etc I'd chop the tiny bit out the rear valance.

I'm getting a brand new Kia Sedona automatic on Friday 23 rd and I encountered the same problem ... there will be a strip of the rear plastic valance removed about 100mm long by 40 mm into the plastic .... it will not normally show , when I get rid of the vehicle the bar will go with it for it looks likely that damage will occur to the valance if I try and remove it .

( Well that's how things pan out on my present contract hired KIA which is five years old , all bolts & screws are well rusted in and removal time is estimated at 3 hours work so I'm told.)

Whilst I have been checking out possible tow bars I found several different companies with compliant designs ..for me Witter gave the best fitting and least material needing removal, the hire company said they will accept the Witter tow bar as an attachment .

I'd have a real good look on line to see what's available before making any firm decisions you might find that one of the removable swan neck designs is just what you want and that there is no need to remove any plastic .

I will also add that my UK hire company have said that the tow bar electrics must be of the latest plug in to the main harness towing socket plug type fitting and not the old blue scotch blocks or crimps that used to be the normal way to connect the trailer electrical sockets to the wiring on the cars as they will invalidate the warranty .

I'm going to buy /build PDQ a simple trailer to drag our cycles around ..at present I have a simple home made three cycle carrier rack that I bolt and clamp fit it into my existing 500 kg trailer , it overhangs by 480 mm at the rear of the trailer body .

I then use ratchet strap tiedown devices to hold all three cycles upright in place & use the existing lighting board off the tailboard on the rear end of the carrier frame.

I have put a standard trailer electrics socket on the back of the trailer at the side so I can plug in /remove the lighting board at the rear end of the trailer.

 

[DaveCool]

Thanks for the useful information.

I think we all agree that for carrying a bike, engineering wise this is no problem. The issue is a legal one and although I have no big issue if it was just a fine (if they even bother) I do have a problem when we talk about invalidating insurance. So I won't do it.

I do have another idea though. How about I leave off the towing eye, and instead make a bracket which fastens the bike rack direct to the towbar structure. There is then no talk of a real towbar, it is just a bike rack fastened to the back of the car. Does anyone know if there are legal issues with how a bike rack is fastened, are bike racks also tested and certified?

There is a different design towbar (swan-neck type) which does negate cutting a hole, but that was several hundred pounds more expensive and I already have this one and wheres the challenge in that?

Thanks so far

 

[mike os]

Same rules apply I am afraid

 

[pidgeon chit welder]

The bike rack is not passed as a legal modification so would cause you insurance probs and also most likely construction & design legislation infringements .


If you think of it when it states a tow bar will take say 80 kg max loading you would still need to see what the actual loading at the tow bar of your car is. Most cars fall far short of the tow bar rating to be about 50 kg max.

I have a chunky Kia Sedona 7 seater MPV it has a big rear axle & rear suspension loading capacity , in my case the rating of the bar and the suggested car max loading are both 80kg.

Three cycles plus associated frame metal work rack , would I suspect take you way over 80 kg in any case and it would be well above the centres of gravity & the momement about a force point designs of the designiated tow ball height /protusions etc so it would affect your steering tremendously by making it rather light and tend to induce an undulating fore & aft motion to your car..

 

[fran9r]

Slightly different question...how would you stand with a kitcar, or the Haynes lotus 7. Would the 'towbar' be considered part of the chassis, therefore just requiring an approved towball? It seems odd an approved towbar would be required on a one off chassis...that wasen't tested itself.

 

[mike os]

Chassis design is usually pre-approved for kits, (afaik) and needs to go for a full test anyway before use. I would guess that either type approval or full design/spec/test required for one off towbar

 

[DaveCool]

Thanks a lot for all the useful info

I'll let you know when I get the courage to chop as great big dirty hole in my lovely shiny bumper...

 

[pidgeon chit welder]

Thanks a lot for all the useful info

I'll let you know when I get the courage to chop as great big dirty hole in my lovely shiny bumper...

Have a couple of glasses of Bols and away you go , post before & after pictures please