Tow Bar Advice

[enyajtrebor]

I believe that there are a few problems with Rav 4 towbars and running height with a caravan attached

I am about to take delivery of a 2013 2.2 Icon Manual

Can anyone suggest the best make tow bar to avoid any problems

Thanks

[NORTHERN_LAD]

I have a Witter detachable towbar on my Rav. Its not the prettiest in the world but it does the job well and is very well made. The ride height is good and the towball is a comfortable distance from the bumper bar to allow an Alco hitch to be used.

I also have reversing sensors on my car and the tow bar does not interfere with them even when the ball is attached

No problems at all really.

[redlew]

The problem lies with the mark 2 where mostly you won't be able to open the door with the bar on. I don't think it's a problem with the mark 3

[Doosan]

Hi, I have a Witter Detachable Swan Tow bar (semi automatic loading)

Have a look at this site http://www.witter-towbars.co.uk/towbars/towbars.php?make=Toyota-towbars&id=7910# Just enter you Reg Number.

Dave

[Mike169]

Hi, i used to fit towbars for a living, say 4 a day for about 3 years. Generally manufacturers towbars look better but are much more expensive. Some have a swan neck detachable ball and it connects low down behind the bumper or lower to ground level so if and when you detach it then the rest of the towbar is virtually hidden if you feel they look ugly when you are not towing. Because of their design it is generally not possible to fit a drop plate which would of give you the option to have the towball at the height you want. Witter towbars generally come in a primer finish, most people don't bother but you can paint them black or colour code them to your car. Because they have a flat mounting plate for the towball at the rear is is possible to fit a drop plate and also makes it easier to fit a anti-snaking device should you require one. You can buy anti-snaking device for manufacturers swan neck towbars too but they can look ugly. Generally once a Witter towbar is fitted the only removeable part is the towball itself which would need unbolting as opposed to some manufacturers quick release systems. To get a towbar fitted buy a local mobile towbar fitter is usually surprisingly cheap as the labour cost involved in my opinion is underpriced hence why i stopped fitting them.

Regards Mike169

[NORTHERN_LAD]

I can see now that it may be a problem getting access to the boot with the caravan attached and that there isn't a problem with the actual towbar / ball.

I have the Witter towball that doosan highlighted in his post. With this one you put the locking bar in first and then the towball upside down, turning it through 180 degrees to finally lock it in place.

The reason I said its not the prettiest is that the socket that holds the towball and the electrical socket are on view all the time. My brother also has Rav and he has a Westfalia bracket and everything is hidden when not in use.

Keith

[Mike169]

As Keith has said above there are other makes of towbars out there, Witter would not be my first choice but they tend to be the cheapest and yes the Westfalia bar is much neater.

[Doosan]

I can see now that it may be a problem getting access to the boot with the caravan attached and that there isn't a problem with the actual towbar / ball.

I have the Witter towball that doosan highlighted in his post. With this one you put the locking bar in first and then the towball upside down, turning it through 180 degrees to finally lock it in place.

The reason I said its not the prettiest is that the socket that holds the towball and the electrical socket are on view all the time. My brother also has Rav and he has a Westfalia bracket and everything is hidden when not in use.

Keith

Hi Keith, as you have stated, the tow ball arm has to go in upside down and is then turned around 180 degrees to lock in. But with mine I found that when upside down the ball would foul the ground making it very difficult to load into the housing. What I had to do was to fit doughnuts into the springs which in turn raised the rear of my Rav by about 5 cm and made the towing experience a lot better .

[Shedder]

Using a Thule detachable tow bar on a 4.3 with no problems. Ride height is satisfactory and when viewed from the side the combination sits level.

I have been told that Thule make the "genuine" tow bars for Toyota Europe and they do look identical.

[TIBO]

I fitted a witter detachable and would agree ref the ground clearance when attaching the swan neck from an upside down position, best achieved with the ground falling away from the car. I also fitted the 13 pin socket as a dedicated kit. I purchased from PF Jones as they are reasonably priced and offer good service.

[NORTHERN_LAD]

Yes I have to agree about thee ground clearance when fitting the tow ball into its socket, I had to turn the car around once last year to fit it. The alternative is to dig a small hole !!

[three5]

Using a Thule detachable tow bar on a 4.3 with no problems. Ride height is satisfactory and when viewed from the side the combination sits level.

I have been told that Thule make the "genuine" tow bars for Toyota Europe and they do look identical.

I've a Thule detachable bar on my XT5 and it works brilliantly. Plenty of clearance between the ball and the rear bumper so the likelyhood of a collision when hitching up is reduced considerably. What made the installation just about perfect was the fitting of a reversing camera which means that I can line up everything to the nearest millimetre ( OK, 2mm then! ) single handed. It's saved me all the heated discussions with SHMBO about what constituted right and left

I mostly use the towball for carrying my bike rack which also works perfectly with it.

Don't laugh at this, but the cheapest place I found for purchase of the bar was Halfords!!!!!! Bought the Toyota wiring kit from Kingo which was a good decision as I hate the IDC connectors. Unless things have changed, there is no audible/visible warning device included in this kit. I believe it is a legal requirement to have such a device. HTH

[Mechman]

I have just fitted a towbar to my SR (2011/61 Plate) I bought a detachable Titan from PF Jones with the vertical socket and it is fully hidden behind the bumper. I used a dedicated wiring loom and it works very well. I have been told by someone who fits them for a living that the bar is actually built by Westfailia. The whole lot was around £227. Very good service with a qualitity looking bar. The electrics cut the rear fogs, do not cut the bleepers and it says that, whilst there is no audible signal for the indicators, if one fails the indicator speed doubles.

[Guest]

I think you are breaking new ground as you will have the 4.4, not sure of the options for this as it is a new model.

[Devon Aygo]

Just FYI the official Toyota options are available to view here: http://www.toyota-tech.eu/Aim/Aim.aspx?pubtype=AIM&menuitem=3