Towbar-tastic?

[Tommer 0]

Hi all,

 

I want to fit a towbar to my 205, i know it must seem like an awful thing to do to such a car, but I want to go to the ring at some point and want to tow my bike on its trailer too.

 

so my question; anyone bought a towbar for theirs and do you have to drill / cut any part of the car or do they just fit? and how much where from etc?

 

thanks in a advance

[rescue dude 0]

I found this.

 

No idea what they're like.

[Tom Fenton 1,542]

Have a trawl round the breakers, I have seen quite a few 205's in the breakers with towbars fitted, usually diesels.

[ifcho 0]

All the holes for the towbar are there, but unfortunately, not all the nuts for the bolts are.

You may need to cut a hole in the trunk, to put the nut for one of the attaching studs.

[Henry Yorke 269 3 Cars]

Have a trawl round the breakers, I have seen quite a few 205's in the breakers with towbars fitted, usually diesels.

205 XLDs were the favourite of little old men who went up to their allotment in them!

[Tom Fenton 1,542]

I did toy with the idea of fitting one to my car for a giggle. Surely 200-odd ft/lb of torque would make for a good tow vehicle?!

[Iain-gti 6]

I bought my 205 and it had a tow bar fitted at some point they had drilled 3 holes in the boot floor if thats any help? i can sell you the tow bar but ive only got a bracket and tow bar bit no ball thing at the end (if you understand wot any of that meant ) pm me!

[Daviewonder 533 3 Cars]

A couple of my GTIs have had towbars fitted by the previous owners. I keep thinking they could come in handy but I'm not sure how as I don't own a trailer

 

Does anyone know what the towing laws are if I passed my test in 1998?

 

Cheers

[DrSarty 90 1 Cars]

Does anyone know what the towing laws are if I passed my test in 1998?

 

I don't know for sure, but I suspect you will have to acquire B+E on your licence.

 

Old farts like me who passed in 1988 acquired 'Grandfather Rights', so can even drive mini-buses up to 12 seats IIRC (class D1), whereas newer passers (perhaps you included) can't. The same is likely true of trailers/caravans on cars.

 

The fact I since acquired C+E (Class I HGV) is neither here nor there.

 

B+E (car plus 'trailer') I reckon is an additional test (meaning more cost) for you; but a visit to the DVLA site should clear this up.

Edited May 4, 2010 by DrSarty

[M_R_205 5 1 Cars]

Does anyone know what the towing laws are if I passed my test in 1998?

 

i believe the law states to tow a trailer must be braked if over 700kgs and if you passed your test after 95-96 your allowed to have a combined weight, car and trailer of 3 tonnes, and as long as the trailer and cargo is lighter than the car doing the towing

 

EDIT, hmm, just read Sartys reply so i may be wrong.. either way the twice i have been stopped while towing (passed in 2005) iv never had any hassle, better be safe than sorry though...

Edited May 4, 2010 by M_R_205

[welshpug 1,657]

you will most likely be restricted to 750 kilos, but check your loicence and cross ref to the DVLA/ direct/gov websites as suggested.

 

it was 1998 indeed that the laws were changed.

 

 

bloody grandads!

[Tom Fenton 1,542]

It isn't at all clear but from speaking to a number of people including a driving instructor who taught B+E here is my understanding.

 

If you have the later license you can tow an unbraked trailer up to 750kg.

 

So this covers your box trailers etc that people use to take crap to the tip.

 

You may also tow a braked trailer/caravan, provided that the Max Authorised Mass (MAM, gross weight) of the trailer is less than the MAM of the towing car, and also that the Gross Train Weight (total weight of combination) is less than 3500kg.

 

So in practise, a 500kg trailer rated at MAM of 1500kg (so 500kg empty trailer, plus 1000kg payload), with such as a 205 on at circa 900kg, behind a towcar of MAM 1500-2000kg, all comes below 3500kg, and is legal.

 

I've been towing stuff about using these regs for over 10 years, the good get out with the Mini is that it and the trailer it goes on weighs less than 750kg! However I did go for a B+E test assessment a few years ago, I discussed what I did with the instructor and he agreed I was legal.

 

The other s*itter is that you can't drive a 7.5T lorry either, whereas before Jan 1997 you could automatically. Even more of a pisser when like me your 17th birthday was in August 1997 so you just missed it, and your Dad has a number of 7.5T vehicles.

Edited May 4, 2010 by Tom Fenton

[M_R_205 5 1 Cars]

Dvla says..

 

B

 

Motor vehicles with a MAM of up to 3,500 kg, no more than eight passenger seats, with or without a trailer - weighing no more than 750 kg

 

17*

 

B

 

As category B but with a trailer weighing more than 750 kg. The total weight of the vehicle and the trailer together can’t weigh more than 3,500 kg. The weight of the trailer, when fully loaded, can’t weigh more than the unladen weight of the vehicle

Edited May 4, 2010 by M_R_205

[welshpug 1,657]

also missed out is the MAM rule, hitch up to a 400 kilo, but 2t gross trailer with a 406 estate that weighs 1450 kilos (just over 2t GVM) you're well over the MAM rule without even putting anything on the trailer because the combined mass of the train is well over 3.5t, that's the grey area.

[trogboy 17]

You may also tow a braked trailer/caravan, provided that the Max Authorised Mass (MAM, gross weight) of the trailer is less than the MAM of the towing car, and also that the Gross Train Weight (total weight of combination) is less than 3500kg.

 

So in practise, a 500kg trailer rated at MAM of 1500kg (so 500kg empty trailer, plus 1000kg payload), with such as a 205 on at circa 900kg, behind a towcar of MAM 1500-2000kg, all comes below 3500kg, and is legal.

 

That's not quite right. The MAM of the trailer needs to be less than the unladen weight of the towing car, not the MAM. Plus the 3500kg cap is the total of the MAM for both car a trailer, not the gross weight and only applies to trailers where the NAN exceeds 750kg. If the trailer is less than 750kg MAM you are limited to a cap of 4250kg combined MAM

 

On my category B licence I could use something like a 406 estate with a kerb weight of 1500kg (and a MAM of 1500kg also) to tow a trailer with a MAM of up to 1500kg.

 

For a 206 (MAM 1100kg, unladen weight of 1000kg) you can tow a trailer with a MAM of 1000kg.

 

Ridiculously with my Discovery I couldn't legally tow as much as with the 406 as the MAM is 3500kg already leaving only 750kg to play with (4250kg limit for trailers less than 750kg) even though the unladen weight is over 2 tonnes.

 

If I wanted to tow anything usefull with my Disco I needed to pass the towing test to get B + E on my license! It's the world gone mad!

 

We have had great trouble at work as the younger drivers that have passed after 1 January 1997 have had to take the test before we can even let them move anything over 750kg MAM - Most our tow vehicles are 110 Defenders with a MAM of 3500kg.

 

There - Clear as mud!

 

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Edited May 5, 2010 by trogboy

[omega 82]

That's not quite right. The MAM of the trailer needs to be less than the unladen weight of the towing car, not the MAM. Plus the 3500kg cap is the total of the MAM for both car a trailer, not the gross weight and only applies to trailers where the NAN exceeds 750kg. If the trailer is less than 750kg MAM you are limited to a cap of 4250kg combined MAM

 

On my category B licence I could use something like a 406 estate with a kerb weight of 1500kg (and a MAM of 1500kg also) to tow a trailer with a MAM of up to 1500kg.

 

For a 206 (MAM 1100kg, unladen weight of 1000kg) you can tow a trailer with a MAM of 1000kg.

 

Ridiculously with my Discovery I couldn't legally tow as much as with the 406 as the MAM is 3500kg already leaving only 750kg to play with (4250kg limit for trailers less than 750kg) even though the unladen weight is over 2 tonnes.

 

If I wanted to tow anything usefull with my Disco I needed to pass the towing test to get B + E on my license! It's the world gone mad!

 

We have had great trouble at work as the younger drivers that have passed after 1 January 1997 have had to take the test before we can even let them move anything over 750kg MAM - Most our tow vehicles are 110 Defenders with a MAM of 3500kg.

 

There - Clear as mud!

 

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do these have a tachograph in?

as mate of mine collects cars for a garage in a range rover and got stopped by the vosa boys and because it was 3.5 ton with trailer he has had to have one fitted.

[trogboy 17]

Yep - All bar one of our vehicles has a new type digital tacho and all of the drivers get the appropriate training and registered to hold a tacho card (Chip and pin style credit card like jobbie). All data from the tachos get down-loaded every month and held by the company in case we need to produce it.

 

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[Simes 248 2 Cars]

Back on topic - Kenno has a towbar on one of his GTI's.