Tow Bar and electrics?

[PHOENIXFLIER]

At long last, I am getting a tow bar and electrics fitted on Monday. I am planning to take a few photos of the hitch mech. and the end of the lighting plug and show these to the fitter to make sure he fits the right bits. I take it that they have a magic test box which represents the innards of a caravan, so they can check lights, charging etc!. Don't want to get all the way home and find out left is right. Any other questions I should ask before I part company with enough Stella coupons to choke a fairly large horse?.

 

[KeefySher]

Wot caravan have you? Wot car?

Have you 1 x 13 pin plug; a pair of plugs, 1 black, 1 white; or 1 x 7 pin plug on the caravan? The car should be 13 pin socket that you then plug in 13 pin plug; add an adapter to go 13-7 pin; or another adapter that has 13 pin on 1 end and 2 sockets for the black and white caravan plug.

Make sure the fitter wires up the permanent live and the fridge electric pins in the socket on the car. Any competent sparky wot does fit leech should know. A simple check is ask which of the 13 pins is not used? If he says none, then he ain't competent.

Do you have an AlKo stabiliser, a big chunky handle above the hitch head on the caravan? If so ensure the tow ball accommodates it. The height of the top of the ball from the horizontal shank of the tow bar is sufficient to give clearance for torsional rotation.

HTH

 

[camel]

I think you will find that if that chap or chappess that is fitting your tow bar electrics is a fully qualified tow bar fitter he will have fitted trillions before, chill out

 

[KeefySher]

I think you will find that if that chap or chappess that is fitting your tow bar electrics is a fully qualified tow bar fitter he will have fitted trillions before, chill out

An awful lot of those fitters who had fitted trillions, when undertaking the recent Discovery re-call and fitted fixed balls, fitted standard balls that won't take AlKo stabilisers :evil: :evil: Toyota Land Cruisers ex factory don't have AlKo compatible balls unless specified on order. Always pays to check regardless of how many times they've done it as they may have done it incorrectly trillions of times

Nothing more embarrassing than the first speed hump the caravan pops orf due to vertical articulation

 

[Gagakev]

When I viewed my latest Shogun on the forecourt it had the tow bar but not the ball, so asked if they would supply
an Alko one to which they agreed.
Got home and realised they supplied a normal tow ball, so rang them and they said they would speak to the caravan dealer who supplied it, his reply was there was no difference and have used this type all his life!!

The one fitted to the car (Left) is the Alko one, the cleaned one (right) was the normal one which I spent hours cleaning before I realised it, dont forget if yours is Alko you have to get all the paint off

 

[bertieboy1]

What is a "hitch mech",how do you know if the fitter is doing all the right things.

 

[PHOENIXFLIER]

Spoke to the fitter the other day. Dacia Stepway 1.5dci, Lunar Venus 320/2 with Alko hitch, 13 pin, Fitter said he had fitted several to this type of car. But will take photos just to be on the safe side!.

 

[DaveA1]

Fitted my own surprisingly easy, found getting the trim inside the car back in position a bit fiddly though.

 

[camel]

Well if tow bar fitters are fitting the wrong kit then go and do one,

 

[ProfJohnL]

As with any retail sale the fitting of a tow bar and electrics must conform to contract. If it fails in any way due to the wrong parts or incorrect fitting the fitting company is liable. If they do damage they are liable.

Read up about the Consumer Rights Act. That is your biggest friend.

If they do it wrong then its up to them to inconvenience you as little as possible to rectify the fault, so they are liable to cover transport costs and either collect the car from you, or pay you to bring it back to them, or they come to you.

As for supplying te wrong ball, if you specifically ask for an ALKO ball, they must supply that or ask for your agreement to supply something else.

 

[dibs958]

One thing i learned the hard way, and don't ask...The electrics will have an inline fuse somewhere, in my case, 25 amps i think. Ask the fitter to put this fuse where you can gain easy access to it, not hidden behind an awkward panel. Rick.

 

[otherclive]

One thing i learned the hard way, and don't ask...The electrics will have an inline fuse somewhere, in my case, 25 amps i think. Ask the fitter to put this fuse where you can gain easy access to it, not hidden behind an awkward panel. Rick.

On all of my cars the main towing electrics fuse has been installed straight off the battery or very close to it in the engine bay.

 

[Keefanmaxx]

I have a Westfalia towbar with 13 pin electrics fitted by an approved dealer. My Antara has pre-wiring for the electrics and the permanent 12 volt supply comes from the battery with the fuse located next to it (and pointed out by the fitter when I collected the car) The fitters even put a protective cable cover that I gave them on the feed for me. I supplied the Alko towball having took it off the previous car.