Towbar or no towbar

[Bognor Saint]

This is our second motorhome and both have been fitted with a towbar. In the absence of a cycle rack on either we have been using a towball mounted rack. Now I have figured out that this must eat into my payload. Luckily there is a plate on the towbar with the make and model number etc so I phoned the company and was informed that it weighed 52kg. Now that is a significant amount leads me to thinking of having it removed and replaced with a Fiamma cycle rack. Good idea?
We are plated at 3500 but I do not want to uprate as we let our son use it as he does not have C1 licence.
We don't always take our bikes.

 

[Nirvanauk]

Have you had your van weighed to see what your payload is .?

 

[Stealaway]

I'm forever taking mine off. I only need it for the trip to the IOM, with my motorcycle rack it must weigh 70kg and don't want to drag it about when it's not needed.

 

[Pausim]

Towbars eat a lot of payload. Alternative to removal might be a small trailer, so that you can carry all your heavy kit in it.

As C1 licenses become rarer perhaps motorhome manufacturers will develop under 3500kg models with all the heavy services, such as batteries gas and water tanks, built into a custom trailer.

 

[Bognor Saint]

Have you had your van weighed to see what your payload is .?

I picked van up from storage yesterday and weighed it on way home: 3166kg. That weight included me and utensils and pots and pans etc but no wife or full tank of fuel. We generally only travel with little water.
So far we have always kept within our weight limit (I think).

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[PeteH]

Towbars eat a lot of payload. Alternative to removal might be a small trailer, so that you can carry all your heavy kit in it.

As C1 licenses become rarer perhaps motorhome manufacturers will develop under 3500kg models with all the heavy services, such as batteries gas and water tanks, built into a custom trailer.

A far more "common-sense" solution would be to create a specific class for Motor-Caravans. and set the B1 bar at (say) 4tonne. But as we all know "common-sense" does never figure in the decision making of the "lords and masters"!. A vast number of Motorhomes are already capable of being upgraded to or close to 4t, with just a paper exercise, and sometimes a change of tyre specification only. So any ideas of "safety" being compromised are entirely unlikely!.

 

[mfw]

Trying to decide on towbar whether to fit or not but 70-80 kgs is too much unless i always tow a trailer cant see an advantage fitting it (my vans plated at 3.5t) not gonna keep removing and refitting.

Go abroad and park on aires trailer is pain in backside trying to fit in at times from what i've seen and more trouble than it is worth.

Pay campsite fees all the time then fair enough but you might as well buy a caravan and then you get car to run around in



I

 

[irnbru]

A tow bar helps if you ground your van or if you reverse into a wall etc. I’d rather have one on and no I’ve not reversed into a wall.

 

[scotjimland]

Pay campsite fees all the time then fair enough but you might as well buy a caravan and then you get car to run around in

that's the conclusion we came to..

sold our Hymer B644 and bought a Hymer Nova caravan .. same German build quality, and PUAL construction , but without the Italian problems..

bonus of only having one vehicle to tax MOT and insure..

 

[Foxy1956]

Towbars eat a lot of payload. Alternative to removal might be a small trailer, so that you can carry all your heavy kit in it.

As C1 licenses become rarer perhaps motorhome manufacturers will develop under 3500kg models with all the heavy services, such as batteries gas and water tanks, built into a custom trailer.

That's what we do. We have a small box trailer to carry Sue's disability scooter, bike etc. We would be unable to carry on without it.

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[Deleted member 29692]

The towbar might weigh 52kg but it will be putting far more load than that onto the rear axle with the pivot effect of the overhang.

 

[PeteH]

The towbar might weigh 52kg but it will be putting far more load than that onto the rear axle with the pivot effect of the overhang.

Whilst that may be true. The use of a Trailer is quite versatile, notwithstanding the load imposed by "nose weight", the greater mass is being carried by the trailer wheels. Compare that to putting (as some do) a largish scooter/small motorcycle into a "garage", in itself likely to be well in excess of 100Kg (and probably far more), invariably behind the rear wheels, not over them. 2 cycles (especially Electric) on the rear wall would impose as great or greater load IMV.

 

[Bognor Saint]

A tow bar helps if you ground your van or if you reverse into a wall etc. I’d rather have one on and no I’ve not reversed into a wall.

That's part of my dilemma. We keep the van in storage and bring home before any trip. The road that we live in has a significant camber and there is a slight incline up our drive and it grounds on entry and exit. The towbar does the grounding.
Removing it will give me a lot more clearance(I hope)
Before we bought any van we hired one, no towbar and same size and no grounding.
That's my dilemma.

 

[mfw]

Catch 22 there are good points and bad points but if you are restricted to 3.5t weight becomes problem unless you pull trailer most of the time.

My payload is at its limits just me in it and i only weigh 85kg my height is 5ft 8-9ins so slightly overweigh stick the towbar on the back get stopped and i have to dump all my water wife onboard and i cant reduce weight so towbar wont work for me + towing trailer and parking on aires with trailer is hard work

 

[PeteH]

towing trailer and parking on aires with trailer is hard work

I`ve been on Aire`s, with 32ft of R-V towing B-J 2 axle trailer and Renault Scenic. Never had trouble reversing or parking. For safety`s sake you do need a banks-man/(person) though!. But must admit it was easier to just unhitch the "A" frame, in the later years. Until the Spanish "plod" started hassling us.

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[scotjimland]

I`ve been on Aire`s, with 32ft of R-V towing B-J 2 axle trailer and Renault Scenic. Never had trouble reversing or parking. For safety`s sake you do need a banks-man/(person) though!. But must admit it was easier to just unhitch the "A" frame, in the later years. Until the Spanish "plod" started hassling us.

likewise.. 36ft RV with twin axle Lynton box trailer .. but some are just too small to accommodate large outfits .. or don't have space to manoeuvre .. and you can also get jammed in with cozy neighbours..

 

[Silver-Fox]

I view my tow bar as an added bit of insurance.
It stops some plank of a driver clipping any of the fragile bodywork and buggering off without leaving details.

It’s handy for reversing when you’ve missed something on the reversing camera
Like a plant pot I moved at home the other day

 

[mfw]

likewise.. 36ft RV with twin axle Lynton box trailer .. but some are just too small to accommodate large outfits .. or don't have space to manoeuvre .. and you can also get jammed in with cozy neighbours..

What i meant when i said trailers are a pain is most aires will take 7-8 mtr motorhome add a trailer at 2 - 4 mts long it then does not fit so now you put trailer in space for motorhome now you cant park because half a dozen people are taking up motorhome parking spaces with trailers or you turn up 1 space left you cant use it because you cant fit in with a trailer.

Towbars are good for rear end protection but at 3.5t limit the actual weight of towbar is a person

 

[The Wino]

Unless you are going to use the towbar for something other than abike rack it seems daft to have one

 

[scotjimland]

What i meant when i said trailers are a pain is most aires will take 7-8 mtr motorhome add a trailer at 2 - 4 mts long it then does not fit so now you put trailer in space for motorhome now you cant park because half a dozen people are taking up motorhome parking spaces with trailers or you turn up 1 space left you cant use it because you cant fit in with a trailer.

Towbars are good for rear end protection but at 3.5t limit the actual weight of towbar is a person

wasn't disagreeing, in fact the opposite .. they can be a pain in aires

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[PeteH]

Like much on here. It`s the old "horses for courses" situation. The trouble with "officialdom" being they have their own idea`s of the "norm", a sort of "Mrs Bucket" Syndrome. Pete Segars "Little Boxes" probably sums it up.

 

[Bognor Saint]

As I started this thread I thought that I had better update.
I weighed us all on way back from our short trip.
Weighbridge read 3386kg. That's me, wife, dog(22kg), half tank fuel, no water or waste. Obviously we had eaten what food we had taken and outward beer and wine. At the moment I am happy leaving towbar where it is but will keep reviewing it.

 

[Barclaybasher]

Got a towbar - really useful when reversing

I put the white cap of an aerosol on the ball

Reversing camera looks straight at it so with my mirrors I know exactly where I am.

Scared the life out of a Hymer owner just as I manouvered on the ship's deck.

All he could see was a towbar inches from his front not knowing I knew exactly where I was.

I wont be taking my towbar off......