The following information aims to help you decide which type of tow bar and electrics are most suitable for your vehicle and towing requirements. If you are still unsure and would like some help please feel free to give us a call on 01622 233 355.
The style of towbar is where you have a Fixed Flange Ball bolted to the neck of the towbar with two M16 24mm bolts.
This style of towbar offers all the versatility of a fixed flange bar whilst leaving very little if anything of the towbar visible when detached.
The swan neck style towbar is where the towball is part of the neck of the towbar, this type of bar looks tidier on the vehicle but is not as versatile.
The detachable tow bar looks similar to the swan neck bar when fitted to the vehicle however when not in use the neck of the bar can be unclipped leaving very little or nothing visible when detached.
The towball on a retractable towbar disappears behind the bumper when not in use but remains accessible at all times.
There are 3 different types of electrics available with your Towbar, the type you require will depend on what you are going to tow.
This will provide power from the towing vehicle via the socket to the lights on your trailer or caravan. If you are only going to be towing a trailer this type of electrics is all you will need.
You can tow a caravan using only single electrics, but only the exterior lights will function there will be no power going to the fridge or any other electrical appliance in the caravan.
If you will only be using the towbar for a cycle carrier you will only need single electrics to power the lights on the carrier or a lighting board.
You will only require twin electrics if you are planning to tow a caravan, this will operate the caravan lights and also provide supplementary power to the caravan for the fridge, interior lights and any other electrical appliance.
This kit will provide you with two sockets at the rear and is suitable for most caravans manufactured before 2008 prior to the introduction of the 13 pin systems.
13 pin electrics are standard in most other European countries and they are slowly replacing the 2 separate sockets that have traditionally been fitted in the UK. The 13 pin socket performs the same function as two 7 pin sockets but has a single 13 pin socket. Most caravans manufactured after 2008 are fitted with 13 pin electrics.
This type of connection is becoming more popular because it operates all the necessary lights on the caravan or trailer and also allows you to have the supplementary power for a fridge etc from a single socket connector on the vehicle.
13 pin sockets are also used on some vehicles especially with detachable towbars when there isn't enough room to mount two separate sockets.
Historically the electrical connections for a towbar used to be taken directly from a feed behind the rear lights, however in today’s modern vehicles this is not possible as it interferes with the on board computer systems. There are now two ways that the towing electrics can be fitted to modern cars.
If available we would always recommend you choose a dedicated wiring kit as it will communicate with the following systems on your vehicle whilst you are towing
‘By-pass’ all the above safety systems is potentially disastrous as your vehicle is designed to behave in a different way as soon as you couple up your trailer or caravan. Why would you pay a premium for a vehicle equipped with the latest technology and then cut corners on the installation of the towing electrics rendering all of these features useless?
Dedicated wiring kits are not available for all vehicles and if your vehicle does not have parking sensors, ESP or (T-ESP) it is not usually necessary to use a dedicated wiring kit.
If you are still unsure as to which option to choose further information is available at www.rightconnections.co.uk or call us on 01622 233 351
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