Drawbar too low, bolt in extra box section?

[48Rob]

Only possible in North America - in Europe, receiver hitches are not used, so the ball height on the tow vehicle can't be altered.

Andrew,

Do you know why?

Are the ones you use a more universal fit, or maybe to limit capacity?

Rob

[KCStudly]

I'm going to guess that the idea is to limit how much extra steel the small TV has to haul around. The universal nature of a receiver hitch automatically requires more steel than a one shot made to suit.

[milliejohn]

You could have blocked the axle and kept the original trailer coupler as was, I do not understand the lack of height adjustment at the vehicle itself, also welding can't be that expensive, if it is, I would learn to weld and buy some welding equipment if I were in your place.

2" of offset would not be worth the effort in such a small trailer, what are the drawbar ball dimensions in metric or inches? common sizes in USA is 1.750", 2.000", 2.3125"

[milliejohn]

Glad I looked it up, now I understand the issues.



In the European Union, towbars must be a type approved to European Union directive 94/20/EC to be fitted to vehicles first registered on or after 1 August 1998.
The ISO standard tow-ball is 50 mm [ 1.9685"] in diameter and conforms to a standard BS AU 113b (replaced by BS ISO 1103:2007). The ISO standard has been adopted in most of the world outside North America.
There are two main categories of ISO tow-ball—the flange fitting and the swan-neck which has an extended neck fitting into the tow-bracket. Swan-neck tow-balls are often removable to avoid the inconvenience of a tow-ball protruding from the vehicle when not required. Some manufacturers are introducing retractable tow-balls as an option.
Across Europe around 25% of vehicles have tow-balls fitted—but there are distinct regional variations, being more common in Benelux and Scandinavia. In Sweden, around 2.2 million cars of around 4.3 million (just over 50%) have tow-balls.[1] In the United Kingdom the popularity of caravans is responsible for a high percentage number of 4x4 (SUV) type vehicles being fitted with tow hitches.
[edit]Trailer tow hitch

Cars can include trailer tow hitch with a removable tow ball.
[edit]Weight-distributing hitch
A weight-distributing hitch is a "load leveling" hitch. It is a hitch setup mounted on the tow vehicle that uses spring bars under tension to distribute part of the trailer's hitch weight from the towing vehicle's rear axle to the towing vehicle's front axle and to the trailer's axle(s). It can help reduce trailer sway and hop. Trailer hop can jerk the tow vehicle. Trailer sway is sometimes called "fish tailing". At high speeds, trailer sway can become dangerous. Most vehicle manufacturers will only allow a maximum trailer capacity of 5,000 pounds (2,300 kg) and 500 pounds (230 kg) of tongue weight without using a weight-distributing hitch. Tow vehicles often have square receiver sockets to accept weight distributing hitches.


Lunette ring (top) and pintle (bottom), comprising a NATO trailer coupling.
[edit]Lunette ring
A lunette ring is a type of trailer hitch that works in combination with a pintle hook on the tow vehicle. A pintle hook and lunette ring makes a more secure coupling, desirable on rough terrain, compared to ball-type trailer hitches.


http://www.solent-towbars.co.uk/towbar- ... n-law.html

To ensure that you stay legal and safe please ensure that you read this page and check back regularly to ensure that you are up to date with any rule/law changes.

Towbars and the law

European Law now states that all light passenger vehicles registered on or after 1st August 1998 require a type approved towbar tested to EC94/20 and towball with suitable D&S value. This is not retrospective and does not affect any vehicle registered before this date. Other vehicles not subject to type approval are ~ commercial vehicles, car derived vans and motor caravans.

Fitment of a non type approved towbar on a vehicle registered on or after 1st August 1998 could result in prosecution and in the event of an accident the vehicles insurance could be invalidated.

What is the maximum weight i can carry in my trailer?

Unbraked trailer.. maximum 750kgs gross trailer weight or 50% of the towing vehicles kerbside weight-which ever is less
Braked trailer.. maximum 3500kgs gross trailer weight
The above obviously depends on the trailer and its weight restriction

What are the speed restrictions when towing?

It is 60 mph on motorways and dual carriageways with a national speed limit, 50 mph on other roads unless there are lower speed restrictions in operation.

Can I tow in the fast lane of a motorway?

No, you must not travel in the fast lane of the motorway whilst towing. Unless there are lane restrictions or you are directed by a police officer.

Licence Restrictions

If you passed your driving test after 1st january 1997 then you will have restrictions on what you can tow, if you are in doubt then refer to the DVLA website.

Quality

All towbars are designed (with the aid of the latest CAD system) to fit precisely to mounting points and are renowned for their ease of fit and unobtrusive appearance. Once the design is approved and tested to rigorous European standard EC94/20, it is then manufactured by an experienced production team using only certified British steel and finished in a high quality primer.

Quality management systems cover all areas from design to distribution to ensure customer satisfaction. Our towbars come with full fitting instructions complete with diagram should you wish to fit them yourself.

All type approved towbars carry a label to ensure product traceability and all the information necessary to conform fully to the European standard. Some care should be taken when selecting a towbar to ensure the D&S values are great enough for the model of vehicle required, again we are happy to advise on all of our range.

British & European Standards

All towbars comply with ISO 1102 and BS AU 113 which specifies the dimensions and location of the towball to ensure a safe and level towing height of between 350mm and 420mm (ground to centre of towball when vehicle is laden) EC94/20 the European Regulation : Towbars are totally committed to conform to this standard and have a full testing program underway in conjunction with the VCA (vehicle certification agency).

[48Rob]

British & European Standards

All towbars comply with ISO 1102 and BS AU 113 which specifies the dimensions and location of the towball to ensure a safe and level towing height of between 350mm and 420mm (ground to centre of towball when vehicle is laden) EC94/20 the European Regulation : Towbars are totally committed to conform to this standard and have a full testing program underway in conjunction with the VCA (vehicle certification agency).

So, maybe this answers my question, a little.
The manufacturers have a not too high, not too low guideline to follow, so they build, test, and have approved a drawbar for each new model of car or truck that comes out.

Still seems like it would be simpler to have an adjustable height drawbar.
Surely they aren't worried about a citizen making their own adjustments?
There's got to more to it than that...such as restricting the size and weight of (citizen owned) trailers altogether...


Rob

[webbaldo]

The whole EU trailer thing is a pain in the arse to be honest these days, in fact the whole EU is but don't get me started lol.

Basically I went for a removable EU towbar, so its a fixed swan neck.

Its fine anyway, added a box section spacer with sleeves inside and its as rock solid as the original was.

[angib]

Like having only one tow ball size (50mm), Europe is standardising on just one tow ball height of 430mm (~17") so that tow vehicles and trailers will all have to be designed to work with that - at least at passenger car sizes.

It's a different philosophy from the American practice.