[Closed] DIY Towbar - will i die?

What do you think looks diy about that?

<span style="display: inline !important; float: none; background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: 'Open Sans'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.4px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">What do you think looks diy about that?</span>

The box section with welded plates either side to make it "fit", and (its hard to see in the picture) the plate welded to the end of the box section to fit the flange ball too.

Looks pretty normal to me

The spray job is poor at best... But that should help keep the bolts together?

The spray job is poor at best… But that should help keep the bolts together?

Agreed, and its not mine.

Having used google images I cannot find another one that looks anything like this. Still unsure.

Can you take a picture on something better than a Nokia 3210?  (joking but not joking, you can't see much)

Witter (I think) do a flange detachable towbar (as opposed to a swan neck) maybe look that up to compare.

Not sure what happened to the pic it was fine when the thread started. Heres two more that are hopefully better

And a third

Looks a bit iffy.  Towbar companies make them to fit vehicles, so one for that car will extend far enough to clear the bumper.  Either it'll come with an extender, or it'll fit to begin with.  The question for is whether or not that extender is factory fit or home made.  To be honest, it's plausible that it's legit - how else would a towbar fit?  What car is it, so we can google for towbars and see if that comes up?

I think there's regulation covering this - towbars have to be approved for use, so if this is indeed a bodge job you are opening yourself up to all sorts of insurance related issues I suspect.

FWIW fitting the actual towbar to a car is pretty easy, I did mine and the bar only cost £90 IIRC.  The electrics I paid someone to do... and then they didn't take care which resulted in a chain of events that are well documented on the forum leaving me about three grand out of pocket.. and THEN I ended up having to rip it out anyway and fit my own proper one the day before we were due to go away.. however it wasn't hard to fit the electrics either 🙂

looks about normal for one that is designed to not need a bumper cut out.

It might well be a Witter VL37B:

PS if you are near Manchester, Wigan or Stoke, you could pop over to PF Jones - they are brilliant.

Car is Volvo xc90, googled it myself but cannot find anything that looks similar

This looks similar

Surely the answer is 'no, you won't die'.

The person(s) at risk of severe death are the person(s) in vehicles behind yours when the caravan detaches itself.

The welds do look a bit DIY.. Not sure I'd be happy hauling a caravan around with that.

That could be a DIY job. But that’s a BIG weld from box to plate, you’d need a walloping welder to do that, and it looks strong as ****. Not so impressed with the welds to the spacer plates, but actually they don’t need to be strong as the bolts are doing the work. I reckon it’ll be reet; I’d tow with it, if my real life assessment concurred with my 10 second on the internet assessment...

There should be a rating plate on it somewhere, shouldn't there?

Looks like a legit one to me from the photos.

TBH, that looks like most third party tow bars I've seen - welds always seem to be agricultural, not boutique ti frame. Welds look strong enough, but it looks to have been given a shitty paint job, presumably by someone tarting the car up for sale.

It looks like a manufacturer rating / identification sticker next to the electrical socket in your third picture. You might need to scrape some paint off with a fingernail, but does that give you any more information?

Its an aftermarket towbar, perfectly acceptable, just looks a little more agricultural than a factory fit example.

They tend to powder coat cheap ones and it flakes off very quickly.  The premium aftermarket brands seem to last much better, and use a gloss black.  I've had one of each.

There should be a rating plate on it somewhere, shouldn’t there?

It's on the electrical socket mount.

Looks fine to me.

Looks perfectly ok to me. Your typical aftermarket flange type tow bar. I’ve seen plenty in far worse condition.

It's fine. It's not a swan neck but that is not a problem.

Looks ok to me.

All towbars should have a registration plate with some numbers on.  That shows that it has passed some tests and defines maximum loads.  eg. S-100Kg is the nose load.

It should be visible from outside, but some do get hidden.

But pretty sure it looks fine. Your owners manual should show maximum towing capability.

Some engine transmissions have limited power.  If you are keen then check all the bolts are tight as loosening can be a problem.

Looks OK but cheap. Got a type approval plate and stuff so seems legit.

In any case, you won't die. The guy following you (or overtaking you) might but you will be OK.

Unless you load a caravan with the weight behind the rear axle, then you might die.

So. I went to pick up my caravan yesterday. 3 hour drive, 2 hours inspecting the van and being shown how it all works. Came to hitch it up to tow back home and the towbar electrics dont work. Turns out the cable goes into the boot and is just coiled up behind a panel. Not connected to anything.

I trust the towbar even less now. Who the hell fits a towbar but doesnt bother connecting it up!?!

Who the hell fits a towbar but doesnt bother connecting it up!?!

Someone who just wanted a bike rack perhaps and couldn't be bothered to fix the lights on it?

Is that paint on the towball? If it is, remove it or it'll contaminate your friction pads.

I’m guessing fitting the socket was a step to far for them but as long as the rest is bolted on I can’t see an issue with not trusting it.

But as above get the paint off the ball

my old landrover had a tow bar but no electrics for years as it suited me like that

I wouldn’t trust that tow bar, those welds are shite, they may look tidy-ish but one has a bloody great crater at the end of the weld. That crater should have been spotted in with weld otherwise there’s the possibility of the crack propagating and the weld breaking. Just not worth chancing it mate!

I was hoping for a tow bar made from spoons.... disappointed.

Some people on this thread are far too used to the TIG weld-pron on framebuilders instagram timelines.

It's not some 0.9mm thick 853 tube, it's several mm of bog standard carbon steel, it won't be CrMo, or even the hi-tensile stuff they make BSO's from (that's only for the bolts, and possibly not even all of them). The welds don't need to look pretty. Neither does it need to be particularly 'engineered', yes you could make some nice neat triangulated structure from the towbar to the flange, or use a nice neat forged swan neck.  But when weight really doesn't matter (ie. not a push bike) just sticking a bit of 2"x2"x3/16 box section with a flange on each end will do the job.

If you're worried just check the bolts are done up properly, the correct torque is "absolutely f%&$D B£&^"%:£ tight" plus and 8th, can't remember what that translated to in Nm but it was more than my big torque wrench went to. And sort the electrics out.

Cant find a mobile fitter that isn't booked for the next few weeks, so I have ordered a wiring loom with next day delivery and will have a crack myself. Its a genuine loom so should just plug straight in.

Towed for 3.5 hours today.... i didnt die and neither did anyone else as far as i could tell. Happy days.