A Frame advice

[Al n Val]

You would have to be Rambo to pick it up off the floor far to heavy

bloody hell

any ideas then about there chassis mounted 2 elec bike rack i’m booked in for

i’ve got a Comanche btw but concerned now about weight now you’ve said that

 

[Steve and Denise]

We had a towbar fitted to a brand new van and they made a hash of it to behonest I got home and refitted it as it should be.
I did post on here with photographs not good, but had to have type approved badge

 

[Al n Val]

We had a towbar fitted to a brand new van and they made a hash of it to behonest I got home and refitted it as it should be.
I did post on here with photographs not good, but had to have type approved badge ☹

that’s not very reassuring is it

i’m studying now tbh

 

[Ivory55]

bloody hell

any ideas then about there chassis mounted 2 elec bike rack i’m booked in for

i’ve got a Comanche btw but concerned now about weight now you’ve said that

We have a Comanche and carry to electric bikes on the tow bar , so to be safe we got Sv tech we had the rear axel weight upgraded. Just to be sure with the weight in the garage etc.

 

[mikebeaches]

Hi we have just had a super lightweight A frame fitted to our Hyundai i10 by Tow A frame https://www.towaframe.com/products/ Mike and Bobby of Tow A Frame came to my house and fitted the superb electronic braking system and easy locate A frame. All done in a day. Excellent service.View attachment 412545

That looks impressive.

I was going to ask you a couple of questions, but you've already answered the first in a later post - How much does it weigh - answer 9kg, which is cool.

How long does it take to connect the A-frame to the car?

And finally, would you mind saying how much it all cost for the whole job, including the electronic braking set-up?

Many thanks!

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[Terry]

Hi I remember a good few years back when Armatidge did a A frame for a man and it also caught fire 10 mins after he left factory. Lost his car . Armatidge admitting fault said they would replace etc, but when his insurance got involved they went back on their word
The man's wife had terminal cancer and he never gave us a update but his last post said he had been left to fight them for his replacement car but his wife was really bad and he had no fight left in him and was using his energy to make his wife's last few weeks better. Never heard anything more

 

[mikebeaches]

Hi I remember a good few years back when Armatidge did a A frame for a man and it also caught fire 10 mins after he left factory. Lost his car . Armatidge admitting fault said they would replace etc, but when his insurance got involved they went back on their word
The man's wife had terminal cancer and he never gave us a update but his last post said he had been left to fight them for his replacement car but his wife was really bad and he had no fight left in him and was using his energy to make his wife's last few weeks better. Never heard anything more

I recall that very sad and unhappy tale of woe concerning Armitage.

The situation was distressing.

 

[donnkim]

Just add my little bit - The law is an ass!
Towing a Caravan is far more dangerous than a toad. I will never tow a caravan again! Very happy and feel safe towing my little Picanto.

 

[Neil S]

Just add my little bit - The law is an ass!
Towing a Caravan is far more dangerous than a toad. I will never tow a caravan again! Very happy and feel safe towing my little Picanto.

Modern Caravans are perfectly safe to tow with all the added safety features such as Active Trailer control (ATC) and Alko friction coupling providing you have a well balanced setup with good weight advantage and sufficient BHP on your towing vehicle .
But if your not confident driver when towing large trailers or caravans I can see why it must be off putting
Difference is I can confidently reverse my single axle 7.3 meter caravan anywhere if space allows using my large towing mirrors
You cannot reverse your picanto more than a few feet before the front wheels skew to one side .

 

[Pausim]

I agree caravans are easier to reverse but I have seen some caravan nasties over the years and not even heard of a toad causing an accident.

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[Neil S]

I agree caravans are easier to reverse but I have seen some caravan nasties over the years and not even heard of a toad causing an accident.

this is true but most if not all of these accidents are caused by either overloading , wrong weight distribution in the caravan , incorrect noseweight or totally unsuitable towing vehicle and another contributing factor is speed .
I tow thousands of miles every year including Scotland to Spain and back with our 7.4 meter caravan and 4x4 and never encounter stability issues but then I'm meticulous in loading both towcar and caravan .
We don't use our Pilote in the winter months preferring the flexibility of the car and caravan for long stays in the winter months

 

[donnkim]

Everything you have stated Neil to tow a caravan safely does not apply to a small car with a wheel at each corner. To prevent the front wheels from turning - just put the steering lock back on.

 

[Pausim]

this is true but most if not all of these accidents are caused by either overloading , wrong weight distribution in the caravan , incorrect noseweight or totally unsuitable towing vehicle and another contributing factor is speed .
I tow thousands of miles every year including Scotland to Spain and back with our 7.4 meter caravan and 4x4 and never encounter stability issues but then I'm meticulous in loading both towcar and caravan .
We don't use our Pilote in the winter months preferring the flexibility of the car and caravan for long stays in the winter months

Sadly not everyone is as careful as you but done properly I am sure it can be done safely.

 

[Neil S]

Everything you have stated Neil to tow a caravan safely does not apply to a small car with a wheel at each corner. To prevent the front wheels from turning - just put the steering lock back on.

Which would mean you could only reverse in a straight line

 

[pandas]

That looks impressive.

I was going to ask you a couple of questions, but you've already answered the first in a later post - How much does it weigh - answer 9kg, which is cool.

How long does it take to connect the A-frame to the car?

And finally, would you mind saying how much it all cost for the whole job, including the electronic braking set-up?

Many thanks!

I believe this is the same as one we purchased 8 years ago supplied by Smarttow.
I think the overall cost was about £1200.
after some practice I was a bit like the F1 Mercedes pit lane but took me about 5-6 min - slightly quicker taking off as no alignment required.
Another benefit - we never really were aware it was being towed as wherever we went strangely enough it did too. As the car was narrower than the Motorhome there wasn’t a problem going through tight corners.

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[pandas]

Everything you have stated Neil to tow a caravan safely does not apply to a small car with a wheel at each corner. To prevent the front wheels from turning - just put the steering lock back on.

NO! Our used to lock at an angle.

 

[pandas]

Another tip. Needed to keep the ignition key in the to prevent the wheels locking. If someone were to steel the car whilst say parked up you would not be covered by insurance as you left the car unattended with the key in the ignition so we had a key made which cost about £10(?) but it wasn’t able to start the engine. We could also lock the car door. We had the insurance clarified by our insurance company at the time.

 

[mikebeaches]

I believe this is the same as one we purchased 8 years ago supplied by Smarttow.
I think the overall cost was about £1200.
after some practice I was a bit like the F1 Mercedes pit lane but took me about 5-6 min - slightly quicker taking off as no alignment required.
Another benefit - we never really were aware it was being towed as wherever we went strangely enough it did too. As the car was narrower than the Motorhome there wasn’t a problem going through tight corners.

Thanks for that! £1,200 sounds more reasonable than the quote from LNB for an Aygo, mentioned by David and Sally - "£2699 ...... "

LNB are local to us, but their A-frame apparently weighs 12kg, whereas Towaframe quote 8kg, which is more manageable and convenient.

 

[pandas]

Thanks for that! £1,200 sounds more reasonable than the quote from LNB for an Aygo, mentioned by David and Sally - "£2699 ...... "

LNB are local to us, but their A-frame apparently weighs 12kg, whereas Towaframe quote 8kg, which is more manageable and convenient.

actually I just looked out the cost and it was £1,395 including the VAT not £1,200 apologies (but that was November '12)

 

[Robster100]

Hmmmm

Sorry to but in but I am in the process of booking my van and car in for tower and A Frame fitment!

I WAS going for the the-system Towbars 2 tow cares system, see link.

Now I am wondering about the towaframe system, although this looks to be a LOT more expensive!

Prices I am seeing for this system are close to £3k, while the other system is £2k.

Does anyone know both systems and can advise which is best?

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[donnkim]

Can only advise on towbars2towcars. Expensive but a brilliant system. Used on 3 Piacantos in over 5 years.
And Neil - the tow car doesn’t need the key in the ignition to set the steering lock and as toads ar3 generally short will push around bends. I will reiterate- there are infinity more accidents with caravans than ever with a motorhome pulling a car.

 

[TheAleMan]

Hi. Been using the towbars2towcars system for two and a half years now and it works great with no issues at all.

 

[pandas]

Can only advise on towbars2towcars. Expensive but a brilliant system. Used on 3 Piacantos in over 5 years.
And Neil - the tow car doesn’t need the key in the ignition to set the steering lock and as toads ar3 generally short will push around bends. I will reiterate- there are infinity more accidents with caravans than ever with a motorhome pulling a car.

An important point here. We must be talking about two different set ups. Our Up, brilliant car to tow, had a locking position on the wheels that was very much angled, like most cars actually. The wheels on both the front and back need to turn, freewheel, so there must be a confusion here that Neil should work through.of course take the key out and the front steering locks the wheels hence the need for a non smart ignition key.

 

[Charlie9038]

Hmmmm

Sorry to but in but I am in the process of booking my van and car in for tower and A Frame fitment!

I WAS going for the the-system Towbars 2 tow cares system, see link.

Now I am wondering about the towaframe system, although this looks to be a LOT more expensive!

Prices I am seeing for this system are close to £3k, while the other system is £2k.

Does anyone know both systems and can advise which is best?

we are also looking at this, tow a frame @£3k has telescopic legs, same as Lnb leisure at £2600. The usp is that these appear easier to connect to the Motorhome as the telescopic legs give you a bit o play. Tow a frame also have a gadget that allows you to raise the a frame then reverse the Motorhome to connect rather than using a jockey wheel.
have never used any a frame just what I have seen. Any One else had experience. Is £600 plus extra worth the telescopic legs Or will tb2tc do the job or even taf chesterfiel?
Guess you get what you pay for.

 

[Robster100]

Hi. Been using the towbars2towcars system for two and a half years now and it works great with no issues at all.

Thanks, 2 actual long term users of towbars2towcars gives me a bit more comfort and it is the cheaper solution.

Quick question, how easy is it to line of the car if you are on your own, or do I need to grab an innocent bystander to help?

One thing I did like the look of on the towaframe solution is the slightly telescopic arms that mean you don't have to line up exactly, however, at nearly a grand more than the towbars2towcars solution I think I can put up with that issue!

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[DandG5515]

My toad is on caratow a frame, I have the jockey wheel set high I can see the hitch from inside the toad so can position it over the towball on my own in two attempts, that is why some of the lightweight a frames use a strap to hold it up while making final positioning.

 

[Pausim]

I have a strap on my TAF and with the rear camera can usually get pretty close, sometimes spot on. If the car is on level ground it is easy enough to nudge it forward, sometimes with a little bit of steering wheel adjustment. Never experienced telescopic arms, not sure I understand the geometry of how that affects towing and the cornering stresses.

 

[Charlie9038]

I have a strap on my TAF and with the rear camera can usually get pretty close, sometimes spot on. If the car is on level ground it is easy enough to nudge it forward, sometimes with a little bit of steering wheel adjustment. Never experienced telescopic arms, not sure I understand the geometry of how that affects towing and the cornering stresses.

The telescopic arms are to make it easier to connect to mh only ,rather than nudging the car forward adjusting the steering wheel it gives you a bit of play ( is it worth the extra £600 ), they lock in place before towing.

 

[sweetie]

Have been using a towbars 2towcar frame for 3 years Find it great. I was a bit hesitant at first but after a couple of times hitching up found it easy.

 

[TheAleMan]

Thanks, 2 actual long term users of towbars2towcars gives me a bit more comfort and it is the cheaper solution.

Quick question, how easy is it to line of the car if you are on your own, or do I need to grab an innocent bystander to help?

One thing I did like the look of on the towaframe solution is the slightly telescopic arms that mean you don't have to line up exactly, however, at nearly a grand more than the towbars2towcars solution I think I can put up with that issue!

An assistant is the way to go.
Also, towbars2towcars lent us a car for the time it takes do the job. All they ask is that you put back in what you’ve taken out in fuel.

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