Towbar receiver

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Gozza2

Gozza2

Aug 24, 2020
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Hi all

I'm looking to get a towbar mounted luggage carrier to transport Mrs Gozza's mobility scooter - obviously I know I couldn't use it at the same time as we're towing the caravan, and I would have to respect the towbar weight limit for the car.

All of the luggage carriers I can find that claim to be towbar mounted actually fit into a two inch receiver hitch, like I believe is usual on american towbars. If I had a removable towbar, would it fit into a 2 inch receiver? None of the ones I've seen so far appear to.

Alternatively does anyone know of a towbar mounting luggage carrier which actually fits onto the towball, or has a mounting plate compatible with a towbar flange?
 
Mr Plodd

Mr Plodd

Nov 30, 2022
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Just be aware that your car will have a maximum rear axle weight, and positioning a mobility scooter, on a towbar mounted carrier is, by way of the leverage exerted due to the distance the "load" is from the rear axle, is going to impose much more load on the axle than jusr the deadweight of the scooter (plus carrier).
You may well have taken that into account already, but if not its something that needs to be considered, and the calculations doing before parting with your money.

It might be worth considering a small collapsible scooter that can fit into the boot of your car. Possibly even cheaper than a towball mounted carrier for her existing one?
Or even a small trailer?
 
R

RogerL

Nov 6, 2005
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Mr Plodd said:
Just be aware that your car will have a maximum rear axle weight, and positioning a mobility scooter, on a towbar mounted carrier is, by way of the leverage exerted due to the distance the "load" is from the rear axle, is going to impose much more load on the axle than jusr the deadweight of the scooter (plus carrier).
You may well have taken that into account already, but if not its something that needs to be considered, and the calculations doing before parting with your money.

It might be worth considering a small collapsible scooter that can fit into the boot of your car. Possibly even cheaper than a towball mounted carrier for her existing one?
Or even a small trailer?
Click to expand...
That leverage load on the rear axle is already taken account of in the towbar noseweight limit which mustn't be exceeded with bolt-on carriers and their load.
 
Gozza2

Gozza2

Aug 24, 2020
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Mr Plodd said:
It might be worth considering a small collapsible scooter that can fit into the boot of your car. Possibly even cheaper than a towball mounted carrier for her existing one?
Or even a small trailer?
Click to expand...

Thanks Mr P, the existing one breaks down to fit in the boot (or even goes in the boot unbroken, as long as I can fold the back seats down), but on a small number of occasions I need to maximise space and so the towbar mounted carrier is one of the options I'm looking at.

And yes, a small trailer is another :)

This has all been kicked off by the fact that in a few months I need to transport myself and Mrs Gozza, Gozza Junior and Gozza junior's girlfriend, four people's luggage AND the mobility chariot, from home to Gatwick Airport, and back a week later. Currently considering strapping Gozza Junior and the girlfriend to the roof rack, but that would exceed the manufacturer's roof loading for the car :confused_old:
 
Buckman

Buckman

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If you remove the battery and seat that would lighten the scooter considerably that probably will allow you to carry it on the rear?
 
Mr Plodd

Mr Plodd

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RogerL said:
That leverage load on the rear axle is already taken account of in the towbar noseweight limit which mustn't be exceeded with bolt-on carriers and their load.
Click to expand...

Indeed so, but the nose weight is applied directly downwards onto the towball from the trailers hitch with no leverage. If using a towball mounted carrier the centre of mass is further back so isn't applied directly downwards, there is a leverage effect.
Think of a see-saw. Apply 75kg near to the fulcrum and it can be balanced by a much smaller weight at the other end, move the 75kg further away from the fulcrum and it's no longer balanced because of the leverage being exerted due to the distance between the closer and further away locations of the centre of mass
.
A towbar mounted carrier extends backwards from the towball. So the weight is transmitted downwards through the towball, but the amount of weight is increased due to the distance the centre of mass is behind it. That's how levers of all descriptions work!
 
R

RogerL

Nov 6, 2005
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Mr Plodd said:
Indeed so, but the nose weight is applied directly downwards onto the towball from the trailers hitch with no leverage. If using a towball mounted carrier the centre of mass is further back so isn't applied directly downwards, there is a leverage effect.
Think of a see-saw. Apply 75kg near to the fulcrum and it can be balanced by a much smaller weight at the other end, move the 75kg further away from the fulcrum and it's no longer balanced because of the leverage being exerted due to the distance between the closer and further away locations of the centre of mass
.
A towbar mounted carrier extends backwards from the towball. So the weight is transmitted downwards through the towball, but the amount of weight is increased due to the distance the centre of mass is behind it. That's how levers of all descriptions work!
Click to expand...
Thanks for the lesson ;)

A 75kg load on the towball might well put 100 kg onto the back axle - moving the load back 50 cm might make that 110 kg on the axle - whether that extra 10kg is enough to worry about depends on all the other loads in the car.
 
Mr Plodd

Mr Plodd

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And the weight of the scooter and rack, neither of which were mentioned at the outset, hence my post.
I have seen some ridiculous weights on towbars. The best of the lot being a BMW R80 motorbike on a home made contraption bolted to the towbar on the back of an old Talbot motorhome, the front wheels looked to only just be in contact with the ground! and the towbar was only inches off the ground. Must have been a very interesting thing to negotiate a roundabout with :oops:(it was in France about 20 yearyearo)
 
Gozza2

Gozza2

Aug 24, 2020
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RogerL said:
Thanks for the lesson ;)

A 75kg load on the towball might well put 100 kg onto the back axle - moving the load back 50 cm might make that 110 kg on the axle - whether that extra 10kg is enough to worry about depends on all the other loads in the car.
Click to expand...
Yes, thanks Mr P - ashamed to admit that's something I hadn't considered, but luckily the maths is easy enough! I'll do some measuring, weighing and counting on my fingers and see where I end up.
 
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