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Hi there,
A looking to get a towbar with the eventuality of buying a towbar rack. The question is, is a towbar just a towbar, or are there different types? Is there a certain type for bike racks?
Just want to check before buying and finding I have got the wrong thing!
Thanks
get a swan neck one.
Removable if you have reversing sensors a towball would interfere with or want a 'clean' look when not using it.
get a 13 pin socket fitted, if it's a modern car somethign that's a specific kit not just a splice kit and some relays.
some will need more cutting of bumpers etc than others so check that too.
Quick (hopefully relevant) question - some racks seem to mount directly to the tow ball rather to a flange attachment - are these still properly secure, or do they wobble about a lot?
they're fine and secure and a lot easier to take on and off (ime).
only slight downside is ytou can't use them while towing as well - although towing with a bike rack is a nightmare as far as nose weights are concerned as well as turnign circle beign affected.
They're fine, no wobble at all
One thing to be aware of if using a tow bar mounted rack is to make sure your car has a high enough nose weight rating to handle both the weight of the bikes & rack. you'd be surprised how heavy the combination of a couple of bikes and rack can become.
Get advice from a local reputable tow bar specialist.
There are removable options which are sweet and easy to use, but as soon as you need electrics, the car in question becomes important. Many modern cars have stability and traction stuff built in that needs to know if there’s a tow bar fitted. Tow bar electrics really aren’t simple anymore.
There are also cars that have the exhaust or part of the system im an awkward place.
If you’re only going to use it for bike carrying you may find the install cost of the towbar more than you wanted to spend. I know I’d be looking at around £500 for mine.
One thing to be aware of if using a tow bar mounted rack is to make sure your car has a high enough nose weight rating to handle both the weight of the bikes & rack. you’d be surprised how heavy the combination of a couple of bikes and rack can become.
This, absolutely. It's amazing how many people use the flange-mount bike racks, stick three or four lead-piped, BSOs on them and then tow a caravan too. I say amazing, but I think I probably mean terrifying!
FWIW, most towbars will be around 80-90kg noseweight limit, so three 15kg bikes plus a rack (around 15kg too) should be fine. Of course, if you find that you are exceeding this weight limit with your bikes, this means you are legally and morally obliged to go out and buy a sub 9kg race bike and, of course, you'll have the full backing of this forum when you do 🙂
never mind what the rack will take worry about the towing weight of your vehicle
Its going to have to be pretty massive to have 80-90 kg- large estate or people carrier I assume
As for what type I prefer the ball that bolts on rather than swan neck as it allows more rack options
As for removal I have never seen the point of this at all though I dont have reversing sensors
never mind what the rack will take worry about the towing weight of your vehicle
Even a modestly sized 3 series BMW, or a Renault Megane has a maximum nose weight of 75kg - more than enough for a rack + three sturdy bikes without worrying about. You're quite right that this is something to check first though.
As for what type I prefer the ball that bolts on rather than swan neck as it allows more rack options
As for removal I have never seen the point of this at all though I dont have reversing sensors
I guess it's appearance. I happen to be deeply allergic to the look of flanged towbars on the back of cars as (to my eyes, at least!) it makes it look like the owner accidentally backed into a blacksmith's shop at some point in the past. Obviously, this is a completely aesthetic thing and the capacities of the bars don't tend to differ, so it comes down to personal preference and budget. I do find it funny that someone (mostly caravanners, to be fair) who has clearly agonised over their new car and polishes it every Sunday is happy to accept 30kg of pig-iron stuck out of the back of their £35,000 car without a second thought.
They look bloody awful. I have a removable one on my e class, with dedicated electrics.
You wouldn't have a clue it has a towbar most of the time, doesn't actually get used that often but it's very useful when it does!
I guess it’s appearance
Its not very often I am stood behind my car marvelling at its lines or lamenting how the tow bar I need just ruined them
its functional, just like the wheels, and my car needs it to be useful.
its functional, just like the wheels, and my car needs it to be useful.
Good for you, but others may have a different view on this. There isn't a right or wrong here, just a personal opinion.
It's not just the nose weight that matters. 75kg of bikes with their centre of gravity half a metre behind the towball pus a lot more leverage on the towbar fixings than 75kg noseweight from a trailer directly onto the ball.
My Focus Estate with factory fitted towball is rated to take 90kg vertically onto the ball, or a rack with 3 bikes.
Permanently attached tow bars means you can park in tight spaces with impunity.
🙂
As for removal I have never seen the point of this at all though I dont have reversing sensors
I don't get this either.
I have a removable one on my Pug that never comes off (mainly because it gets used so much) and it never interferes with the reversing sensors.
Same with the fixed flange mount one I had on my Doblo before it.
I live in Belgium so am happy to have the non removable one. Stops people 'parking' in to me 🙂 (similar to @boriselbrus). I suspect that after the first couple of times you remove it most people just leave them on. They don't seem to affect the reversing sensors at all
For the ultimate in tartiness, I have a friend with one of these on his car
As above, you should down rate the nose weight limit for a bike rack that's clamped to it with the centre of gravity someway behind. The manual for my car specifies a lower limit for bike racks.
When looking at the nose weight remember that the limit is the weight acting through the towball vertically.
Part of the rack and bikes weight is behind the ball and has a lever effect which means that the ACTUAL weight of the rack and bikes should be less than the nose weight for the car.
Remember that nose weight is about weight distribution of the car and not about the strength of the tow bar.
<span style="font-size: 0.8rem;">If you have a 75kg nose limit and your bike rack and bikes weighs 75kg you are going to be effectively over weight. </span>
And I'd definitely have the dedicated electrics if you have a remotely modern car. Removable always seems a waste of money to me and if you have the dedicated electrics then reversing sensors are a non issue as the car switches them off when you have something connected to the tow bar electrics.
We have two. One on a small car a Thule express which is light and mainly for road bikes. Mountain bikes go on the van mainly due to nose weight concerns. Both swan neck type. Wouldn’t go back to much else
On a number of vehicles you will have to have a removable towbar or you will be breaking the law every time you drive it without a rack/trailer/caravan.
If your number plate is on the bumper then it will be obscured by the tow ball
C&U Regs will see you with a nice fine, rectification notice and possibly points depending on how the Officer is feeling.
Our Galaxy has swan neck, removeable but has been seized in place since we bought it....
Our Thule Euroclassic 4-bike is quick release, and I can stand on rack (@14st) and bounce with no movement. It's been to Alps and South France with four bikes on, no problems at all.
go with newer electric fittings - better than older 3-pin things IMO.
Permanently attached tow bars means you can park in tight spaces with impunity.
And less people tailgate a car with a towbar. I found this quite refreshing after i got mine fitted.
One final comment from me - when you've got your rack fitted please don't do what I saw this afternoon heading north on the M6.
It was a car in the overtaking lane with 6 bikes strapped to a 2 bike rack!
Removable ones are nice as tow bars look crap so when not in use they can be removed. If you're not bothered about aesthetics then just go for a permanent one, they're a bit cheaper so no point in paying extra for a feature you're not going to use. The swan neck removable bar fitted to my previous SMax and current T5 does interfere with my rear parking sensors, so I guess it depends on the positioning of your car's sensors in the bumper if it will interfere with their operation or not.
On the electrics, you can go for the more expensive OEM loom option - often requires the cars ECU to be re-programmed too - my brother had to bet Audi to do this as no aftermarket installer could do it and it cost a good chunk on top of the cost of the loom making it an expensive option. It basically disables the rear parking sensors and supposed to change the parameters of the stability control and traction control. I didn't bother with this and just went for the cheaper universal loom and it works fine apart form rear parking sensor issue. But since mine is removable it is only used when I've got something attached to it so the parking sensors are useless anyway.
On a number of vehicles you will have to have a removable towbar or you will be breaking the law every time you drive it without a rack/trailer/caravan.
Source - genuine Q my google fu was weak
@junkyard. The issue is if your towbar obscures the license plate. Most don't but some car manufacturers manage to put the license plate where the towball sits. Towball has to be within a range from the groundline.
The towball can be a failure point for high load/durability. The Germans do not allow more than 3 bikes on only a ball.
If you want a nice British platform rack for a flange towbar. Check out http://www.auxtail.com