seadog Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 Hi Has anyone had a tow bar fitted to an Autocruise Starspirit? Just wondered if its feasible with such a long rear overhang Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RogerC Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 Looking at the photos of the vehicle model on Google the overhang doesn't look to be any longer than a great many MH's so I would say yes it is feasable. Try giving Armitage a ring 01977 607155 or Towtal 01782 333422. Both companies make towbars etc for MH's and have been doing so for a number of years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robinhood Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 Watling quote a price for the 2009-on Starspirit, so it looks possible on these. http://www.watling-towbars.co.uk/docs/Motorhome%20towbars.pdf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest peter Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 That's not a bad price either, £300. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sydney1 Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 We've had a Type Approved tow bar fitted to our 2013 Autotrail Scout by Watling. They said they had never seen an overhang as long and even had to extend the final bracket slightly so I'm sure you will be fine. We even have a 3 bike carrier cantilevered off the back and it's rock solid (fitted right back to the Fiat chassis and there is a lot of bracing) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flicka Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 seadog - 2014-01-07 7:54 PM Hi Has anyone had a tow bar fitted to an Autocruise Starspirit? Just wondered if its feasible with such a long rear overhang Thanks Hi Seadog The overhang isn't a problem. You have an Al-Ko chassis on your Starspirit & that is predrilled for Towbar mounting bolts. The Watling website has a downloadable diagram where your chassis dimensions can be entered & then sent to them, if you have any concerns. They also have a cabling module which is specifically for the "Sevel" canbus systems (IIRC approx. another £130 - but it may have increased) Don't be put off if they are too far away from you, as they have approved installers around the country. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seadog Posted January 8, 2014 Author Share Posted January 8, 2014 Thanks guys, you have all been most helpful Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave225 Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 You have not said why you want it. If it is for something like a bike rack then no problem, however a heavy motorbike might be an issue. 160 kg or whatever on the rear bumper will have a big effect. Also if you plan to tow a trailer then do check with Autocruise what the maximum weight is as this may be a lot lower than you expect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donna miller Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 We've got a towbar on our Starspirit and it's fine, we have the usual scrape if driving onto or off of a steep slope but that's to be expected. We towed the bike all round Cornwall and mid Wales with no issues whatsoever. Half a dozen bolts so DIY is definitely an option. HTH. :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayjsj Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 And £300 is very good, I just paid twice that to have a 'Witter' type approved bar fitted to my Autotrail. *-) did include the electrics and fitting though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyg3nwl Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 Talking about towbars, my Starfire has one fitted, but age is beginning to show. The covering has cracked in a number of places, permitting water ingress resulting in the dreadediron oxide formation.rust!!! The coating seem to be a plastic of some sort and it is peeling off in one or 2 places. I have arranged for the bar to be removed next week and refurbished, .Covering to be stripped and bar sand blasted to remove all rust traces, and then the proposed treatment is for it to be resprayed. My question is, will respray be adequate, or should it be re done in the plastic coating,, if that is possible?, or any other treatment. tonyg3nwl. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayjsj Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 Are you sure the coating was plastic ? more likely to be 'powder coated' then baked on. That comes off in 'Flakes' similar to plastic. Ask them if they could 're-powder coat ' it for you, would last longer than just a respray. Or just take the bar after it has been sandblasted and hand paint it with Hammerite, think that Hammerite do a sprayable version too now, ask if they would use that. I had a hammerite hand painted towbar on the back of my Rav4 that lasted 8 years before it needed a 're-paint'. good stuff. Ray http://www.hammerite.co.uk/guide/direct_to_rust_metal_paint_hammered_finish.jsp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyg3nwl Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 Hi , thanks for reply. No I am not sure it is plastic covered. I beleive that it is more likely a powder coat bakedon, and that would be my preferred treatment. Hopefully on monday the workshop will agree. Watch this space. Tonyg3nwl. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keithl Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 Tony, First I will guess that it is a 'made to measure' towbar in which case these companies usually have to cut, weld, paint and fit in a day as the customer is lined up to come back and collect his vehicle at the end of the day. To accomplish this a simple spray paint (possibly two pack) is used which is both quick to apply and quick to dry. The downside is that the finish fails a very short while after being subjected to our typical British weather. The towbar on our MH was made and fitted (in one day) by a well known company in Stoke-On-Trent and the finish was so appalling after only 18 months that I removed it and had it shot blasted and powder coated by a local firm. It has now been back on for four and a half years and is still as good as the day it came back. So go for powder coating, it will last far longer than brush painting (even with hammerite) and will look far, far better. I just wish that these manufacturers offered a better finish (or even a choice of finishes) as this would improve there overall customer satisfaction. Or do they not expect owners to keep their MH long enough for the finish to deteriorate that badly? You only have to look at towbars on S/H vehicles for sale, or indeed on a rally field, to see how bad the finish really is. Keith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul2 Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 Hi, My last van had a PWS Engineering Ltd tow bar fitted and it was plastic coated in white, the plastic cracked and the bar was rusting. On PWS web site they are still doing plastic coated tow bars. Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corky 8 Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 Don't forget to deduct the weight of the tow bar from you carrying capacity, my Last Tow Bar weighed 50kg. Safe Journeys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billggski Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 Mine is galvanised, the best process, but of course paint won't stay on it for long. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 Can be painted successfully, but requires de-greasing followed by an "etch" primer. However, I'd think spraying with Waxoyl after fitting, and then from time to time, a better solution, as that will also coat all the bolts, penetrate the crevices between the bar and the chassis, the insides of any open ended tubes, and coat the rear of the electric socket as well. Bit messy, but not difficult. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keithl Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 Brian Kirby - 2014-01-10 5:51 PM However, I'd think spraying with Waxoyl after fitting, and then from time to time, a better solution, as that will also coat all the bolts, penetrate the crevices between the bar and the chassis, the insides of any open ended tubes, and coat the rear of the electric socket as well. Bit messy, but not difficult. I agree about the Waxoyl Brian, I sprayed the inside of mine after having it powder coated and before refitting the plastic end bungs. And in reply to the comments on 'Plastic coating'. IIRC this is normally a spray coating which is fairly fast drying so can be applied after manufacture. The big difference with POWDER coating is that it is a powder which is applied electrostatically and then baked on in an oven giving a much more durable finish. The likes of PWS and Towtal can 'plastic coat' a towbar and fit the same day, to powder coat would normally involve sending it to a specialist and then they could not make and fit the towbar in a day! Keith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billggski Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 Painting galvanised steel is a thread in itself, many a land rover site has pages of advice. Etch primer is usually for aluminium or "birmabrite" the alloy on every defender variant. Galvanised Lamposts and fencing are left bare because paint peels eventually. Most land rover owners with a galvanised chassis only paint it to make it less obvious to potential thieves, they leave it for a year for the galvanising to cure, use a mordant and then specialist paint, all quite futile apparently. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted January 11, 2014 Share Posted January 11, 2014 Keithl - 2014-01-10 6:02 PM................And in reply to the comments on 'Plastic coating'. IIRC this is normally a spray coating which is fairly fast drying so can be applied after manufacture. The big difference with POWDER coating is that it is a powder which is applied electrostatically and then baked on in an oven giving a much more durable finish. The likes of PWS and Towtal can 'plastic coat' a towbar and fit the same day, to powder coat would normally involve sending it to a specialist and then they could not make and fit the towbar in a day! Keith. Things change, so I am probably now out of date, but my views, based on my own experience, are: 1 The problem with plastic coated steel is that the plastic continues slowly losing bulk after the initial cure so, even on items that have never been exposed to weather, it is eventually prone to cracking. On items exposed to weather, these cracks become points of moisture ingress to the steel through capillary attraction. By the time the damage is spotted it is liable to be quite advanced. IMO, somewhat of a waste of time. 2 I had to investigate corroded steel window frames a few years back. The frames had only been in place for a few years, and had been specified to be, and were, powder coated. I discovered that powder coatings are not fully weatherproof, in that they are vapour permeable. In our generally damp climate they allow moisture to attack, and rust, untreated steel substrates. Good on stainless steel and aluminium as decorative coatings and, on these, very durable. But, IMO, also something of a waste of time on a towbar. Also, both the above finishes are prone to being damaged during fitting a towbar, especially when tightening in place. 3 Galvanising, IMO, is the way to go. Painting it is, IMO, another waste of time, unless you are prepared to re-paint at regular intervals. Painted, galvanised, steel is an excellent corrosion busting system, but ordinary paints have to be regarded as transient finishes, just as on a house, so need regular maintenance. 4 Specialist paint systems, with lives of 25 years or more, are available, but are very costly, and uneconomical to use on the scale of towbars. They are generally aimed at major structures (bridges etc) where the costs of re-painting will also be very high, and the exposure is purely to weather rather than to the continual attrition of grit and stones that bombard the undersides of vehicles. 5 Leaving the galvanised surface raw is good for a few years, but the zinc coating is sacrificial, as the name implies, so will be lost over time due to electrolysis, after which rust will commence. If the van chassis is not itself galvanised, some of the coating will also be sacrificed locally to protecting the chassis from rust, meaning it will be lost more rapidly just where it is needed the most. 6 So, IMO, a galvanised towbar given an initial spray over with Waxoyl, and then again every couple of years or so, is probably the best way to keep the tow-bar, the fixing bolts, and the local chassis, as well protected as is practical in the hostile environment under a vehicle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billggski Posted January 11, 2014 Share Posted January 11, 2014 Very thorough answer, but I'm not sure I fancy the waxoyl on the front of my trousers when I lift the bikes on and off, but this raises another point. Why does my towbar extend to the corners of the MH? It seems that most do, but all it does is add extra weight and something to catch the ground on uphill corners, especially with a long overhang like the OP mentioned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keithl Posted January 11, 2014 Share Posted January 11, 2014 Billggski - 2014-01-11 5:38 PM Why does my towbar extend to the corners of the MH? As a rear bumper! After seeing the rear of an Autotrail tracker after a car had 'nudged' it in slow moving stop/start traffic I am glad ours is full width in case it ever happens to us. Keith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muswell Posted January 11, 2014 Share Posted January 11, 2014 Brian Kirby - 2014-01-11 12:42 PM 5 Leaving the galvanised surface raw is good for a few years, but the zinc coating is sacrificial, as the name implies, so will be lost over time due to electrolysis, after which rust will commence. If the van chassis is not itself galvanised, some of the coating will also be sacrificed locally to protecting the chassis from rust, meaning it will be lost more rapidly just where it is needed the most. 6 So, IMO, a galvanised towbar given an initial spray over with Waxoyl, and then again every couple of years or so, is probably the best way to keep the tow-bar, the fixing bolts, and the local chassis, as well protected as is practical in the hostile environment under a vehicle. A good thickness of galvanising without paint will be sound long after the van itself has been converted into a cube of scrap. Increased corrosion from being connected to ungalvanised steel would not be enough to worry about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted January 12, 2014 Share Posted January 12, 2014 Muswell - 2014-01-11 7:25 PM.............A good thickness of galvanising without paint will be sound long after the van itself has been converted into a cube of scrap. Increased corrosion from being connected to ungalvanised steel would not be enough to worry about. Can you define what that "good thickness" should be, and how you would guarantee that it is applied? Could you also say how long you would expect the galvanising to last before corrosion begins? Will the above take account of the van possibly being driven in winter, on salt coated roads? My reason for asking is that I don't understand your apparent objection to applying Waxoyl or similar to the galvanised towbar, to slow down the rate of galvanic action. This is surely preferable to relying only on what is a difficult process to manage on fabricated components, where the coating thickness will vary from place to place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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