Front Mounted Towbar

[BernardinTring]

Can anyone offer any comment or advice on the concept of a Front Mounted Towbar, as compared with the installation of a Motor Mover.

It appears that the Front Towbar can be fitted for approximately £120, whereas the Motor Mover is in excess of £1200.

Some difference!

Any views submitted very much appreciated.

Are they dangerous, invalidate warranties, more difficult to use than the blurbs have you believe, etc, etc.

Vehicle is a Nissan X-Trail.

Many thanks.

 

[Lutz]

So long as you don't need to drill holes in load bearing members of the car chassis and so long as they are readily removable when not in use, there shouldn't be any problem.

However, don't drive with a front towbar in position, especially if it protrudes in front of the bumper (pedestrian protection), but even if it is behind, it may affect correct operation of the airbags as the sensors for these systems are often mounted directly behind the bumper and depend on unhindered deflection of the bumper in order to send the signal to deploy the airbags.

 

[Rod_5041370]

I usually have a front mounted removable towball but have recently changed my towcar and haven't got round to it yet.

The receiver socket usually replaces the towing cleat on the near side (or the passenger side)of the vehicle to allow the driver to see down the side of the caravan.

They are not as vesatile as a motor mover but I found mine useful to push the van up the drive, where when reversing it up the clutch used to smell.

 

[Oldfogey]

This concept interests me, as I have a very difficult manouevre to get the caravan into its' parking location in the front garden, and currently can only do it by hand.

A motor mover might do (though there are gravel slopes involved), but would cost several times the worth of the van (even 2nd hand) and be an unacceptable weight.

I would centrally mount it, but as the car is practically as wide as the van this would not be a problem.

It's not the going backwards or seeing that's the problem; I envisage that the ability to move the hitch in different ways when it is located at the steering end would enable me to make more useful movements.

 

[Lutz]

As Rod pointed out, the front towbar usually replaces or is attached to the front lashing eye. This bracket is normally welded or bolted to the left or right hand chassis longitundinal. The towbar would therefore not be in the middle of the car but offset to one side.

 

[popupJohn]

I 'invested' in one last year and have found it brilliant in use.

As mine is mounted slightly to the left of the cars centre line I get a full view down the side of the 'van and this helps alot.

Steering to start off with took a bit of getting used to but now I can manouver into most tight spaces.

As Lutz has said it needs removing when usinf the car on the road but that takes about 20 seconds so no problem.

Mine came from.

http://www.watling-towbars.co.uk/
and took me 45 minutes to DIY on my Suzuki Grand Vitara