Fitting a Towbar

By tome: May 7, 2007
Topics: Trailer Towing |
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A towbar can be fitted by both the professional and the competent enthusiast alike. If fitting it yourself, please ensure that all instructions are read and understood before starting and that you have the necessary tools to hand.

Before you start
When purchasing a towbar to fit to your vehicle yourself, make sure that you select the correct one. Towbars that are designed to fit individual vehicle chassis precisely, such as those manufactured by Brink, are vehicle specific, for example, the towbar designed for a Saloon model may not fit an Estate of the same model. You must also make your towbar dealer aware of any special features, such as a body kit, which may have been fitted to your car. You MUST ensure that your vehicle is in a proper fit state to accept a towbar - is the chassis corroded? Is it accident damaged? To facilitate fitting it is a good idea to remove the contents of the vehicle boot, including the spare wheel. It may be necessary to remove some of the interior trim to fit the towbar. Remove all retaining clips carefully - in cold weather conditions some clips become brittle and may be damaged on removal. Due to the styling of most of today’s modern vehicles, it is now common practice to remove the bumper before fitting a towbar. if this procedure is not clear and you are unsure how to remove the bumper, refer to the vehicle handbook

Towbar fitting points
In many cases, towbar fitting points will be marked by small dimples in the vehicle panels, which have to be drilled out. Provided a sensible, cautious approach is adopted, drilling holes in vehicle bodywork in order to fit a towbar should not be a major problem. It is wise to drill a small pilot hole first to maintain accuracy. All holes drilled into the vehicle bodywork should ideally be treated with an anti-corrosion compound. Follow the set fitting procedure rigidly. DO NOT tighten any of the fixings at the assembly stage. When all the components are in place they should be tightened to the specified torque settings, starting with the smallest ones first. It is of the utmost importance that you utilise all the vehicle manufacturer’s fitting points; they are there for a purpose!

As well as an electrical test meter and a trailer board if you are fitting an electrical kit at the same time as fitting your towbar, you will need the following: Electric drill, cone cutter, hand saw, torque wrench, torx head socket set, standard socket set - M6 to M16.

Important pointsTowbar Fitting
We have listed the three main and important reasons why your vehicle should never be fitted with a towbar that doesn’t fit to all the manufacturer’s recommended fitting points.

  1. Fitting points are calculated to utilise the optimum strength of the vehicle and to enhance the safety aspect; to not use them - or indeed use other methods - can hinder safety when towing
  2. Fitting points recommended by vehicle manufacturers must be used if unnecessary stresses are to be avoided on the vehicle’s chassis. Brink, for example, manufacturer over 2000 towbar designs - all of which fit precisely to all fitting points.
  3. You may also invalidate your vehicle manufacturer’s warranty if an ‘approved’ towbar is not used. Brink towbars are sold to both vehicle dealers and aftermarket outlets and already meet all required approvals.

Bumper cutting
Your vehicle bumper may be provided with a purpose made panel for this, or may be pre-marked on the inside. Always work from the inside of the bumper and if using a saw, ensure that the teeth on the blade are positioned so as not to cause a bur on the outside which may cause bodywork paint to flake

 

4 Responses to “Fitting a Towbar”

John Says: May 9th, 2007 at 3:21 pm

Great post would Trailer Customs be able to recommend any good tow bar fitters in the Sydney Metro Area?

Dean Says: April 29th, 2008 at 1:20 am

Do you use a specia tool to do the bumper cut?

Tow bars Says: March 17th, 2009 at 5:17 pm

It’s really a very nice blog.
Good Job….

Tony Says: August 12th, 2009 at 2:27 pm

Use masking tape to make a template for the tongue part of the towbar to slip through. Remember you will need to remove the towball to make it fit through the bumper. I use a dremel tool but you can make pilot holes with a big drill bit in each corner then use a hacksaw blade to finish of the cut. Remember to measure twice and cut once. You can always enlarge the hole. You normally only need to do this to late model cars with deep rear aprons or spoiler kits at the rear.

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