towbar bolt help :-(

[Danny_374561559]

hi all

got our towbar fitted today so veryyyyy happy,just £290 lighter.lol

my uncle has the stabiliser blade bracket on his car still however on our towbar we have 2 big bolts securing it,one on either side but when ive seen the brackets that the sabilizer fits into the bracket seems to have two holes. so now im totally stumped and confused :-s

any help please folks

 

[Jaydug]

The stabilizer plate will also have a two hole fixing which will match the holes in the towbar and towball. However the pad housing and the spring arm will be on the right-hand side of the towball.

 

[SBS]

Do the bolts on your towbar run across the car rather than fore and aft? If so, you may have a swan-neck towball fitted. If this is the case you will need a swan-neck stabiliser bracket.

Mike

 

[Danny_374561559]

hi, this is a link for the same towbar on the same car we have just had fitted. in the second picture you can see the two bolts.you cant see them from the front as they have the cover on it. really confused and slightly down as we haver a feeling its going to be something that will be more money :-(

 

[Danny_374561559]

http://www.witter-towbars.co.uk/towbars/vehicle_technical_details.aspx?vtid=204279

 

[Robtel]

Hi Danny,

Going by the photographs and the drawing on the fitting instructions it looks like a standard fit towball with the bolts side by side.

What make of stabiliser is it? Any of the blade types I have came across, the bracket for attaching to the car suits the type of fittings you have.

 

[Danny_374561559]

its a witter towbar fitted by LNB towbars this morning. as we are not at the van until sunday i just want to cover myself incase we need to *** out for a new bracket etc as we wanted to get the van out and tow it for half hour/an hour just to get the feel of it as we go away on our first outing on the 8th

 

[xtrailman]

Danny

I had a snake master blade stabiliser in the past. I always got the tow bar fitter to fit the bracket, so take the car back with the required bracket (should have 4 holes in the plate as per photo)

http://www.towsure.com/product/482-Snakemaster_Quick_Release_Stabiliser
Assuming you have this type stabiliser

 

[Danny_374561559]

erm i think its a bulldog stabiliser. im hoping my uncle has the 2 hole bracket on the car then all i have to do is *** it into a garage and ask them to fit it with a tork wrench

 

[Robtel]

Danny,

If it's a Bulldog stabiliser even if your uncle doesn't have the bracket you should be able to get hold of one fairly easily.

Can I suggest you have a look on the likes of Towsure's website and see if what they have there matches what your uncle has.

www.towsure.com

have a look under towing equipment - stabiliser accessories.

Just a thought - do you know how to set the blade to the correct setting? not difficult to do if you don't.

Robert

 

[Parksy]

Hi Danny

The bracket which fits on to the car will look something like this (ignore the spare friction pads)

 

[Danny_374561559]

the picture that parksy put up is the bracket im hoping as it will fit straight on but if its the 4 hole bracket then i will have to pay around

 

[Robtel]

" and rob t- what do you mean by the correct setting?"

Hi Danny,

Another one of those things that's easier to show than explain, at least for me anyway. Here goes anyway!

The stabiliser bar is set at a specific torque rating so that a certain amount of force is required before it moves, this is what prevents the caravan from swaying from side to side. It has been a while since I last used a blade type stabiliser but I think the torque setting is around the 80kg mark. Hopefully your uncle will have his copy of the stabiliser instructions or you might be able to download a copy from the maker's website. As I remember the torque was adjusted by tightening/slackening the centre bolt on the disc part of the stabiliser blade. The easiest way I found of setting it was to, while the van was unhitched and out of the way, insert the stabiliser blade into its bracket on the car and using the bathroom scales see how much force was registered before it started to move.

If anyone else can think of a clearer way to explain this please feel free, I will not be offended, honest!

Robert

 

[Parksy]

Hi Danny

Everything that you need to know about using and adjusting your Bulldog stabiliser will be on Here

If your stabiliser blade is one of the older types it will be similar but will not have the tensioning arm on the top or the red topped locking screw for the car bracket.

 

[Danny_374561559]

hi rob, i can understand why you said it would be easier to show than explain.lol. where would you put the bathroom scales with the stabiliser in the bracket if its not attached to the van?lol

i may try and look for a video, i will know the make on sunday, have a feeling its a bulldog one ;-s

 

[Robtel]

Danny, bathroom scales held at very end of the blade where it would normally fit into the bracket on the caravan chassis. The other end is located into the car bracket which holds it securely while you push / pull the bathroom scales and see what force is required.

It does work, honest. It's only a five minute job.

 

[Robtel]

Danny, follow Parksy's link to the instructions, much easier when you see drawings.

In my defence I did mention in an earlier post about getting instructions from the internet. I just don't have Parksy's skills at posting links

 

[Parksy]

Thanks Rob

It's often easier when there is a picture to look back at and Danny could print the pdf off if he needs to but your explanation was spot on.

 

[Danny_374561559]

thanks for all your help guys. i will see what i can do on sunday, was going to try and get to the van tomorrow but i need to take my dog to the vets :-(