Receiver tow bar availability?

[bones]

I have looked high and low but can't find a receiver type tow bar for my 120, question is anyone else know if they are available in the UK? I spotted a picture of one on ebay but then found out that the tow bar isn't the one they were advertising

 

[DH.120]

Never used a receiver type hitch, but would have thought a standard tow bar could be fitted but instead of mounting the ball hitch to the mounting plate you could mount something like this

 

[Steve Wright]

The reason you don't get them in the UK is they are not type approved, the nearest you get is a detachable, and thats not always
what you want

 

[AndyCook]

You can use them on UK pickups though, commercial vehicles don’t have the type approved restrictions.
ive got an ARB rear bumper on my Hilux with receiver hitch.

 

[Shayne]

Its illegal to pour a beer before its paid for as well , buy the bits and take your standard towbar to a welder .

 

[Tractionman]

But it still wont be type approved, more like home made ?

 

[Shayne]

Has anyone ever been asked to provide that ?

It might be an issue if it failed, but other than that who actually cares ?

"I dunno it was on there when i bought it mate"

 

[Steve Wright]

Like you I don't really care as long as it stays on when towing, but I suspect it will be checked on a MOT, in fact I thought they were supposed
to check out the wiring on tow bars, but I have never heard of any one having there's checked.
I had mine fitted when I bought the car new but then fitted a adjustable Drop plate

 

[David]

They only check 13 pin wiring on a MOT

 

[SteveJB]

Get the hitch rubber cover and remove tow hitch for mot time as long as you are happy that it's properly fitted and unlikely to detach under load it might get scrutinised by vosa if they do a traffic stop anytime in the future then you better have a great explanation prepared as to why it was fitted when you became the owner of the truck

 

[Tractionman]

Accredited towbars have a plate attached, stating type approval, weights etc.
I care, as welding other bits and bobs, i.e. modifying a compliant towbar to make it something else can lack that safety element that has been engineered into a towbar that left the factory in its proper design. Thats why towbar manufacturers invest a lot of money in design, construction, equipment and testing to a rigorous standard. Gone are the days when 1 man and his dog welded a bit of scrap angle iron together. I don't want a trailer on the wrong side of the road unattached, because a modified towbar broke meeting me head on, you may think different.
Ignorance is no excuse as far as the law is concerned, whether in a roadside check or an accident, the owner/driver is responsible. "Dunno nuffink about it, it was on there when I bought it," would be an interesting defence.

 

[SteveJB]

I don't think different even the pin on 44 tonne trucks fail mainly due to drivers Banging under the trailer and then do a quick snatch forward to make sure it's engaged the jaws on a fifth wheel plate snap shatter brake and how much R and D have gone into them if you read what I have written above you will see that some heavy explanation would have to be done if stopped by vosa they would more than likely tell the user to get out and lock the vehicle rightly so and send for a recovery truck Holiday Over my son the fact that you can buy almost anything on the intershop does not make it legal in the UK but I Now wonder how many 2 inch receiver hitches are Legally on the UK road network
Me I'm happy with my 40mil towing eye and 2 inch ball hitches they work well so no need to change them and like you mention they all got makers marks stamped or attached err on the side of caution Not even sure if they are legal for bike racks

 

[Shayne]

I looked into doing it a long time back and i vaguely recall it being legal to do on my 1997 truck but not my 2001 truck .

Personally I have never seen a professional welder repair anything less than twice as strong as it originally was .

 

[bones]

I made my own when I had my Terrano and at the time wasn't towing anything more than a ton. I can weld that is not a problem, I modded the roll cage in my Chevette and it was passed by the MSA and have welded thick and thin metal so no worries there. I just would prefer to buy a ready to go tried and tested tow bar just in case the worst happens, I think I'll just have to buy a quick release one and forget about the receiver one. As for M.O.T that isn't a problem at all as we don't have them on the island.

 

[bones]

Shayne you're not wrong, generally when I am making things at work I have to make it twice as strong as it needs to be. It needs to be strong or the clowns will wreck it!

 

[karl2000]

As for M.O.T that isn't a problem at all as we don't have them on the island.

Interesting - Do you have an equivalent, or is it a free for all?

 

[Shayne]

If you crash you will be battered by the m.o.t people even if you were driving a brand new car . Anything obvious will see you stopped by police .

 

[bones]

Pretty much what Shayne said.
Look after your car and it will look after you.

 

[Shayne]

Bare in mind

"In 2014/15 there was an average of 697 litres of road fuel consumed per licenced vehicle on
the island. Road fuel includes both petrol and diesel sales".

Curiosity got me about 1827 litres as a UK average .

If your drove every single road on the island , which would likely take you a week or 2 you would cover 688 miles .

 

[Tractionman]

Welding skills aside, it matters not if you're a deep sea coded welder, the point you all seem to miss is, the fact remains that modifying a purpose built towbar negates any purpose design and build strength and mount issues applied. By altering a design which is then not compliant, and has not had load/stress factors calculated, there is a strong and inherant risk that other parts of the towbar could fail or compromise mounting points that were factored in at the start, so could even damage the tow vehicle. It's not just about raw pulling power. Once bits are welded There is not the opportunity to remove, come mot if it's an issue. There is also an insurance issue to consider, were something to go tits up.
To say things like, I don't care, know nothing about it, it was on there when I got it, as long as it looks strong and does the job is ludicrous from a safety or legal point view, but there we are.
Good luck with your choice bones. 'Nuff said.