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newman224
Member Since: 16 Sep 2012
Location: halstead essex
Posts: 7
  
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Hi I'm new to this site so please bear with me, not sure where I should post this
On Friday 14th September on the M4 in Wales travelling at 50 mph on cruise control in the slow lane, I loss my caravan when the detachable tow hook fell out, luckily no one was injured as the caravan stopped in the central reservation.
I had traveled from Essex and had covered 200 miles.
After the police arrived and stopped the traffic, we tried to re hitch the caravan but it only stayed on for about 100 yards and it came off again stopping on the hard shoulder
Has any body had this problem before?
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 16th Sep 2012 6:13 pm |
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A1GSS
Member Since: 12 Sep 2010
Location: Saffron Walden, Essex
Posts: 4691
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Lucky all round.
Not heard of that before, I can only assume it wasn't fitted correctly? Once locked into place I can't imagine how it can simply fall out. Usually they're a complete bas  tard to get off... 
Is yours a genuine LR towhook fitted into the built-in receiver? Or an after-market one? ____
Gone: 10MY L320 RR Sport HSE, Ipanema Sand
Gone: 20MY Jaguar iPace HSE, Silicon Silver
Gone: 17MY RR Evoque SE Tech, Loire Blue
Gone: 08MY Discovery 3 XS, Stornoway Grey
Gone: 07MY FFRR TDV8 Vogue, Stornoway Grey
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| 16th Sep 2012 6:16 pm |
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newman224
Member Since: 16 Sep 2012
Location: halstead essex
Posts: 7
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Not sure came with second hand car
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| 16th Sep 2012 6:19 pm |
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B16 KJR
Member Since: 10 Jul 2006
Location: Rosyth, Fife
Posts: 3005
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There was a very lengthy debate about this a while back. It would appear that some people, me included, have noticed far too much movement in the towbar and socket and replaced the removable towbar.
Nick from Yeovil Landrover has advised that on the new towbar packaging, it advises that the removable towbar is only suitable for leisure use, what that actually means is unclear.
Plenty to read about it here.
http://www.disco3.co.uk/forum/topic80952.html
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| 16th Sep 2012 6:22 pm |
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geoff.
Member Since: 24 Jan 2010
Location: West kent
Posts: 8531
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not a nice situation to find your self in.
ps if in doubt put a fixed towbar on not hard to fit 
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| 16th Sep 2012 6:25 pm |
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newman224
Member Since: 16 Sep 2012
Location: halstead essex
Posts: 7
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Yes you right
I would advise any one to fit a proper tow bar now
Have traveled all over the country with this caravan not realising how fragile the hook was
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| 16th Sep 2012 6:31 pm |
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newman224
Member Since: 16 Sep 2012
Location: halstead essex
Posts: 7
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Is it possible to take key out of hook without it being locked?
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| 16th Sep 2012 6:56 pm |
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A1GSS
Member Since: 12 Sep 2010
Location: Saffron Walden, Essex
Posts: 4691
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Not by design. If yours does that it's faulty. ____
Gone: 10MY L320 RR Sport HSE, Ipanema Sand
Gone: 20MY Jaguar iPace HSE, Silicon Silver
Gone: 17MY RR Evoque SE Tech, Loire Blue
Gone: 08MY Discovery 3 XS, Stornoway Grey
Gone: 07MY FFRR TDV8 Vogue, Stornoway Grey
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| 16th Sep 2012 7:00 pm |
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A1GSS
Member Since: 12 Sep 2010
Location: Saffron Walden, Essex
Posts: 4691
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B16 KJR wrote:...advises that the removable towbar is only suitable for leisure use, what that actually means is unclear...l
It means, surely, use for non-commercial purposes. So, towing a caravan should be fine, or a boat trailer, or camping trailer. Or towing a race car on a trailer to a meeting, or whatever as long as you're inside the design weight limits.
Character's use (towing a transporter trailer 80,000 miles a year) is not "leisure"... so I'd imagine that he has a fixed tow-bar.
No part of the type approval for that removable tow-bar would assume it's OK for it to fall out in use, so the OP's tow-bar or receiver is faulty, or not fitted correctly. ____
Gone: 10MY L320 RR Sport HSE, Ipanema Sand
Gone: 20MY Jaguar iPace HSE, Silicon Silver
Gone: 17MY RR Evoque SE Tech, Loire Blue
Gone: 08MY Discovery 3 XS, Stornoway Grey
Gone: 07MY FFRR TDV8 Vogue, Stornoway Grey
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| 16th Sep 2012 7:04 pm |
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B16 KJR
Member Since: 10 Jul 2006
Location: Rosyth, Fife
Posts: 3005
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Quote:So, towing a caravan should be fine, or a boat trailer, or camping trailer.
But what if you tow any of the above and get paid for doing so on a daily basis ? Is that commercial ?
Lets not forget that in order to get type approval for the towbars both the fixed and removable would have had to go through the same testing procedure, so why now after 8 years does Landrover feel the need to differentiate between leisure use and commercial use ?
Last edited by B16 KJR on 16th Sep 2012 7:11 pm. Edited 1 time in total
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| 16th Sep 2012 7:07 pm |
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A1GSS
Member Since: 12 Sep 2010
Location: Saffron Walden, Essex
Posts: 4691
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I'm no lawyer, but it probably would.
"Leisure" would imply occasional use eg weekends or holidays, or whatever. ____
Gone: 10MY L320 RR Sport HSE, Ipanema Sand
Gone: 20MY Jaguar iPace HSE, Silicon Silver
Gone: 17MY RR Evoque SE Tech, Loire Blue
Gone: 08MY Discovery 3 XS, Stornoway Grey
Gone: 07MY FFRR TDV8 Vogue, Stornoway Grey
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| 16th Sep 2012 7:10 pm |
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B16 KJR
Member Since: 10 Jul 2006
Location: Rosyth, Fife
Posts: 3005
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Quote:I'm no lawyer, but it probably would.
That's what worries me, the wording seems far too vague and some people might not be aware that what they are using the towbar for, might not conform to what Landrover deem "leisure" use However I can report that the loud "clunk" that I used to get when going over undulating ground or hitting a bump has gone since I fitted my Towtrust towbar
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| 16th Sep 2012 7:29 pm |
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A1GSS
Member Since: 12 Sep 2010
Location: Saffron Walden, Essex
Posts: 4691
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I'm sure that a fixed towbar is more secure. I guess you have to balance the risks, but IMHO the OP should have complete security towing his caravan with the removable towbar.
Something is wrong. ____
Gone: 10MY L320 RR Sport HSE, Ipanema Sand
Gone: 20MY Jaguar iPace HSE, Silicon Silver
Gone: 17MY RR Evoque SE Tech, Loire Blue
Gone: 08MY Discovery 3 XS, Stornoway Grey
Gone: 07MY FFRR TDV8 Vogue, Stornoway Grey
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| 16th Sep 2012 7:33 pm |
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CUCO
Member Since: 27 May 2011
Location: Spain & Oleee!!!
Posts: 609
  
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one question:
people that have the removable towbar (from the first years, a mean 2005 D3's), AND dont have the note from land rover that says the removable towbar is for leisure...must be covered from failure isn't they?
for example, i dont have the note (D4 2010) and i have the removable....if i use it to comercial, personal, or whatever...Must I be covered? I think YES, because i buy a removable because i want a removable and not a fixed one, and i buy it without a "beware: leisure crappy swan neck tow bar, use it at your risk more that XXXX miles or XXX pounds...)
i think that LR is covering his back from a Not fit for purpose removable tow bar that after many years could fail if used comonly and could cause a security issue and now advertises (or put a note) in the new sold tow bars as if they are "occasional tow bars".....
by the way, the tow bars must be pass the ECE approved stamp, so...if in homologation times they was OK, waht happens in fabrication/ casting/ machining or whatever times?
mine have play from new, i notice it since it was plugged first time, even with a single use, much more that i have check after discover the play at mercs removables, bmw removables and non OEM ones...i assume when i test it that was ok, because i was new and i trust LR and what they do, (now i'm converted to the one or two times /month to the dealer...  , after all, they are LR... ) after hearing from many tow bars that fails, i think seriously in buying a fixed one, ugly and many times a plough for the terrains and road i must do "yes or yes" for work when a rem. one is a breeze to unplug and going over.
c'mon LR... 
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| 16th Sep 2012 7:54 pm |
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B16 KJR
Member Since: 10 Jul 2006
Location: Rosyth, Fife
Posts: 3005
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Quote:Something is wrong.
Yes it fell off
Only joking But as I said earlier what concerns me is the vague definition of "leisure". As you know if you look at your insurance policy there is a huge page of "definitions" so that there is no doubt whatsoever what any phrase means. In the case of a serious accident and heavens forbid a fatality, that's when the defination of "leisure" would have to be decided by a court and that definition might not concur with what you thought it meant 
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| 16th Sep 2012 7:57 pm |
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