What towbar (for fitting a rack to)?

Planning on getting a tow-bar rack this year for my C-Max. But i know my missus won’t want the tow-bar on all the time.
So what are the best options for quick-release folding/removable tow bars, and racks to go on them?

Speak to the folks at Stanley tow bars (actually in Chester le Street). They know their stuff and offer a very efficient and reasonable fitting service IME.

Retractable you may be stuck with Ford’s own.

I have a Maxxrax carrier which comes with a backplate you bolt behind the towball. Since I don’t tow anything I left the ball off which makes it slightly less intrusive. Keep an eye out in the Wentworth car park for a yucky blue Passat and have a peek 🙂

cheers Paul, I’ll look out for it.

I want a rack that the bikes sit on their wheels on, not hang from the top tube. My missus is only little so her bikes are tiny. Had a right pain in the past trying to thread her old 13.52 Mount Vision onto a hanging carrier.

Don’t mind the idea of bolting onto the tow-plate. Little bit of faff, but potentially best value for money…

i know my missus won’t want the tow-bar on all the time.

You what? Why ever not? It’s not as though it’s spoiling a beautifully designed supercar……

IIRC some racks won’t clamp properly on swan neck tow bars, which is why I specced a standard bolt on ball for our Focus. Less than £200 fitted for a Witter bar and electrics

Peter – our driveway is very short. With a towbar on the car its going to be a shin-basher to get around the car.

I have a witter removable tow bar, it was fitted by sounds alarming (I think)in Byker. I use it with a Altera Strada 3 bike rack bought from Roofbox.co.uk. It is a superb set up, easy to fit and very stable. Even more important when the tow hitch is removed you can’t tell there is bar on the car.

Grim

ive got a standard bolt on “flang” towbar from towequipe on the family car. the flange the towball bolts onto is bolted onto the main unit with 2 bolts just under the bumper so whilst its not quick release it is removeable of sorts. it was less than £100 so the extra effort is worth it considering a proper removeable is at least 3 times the price.
my thule euroclassic was a bit wobbly on the standard towball but upgrade to an Alko one sorted that for £10

We get a Thule 3 bike carrier that mounts a treat on to a removable Witter. I will now not go back to a non removable tow bar as it is great not to get sore shins/knees when you forget about the fixed tow bar. As with caravans that use the tow ball to stop snaking ensure the the tow ball is clean of paint and grease and rack should mount and stay in place fine IME.

You may find a standard flange towbar (with the two bolts) will very low profile when there is no towball installed. (you don’t need the towball if you get a bolt on rack)

If you still think it’ll be a shin basher, I think Witter do a ‘flange detachable’ rather than the normal swan neck style, but it does cost a bit more.

From what I’ve seen, the racks that clamp onto the ball can gouge the towball, ruining it for towing purposes.

Here you go: This car has a normal flanged towbar. The silver bump plate is only a few millimetres from the bumper, which means the towbar itself minus the towball and bump plate are as near as flush to the bumper. So the only protrusion you will have is whatever bike rack mounting hardware is left bolted to the towbar, and the electric plug although normally this can be bent back so it doesn’t stick out. The electric socket in the pic is the supplementary socket for a caravan which you won’t have, the black socket for the lights is on the other side and normally a few cm’s lower down, giving a bit more space to bend it back.

Try the company below. Quite good on price for supply only or install.
http://www.hedley-towbars.co.uk/fordc-max.htm

yesterday Audi quoted me £1400 to supply and fit a tow bar to an A4 😯

http://www.pfjones.co.uk/c-max-2007-2010-detachable-tow-bar.html

I have a non-detachable swan neck towbar on my A4. Works absolutely perfectly with a thule ride-on rack.

I got quotes from indespension in redhill to fit a similar towbar, then got a pfjones quote which was contracted to a ‘local fitter’ – the quote was about half the price, and the local fitter turned out to be indespension in redhill.

Dave

I think I paid £160 for mine from Stanley Towbars. Took them 1hr to fit it, all fully guaranteed, etc.

Local garage (Paul Robbie, who’s ace btw) advised ‘towsecure’ who quoted £220 I think.

Westfalia removable Towbar £210 fitted at Towequipe. It’s the swan neck style and when removed is totally invisible unless you want to get under the car. I use a Thule Euroclassic with it. Towbar, rack and bikes can be fitted in less than 10 minutes including getting them out of the garage. Not the cheapest kit but not seen or used anything better

I just went on Witter wesbsite, they want £532 to fit a detachable flange ball to a Volvo. That right?

Looking at Thule Rideon 3-Bike as the carrier, anyone had one?