How difficult is it to fit a towbar?

[ProDave]

Just make sure when buying a towbar you get the right one for the exact age of your vehicle.

I fitted the towbar on my Subaru Forrester, but I bought the wrong one first time from a 2002 Forester, not reealising my 2004 model was the first of a slightly different design.

the confusion was compounded by the fact the current towbar Witter supply fits ALL models from 2000 onwards, so they obviously modified the design to fit both the old and the new versions. That is what made me think the 2002 one I bought would fit, but it didn't.

So I sold that one and bought the correct one and all was well.

So just double and tripple check if buying a second hand one that it really will fit your car.

 

[neale]

Depends on the car. If you have clever stuff like bulb failure warning lights you may want to get it professionally fitted or at least buy the bespoke wiring kit rather than the cheap generic ones.

I fitted one last weekend to a 2005 Mondeo and it took about 3 hours in total split about half and half between the mechanical and the electrical. I was going to pay to get it done but at £300 compared to a complete new towbar kit at £75, I couldn't justify it.

Google your car and towbar, and you should get some idea about how easy it is to fit.

 

[Avocet]

If your car was first registered after about 1996, it MUST have an "e-marked" towbar (i.e. a type approval number on it (lower case letter "e" followed by a series of numbers). That's a legal requirement nowadays. Also, the car manufacturers are obliged to publish data on the positions of the towbar mounts to the chassis (worth checking your handbook - some of them even put the data in there).

As has been said, electronics are the problem these days. Some cars come ready-rigged with a connector. On others (I think Peugeots are notorious for it) you need a special "CAN interface box" and these can be very expensive. There are various aftermarket CAN interfaces available but I don't know if they do any more than the basic lighting functions. I very much doubt they'd do the Electronic Stability Control stuff!

 

[grumpy_o_g]

Towbar easy, electrics can be a pain. I fitted a removable hook system from Witter to our Galaxy tow car. It has towed several valuable aircraft across France to Spain and has pulled more than a few trailer loads of rubbish, motorcycles and the occasional dinghy about.

It really amused me when I was fitting it in the driveway and a couple of neighbours walked past and asked what I was up to. When I told them there was a look of amazement and a sharp intake of breath. Except of course when the question was asked by those that had seen me laying a new brick driveway, welding up a workbench, changing a 4*4 differential or building the extension at the front of the house.

I'm getting increasingly unpopular with the blokes in the street. Their wives keep asking why they don't do more around the house

Did you know Rod Witter used to fly a Dart 17 out of Cosford? I had to go and get him once as his brand new Rover SD1 didn't have a tow-bar on it yet...

 

[electrosys]

If your car was first registered after about 1996, it MUST have an "e-marked" towbar (i.e. a type approval number on it (lower case letter "e" followed by a series of numbers). That's a legal requirement nowadays.

For cars - which pull relatively lightweight trailers - that's quite correct.

For commercial vehicles - which usually pull much heavier trailers - you can still get the welding kit out and make your own.

More EU madness.

 

[Ubergeekian]

Did you know Rod Witter used to fly a Dart 17 out of Cosford? I had to go and get him once as his brand new Rover SD1 didn't have a tow-bar on it yet...

Rod Witter was behind Lleweni Parc, and is said to have a strong interest in the new Eden Valley operation. He used to write very useful articles on trailer and towbar law and practicalities ("Don't use ant-snaking devices to stop snaking. Use proper balance to stop snaking.") for S&G.

 

[mjcp]

My E39 5 Series estate was pretty straight forward, I went for the removable type. either way the E39 needs a bumper cut AND an inner bumper cut.

There is a dealer available blanking plate for the removable types to cover the left over hole when not in use.

The plastic bumper was pre moulded with cut marks which was nice!

The aluminium internal bumper (under the plastic one) was a pain in the ! to cut but a jig saw worked )

I have girly park and it just beeps all the time in reverse... (I could get a loom for 110 euros)

Single electric was about £300 delivered.

One thing... If you go for a removable one, check the key fits the lock and the bar can be removed BEFORE you remove bumpers and fit it (guess why )


Mine came from Towsure
mjcp