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        General >> Give/Need advice to/from others >> tow bar
        
(Message started by: Firefox on Apr 17^th, 2008, 10:19pm)

Title: tow bar
Post by Firefox on Apr 17^th, 2008, 10:19pm

Hi guys I have an N reg Ghia saloon. How easy or hard is it to fit a tow bar??

Cheers
Kim

Title: Re: tow bar
Post by peteHull on Apr 18^th, 2008, 7:03am

Hi Kim

A long time since I did mine but it is fairly easy although a bit of a rive... The back mountings are fixed on by removing the diff bolts, so long as you have the right towbar it shouldn't be too hard but you need a long extention and socket, (if fitting the same t/b on the 2.3 the diff has to be dropped a bit to get the braket behind it.) Obviousley, the bumper needs to be removed for access and you could have difficulty undoing the four Torx bolts that hold that on (replace them with Hexagons\)... thats all there is as far as I recall apart from routing the wires and sorting out connections and buzzer etc.... One tip though.... From an Old achey one, ??? it's easier to get the fitter to do it. ;)
Bear in mind also that depending on the type of bar you fit, it may partially obscure your no plate, _{mine does...}on cars later than 1997 I believe, it would have to have a detatchable towball fitted to overcome this problem ^{mine hasn't}if you have an accident and you have the wrong towbar fitted _{I Have} the insurance co could take a dim view and make it difficult.... :-/

Here is a link to full instructions
http://www.fordscorpio.co.uk/towbar.htm
I hope this helps,

Pete

Title: Re: tow bar
Post by jonnycab on Apr 19^th, 2008, 4:16am

Also, another thing to consider when fitting a tow bar on a saloon is the rear springs ;)

Scorpio saloons with factory fitted tow bars had tougher springs fitted (Heavy Duty towing springs) which are no longer available from Ford >:(

I've been looking for a pair of these springs for a while & have hunted high & low, but to no avail :(

You may have to use spring assisters if towing anything heavy :)

Title: Re: tow bar
Post by harry.m1byt on Apr 19^th, 2008, 9:18am

on 04/17/08 at 22:19:38, Firefox wrote:

Hi guys I have an N reg Ghia saloon. How easy or hard is it to fit a tow bar??

Cheers
Kim

Not too difficult a job - getting the bumper off is the hardest part simply because the exposed bolt threads rust up.

Title: Re: tow bar
Post by Scorpio_Mike on Apr 19^th, 2008, 9:34am

You may find - like I did - that the Torx headed bolts are sized and the drive bit just rounds-out the Torx socket...in which case an angle grinder will come in handy... :'(

Title: Re: tow bar
Post by Firefox on Apr 19^th, 2008, 10:05pm

Thanks for the info guys :) :) I'm not looking to tow anything too heavy, just the trailer to the local tip...so the springs shouldn't be a problem.
Just got a quote from a local place to fit a tow bar......£260 :( :( so might just have to leave it for now

Title: Re: tow bar
Post by big_neil on Apr 20^th, 2008, 6:22pm

bl**dy h**l, i,ve just thrown a tow bar and fittings in the skip as it would not fit my dec 98 saloon,,,,,,,,SORRY!

Title: Re: tow bar
Post by sector-9 on Apr 21^st, 2008, 11:27pm

on 04/19/08 at 22:05:25, Firefox wrote:

If it's only very occasional use then you'd be cheaper to hire a van on the odd day you need to cart stuff off to the tip. Another option is a roof rack and possibly roof box - though the prices for both of those may well make you think again about having the towbar fitted!

I concur with the others though, the bumper bolts will round off (ask me how I know) so be prepared to cut the heads off with an angle grinder and drill out the old thread. Once this is done the rest of the job is straightforward and should only take an hour, not including wiring. Now ask yourself, how many corners would the fitting place cut to get your car out and the next in? Do you really need to remove the bumper even? I know most towbar fitting instructions say to but I've found that it's not usually necessary unless the towbar attaches to the bumper mounting points.

Darren

Title: Re: tow bar
Post by peteHull on Apr 22^nd, 2008, 6:56am

on 04/21/08 at 23:27:56, sector-9 wrote:

Now ask yourself, how many corners would the fitting place cut to get your car out and the next in? Do you really need to remove the bumper even? I know most towbar fitting instructions say to but I've found that it's not usually necessary unless the towbar attaches to the bumper mounting points.

Darren

There are many legaslative matters attached to towing nowadays, some only apply to vehicles of certain ages but there are that many grey areas that an insurance co would always penalise anyone breaking the recomendations. The best place to find the most up to date info on towbars is the Caravan club website.

Any towbar fitter (worth his salt) knows all the requirements to satisfy legislation, if they were to cut corners it would jeopardise both thier reputation and livelihood ( I'm talking about a "proper" towbar fitter)

The bumper has to be removed so as to facilitate access to the rear panel. (See the item in the modifications section Highlighted below.) Plates have to be inserted behind the panel and the rear mounting of the towbar bolted through into the plates. This is the part which carries the main weight of the caravan/trailer.

It really is a job that should be done properley so as to avoid problems while towing.

Gone are the days when you could just hook up and take aff, today we have an obligation to preserve the life of our own, our passengers other road users, and though all the wrinkles aren't yet legally ironed out regarding towing, they soon will be, in the meantime if anyone is found at fault because of faulty or shoddy equipment there will be no leniancy shown.

See Here....

http://www.fordscorpio.co.uk/towbar.htm

Caravan Club.... http://www.caravanclub.co.uk/

hth

Pete