barrett5 Posted August 7, 2011 Share Posted August 7, 2011 Can anybody help me obtain a user manual or instructions for a Towtal A frame? the manufacturers have ignored 3 e-mails and 2 phone calls. I have bought a second hand car with one already fitted, but am not sure how to adjust the brake cable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
w1ntersun Posted August 8, 2011 Share Posted August 8, 2011 Hi, there is no user manual or at least when I bought one I didn,t get one. To adjust the settings on the brake cable attach the car to the van and attach the cable. With the van handbrake on ( obviously ) take the hand brake off on the tow car. push the car away from the van as far as the overun slide on the a-frame will allow. and adjust the cable till there is a small amount of slack in it. Then push the car towards the van ( with the lights on and tow car lights also connected ) the brake lights should come on on the tow car. Then take the unit out for a run. when you brake sharply the a-frame should not bang as the slider moves forward as the brakes on the car should be coming on. If it does bang then take up some more slack but make sure the brake are not on when the car is pushed back from the van. Once adjusted no further adjustment should be required. Hope this helps Richard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aultymer Posted August 8, 2011 Share Posted August 8, 2011 Do towtal frames need a bungy between the seat and the brake pedal to ensure the return of the brake pedal? (I have a Car-A-Tow system which does) If the OP has no instructions and wasn't given any advice this may be important. The reason for this aparently Heath Robinson elastic band treatment is merely to overcome the extra friction of the brake operating cable to ensure the pedal rises and the brake lights go off. There is every chance that the pedals inbuilt return spring will do this but the bungy just helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clive Posted August 8, 2011 Share Posted August 8, 2011 Relying on the heath robinson instalation of a bungee so that your brakes dont catch fire sounds to me a tad worrying. Was not an A frame related vehicle fire recently reported? Perhaps the only instructions available are verbal ones? Suggest you seriously consider a preperly "engineered" solution for the braking system that "fails safe" if you want to A frame tow. C. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barrett5 Posted August 8, 2011 Author Share Posted August 8, 2011 thanks a million! I shall follow your instructions to the letter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barrett5 Posted August 8, 2011 Author Share Posted August 8, 2011 thanks for the advice, but the previous owner (who had it from new) did not mention any elastic! but I will get the little Lady to sit in the towcar and look at the pedal and make sure it returns OK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aultymer Posted August 8, 2011 Share Posted August 8, 2011 Clive - 2011-08-08 10:49 AM Relying on the heath robinson instalation of a bungee so that your brakes dont catch fire sounds to me a tad worrying. Was not an A frame related vehicle fire recently reported? Perhaps the only instructions available are verbal ones? Suggest you seriously consider a preperly "engineered" solution for the braking system that "fails safe" if you want to A frame tow. C. I am surprised at you of all people scaremongering, Clive!! As a self confesed 'bodger' you should be well aware that Bungy cords are as well engineered as some of the glue holding your van together and as well engineered as USA made braking devices which rely on an external source of power. To relate the car fire (which may have been caused by a wronly engineered component or to faulty fitting) to the function of the bungy on 'A' framed cars smacks of grasping at straws for another agenda. It's not there to, as you put it, ' to stop your brakes catching fire'. It is there because some makes of car keep the brake lights on until the pedal is back against the stops. The bungy is there to assist the cars return spring which may not have been designed to pull back an extra few feet of bowden cable. Believe me the brakes come off ok even without the bungy (don't ask how I know!) but whats wrong with adding a bit of extra oomph to make sure?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhorsf Posted August 9, 2011 Share Posted August 9, 2011 They said the brakes come off ok on this one also! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
koike Posted August 9, 2011 Share Posted August 9, 2011 Thank you to share... :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aultymer Posted August 9, 2011 Share Posted August 9, 2011 The jury is still out on who said what to whom on that one. However the advice to 'just give it more welly' may have more to do with the fire than the use (or no) of a bit of elastic. The supplying company would no doubt claim that their product was 'properly engineered' . By the way, how would one determine how a brake system 'fails safe'? Do they go 'on' if the system fails? Risking a fire as Clive points out. OR Do they go 'off' if the system fails? Risking a runaway. Looks like you pays your money and takes your chance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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