Eye Bolts

[rolandrat]

Why is it that chassis manufacturers only provide one eyebolt mounting point on the front, usually on the nearside? We were on a rally when the heavens opened up and at departure time nobody could get out of the field so someone went to borrow the local farmers tractor, a big beast of a John Deere that was oozing with power. He hooked us up and off he went completely oblivious that we couldn't follow directly behind him as the eyebolt was in line with his hitch. I was trying frantically to steer behind him but the front wheels were just being dragged through the mud and the farm field gate post was getting closer and closer, he realised just in time and pulled as close as he could to the near side post and we squeezed through with me needing a clean pair of shreddies afterwards. If one was fitted on the other side as well then the tow would have been even.

[Dave Newell]

Because they're not officially towing eyes but tie down points for when its on a transporter. Also bear in mind that base vehicle manufacturers have little comprehension of the kind of use it will get as a motorhome.

 

D.

[Keithl]

And if you have 2 points, one on each side, and link them together in an 'A' frame shape with rope or chain you seriously risk 'crushing' the front of your MH.

The crossmembers between the chassis rails are not designed to withstand a 'crushing' force. And before you ask, towing 'A' frames are rigid so impart no crushing effect between the mounting points.

The ideal would be one point in the centre but then where would it be mounted to?

 

HTH,

Keith.

[rolandrat]

With hindsight we should have offset the tractors towing hitch to match, shouldn't we.

[Robinhood]

Dave Newell - 2010-11-05 7:54 PM

 

Because they're not officially towing eyes but tie down points for when its on a transporter. Also bear in mind that base vehicle manufacturers have little comprehension of the kind of use it will get as a motorhome.

 

D.

 

The front and rear eyes on mine ARE officially towing eyes, as described in the manual.

 

:-S

[Brambles]

They are normally fitted left on the rear and right on the front (opposite corners) and there is a good reason for being offset. Safest way to tow is a towing bar and if using a rigid or even a sprung bar and they are inline, and the front vehicle brakes really hard then the bar can impact damage to both vehicles. If the bar is angled then if there is too much force applied between the vehicles then they tend to get pushed sideways and reduces the force on the mountings. I have not explained this very well, but the tow bar being at an angle is safer to prevent damage to either vehicle

As dual purpose eyes being diagonal they are better for tying down the vehicle on a transporter and saves having 4 tying points.

They are not optimised for towing vehicles out of mud and through gates but from safety and protection of the vehicle chassis when beiog towed on the highway, along with minimising costs of producing te vehicle.

If the eye was in the middle of a cross member then the cross member would have to be very much stronger adding cost and affecting the impact crush characteristics.

 

Some vehicles have eyes which are purely for tying down vehicle and not for towing except for recovery onto say a load loader transporter, so Dave is not wrong, his vehicle may well not have eyes suitable for towing and whilst most can be used for towing manufactures say in handbook they are not, so they cannot be liable if something goes wrong.