Member Since: 07 Feb 2007
Location: Troon
Posts: 366
I think what you just said is the "law" tbh.
13th Jul 2014 12:51 pm
gensetsteve
Member Since: 01 Jan 2014
Location: hampshire
Posts: 340
will247 wrote:
Marginally it amazes me how many people snatch the breakaway cable back on itself around the ball. I ALWAY clip the breakaway to either one of the spare holes (I have the fixed hitch) or to the huge eye between the connectors.
I know of regular ball hitches shearing off both M16 bolts... if you have the breakaway snatched on the ball itself then it will do sweet FA, in my opinion it should be attached to something substantial so even if the whole assembly comes off the brakes on the trailer come on!
I have been towing large plant for 30 years and never seen or heard of 16mm bolts shearing. Do you have a link to some pictures or info on how they managed it. Was the nose weight grossly overloaded. Got me worried now.D4
13th Jul 2014 1:05 pm
UNG
Member Since: 20 Jun 2008
Location: Lancs
Posts: 753
Only ever seen a tow ball come off a vehicle once the threads were ripped out of the nuts and the threads from the nuts were still on the bolts when inspected, this happened in a peage queue in the south of France when the caravan was rear ended at speed while waiting to pay.
I have never seen or heard of a tow ball becoming detached from a vehicle in normal use because of failure of the tow ball bolts"Never keep up with the Joneses. Drag'em down to your level. It's cheaper".
13th Jul 2014 5:36 pm
will247
Member Since: 05 Jan 2013
Location: York
Posts: 709
It was a friend towing a forward control on a 3.5t trailer, no where near the weight limit, he DID have a spacer between the tow ball and the fixing point and he removed that and no issues since.26 and on the 4th LR..
Series 2a 1963 88'' 2.25 Derv as original with Galv chassis
Disco 1 1996 V8 on LPG (sold now)
Disco 3 2005 TDV6 S (sold now)
Disco 4 MY15 XS Commercial
13th Jul 2014 6:54 pm
Jamest
Member Since: 12 May 2013
Location: Wales
Posts: 125
This gives some good information. It seems that M16 bolts marked 8.8 as should be fitted to a hitch will need a very large loading to break. It would seem that there is a very large safety margin before breakage. http://www.thomsonrail.com/Technical%20Res...0bolts.pdf
13th Jul 2014 9:25 pm
Traindriverrob
Member Since: 27 May 2014
Location: Pencoed
Posts: 44
All this talk about breaking bolts reminds me of my apprenticeship days in the 80's. We did a lot of tensile testing on a Houndsfield Tensometer and when you broke something M16 sized, it went off like a shot gun!
Incidentally a quick calc shows a single M16 x 2.0 (Grade 8.8 ) bolt is good for 127kN, about 12.5 ton, so 2 on a towhitch is ok for 25 ton!
16th Jul 2014 8:27 pm
Canburne
Member Since: 15 Jan 2013
Location: Devon
Posts: 2029
Whoops, slight error each bolt is good for 12.5 ton because you have two doesn't mean the hitch is 25 ton.
"the inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of blessings....the inherent vice of socialism is the equal sharing of miseries" Winston Churchill
2016 D4 Landmark Club Waitomo ...or is it Club Tempest????
2015 D4 HSE Aintree Green
Mine fell out last year whilst towing, demolished a BT pole. Locking pin fully engaged (can't do that unless it lines up with the receiver recess), key out, checked then checked again at the end of our track, all was well until 1/4 mile further on when I looked in the rear view mirror to see it had disengaged. Max speed 15-20mph
Trailer (twin axle) within recommended nose weight & unladen (on the way to collect a mower).
Good job the mower wasn't on & I wasn't on a busy rd.
Still have removable tow bar in the garage in the same state it came out in, lock had just been replaced (OEM part supplied by TLO) due to a snapped key at a LR garage & offered it via the CS thread on here for inspection on numerous occasions; LR's response....... Not interested!
Left a bit of a sour taste to be honest that and a compressor that failed after sub 30k use around the same time. Just had contact from BT some 9 months (http://www.disco3.co.uk/forum/topic113429.html) on & a £340 increase in insurance premium, happy days eh!
MY06 & removable bar supplied by dealer at point of purchase, only ever used for light towing, no caravan/ horse trailer etc. Tow bar never left in situ when not in use & a red plug inserted to keep receiver clean.
Now have fixed bars on both mine & SWMBO's & will never use a removable unit again.Paul.
06 Java Black HSE - gone
12 Baltic Blue HSE - gone
15 Fuji HSE Lux
Club Biscuits, mmmm nice!
Traxide/Luna hybrid & Yellow top
Some Prospeed bits
+ some other stuff
Club N.E.R.D.s.
16th Jul 2014 9:53 pm
Robbie
Member Since: 05 Feb 2006
Location: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Posts: 17932
Did the locking pin have any play in it even when locked out?
I must admit I am struggling to see how a fully locked out pin engaged in the chassis hole could ever come free but this could be a good case to work out how and why it happened.Land Rover - Turning Drivers into Mechanics Since 1948
Will give it a wiggle later & see,
Has me foxed as well I've always thought it's a poor design with no redundancy built in, a the very least there should be a secondary manual locking pin that goes through the inserted plate & receiver to stop a potential disengagement, simples & a cost effective solution that would be easy to manufacture & would allow the existing casting molds to be used with a minor amendment.Paul.
06 Java Black HSE - gone
12 Baltic Blue HSE - gone
15 Fuji HSE Lux
Club Biscuits, mmmm nice!
Traxide/Luna hybrid & Yellow top
Some Prospeed bits
+ some other stuff
Club N.E.R.D.s.
06 Java Black HSE - gone
12 Baltic Blue HSE - gone
15 Fuji HSE Lux
Club Biscuits, mmmm nice!
Traxide/Luna hybrid & Yellow top
Some Prospeed bits
+ some other stuff
Club N.E.R.D.s.
17th Jul 2014 4:00 pm
A.J.M
Member Since: 31 Oct 2009
Location: Carluke
Posts: 2817
I tow a 16ft car trailer which 90% of the time has my 1100kg race car on it. I use the removable hitch and to date have had no issues.
My biggest problem is although I do I tend on getting a solid hitch fitted I can't actually operate the key locking mechanism if my removable bar. It's always fitted and I've never been able to unlock it. The key simply will not insert I to the opening regardless how much I've fiddled with it.
Am I of the assumption that with it being seemingly locked for good that there's a very minimal chance of my bar malfunctioning? The last thing I want is my trailer and car (2.5t) running loose.
17th Jul 2014 5:39 pm
gensetsteve
Member Since: 01 Jan 2014
Location: hampshire
Posts: 340
My lock was rusted and to get the thing out I drilled the lock and threw it away put a tow trust on. If there is any doubt in the removable bar take it off and throw it away its just not worth the grief and guilt of killing someone even if Landrover say its ok to cause accidents occasionally.D4
18th Jul 2014 12:54 pm
AndyGreen
Member Since: 18 Jul 2007
Location: Tramore
Posts: 97
here in Ireland LR did a recall and fitted a fixed towbar to all that wanted it. I didn't go for it myself as I understand how to maintain it , key out, oil etc, as well as that I think the fixed replacement one looks a bit ugly!
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum
it amazes me how many people snatch the breakaway cable back on itself around the ball. I ALWAY clip the breakaway to either one of the spare holes (I have the fixed hitch) or to the huge eye between the connectors.
