Advice on tow bar
Hi all.
Complete novice here, my wife and I are looking at buying a caravan in 2020 and currently looking at upgrading our car this year to tow.
We're aiming for a adria 600 series single axle and buying a hyundai santa fe 4wd manual. The guy at the caravan store said that car has the desired weight and parameters to do what we need.
I've been scouting auto trader and looking for a santa fe ideally with a REMOVABLE bar thingy. I've come across this one (see attached image) but is this what I need? I know I need a 13pin power which looks to be to the left of the tow bar, but is the one in the image removeable as far as you can fathom?
Any other advice would be greatly appreciated as I know very little.
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No, that one looks to be a fixed flange towball (almost certain by the photo), a detached is one where the towball and arm can be removed and just leaving a blank neat looking socket.
To some aesthetics does not matter so its a personal choice, fixed or detachable they both do the same job.
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we have the 'twin' to your car (A kia Sorrento) it is a great tow car but check the weight of your new van yourself and don't rely on the dealers, use the club's matching service here.
Like Metheven says its a personal choice based on what you want, if it doesn't bother you having a tow bar at the back then that is the cheaper option and is always there.
We have a detachable one with means you have to get down, maybe on your knees, and attach it every time you want to tow and is a little fiddly. It slots upwards and locks into place into the tow bar nothing can be seen when it's not there. This gives you an idea of what happens:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulh282wpqP0
The electrics sockets on ours swings upwards behind the bumper. Also make sure you get the full electrics fitted so that your fridge and ATC will work as well as lights on your van. Some have been caught out. Also make sure the electrics switch off the parking sensors and stuff like that.
We had ours fitted at the dealers, well actually by Kia before it got to the dealers, so use a dealer if your car is newish or go to a reputable two bar fitting place who will show you the various types.
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Good advice from the above.
Your photos show the electrics as being attached to the same bar as the tow bar so as Metheven says it is almost certainly a fixed one.
We've had both and to be honest I wouldn't go back to a detachable one now. Too much hassle for me. They are also quite heavy and if you do have trouble slotting it in then you may get weary in trying. I have a neighbour who recently had a detachable one fitted and he had terrible trouble in getting it to engage. Not being the biggest person he decided to leave it as a "fixed" oner when he finally managed it.
As CS says, it's all a personal choice.
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Must admit I like the look of my car without the tow bar much more
and of course there is the electric retractable versions too,
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personally I am unable to see the back of my car when driving !
I know of a number of cases where it has been a real pain to fit a detachable especially when it demands that you kneel/lie down in order to fit it!My fixed ball gives me (and anyone of slight stature!) something to stand on when reaching the far end of my sorentos boot space!
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Yes I have an electrically deployable one that disappears behind the bumper along with the 13 pin when retracted.
I do worry that one day in a far off distant place I may press the button and nothing happens
which means I probably won't detract it at all until I get home again Love the switch next to it as well, it cycles through the caravan lighting so a solo lamp check can be done.
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It may be the angle that the photo is taken from but I do wonder about he clearance. The ALKO hitch needs a slightly larger clearance and it is difficult to tell if it is there. If the clearance is not there I do wonder if the car has towed a goods trailer and that is a seven pin plug.
The tow bar is almost certainly fixed but changing to a detachable one should not be a big job if you want to.
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It also has the merit that is discourages careless parkers.
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no deep pockets as have a detachable.
It also has the merit that is discourages careless parkers.
a fixed towbar can do more damage to the chassis if hit and more cost to repair as a detachable they hit the rear bumper and is designed for impact without damaging the chassis.
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a fixed towbar can do more damage to the chassis if hit and more cost to repair as a detachable they hit the rear bumper and is designed for impact without damaging the chassis.
Depends on the impact as the car that hits the towbar is also designed to deform easily. Are we talking careless parkers or reckless parkers?
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It does not look anything like my detachable. It also looks a bit close to the bumper to allow an Alko type hitch (stabiliser) to fit in without rubbing on it, although the photo may be deceptive. All looks fairly new so probably 13 pin, but did you lift the flap to check? We just used to have the one old style socket when we just towed a trailer.
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As well as a minimum distance from the bumper the ball also has to be a minimum height to allow the stabiliser to attach correctly. Alko have this diagram, so easy enough to put a tape on and check. Distances are from the centre of the tow ball.
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It's certainly a different design to the PCT one on my vehicle. However, the bit that turns is under the flap, that can't be determined from the photo. Which is why I suggested lifting the flap and counting.
Of course even if it is a 13 pin socket, it does not mean it was wired fully for a caravan, if only used to tow a small trailer.
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