How easy is it to fit your own towbar?

[stripped fred]

My next purchase needs to have a towbar to pull my old shite caravan as it refuses to die. I therefore have to limit my car choices to those already fitted with one and that means they could have had a harder life. I could pay to get one fitted but if it's not too hard I could fit one myself. Has anyone done their own before? How hard are the electrics to do?

[Junkman]

 

How easy is it to fit your own towbar?

 

It's as easy as it is to fit somebody else's towbar (Disclaimer: Not a hint!).

[Mr_Bo11ox]

I've fitted loads, its pretty simple. some cars are even pre-wired so you just can plug a little wiring connector straight in and not need to do any actual wiring. Buy a secondhand towbar off the bay for £30-40.

[panhard65]

Most modern cars will have the holes there ready to fit the towbar so should be pretty easy the only snag can be if the bumper needs to be cut. I have seen some with the template marked on the inside of the bumper which makes it dead easy. I have fitted a few and they are all pretty straight forward, probably best to go for new rather than secondhand as at least you will have instructions.

[fordperv]

I've only ever fitted one towbar and that was to a sierra, that was really easy to be fair

[dollywobbler]

The wiring is a piece of piss, even if you do it properly with a soldering iron rather than those shitty scotchlocks. The trickiest bit is getting the volume right on the legally-required buzzer. The one on the XM is pretty buried somewhere, so I can hear it, but it doesn't drive me to murder.

 

EDIT - I think it's still legal if you have a dashboard tell-tale light for the indicators, but is much more faff to do.

[stripped fred]

Thanks for the replies. That gives me some confidence to have a go. Cheers.

[cort1977]

I have done it a couple of times, on a Haynes spanner scale it's a 2.  

[Pillock]

I had a 1.0 Polo that had a light on the dash specifically for an indicator repeater for a trailer. That was a bit ambitious with 50bhp.

[Andrew353w]

I've always fitted (well, had one fitted, to be precise!) to every car I've had, as I think it's a useful addition to the car and has been a deal-breaker when selling them on. As I do quite a bit of recovery I need it for the "A" frame, too! 

 

The indicator buzzer is useful and I've also fitted a "warning, vehicle reversing!" audible warning to the reversing circuit when I'm towing. 

 

I wouldn't feel completely happy fitting one myself, but luckily I live a mile or so from G.T. Towing in Potters Bar, who charge a reasonable amount for fitting & sell all sorts of bits & pieces for towing!

[mouseflakes]

I made two tow bars, one for each of my old mk1 Hiaces. Lots of angle iron, bolted and welded together. I probably reduced my towing capacity as the 'bars themselves added so much to the total 'train' weight . Fitting them was probably easier than on a car - easy access under the vans - so a lot of the effort might depend on the type of vehicle? I did weld strengthening 'tubes' through the chassis members to pass the bolts through (so they didn't crush the chassis when tightened) - but I guess not required when you have fitting points already built-in. Wiring was simple enough - I had to add one of those 'buzzer' things as I recall.

[worldofceri]

It's so easy even I can do it.

 

I always omit the buzzer when wiring in the indicators (OMG ILLEGAL) because they're really annoying and who's going to know?

 

There's a couple of Ebay sellers hawking pukka new towbars so cheaply it's hardly worth the potential extra hassle of getting a second-hand one.  Only bought a preloved towbar once and, having found the instructions online, found there were a couple of spreader plates missing from where it bolted into the boot.  Fitted it without them in the end as figured I wasn't going to tow anything particularly heavy.

[stephen01]

have fitted one to my escort van many years ago, but with 55hp it was never going to tow anything massive was it!

[RayMK]

Stating the obvious - avoid vehicles with a rear, central exhaust. 

 

I've only fitted towbars to Renaults many years ago (12 and 20).  Both were straightforward because no fiddling with plastic bumpers was required.

 

P.S.  Regarding omitted buzzers and 'who's going to know,'  isn't that a new check on MOTs i.e. if a towbar and sockets are fitted, it has to meet the legal requirements and work?

[worldofceri]

The new-fangled 13 pin type connections are testable but an old-skool 7-pin setup is invisible to your mot man.

[KruJoe]

(Fred, can I take this chance to say "THANK YOU" for correctly using your question marks? So many thread titles these days have either extraneous or AWOL question marks. Ta! )

 

Carry on. 

[worldofceri]

Shit!

 

It's the question mark police!

 

Hope they haven't got the CORRECT USE OF CAPS Bureau in tow.

[KruJoe]

Ha ha yes!

PS: a couple of tow bar tips...

 

If you do buy a second hand one, go and remove it yourself if possible, so you can save every nut, bolt, washer, spacer, spreader plate, and so on. Bolt them together in order so you don't forget where they go. Also, you can trace the wiring right back to the car's look, and even snip out a bit of that too, so you can easily see where to SOLDER it back into your own loom.

Do check ebay for new ones before you set off though... I recently bought a new and very comprehensive kit for the Estima from there, it was only £80 delivered.

 

While your soldering iron is hot, you can carefully cut the notch out from the bottom of your bumper with it, if you need to. Like a hot (slow) knife through butter.

 

One more idea, if you're afraid your new electrics plug will suffer from getting wet, keep it in the boot! Maybe on about a two or three foot extra length, coiled up in a cubby, or under the carpet, it can dangle out of the boot if you need it. This works well on the electrics I did for Will's 205. 

[twosmoke300]

Just to echo what DW said

 

DONT USE FUCKING SCOTCHLOKS

[KruJoe]

Aye, they're the work of the devil.

[worldofceri]

I've always used sk*tchl*cks and I'm still alive.  And all my indicators still flash too, whether I can hear them or not.

[alf892]

If it is a proper car it is simple.

 

Drill rear bumper and bolt hook on using a bar between the bumper irons

[stripped fred]

Great replies and all pretty positive! I will now approach any potential towbar lacking shite car with new found confidence.

[twosmoke300]

I've always used sk*tchl*cks and I'm still alive. And all my indicators still flash too, whether I can hear them or not.

So is it Dubai or Nevada you live in again ?😄

[chodweaver]

Fitted a new Witter towbar a couple of years ago to what was Mrs CW's and is now my daily drive 55 Fiesta. Making the bumper tidy was the most fiddly bit, but apart from that, easy. And the wiring's never played up either, on account of my throwing the supplied scotchloks in the bin.

[Grundig]

I found this guide quite helpful when fitting/wiring my towbar 

 

http://www.ringautomotive.co.uk/files/mydocs/RCT100%20Towing%20Kit%20Instructions%20LATEST.pdf

[Richard]

I used second hand scotchlocks on my towbar and nobody died. There is nothing wrong with the principle, it's widely used in telecoms.

[KruJoe]

So that's why our internet is so bloody unstable here!

[forddeliveryboy]

I've always looked out for OE towbars, secondhand. The last one cost a tenner, another was 20 Both came with fittings, such was the anality of the vendors! On cars I've fitted them to, you've simply use existing captive nuts - often the bumper attachments. Quicker and easier than drilling holes, than trying to stretch one arm into the wheel well and the other underneath to locate a nut on the bolt. and I've noticed there's less transfer of noise and vibration too, which can make a difference if you do a lot of towing.

[sierraman]

Be careful as some cars cannot be fitted with a towbar Mondeo ST220 being an example. It's just not type approved for lugging