Could have been a tragedy
This is a caravan that became detached on a motorway with serious potential. It does look like the tow ball came away so not sure if this was a detachable not fitted correctly or the bolts were loose.
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I watched this video about a week ago and I felt I could see the moment when the caravan became detached from the car. I understand that the Discovery had a detachable tow bar which came away from the car as Wildwood comments, rather than the caravan becoming detached from the towball. I did hear that Land Rover have recalled this particular item.
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WW - I think this was posted on here about a week ago (but I can't find it!). I remember someone commenting on how the crash barriers were designed to make a vehicle that crashed into it, run along it, rather than careering across the road.
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I had a Westfalia detachable towbar and it was most import to insert it fully until the lock engaged. I can imagine somebody not doing that.
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Yes, but the key can be left in when towing. It’s only an anti-theft device.
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I have had detachable towballs on my two previous cars - first a Brink and then a Westfalia. I changed to a 'conventional' fixed towball for my latest vehicle. The prime reasons were (a) need to get on one's knees for attaching the 13-pin plug and breakaway cable, (b) potential cost if the towball had to be replaced, and (c) no proper attachment eye for the breakaway cable on the Westfalia. But the thought of a detachable towball being able to detach whilst on tow had always been at the back of my mind. The current arrangement suits me on all counts.
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I use the detachable towbar on my Discovery. It is quite clear when it is correctly inserted if one looks, or tries to remove the key. One could just not look, and leave the key in place, of course.
There was a recall to check the vehicle receivers on a particular group of chassis numbers. I have read that a few vehicles did require the part of the chassis involved replacing. This may well have been ones where the towball had been removed for long periods of time and the blanking plug not fitted allowing rust to make the hole in the receiver bigger. Even in such a case, the locking pin would have held the towbar in place although it would have rattled a lot.
There are two connection points provided on the chassis for attaching a break-away cable so no-one should be looping it around the towball on a Discovery.
The key and lock is NOT a security device. The towball can be easily removed even if "locked". The key and lock is a way if showing the user that the mechanism is correctly engaged, as the key cannot be removed until it is correct.
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On my Westfalia towbar, the detachable tow ball could not be fitted or removed without having the key. I used to remove the tow ball when not required in order to keep it bagged up in the boot and so prevent rusting. Temporarily having mislaid the key when arriving home, it was several days before finding it and being able to remove the tow ball.
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But it did run along the barrier in the direction of traffic after it had crossed the carriageway just the once, LL.
Seemed fortunate that there was an amber lighted vehicle with cones right behind the stopped 'van. Not that I would have got out & deployed them, of course !!
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Poor lady got killed this week i think caravan unhitching always best to check twice
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That was very lucky no one was hurt, and how effective was that barrier!
We have never had a detachable towball, all ours have been firmly fixed by big bolts. Mind you, we used to tow two ton of horse and box and the thoughts of that becoming detached don’t bear thinking about. Acts as a bit of a deterrent as well for the tailgaters, our current towball projects about six inch from back bumper, so we can get bike rack on in front of spare wheel on back door.
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Friends of ours towed with a land rover discovery and the tow bar and caravan came away on a B road and while driving down the M5 we saw another discovery on the hard shoulder minus its tow bar and the caravan up the bank on the side of the motorway luckily no one was hurt, my niece tows with a discovery and a while back she received a recall for a tow bar check
https://www.lro.com/blog/news/land-rover/1509/faulty-tow-bars-mean-major-land-rover-recall
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My present tow ball, conventional fixed flange type, is secured by full thread Nyloc nuts so is not likely to work loose. Apart from the tedium of attaching and detaching due to awkward access, I never had a problem with my detachable tow balls. The only up-side for detachable tow balls is that their removal restores the visual appearance to a car, and where needing to keep the ball head dry and free from rust as is most common today, it can be stored in a bag in a dry place. But with my current vehicle, a VW Caravelle, the fixed tow ball is not as obvious as with a normal car.
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"The only up-side for detachable tow balls is that their removal restores the visual appearance to a car, and where needing to keep the ball head dry and free from rust as is most common today, it can be stored in a bag in a dry place."
I see more to it than that, with our Disco removing the hitch means my wife in particular is not going to be banging her shins on it when packing via the upper tailgate.
Plus, of more direct importance, as the default design of the Disco includes all but the ball unit itself, the vehicle without the that fitted reverts to having its designed rear end crash protection not compromised. Comforting should some vehicle plough into our rear, very different I would think to the protection the fixed version with its drag stays directly transferring the impact onto the chassis rails.
In the Disco's case, in solo use, our main mode, the vehicle is safer with a detachable and it removed.
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