Oris detachable Swan neck towbar missing manual

[ksf1960]

Hi,
I bought a 2017 Seat Ateca that came with a Oris detachable towbar but never received a manual. It appears to be an older model as it came with two keys that are similar to a key used in a padlock. I have two questions. Firstly does anyone know where I might find a manual for my towbar. Secondly the towbar appears to work OK and locks into the slot on the main frame without any issue. I have established that the key requires to be in the locked position before pushing the towbar up into the appropriate slot and when you do this the side locking ring rotates as designed with the two white marks line up. The towbar is definitely locked in. The next thing is to remove the key which is still positioned in the locked position. But my issue is that without inserting the key into the key slot I can rotate the appropriate side device which then releases the towbar from the main frame. Surely that's not right as that means anyone could just remove my towbar and walk off with it. I have tried everything to lock the towbar into place and not matter what I do I can't get it to lock in and requires the key to unlock it. Can anyone help or is that how they work?

 

[Paullus1959]

The first thing that springs to mind is that the lock cylinder may have become gunged up which is stopping the lock pins from engaging properly. Have you tried squirting WD40 or similar into the lock to see if it helps to flush out any debris and to free the pins?
Failing that, I would take it to a local towbar specialist for examination
ORIS are a German company but they have several social media pages with contact details or they can be emailed directly.

ORIS - Manufacturer of World Class Towbars and Bike Carriers

As Europe’s leading towbar and bike carrier manufacturer, ORIS have a range of products to add to your car for leisure as well as commercial use.

www.oris-automotive.com

Good luck.

 

[ksf1960]

The first thing that springs to mind is that the lock cylinder may have become gunged up which is stopping the lock pins from engaging properly. Have you tried squirting WD40 or similar into the lock to see if it helps to flush out any debris and to free the pins?
Failing that, I would take it to a local towbar specialist for examination
ORIS are a German company but they have several social media pages with contact details or they can be emailed directly.

ORIS - Manufacturer of World Class Towbars and Bike Carriers

As Europe’s leading towbar and bike carrier manufacturer, ORIS have a range of products to add to your car for leisure as well as commercial use.

www.oris-automotive.com

Good luck.

Hi, the towbar works fine and locks into place firmly. The issue I have is shouldn't I need to insert the key into the slot and turn it to the open position before rotating the side device to then release the pins therefore allowing the towbar part to drop down. As it stands just now the towbar works and rows the caravan have done many times. The issue is it doesn't need the key to remove from the car. I simply have to bend down turn the side dial which obviously push something up to release the securing pins therefore allowing the towbar to fall free. That's my issue the fact to remove the towbar I don't need to use the key and therefore means anyone could simply rotate the side handle and steal my towbar. As said I assumed I would need to use the key to move the key position from the locked to the unlocked position before being able to rotate the unlocking device, but no. But without having the proper manual I can't tell.

 

[Hutch]

I had a detachable towbar on a VECTRA, and the towbar was made by Witter, and it operated as your does. I would lock the towbar in place on the car, and could be removed by turning a release knob, which also had the key slot.
The key could be inserted and turned to lock the Knob so it could not be released from the car.
I hope you find a manual for the tow hitch. Have a look at the Witter one and see if is the same as yours.
Good luck.

 

[Challenger]

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRJkccvin4A

 

[Paullus1959]

Hi, the towbar works fine and locks into place firmly. The issue I have is shouldn't I need to insert the key into the slot and turn it to the open position before rotating the side device to then release the pins therefore allowing the towbar part to drop down. As it stands just now the towbar works and rows the caravan have done many times. The issue is it doesn't need the key to remove from the car. I simply have to bend down turn the side dial which obviously push something up to release the securing pins therefore allowing the towbar to fall free. That's my issue the fact to remove the towbar I don't need to use the key and therefore means anyone could simply rotate the side handle and steal my towbar. As said I assumed I would need to use the key to move the key position from the locked to the unlocked position before being able to rotate the unlocking device, but no. But without having the proper manual I can't tell.

Hi, sorry, I've confused things. The gunged pins I was referring to are the ones in the lock barrel itself which are spring-loaded and moved by the profiles of the key as it's inserted into the lock, not the the locking pins for the hitch itself.

It is correct that when the release handle is locked it should not be possible to rotate it. This is why I am
thinking that the lock may be gunged up and the spring-loaded pins are stuck in the retracted position and not moving out as they should to lock the barrel in place when the key is removed.

The locks on tow hitches aren't particularly hi-tec and can be susceptible to dirt ingress due to their exposed location. Especially if the dust cover is missing or doesn't fit properly.

My first car back in the day was a 1972 VW Beetle and the door lock on that got gunged up. I didn't find out until I accidentally used the wrong key in the lock and was able to open the door. I then found that the lock wasn't working at all and I had been leaving my car insecure for goodness knows how long. A good dose of penetrating oil fixed it and the lock worked fine again.

The pictures of the lock barrel below show the pins I'm referring to.



.

 

[Paullus1959]

Any update on this issue?

 

[audiorob]

I googled ‘Oris detachable towbar’ and following the links found several instruction manuals depending on the exact insertion mechanism (seems vertical or horizontal insertions are available).