Towbar for a Peugeot based motorhome

[ColinM50]

Thinking of putting a towbar on our Elddis 196 and been quoted c£1k which seems an awful lot of money for a straight bit of angle iron and a couple of simple brackets. In the past I'd have made one, I have the skills and kit to do it, but I'm told they now have to be type approved and any issues with the bar would invalidate the insurance.

 

So, two questions. Firstly is that right or can I make and fit my own and secondly anybody have, or know where, I can get one cheaper?

 

TIA

 

[tonyishuk]

IF off the shelf, costs would have to cover getting it type approved, just looking at towbar fitted for caravan towing is around that price on larger tow vehicles (At least a vehicle, I would be happy to tow with ;-). )

 

Could try Watling Towbars https://www.watling-towbars.co.uk. Did a good job but that was in 2010 on an Alko chassis.

 

Also bear in mind that fitting the lights, turn & brake lamps will need to be done so as not to interfere with the canbus signals, Unfortunately gone are the days you could cut n solder new connections for lights.

 

Rgds

[Keithl]

Fitting a towbar to a coachbuilt MH is not as easy as to a straightforward van due to the rear body overhang. Also for more recent vehicles the towbar must be type approved so this rules out any DIY route.

 

We had our rear bumper/towbar fitted by TowTal at Stoke on Trent and I see they still advertise this service.

 

https://towtal.co.uk/towbars/

 

Keith.

[John Allen]

Could be worth giving PWS Towbars of Poole a call. (01202 746851) https://pwsacc.co.uk

 

They were very helpful when I used them after the wife modified the shape of ours when following me at a minus distance at a set of traffic lights in her VW Up.

 

John

 

[colin]

John Allen - 2019-09-18 8:20 PM

 

Could be worth giving PWS Towbars of Poole a call. (01202 746851) https://pwsacc.co.uk

 

They were very helpful when I used them after the wife modified the shape of ours when following me at a minus distance at a set of traffic lights in her VW Up.

 

John

 

 

What happened to the Up?

[ernst]

had a look under an elddis 195 the other day the base vehicle is just a chassis cab think it was fiat ducato

i would check on the ducato chassis cab towbar it may well fit ,they are available on ebay for £164 ,even if

you had to make some extra plates up to make it fit ,wiring is not a problem if you fit a bypass relay,

its so annoying when you price up towbars for mh the pounds just go up and up.like you say its just a chunk of steel,good luck with it anyway

[John Allen]

 

 

 

What happened to the Up?

 

Colin

 

New central grill and bumper. Fortunately didn't damage the radiator and was still driveable (on our way to the New Forest). I called into PWS at Poole on the way home and before I had even finished reversing into the parking bay outside their unit the fitter was out examining the damage and said he had the correct outer main bar in stock and could fit straightaway if I wanted. Drove off with new bar and £200 lighter an hour later. Such is life, these things happen. At least the bar saved the massive job of a whole new back end on a 2015 Auto Trail Apache. Good foresight (as well as sales pitch) by West Country Motor Homes who advised me to have one fitted for protection when I bought the van new.

 

John

[goldi]

Good afternoon, Had one fitted to my PVC a couple of weeks ago by Armitages at ferrybridge for £285

[weldted]

If you are not in a hurry? I have just removed my type approved Towbar and dedicated wiring harness from my Elddis Aspire 255 (2012) Peugot Boxer base. Currently in France but home around springtime.

[ColinM50]

Thanks for that, seeems a good deal. Just spoken to Armitages and they've quoted me £678 fitted inc VAT so still not a cheap option. Wonder if I can find a secondhand one anywhere?

 

Ooh weldted, put me down as v interested. Let me know when you're home and I'm sure we can sort something out. IIRC aren't you in Cornwall, so maybe a weekend away is on the cards.

[fesspark]

Cheapest price I have had so far for towbar and electrics for my Fiat ixeo t680G is £785 inc Vat,2018 model, anyone know how I can get it cheaper/?Fesspark.

[weldted]

Ok we are based in Plymouth but away in France for a while but will let you know when we are on the way back. Will send you the info from the plane in the next day or so if that OK

[Derek Uzzell]

fesspark - 2019-11-27 10:59 AM

 

Cheapest price I have had so far for towbar and electrics for my Fiat ixeo t680G is £785 inc Vat,2018 model, anyone know how I can get it cheaper/?Fesspark.

 

A £785 quote for fitting a type-approved towbar and electrics for your Burstner motorhome may be as good as you’ll get if you want the work carried reasonably close to where you live.

 

Presumably you contacted the the two companies mentioned by Sydney1 in this earlier forum thread?

 

https://forums.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/Motorhomes/Motorhome-Matters/Burstner-ixeoT680g-towbar/53460/

 

If you haven’t already done so, you might try contacting

 

https://towingvehiclesolutions.co.uk/

 

https://www.dvftowbars.co.uk/

 

If you were prepared to have the exercise carried out further afield (GOOGLE-search on “motorhome towbars south west UK” for a map) you might be able to obtain a cheaper quote. However (as I warned in the earlier forum thread) any ‘sight unseen’ quotation should be treated cautiously as fiiting a towbar + electrics to a motorhome is potentially much more challenging than doing the same to a car.

 

It might be worth you contacting Highbridge Caravan Centre at Newton Abbot to see if they will recommend a towbar-fitting firm.

 

 

[pepe63xnotuse]

A general note on MH tow-bars and rear-bumpers-

Where ever you get one from, I'd recommend having one that has a decent powder coating or is galvanised.

Also if opting for a full width "bumper",if the rear of your van is quite low, I'd also say rather than a straight box section, consider the design which has the ends "cranked" up slightly.

 

We had a towbar/bumper fabricated and fitted by Towtal on our last van, and although the fabrication was tidy enough, within a very short time rust was coming through the paint(resulting in me eventually having to rub it down a repaint it),

Also being just a straight box' design,when pulling up our steep, tight-turn, driveway the one end of the bumper would come perilously close to grounding (it occasionally would, if the van rolled/leaned that way)

[Archiesgrandad]

Do keep in mind that these things can weigh quite a lot, and taking account the length of the overhang, even overload the rear axle, even without the nose weight of the traller, just the towbar on out Pilote weighed over 60 kilos.

AGD