why on earth would anyone put a fake towbar on a car. The only thing I can think of is that its a low weight rated towbar with no wiring
helen490,
Jun 6, 9:34pm
to carry bikes
helen490,
Jun 6, 9:35pm
so dont need any wiring
grangies,
Jun 6, 9:35pm
How can a tow bar be fake?
If it's there it's there.
intrade,
Jun 6, 9:35pm
na it becommes legal or illegal with the tow ball for wof
grangies,
Jun 6, 9:37pm
For the difference in price, why not get a fully functional tow bar fitted? \
What type of vehicle do you have?
a.woodrow,
Jun 6, 9:41pm
Think just the tongue, usually held on with just 2 or 4 bolts in the middle. Usually for people who want to put bikes on but unable to fit a normal size towbar.
I saw one on a yaris once, the next owner had tried to carry a load of coal on it not realising. Made quite a mess of the back of the car
a.woodrow,
Jun 6, 9:43pm
Thule make a clip on rear bike rack, they are fairly cheap
Do you mean a towbar without wiring is illegal for a WOF? I was thinking a towbar would be handy on my car for a bike rack as well, and not ever for towing so I was wondering if you can just get a towbar with no wiring, as the wiring could be the expensive part on a new car like mine.
intrade,
Jun 6, 10:29pm
No i mean if you fit a towball to what ever contraption it must meet the towbar standard , if there is no tow ball fitted the same thing will pass the wof. wiring only gets to be a nightmare if you have stability controll. the car needs to know when a trailer is on the back so it can act accordingly chip must be fitted and wired correctly in to the system if you have no stabilty controll then a wiring is easy fitted .
ianab,
Jun 6, 10:40pm
If you got something made up by an engineering shop, that was obviously a bike or luggage rack (no tow ball etc) then it's probably legal. If it looks like a tow ball, then it has to be strong enough to act like one, and have the light fittings etc.
brapbrap8,
Jun 6, 10:42pm
Thanks, I would get a proper towbar installed as bike racks can get relatively heavy and have a lot of torque applied over bumps. Yes my car has stability control and everything else so thats why I think it would be expensive to have the wiring done and I wouldn't need wiring as I have plenty of better tow vehicles to use.
seadubya,
Jun 6, 10:48pm
I think as long as it doesn't have a 1&7/8" or 50mm ball then you would be fine for wofs as it wouldn't be possible to put a trailer on. A tow bar with a hitch that only accepted your bike rack for example. You only get into issues when someone else could mistake it for a towball. A removable tongue style bar with the tongue welded onto a bike rack would be ideal.
bigfatmat1,
Jun 6, 11:39pm
there is no standard unless you have a cof. The only thing for a wof is bolts must be tight and it cant be rusted through or broken
brapbrap8,
Jun 7, 12:44am
Thanks, I'm sure I have even seen bike racks that are actually built off a removable tongue, rather than attaching to a towball which is where some people get it wrong and don't tighten them up enough- sometimes with disastrous results.
tamarillo,
Jun 7, 4:11am
Have one of those bike racks Kaz mentioned, works but hell of a hassle setting it up and I never really feel it's secure. And then can't get to boot without undoing whole thing.
lookoutas,
Jun 7, 5:16pm
What about a couple of tubes mounted from the chassis on each side, and hanging down just below the bumper - as in mounting a dog box. Then modify a bike rack to fit. Far easier and stronger than trying to mount something in the middle. And much more stable.
That clip-on thing wouldn't go anywhere near my paintwork!
helen490,
Jun 7, 9:41pm
thanks. has turned into a good discussion.
fordcrzy,
Jul 9, 8:13pm
ive seen a few bike racks that screw into the tow hook sockets on either side of the bumper. need to remove the plastic bumper caps to access them.
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