Galway tow bars

mchammer

Anyone know of a good place for tow bars in Galway City or County (new or secondhand) - looking to get one fitted on me old run around. Wonder do the scrapyards keep them or sell them on?

Thanks info appreciated
MC

biko

M.G. Towbars in Tuam can help, google for phone number.
Depending on your level of handiness and the car model you can buy a tow bar at a factors and fit yourself.

littlevillage

Lads,

Any idea of what kind of cash are MG Towbars might be looking for ? I know it will vary somewhat on the vehicle. But are we talking €200 here or are we talking closer €500 ?

colm_mcm

Would you not ring them and see?

littlevillage

I did (eventually)... MG Towbars seem to have gone out of the Tow bar business :-(

mgbgt1978

What make and year of car are we talking about ?

derry

OLD THREAD best I can tell

I got my tow hook from scrap yard ~€50 and fitted it my self .It has only four bolt to hold it on .I wasn't that careful so cut off a tad too much of plastic rear bumper (~18 year old car ) but i was in hurry had the ferry to catch a few hours later and had to attach the trailer rapidly.I sorted out 7 pole lights system when I got to France.
The best prices for Tow hooks from Irish and UK were about ~€100 to €120 online .Local Dublin prices were stupid often about 250 plus not fitted and 350 plus fitted. I bought the car for €250 so i wasnt gonna spend more than the cars value on a tow hook

Derry

littlevillage

Subaru forester. Its a small jeep similar to Nissan X-trail or Land Rover Freelander.

Am being quoted €370 (includes towbar and fitting) by a place on the Tuam Rd. going to prob go with that ... as its far better than the quote of €500 by main dealer.

mgbgt1978

Little Village,
Here's one for £111 including delivery to Northern Ireland. Parcel Motel will get it down South for you.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Witter-Fixed-Flange-Towbar-Kit-Fits-Subaru-Forester-SF-SG-1997-To-2008-/380740345503?pt=UK_Car_Accessories_Touring_Travel&fits=Model%3AForester&hash=item58a5e49e9f

This is for the '97 to '08 model....you don't mention what year your's is.
This is a fairly easy bar to fit as you don't need to remove the bumper.
Google 'Malcolms caravans' and search for your car. You will then see a link to the fitting instructions (which are the same for all makes of towbar, as they all use the same mounting points on the vehicle...obviously it is different for each Car, just that the towbar manufacturers have to use the mounting points proscribed by the Car Manufacturer for each Model).

Any Mechanic should be able to fit this for no more than €100, which gives a total outlay of less than €250.

littlevillage

Thanks mgbgt1978

Did several google searchs including Micksgarage.com and "Malcolm Caravans" incidently found "Malcolms Towbars (Dublin)"


Best I could do was about €230 for a towbar kit (including electrics and delivery)

and as you say add about €100 for a mechanic to install it.

Suddenly €370 from the boys on the Tuam Rd...looks about right.

Still though can't help but feel that I'm missing a trick here though as its a hell of a lot of money for a piece of metal a couple of wires and a few screws.

Anybody ever take an old towbar from a similar car and put it onto a another one ? (Same make and model obviously)

mgbgt1978

Yes, a towbar from the same model is a straight fit....if you can find a Forester in a scrapyard, with a towbar..try a request on partfinder.ie .
Also Little village, my way was coming in at around €250 or so....at least €100 less than the Tuam Deal.
Towequipe (they have an Ebay shop) are usually the easiest to buy from. They are in the UK but will send to Ireland for around €20....they also do free UK delivery (inc. N. Ireland), so Parcel Motel would add €7 to the cost (over-weight parcel ,so you would have to collect from your nearest Nightline Depot).
It doesn't require a mechanic to fit a towbar...any competent DIY 'mechanic' could easily do it.

...and before anybody has a go at me for suggesting the DIY approach, I spent 10 years with Indespension fitting towbars and servicing trailers. It's fairly straighforward if you follow the instructions.