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 7, 2:34am
to carry bikes
helen490,
Jun 7, 2:35am
so dont need any wiring
grangies,
Jun 7, 2:35am
How can a tow bar be fake?
If it's there it's there.
intrade,
Jun 7, 2:35am
na it becommes legal or illegal with the tow ball for wof
grangies,
Jun 7, 2:37am
For the difference in price, why not get a fully functional tow bar fitted? \
What type of vehicle do you have?
a.woodrow,
Jun 7, 2:41am
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 7, 2:43am
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 7, 3:29am
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 7, 3:40am
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 7, 3:42am
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 7, 3:48am
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 7, 4:39am
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, 5:44am
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, 9:11am
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, 10:16pm
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 8, 2:41am
thanks. has turned into a good discussion.
fordcrzy,
Jul 10, 1:13am
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.
Since the public registrations are closed, you must have an invite from a current member to be able to register and post in this thread.
Have an account? Login here.