I recently bought a small (4' x 3') unbraked secondhand trailer, and until this week my Volvo was used to tow it. I Now have an Astra and need to weld up a Tow bar with towing ball. The sort that is mostly hidden bolted underneath the boot of the vehicle, with only the towing hitch ball on view at the back. Is there anywhere i can get plans for the dimensions of metal needed to make up a towing bracket for this vehicle ?

There does not seem to be any set plan for these as they are obviously dependant on the makeup of the rear of each different make of auto.

thanks

"doc" wrote in message
...

I recently bought a small (4' x 3') unbraked secondhand trailer, and
until this week my Volvo was used to tow it. I Now have an Astra and
need to weld up a Tow bar with towing ball. The sort that is mostly
hidden bolted underneath the boot of the vehicle, with only the towing
hitch ball on view at the back. Is there anywhere i can get plans for
the dimensions of metal needed to make up a towing bracket for this
vehicle ?

There does not seem to be any set plan for these as they are obviously
dependant on the makeup of the rear of each different make of auto.

thanks

to be honest the cost of a ready made kit is very low if you search a bit.
I feel confident enough to make one (C & G welder) but I would not bother
unless impossible to get a ready made one. they usually need all sorts of
bits of tube to stop the chassis rails being crushed etc. and can be quite
complex to get round modern bumpers.

And if your home made one fails on the road the consequences could be
horrific, not to mention expensive.

mrcheerful

"doc" wrote in message
...

I recently bought a small (4' x 3') unbraked secondhand trailer, and
until this week my Volvo was used to tow it. I Now have an Astra and
need to weld up a Tow bar with towing ball. The sort that is mostly
hidden bolted underneath the boot of the vehicle, with only the towing
hitch ball on view at the back. Is there anywhere i can get plans for
the dimensions of metal needed to make up a towing bracket for this
vehicle ?

According to the Towsure web site, which I have no reason to doubt:

"94/20/EC applies to all new light passenger vehicles (NOT commercial
vehicles) which have an European Whole Vehicle Type Approval (EWVTA)
Certificate of Conformity and are first registered in the UK on or after
the 1st August 1998.

A legal requirement to comply with 94/20/EC in the UK has been
introduced through an amendment to the Road Vehicles (Construction &
Use) Regulations 1986"

So if your Astra is newer than 1/8/98, you're a bit stuffed. There are
a few on ebay, and specialist breakers might have them for newer cars
(try www.megavaux.co.uk for instance, if you're anywhere near the
Derby/Nottingham.

If you've got an older car, there are so many in ordinary scrapyards for
a fiver including the towball, socket, and wiring, that it's hardly
worth striking the arc to make your own.


--
Kevin Poole
**Use current month and year to reply (e.g. )***
Car Transport by Tiltbed Trailer - based near Derby

mrcheerful . wrote:

"doc" wrote in message
...

I recently bought a small (4' x 3') unbraked secondhand trailer, and
until this week my Volvo was used to tow it. I Now have an Astra and
need to weld up a Tow bar with towing ball. The sort that is mostly
hidden bolted underneath the boot of the vehicle, with only the towing
hitch ball on view at the back. Is there anywhere i can get plans for
the dimensions of metal needed to make up a towing bracket for this
vehicle ?

There does not seem to be any set plan for these as they are obviously
dependant on the makeup of the rear of each different make of auto.

thanks

to be honest the cost of a ready made kit is very low if you search a bit.
I feel confident enough to make one (C & G welder) but I would not bother
unless impossible to get a ready made one. they usually need all sorts of
bits of tube to stop the chassis rails being crushed etc. and can be quite
complex to get round modern bumpers.

They also need to be CE marked or have some sort of approval don't
they if fitted to a fairly recent car.


And if your home made one fails on the road the consequences could be
horrific, not to mention expensive.


--
Chris Green

On Tue, 7 Feb 2006 23:56:44 +0000, doc wrote:

|
|I recently bought a small (4' x 3') unbraked secondhand trailer, and
|until this week my Volvo was used to tow it. I Now have an Astra and
|need to weld up a Tow bar with towing ball. The sort that is mostly
|hidden bolted underneath the boot of the vehicle, with only the towing
|hitch ball on view at the back. Is there anywhere i can get plans for
|the dimensions of metal needed to make up a towing bracket for this
|vehicle ?
|
|There does not seem to be any set plan for these as they are obviously
|dependant on the makeup of the rear of each different make of auto.

My 40 year old (5' * 3') unbraked trailer has fitted the tow ball on every
car I have had in 40 years.

Have you got the wrong type of tow bar? My present Witter tow bar has
room for any hitch without problems.
--
Dave Fawthrop dave hyphenologist co uk Please quote, with quote
character, previous post sniped to only the bit you are replying to.
Threads often contain 100s of posts dozens layers deep. Other people
use different newsreaders, they do not see or do what you see and do.

Dave Fawthrop wrote:
[...]
Have you got the wrong type of tow bar? My present Witter tow bar
has room for any hitch without problems.

If you read the OP again you'll see he's asking about making a tow bar, he
doesn't have one ATM so it can't be the 'wrong type'.

As far as making one goes, it's probably illegal in that it won't be
certified as complying with the relevant regulations - I know this is a DIY
group, but in this case I'd stick to DIYing the fitting of a proper one.

Dave

On Wed, 8 Feb 2006 09:32:13 -0000, "Dave" wrote:

|Dave Fawthrop wrote:
|[...]
| Have you got the wrong type of tow bar? My present Witter tow bar
| has room for any hitch without problems.
|
|If you read the OP again you'll see he's asking about making a tow bar, he
|doesn't have one ATM so it can't be the 'wrong type'.

Which as other people have pointed out is a *bad* idea.

..


--
Dave Fawthrop dave hyphenologist co uk Please quote, with quote
character, previous post sniped to only the bit you are replying to.
Threads often contain 100s of posts dozens layers deep. Other people
use different newsreaders, they do not see or do what you see and do.

Dave Fawthrop wrote:
On Wed, 8 Feb 2006 09:32:13 -0000, "Dave" wrote:

Dave Fawthrop wrote:
[...]
Have you got the wrong type of tow bar? My present Witter tow bar
has room for any hitch without problems.

If you read the OP again you'll see he's asking about making a tow
bar, he doesn't have one ATM so it can't be the 'wrong type'.

Which as other people have pointed out is a *bad* idea.

Absolutely, and so did I (but you chose not to quote that bit of my
message).

The point that I made about you misunderstanding the original question still
stands.

On Wed, 08 Feb 2006 10:52:54 +0000, Dave Fawthrop
wrote:

Which as other people have pointed out is a *bad* idea.

Bit weird that it's effectively illegal to make your own towbar but a
completely different matter when it comes to the trailer itself!

sponix

Sponix Wrote:


Bit weird that it's effectively illegal to make your own towbar but a
completely different matter when it comes to the trailer itself!

Quick - cancel that post before the ODPM sees it!


--
Ian White

On Wed, 8 Feb 2006 11:58:33 +0000, Ian White
wrote:

Sponix Wrote:


Bit weird that it's effectively illegal to make your own towbar but a
completely different matter when it comes to the trailer itself!

Quick - cancel that post before the ODPM sees it!

Do you recon fat-boy Prescott has a towbar on any of his jags?

sponix

"doc" wrote in message
...

I recently bought a small (4' x 3') unbraked secondhand trailer, and
until this week my Volvo was used to tow it. I Now have an Astra and
need to weld up a Tow bar with towing ball. The sort that is mostly
hidden bolted underneath the boot of the vehicle, with only the towing
hitch ball on view at the back. Is there anywhere i can get plans for
the dimensions of metal needed to make up a towing bracket for this
vehicle ?

There does not seem to be any set plan for these as they are obviously
dependant on the makeup of the rear of each different make of auto.

thanks
doc

I almost could have helped you out, I have a volvo towbar that I need to get
rid of.

Oh well

Sponix wrote:
On Wed, 8 Feb 2006 11:58:33 +0000, Ian White
wrote:

Sponix Wrote:


Bit weird that it's effectively illegal to make your own towbar but a
completely different matter when it comes to the trailer itself!

Quick - cancel that post before the ODPM sees it!

Do you recon fat-boy Prescott has a towbar on any of his jags?

No, but I'm sure his department would be happy to dream up a new set of
regulations for the rest of us. They're watching everywhere, you know...



--
Ian White

"doc" wrote in message
...

I recently bought a small (4' x 3') unbraked secondhand trailer, and
until this week my Volvo was used to tow it. I Now have an Astra and
need to weld up a Tow bar with towing ball. The sort that is mostly
hidden bolted underneath the boot of the vehicle, with only the towing
hitch ball on view at the back. Is there anywhere i can get plans for
the dimensions of metal needed to make up a towing bracket for this
vehicle ?

There does not seem to be any set plan for these as they are obviously
dependant on the makeup of the rear of each different make of auto.

thanks


--
doc

A mate of mine wanted to make a towbar, so he ordered one from a mail order
catalogue, measured it all up and sent it back.
Baz

In article ,
Baz wrote:
A mate of mine wanted to make a towbar, so he ordered one from a mail
order catalogue, measured it all up and sent it back.

Given the relatively low cost of these things I'd be surprised if he could
make one for anywhere near the same price if buying new materials in the
small quantities involved. Rather like kitchen cabinets.

--
*For every action, there is an equal and opposite criticism *

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

Sponix wrote:

Do you recon fat-boy Prescott has a towbar on any of his jags?

How else would he carry his lunch around?


--
Dave
The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk
01634 717930
07850 597257

In article ,
The Medway Handyman wrote:
Do you recon fat-boy Prescott has a towbar on any of his jags?

How else would he carry his lunch around?

I was thinking more like gut.

--
*Ham and Eggs: Just a day's work for a chicken, but a lifetime commitment

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

"Dave Plowman (News)" wrote in message
...
In article ,
Baz wrote:
A mate of mine wanted to make a towbar, so he ordered one from a mail
order catalogue, measured it all up and sent it back.

Given the relatively low cost of these things I'd be surprised if he could
make one for anywhere near the same price if buying new materials in the
small quantities involved. Rather like kitchen cabinets.

snip
Not if you have access to an engineering workshop and materials and do it in
works time.
Baz

"Dave Plowman (News)" wrote in message
...


In article ,
Baz wrote:
A mate of mine wanted to make a towbar, so he ordered one from a mail
order catalogue, measured it all up and sent it back.



snip
Not if you have access to an engineering workshop and materials and do
it in
works time.
Baz

Thats theft that is

Mike

On Wed, 08 Feb 2006 11:34:12 GMT, (Sponix) wrote:

On Wed, 08 Feb 2006 10:52:54 +0000, Dave Fawthrop
wrote:

Which as other people have pointed out is a *bad* idea.

Bit weird that it's effectively illegal to make your own towbar but a
completely different matter when it comes to the trailer itself!

And kit cars using the floorpan / running gear (afaIk) don't need to
go through the more rigorous MOT test thing that 'complete' kit cars
do?

However, even a trailer has to be 'roadworthy' so if it was showing
any signs of 'unroadworthyness' I'm sure it would be carted off for a
closer inspection by the boys in blue?

I'll agree re the buying rather than making of a bar these days ..(*I*
have fitted them to all my vehicles having 6 towable things), even if
I had the materials / facilities to hand? As mentioned it's not just
the size, section and gauge of the steels used but the array of bolts
/ spacers / washers etc that are often in a bag as heavy as the bar
itself that add to the complication! ;-)

I would like to fit a towbar to her 93 1.4i Astra (Belmont) just
'because' .. (it will tow all our stuff ok) but haven't got round to
it yet .. (if anyone out there is getting rid of a suitable bar though
... ) ;-)

All the best ..

T i m

"Sponix" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 08 Feb 2006 10:52:54 +0000, Dave Fawthrop
wrote:

Which as other people have pointed out is a *bad* idea.

Bit weird that it's effectively illegal to make your own towbar but a
completely different matter when it comes to the trailer itself!

Its a lot easier to make a trailer than to know how much load you can apply
to which bit of a car.
The towbars are also easy as you just use loads of metal.. fix it to wrong
place and the car will fall apart as they don't use excess metal.
You can't fit towbars to some cars (well not for any reasonable cost).

On Thu, 09 Feb 2006 16:53:37 GMT, "dennis@home"
wrote:


"Sponix" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 08 Feb 2006 10:52:54 +0000, Dave Fawthrop
wrote:

Which as other people have pointed out is a *bad* idea.

Bit weird that it's effectively illegal to make your own towbar but a
completely different matter when it comes to the trailer itself!

Its a lot easier to make a trailer than to know how much load you can apply
to which bit of a car.
The towbars are also easy as you just use loads of metal.. fix it to wrong
place and the car will fall apart as they don't use excess metal.
You can't fit towbars to some cars (well not for any reasonable cost).

Like the Ford Ka I believe ?

All the best ..

T i m