Tow Hitch Fitting (1 Viewer)

[markymark]

Evening.

We were making enquirys into getting a tow hitch fitted to the MH with the plan to tow our smart on a A frame.

Has anyone else had a tow eye fitted to their MH? Any bad stories? Costings

 

[david price]

We had a towbar fitted by the dealer,well made and well supported.
Dave

 

[pappajohn]

Hi Mark,
assuming you mean a towbar and ball then yes, thousands of m/h'ers have had them fitted.

there are many manufacturers/fitters on the net....google m/h towbars.
Armitage towbars are one.

expect somewhere between £300 and £500 depending on your chassis type. some chassis have to have extensions built on because of the extended body overhang.

at the moment there is no european type approval for m/h towbars so anyone can knock one up but it doesnt mean its safe and up to the job or even been tested.

best thing is to go to a professional maker as they have take the time to get them right.

personally, i made my own but it is very heavy and over-engineered, 60mm box section with a 3mm gauge and fixed to the chassis with 10mm steel plates and high tensile bolts, and the chassis would fail long before the towbar.

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[GIBLA53]

I have personal experience with a firm called TOWTAL in Stoke-On-Trent they have fitted 3 towbars to different motorhomes i have owned they are very good and extremely competitive. Probably would be of the order of £450

 

[Tony Lee]

There is a thread here or on one of the other UK forums that documents the woes of one member who flat-towed a smart car. 300km and he has a wrecked transmission.

Apparently a lot do it but a few have big problems.

 

[markymark]

I will need to extend the chassis just had a look, garage and fixed double bed hang over about a meter and a half.
Typical, more expenceoh:
Wasnt sure if they could extend but now i know.:thumb:

Yes Tony i have read that link and it all seems a bit strange, there is much confusion about towing a smart, looks like its a bit hit and miss. I think i would speak to a smart rep first before towing it.
Would happily get a trailer but it just a pain to store at home and on the road.
Thankyou all for the reccomendations for fitting

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[GIBLA53]

Hi i mentioned Towtal to you before and i aso had an A-frame installed which went onto the 3 vans . On 2 they were Fiat based the last is the most modern 250 chassis and went on with no additional adaptation .The 3rd motorhome was the outdated Ford chassis and this one required an "extended swan -neck" or American style hitch to overcome the problems that you outlined above. I towed a Fiat Panda for 3 years with this A-frame and used a BRAKE BUDDY which is an electronic braking system that operated the cars brakes when the motorhome brakes were applied . I cannot remember if a Smart is under the magic 750 kg. unbraked towing limit but with the experience i had of the system i would recommend using a trailer . Convenience of storage etc. is far outweighed by all of the negative aspects ie cannot reverse -you need to unhitch which although easy not too quick in a tricky circumstance , if you plan to travel on the continent its getting increasingly apparent that the police are no longer turning a blind-eye to something thats not legal for their own citizens. Personally i would buy aBrian James or Bantam trailer they are very neat and at least you would have peace of mind . ME I BOUGHT A 5TH WHEELER AND SOLVED MY DEBATE .Good luck ask if you want some more "guidance" Alan

 

[pappajohn]

I cannot remember if a Smart is under the magic 750 kg. unbraked towing limit

hi ,

no intention of getting into the same old debate again re: towing, but even if the smart was under 750kg it still would be a braked trailer.

ANY trailer which has brakes fitted, regardless of weight, then the brakes MUST work to the EU standards.
and , unfortunately, the smart has brakes fittedoh:

not the start of a debate, just a statement:thumb:

 

[GIBLA53]

Again i dont want to open up the old chestnut legal/not legal educate me please how are the Smart cars brakes operated? are we talking of a cable operated or electronic systems . Remember i towed for 3-years and surely am entitled to post my personal opinion whether misguided or not !

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[pappajohn]

no offence meant GIBLA53:Blush:.......i had no intention of having a dig at you and of course you have an opinion too and are very free to express it.:thumb:

i was just pointing out the brakes situation on any car which happens to be under 750kg. brakes fitted....brakes must work.