How easy is it to fit your own towbar?

[fordperv]

Iirc that's only because of the route of the exhausts though because you can't fix the towbar to the manufacturer approved fitting points, this means it doesn't meet the C&U regulations, cars after 1998 must have a type approved tow bar fitted to comply to C&U regulations

[twosmoke300]

And a lot of hybrids

[cort1977]

Out of interest, has anyone ever got in trouble for not complying that C&U regulation?   Seems like something even a VOSA check would be unlikely to pick up.

 

In the US some cars are not rated to tow but the identical European versions are approved, a conspiracist might think that was to help truck sales...

[beko1987]

 

These guys made it look easy!

[UltraWomble]

Ive (me personally lying on the driveway) fitted towbars to:

Fista Mk3

Laguna Mk1

ZX

AX

Xantia

Berlingo 

C8

Zafira

Micra K11

 

All were aftermarket jobbies by various firms, though Towsure were the most commonly used as there is a bloke in Warrington knocking them out for £NorraLot

 

And if a Mechanical Gibbon like me can fit them Im damn sure you can. Electrics were courtesy of Mr ScotchLock (The Zafira and C8 have had to have an additional box of frogs installed to compensate for the multiplexed wiring, but were also a piece of piss to install 12S sockets to because of the same).

 

Has anyone mentioned 12N, 12S and Euro 13 pin electrics to you yet?

[sierraman]

A lot of small cars cannot be fitted with a towbar again under construction and use. I'm talking really small stuff though. In any case you wouldn't fit a Citroen C1 with some twin electrics for towing a twin axle would you?

[Taff]

Audi TT can't be fitted with one either

[UltraWomble]

A lot of small cars cannot be fitted with a towbar again under construction and use. I'm talking really small stuff though. In any case you wouldn't fit a Citroen C1 with some twin electrics for towing a twin axle would you?

Ive seen Mini's with them and 2CV6's too

 

 

- I was looking for the Fiesta and came across the 1.3 Maestro - forgot about that

Used to pull a trailer tent with it. Fiesta just sneaking into shot there.

EDIT:

Just fitted - electrics were on a fly lead in the boot keeping dry.

 

Towing with something small:

[sierraman]

All pre 98 stuff. Years ago you could tow with anything. Of course a Maestro would be ok with something light but the clutch, engine etc would be fucked in no time pulling something any bigger than a small caravan.

[forddeliveryboy]

2cvs are extraordinarily good trailer-pullers, given their low weight - provided you don't take the piss and ask it to pull a caravan with all the air resistance they create. The brakes are more than up to it, the suspension and rear axle location is very strong and the engine torquey, for its size. I once tried pulling a trailer with a 106 which I'd pulled with a deuche and was amazed at how the trailer knocked the 106 about, to the point you travelled more slowly than in the ancient snail.

 

Their OE towbars are mahooosive things, vertical load is taken by the bumper mount holes on the back of the chassis and the pulling load is taken by a big tube which runs forwards all the way to the rear axle mounts.

[Jon]

I suppose I should 'fess up here and say that the 205 now sports a tow bar, as someone on a local forum offered one free and I thought it'd be useful for my bike rack. However, I'd like to rig up some electrics, so I can tow our very light weight trailer to the local tip once in a while. Unfortunately, I'm a ditherer who needs to ask the advice of others instead of just getting on with the bloody job, so any advice as to what is actually required to wire up a tow bar? Is it just a case of soldering in wires from the connections to the tail lights? Any relays etc. involved? We have 7 pin plugs over here as below, though I'll only need indicators, brake and tail connections of course.

 

 

[UltraWomble]

Just scotclock a 12N socket to the wires at the back of your tail lights. You are supposed to put an audible warning device in that beeps when the trailer indicators are flashing, but I dont bother on the grounds that Im deaf and cant hear them anyway.

[KruJoe]

NO! to the "scotclock"!

 

 

Ive seen Mini's with them and ... the 1.3 Maestro ..

I made my own towbar for my first Mini from bits of scrap (no welds, just bolted together), which I later removed and adapted for the 1.3 Maestro. I hauled all sorts with that, a brill car.

[panhard65]

I don't know why there is so much hatred for the poor old scotchlock. Yes they are a bit crap but they do the job and as long as they are fitted correctly and the wiring is tucked up nice and secure and dry there is no reason for them to give trouble. I haven't used them in years mind, but for a quick fix there is nowt wrong with them

[Taff]

I don't know why there is so much hatred for the poor old scotchlock. Yes they are a bit crap but they do the job and as long as they are fitted correctly and the wiring is tucked up nice and secure and dry there is no reason for them to give trouble. I haven't used them in years mind, but for a quick fix there is nowt wrong with them

 

I've usually got a few kicking about in the toolbag in the car. Handy for roadside repairs, I find.

 

Then I usually forget to do the job properly when I get home