Breakaway cable with detachable tow bar

[Turnbacktime]

Our car has a detachable tow bar. What is the recommended/legal way to attach a breakaway cable? As obviously just looped around the tow bar doesn’t cover a problem with the tow bar. There is nowhere on the chassis that the cable can loop round.
the instructor on my towing course said he used a shackle through a hole on the chassis and looped the breakaway through that. But a risk that could work loose. Others seem to say just loop round the tow bar.
what do others do with a detachable tow bar?

 

[Buckman]

Our car has a detachable tow bar. What is the recommended/legal way to attach a breakaway cable? As obviously just looped around the tow bar doesn’t cover a problem with the tow bar. There is nowhere on the chassis that the cable can loop round.
the instructor on my towing course said he used a shackle through a hole on the chassis and looped the breakaway through that. But a risk that could work loose. Others seem to say just loop round the tow bar.
what do others do with a detachable tow bar?

On all new detachable towbars by law there has to be an eyelet where you are supposed to attached the breakaway cable. We always use it.

 

[Turnbacktime]

On all new detachable towbars by law there has to be an eyelet where you are supposed to attached the breakaway cable. We always use it.

So just clip on the eyelet? No attempt to loop the cable through it? Because, certainly on mine, that is impossible. And direct clipping on was advised against on the CMC course I attended.

 

[Buckman]

So just clip on the eyelet? No attempt to loop the cable through it? Because, certainly on mine, that is impossible. And direct clipping on was advised against on the CMC course I attended.

Yep that is all we do. Probably impossible to loop it through anyway as clip is bigger than the eyelet. I think you have been advised incorrectly by someone living in the dark ages on your course. LOL!

Here is the link to the information on the caravan club website and it shows that it can be clipped directly to the eyelet. See https://www.caravanclub.co.uk/advice-and-training/technical-advice/breakaway-cables/

 

[bertieboy1]

Our car has a detachable tow bar. What is the recommended/legal way to attach a breakaway cable? As obviously just looped around the tow bar doesn’t cover a problem with the tow bar. There is nowhere on the chassis that the cable can loop round.
the instructor on my towing course said he used a shackle through a hole on the chassis and looped the breakaway through that. But a risk that could work loose. Others seem to say just loop round the tow bar.
what do others do with a detachable tow bar?

Loop it around the tow bar - it's legal !

 

[Buckman]

Loop it around the tow bar - it's legal !

Apparently it is not if there is an eyelet and never a good idea to look around detachable tow ball. A while ago the DVSA were fining people for this infringement. I will see if I can dig up the link.

 

[audiorob]

My tow bar is fixed swan-neck about 4 years old - the 13 pin socket is on the left and the eyelet on the right, both tucked a bit out of sight beneath the bumper

 

[Buckman]

Here is one link. Caravan Club link

 

[Woodentop]

Loop it around the tow bar - it's legal !

If you mean looping around the neck of the towball, AFAIK it is not illegal in the UK. It certainly is in The Netherlands and the police sit outside the gates of Europort at Rotterdam and ticket UK vehicles infringing - useful way to get their ticket issue count up!
I happened across a marine chandlers in - of all places - Charing Cross Road* and bought a good quality stainless steel spring hook which I used to replace the rubbish one supplied as standard on my caravan breakaway cable. That clips into the plate at the side of the bar fitting and hidden under the bumper (Passat Estate.) The plate is part of the car, not the hitch, so if the hitch becomes detached with or without the caravan still connected to it the breakaway is still connected to the car and will snatch the caravan brakes.
(*Sadly now closed due to retirement, but find any chandlers in a marina area and they will have what you need.)

 

[Turnbacktime]

Here is one link. Caravan Club link

Thanks. I will ditch the shackle concept and just clip direct on Monday.

 

[otherclive]

I used a Petzl certified strength screw lock climbing carabiner that fitted the hole in the towbar, but then allowed me to loop the cable through the carabiner.

Carabiners And Quickdraws - Petzl United Kingdom | Sport

Petzl United Kingdom. All equipped with the Keylock system, Petzl carabiners come in different shapes, sizes and locking systems to meet a variety of usage needs. When you pick up a Petzl carabiner, you can feel the high level of quality and craftsmanship!

www.petzl.com

 

[JTQ]

There are two designs of break away cables;

• The one with a "dog lead" spring clip ought to be looped around something to be able to develop the required pull before it "breaks".
• The other type has what is called a "carbineer" clip, this is used with towbar eyes. This clip unlike the dog lead type, is strong enough not to require the doubling up the looping type require.

Use the right cable for the task you have, the dog lead where it must be looped back onto itself, the carbineer where you have the eyelet.

 

[otherclive]

There are two designs of break away cables;

• The one with a "dog lead" spring clip ought to be looped around something to be able to develop the required pull before it "breaks".
• The other type has what is called a "carbineer" clip, this is used with towbar eyes. This clip unlike the dog lead type, is strong enough not to require the doubling up the looping type require.

Use the right cable for the task you have, the dog lead where it must be looped back onto itself, the carbineer where you have the eyelet.

On my witter towbar the ‘dog lead’ carabiner clip on the breakaway cable wasn’t able to be used as intended. Hence the reason I fitted a climbing carabiner to the towbar that enabled the breakaway to be clipped onto it, or my preference was to loop the breakaway via the climbing carabiner.

 

[Beachball]

My towbar is detachable the 13 pin socket to the left it come down behind the bumper and we clip it onto the eyelet is to the right

 

[JTQ]

This is another LINK which IMO explains quite well the two different types of cables used and importantly how they should be used in very differing ways.

 

[Dustydog]

Not a good pic but this is my Westfalia three years old. It is a detachable with no eyelet for a breakaway cable. My cable fastens around the swan neck below the towball. Can Laws be applied retrospectively if your car was compliant at time of build or towbar fitment? I doubt it 😉

 

[bertieboy1]

If you mean looping around the neck of the towball, AFAIK it is not illegal in the UK. It certainly is in The Netherlands and the police sit outside the gates of Europort at Rotterdam and ticket UK vehicles infringing - useful way to get their ticket issue count up!
I happened across a marine chandlers in - of all places - Charing Cross Road* and bought a good quality stainless steel spring hook which I used to replace the rubbish one supplied as standard on my caravan breakaway cable. That clips into the plate at the side of the bar fitting and hidden under the bumper (Passat Estate.) The plate is part of the car, not the hitch, so if the hitch becomes detached with or without the caravan still connected to it the breakaway is still connected to the car and will snatch the caravan brakes.
(*Sadly now closed due to retirement, but find any chandlers in a marina area and they will have what you need.)

What is AFAIK ?

 

[Dustydog]

As far as I know.

 

[Buckman]

Not a good pic but this is my Westfalia three years old. It is a detachable with no eyelet for a breakaway cable. My cable fastens around the swan neck below the towball. Can Laws be applied retrospectively if your car was compliant at time of build or towbar fitment? I doubt it 😉


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I always thought that there was legislation stating that a tow bar should have an eyelet for the break away cable and it was part of the manufacturer's specified fixing points?

 

[otherclive]

I always thought that there was legislation stating that a tow bar should have an eyelet for the break away cable and it was part of the manufacturer's specified fixing points?

My Witter fitted in 2014 to a 2014 Superb had a hole in the solid metal gusset plate where the detachable tow hook goes in. But it wasn’t suitable for either type of breakaway cable and even if it had been the cable would have been in contact with the cars lower bumper valance. Hence why I attached a carabiner into that hole so I could then fit the breakaway cable without having to loop it around the towball.

 

[Dustydog]

Apparently not. In fact none of my cars or towbars have had one

 

[Buckman]

Apparently not. In fact none of my cars or towbars have had one

Yeah. but was because you rather spend the extra money on beer instead of a hole!

 

[Beachball]

My Westfalia is nearly four years old and detachable and it got a eyelet on .for the breakaway cable

 

[Dustydog]

BB Do you have a photo please DD

 

[Woodentop]

We had a Passat Estate B6 on a 58 plate in 2011 and it was fitted with a Thule removable ball and there was a metal loop which was part of the bar that replaced the rear cross girder for exactly this purpose..