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Quick question - I need a tow bar primarily for a bike carrier. Do I want flange or swan neck? Assume 7 pin electronics? Read somewhere that more options for flange but chap at tow bar fitters recons most carriers are happy with either.
I only have the option for swan neck as it came as standard. My Thule rack works very well.
I bought from Halfords and the rack came with a UK style plug.
My T5 has the Euro plug so I bought adapter from Halfords also.
Note: If you have to use an adapter from Euro style to UK style, remove the adapter from the socket with the rack as the fog lights wont work with it still fitted and the van will fail its MOT as a result. Took me a while to find this.
There's going to be lots of disappointed people reading this thread.
To be honest I was hoping the title would draw more people in.
I have a swan neck. Unfortunately I also have an Aiston carrier. It would be cheaper for me to get a new towbar than a new rack. But infinitely more of a PITA.
Flange is more versatile, does everything a swan neck does and more. If you want to get into looks its a towbar either way and if you go removable it'll eventually end up permenantly stuck on or off depending what state you leave it in most often.
Unless you already have a rack with a 7 pin socket I would got for 13 pin - they are a much more "positive" connection so your lights will be less likely to spontaneously stop displaying.
?
I'd go with flange type* as you get more options of bike racks. Either those that fit on the the tow ball or those, like mine, which fit onto a flange plate mounted behind tow tow ball. I feel like mine is more secure carrying 4 bikes that way, but I'm not sure if that's true. When I was looking for a 4 bike rack I saw a few tow ball mounted ones that had additional security straps that hooked onto the boot door, which didn't fill me with confidence....
*I don't care what it looks like.
It's a nice word; 'flange', quite woody sounding..................