ALANSUE Posted December 23, 2015 Share Posted December 23, 2015 We are thinking of having a tow bar fitted to our Autotrail Dakota motorhome. Will this effect the insurance on the car or motorhome or both? Thanks Alan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted December 23, 2015 Share Posted December 23, 2015 I don’t see why fitting a tow-bar to your motorhome should affect its insurance, and it would seem (from previous forum comments) that modifying a car to be towed via an A-frame should not affect the car’s own insurance cover when it is NOT being towed. However, (as advised on the link below) what you should explore with your insurance provider(s) is the insurance coverage for both vehicles when the car is being towed. http://www.campingandcaravanningclub.co.uk/helpandadvice/technicalhelp/towing/towing-with-a-motorhome/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RogerC Posted December 23, 2015 Share Posted December 23, 2015 In today's world of immediate communication and insurance companies sometimes doing what they can to avoid payouts the answer is simple........if you're concerned about insurance validity call them and talk over your proposal. We had a towbar to out MH fitted along with our Smart car moded to 'A' frame use at the same time. Both insurance companies were informed and neither were concerned. We obtained confirmation that our insurance would 'not' be affected 'and' that when towing that 'both' vehicles would still be covered. The essence of this reply is 'talk to your insurer'..........simples Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
granddad Posted December 23, 2015 Share Posted December 23, 2015 what iv seen of towing of a k a not very safe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
granddad Posted December 23, 2015 Share Posted December 23, 2015 THISis only a little bit of story .. to ensure you regularly check the frame mountings on your car and that the car is not suffering with any distortion or metal fatigue. We have been towing our Ford Ka for 8 or 9 years without any problems until this week. Having been touring D&G in Scotland and pulled into fill up with fuel in the m/h with the car behind when the forecourt cashier noticed green radiator fluid pouring from the car. I don't know the full extent of damage as yet because we left the car to be transported home by the RAC so we can continue our trip. Just on quick inspection it appears a part of the "chassis" on the near side has broken allowing the a-frame to twist and pull the front of the car forward. ... Both front wings have popped out & forward by a couple of inches. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayjsj Posted December 23, 2015 Share Posted December 23, 2015 Grandad, Is this your Own vehicle ? Or are you relaying the story of someone else ? Don't doubt your story, but why didn't you tell us about it before ? These threads have a habit of Scare mongering, ie Tall tales of folk being gassed while asleep in their vans and then robbed .etc., didn't happen to them of course....But to a friend of theirs..! I tow a car behind my Motorhome and have done so perfectly safely for 3 years. No signs of chassis damage to car.And I do check. Both Motohome and car are insured through the CC, no problems, they are fully aware that they are used together via the A-frame, and apart singly, fully comp in ALL situations. Ps Alan&Sue, our van is a Savannah, tows very well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted December 24, 2015 Share Posted December 24, 2015 Rayjsj - 2015-12-23 10:30 PM Grandad, Is this your Own vehicle ? Or are you relaying the story of someone else ?... It’s a partial quote from the firstl posting of a July 2015 multi-page MHFun forum thread http://www.motorhomefun.co.uk/forum/threads/warning-to-all-a-frame-users.112038/ and was also discussed here http://www.wildcamping.co.uk/forums/motorhome-knowledge-base-/46667-warning-about-frame-towing.html If I remember correctly the original Ford “Ka” was one of the few cars where the manufacturer stipulated that the vehicle could not (or should not) be fitted with a rear tow-bar because of the body’s lightweight construction. If that’s correct, then towing an early-model Ka with a A-frame might be considered unwise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayjsj Posted December 24, 2015 Share Posted December 24, 2015 Mmmmm ! Thought I had heard that story before. When one instance becomes many. Derek, the criteria appears to be then, if the manufacturer says you cannot fit a towbar to tow with, Then don't try to tow it with an A-Frame either, Wonder how the original KA did in the Crash testing ? If it has a cardboard chassis ? http://www.carmagazine.co.uk/car-reviews/ford/ford-ka-and-sportka-2008-review/ Perhaps wiser to pick a different Tow Car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted December 24, 2015 Share Posted December 24, 2015 In Alan’s original posting on this thread no indication was given of the age or model of Ford “Ka”, and I’ve not struggled through the lengthy MHFun thread to check if the age/model of “Ka" referred to there was accurately identified. The “Ka” was first marketed in 1996, with a 2nd generation (built in a Fiat factory) in 2008. I don’t know what the towing situation is with the latter, but the towing limitation with the original version is mentioned in the 6th FAQ here: http://www.witter-towbars.co.uk/towbars/faq1.php# Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
audiseller Posted December 24, 2015 Share Posted December 24, 2015 Derek Uzzell - 2015-12-24 10:08 AM Rayjsj - 2015-12-23 10:30 PM Grandad, Is this your Own vehicle ? Or are you relaying the story of someone else ?... It’s a partial quote from the firstl posting of a July 2015 multi-page MHFun forum thread http://www.motorhomefun.co.uk/forum/threads/warning-to-all-a-frame-users.112038/ and was also discussed here http://www.wildcamping.co.uk/forums/motorhome-knowledge-base-/46667-warning-about-frame-towing.html If I remember correctly the original Ford “Ka” was one of the few cars where the manufacturer stipulated that the vehicle could not (or should not) be fitted with a rear tow-bar because of the body’s lightweight construction. If that’s correct, then towing an early-model Ka with a A-frame might be considered unwise. Trouble is if that criterion was used for all cars you wouldn't be able to tow a Smart either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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