Irish motorists' tow-bar fetish

I Was VB

It seems to be the natural common denominator of most Irish cars that they have a towbar on the back, Toyota Yaris? Towbar. Mercedes S Class? Towbar. Any early 00 Toyota looks in the nude without one.

But what I don’t understand is why so many people put them on the back of the car, Irish people aren’t into caravanning (not when compared to the UK)

Aside from bringing rubbish to the recycling Centre I don’t understand how and why so many Irish cars have them?

horseofstone

I'm guessing less than 20 per cent have towbars.toyota car's seem to regularly have them though it seems and also older cars

jack of all

You haven't been to the midlands lately? Saturday mornings, especially before 11am are the best time to see midlands man out and about with his car and trailer- either off to the dump/ civic amenity, maybe pick up supplies from the local merchants, hauling a load of turf or whatever. Open disclosure- I'm a man from the midlands myself, I have a tow bar- but only for a bicycle carrier (and the towbar is is detachable- does that even count?). Sure towbars are great!

artanevilla

Have you figures to back this up or?

I Am The Law

Mmmmm..... towbar....

PsychoPete

Used to fit loads of tow bars mainly it was older fellas that wanted them. A lot seem to think that having a towbar will save on damage if rear ended

elperello

They are cheaper to spec. than parking sensors ?

Odelay

Most?? Don’t think so. Put them on the back of the car? Where else do you suggest they go? On the roof?

What is the problem? People can spend their money as they wish.

jmreire

Every car ( or nearly every car) I have had, I've fitted a towbar on it. I have a trailer too of course, and I use it when needed, but not that often...a load of timber for the fire, the lawn mower occasionally. Nothing major. They may be a bit unsightly, but I can live with that. ( but there are detachable ones available too if you don't like them sticking out ) Primarily though, they save the rear of the car ( and the passengers ) from a rear ending.

jmreire

jmreire wrote: »

Primarily though, they save the rear of the car ( and the passengers ) from a rear ending.

I'd imagine they cause a lot more damage in a rear-ending than you would have if no tow bar was fitted.


It's attached to the chassis is it not? So all the impact is going straight to the body of the car and not into the 'cushion' of the crumpling rear bumper, boot etc?


Perhaps I'm wrong, though?

jmreire

PsychoPete wrote: »

Used to fit loads of tow bars mainly it was older fellas that wanted them. A lot seem to think that having a towbar will save on damage if rear ended

Because they do.

Plumbthedepths

Have a tow bar on my car, useful for pulling a trailer. Also a great reversing device.

CoBo55

[Deleted User] wrote: »

I'd imagine they cause a lot more damage in a rear-ending than you would have if no tow bar was fitted.


It's attached to the chassis is it not? So all the impact is going straight to the body of the car and not into the 'cushion' of the crumpling rear bumper, boot etc?


Perhaps I'm wrong, though?

You're spot on. I never had a car with a hitch for that exact reason.

jmreire

Deleted User wrote: »

I'd imagine they cause a lot more damage in a rear-ending than you would have if no tow bar was fitted.


It's attached to the chassis is it not? So all the impact is going straight to the body of the car and not into the 'cushion' of the crumpling rear bumper, boot etc?


Perhaps I'm wrong, though?

Yes, towbars have to be fitted to the chassis rails, and depending on the level of impact, they can prevent more extreme damage. Between the chassis rail's there is a reinforcing panel ( the bumper is bolted to this ) If you get hit smack in the centre of the bumper, it will be damaged ( obviously ) And the damage can be extensive beneath the bumper, even though it may seem Ok on the surface. But if you have a towbar fitted, it protect's the bumper because it is bolted directly to the chassis rail's. So yes,in a case like this, it protect's the car.
In the case of a very severe rear impact, where both or one of the chassis is severely damaged it will still help, even when the towbar gets bent, it will still have absorbed a lot of the impact.

Still waters

Probably something to do with wanting to tow a trailer op

pablo128

CoBo55 wrote: »

You're spot on. I never had a car with a hitch for that exact reason.

Manufacturers spend hundreds of thousands designing cars with crumple zones, and lads know better and reinforce the back with a towbar.

We supply a reputable brand of towbar to the trade. You would be very surprised at the cars they get put on. Cars that would be out of production by 15 years or more.

pablo128

jmreire wrote: »

Yes, towbars have to be fitted to the chassis rails, and depending on the level of impact, they can prevent more extreme damage. Between the chassis rail's there is a reinforcing panel ( the bumper is bolted to this ) If you get hit smack in the centre of the bumper, it will be damaged ( obviously ) And the damage can be extensive beneath the bumper, even though it may seem Ok on the surface. But if you have a towbar fitted, it protect's the bumper because it is bolted directly to the chassis rail's. So yes,in a case like this, it protect's the car.
In the case of a very severe rear impact, where both or one of the chassis is severely damaged it will still help, even when the towbar gets bent, it will still have absorbed a lot of the impact.

Yeah the car will be ok but your spine and neck will take the impact instead.

jmreire

pablo128 wrote: »

Yeah the car will be ok but your spine and neck will take the impact instead.

You can guarantee that your spine and neck will not get damaged if you don't have a towbar fitted?
Cars are built and designed to have tow bar's fitted, ( or not as the case may be ) the captive nuts for bolting the towbar on are already located in the chassis rail's in most car's, and there is several pages in the manufacturers manual devoted to towing and tow bar's. Mercedes Benz have full instructions including approved wiring harness and sockets. Even additional cooling radiator for the ones with automatic transmission's. So they are an integral part of the design, including the crumple zone.

TrailerBob

If you see a late 90s Corolla or Passat in the Midlands without a towbar on it there's something suspicious going on.... Where would you tie down your bootlid to with baler twine?

ba_barabus

Nothing like the security of rural parking sensors.

As regards safety, I had a thumping huge How bad fitted on a car before and was rear ended. No damage at all to my car however the car that hit me had a messed up bumper, reg plate and radiator.

I Was VB

Odelay wrote: »

Most?? Don’t think so. Put them on the back of the car? Where else do you suggest they go? On the roof?

What is the problem? People can spend their money as they wish.

Purely a observation, very aggressive reply I must say. Are you from towbars before profit?

elperello

At the price of putting a towbar on a new car nowadays I seriously doubt anyone puts one on without expecting to do a bit of towing.

Millionaire only not

I love my retractable tow bar on my Range Rover for going to the bog for turf

RINO87

Turf. The answer is turf!!! Growing up in the midlands everyone, and I mean everyone had a trailer for turf.
That was 20 or so years ago tho....

Then again the Saab 95 Hot Aero that was on bangernomics a few days ago had a tow bar. At least it would be comfy on a bog road I suppose.

RINO87

Millionaire only not wrote: »

I love my retractable tow bar on my Range Rover for going to the bog for turf

beat me to it!

jmreire

elperello wrote: »

At the price of putting a towbar on a new car nowadays I seriously doubt anyone puts one on without expecting to do a bit of towing.

You would be surprised...In my neck of the woods ( rural Ireland ) anyway, and in this day and age, I know several people who when changing their car, will insist on having a towbar fitted...and in some cases, without even having a trailer, never mind pulling one. Each to his own. Some people approve and some do not.

Harry Palmr

'Felt spac plus towbar - more Irish than a pint of plain.

elperello

jmreire wrote: »

You would be surprised...In my neck of the woods ( rural Ireland ) anyway, and in this day and age, I know several people who when changing their car, will insist on having a towbar fitted...and in some cases, without even having a trailer, never mind pulling one. Each to his own. Some people approve and some do not.

Now that you mention it I have seen cars for sale saying towbar fitted never used.
Nowt so queer as folk

Buffman

Hmm, got mine so I had the option of towing a trailer which I now do on an irregular basis. €20 from a breakers and €10 for a new light socket. Volvo kindly made the wiring very simple on my 1st gen 2nd phase V40.

I've also noticed it's had the nice side effect of being an anti-tailgating device.

Millionaire only not

RINO87 wrote: »

Turf. The answer is turf!!! Growing up in the midlands everyone, and I mean everyone had a trailer for turf.
That was 20 or so years ago tho....

Then again the Saab 95 Hot Aero that was on bangernomics a few days ago had a tow bar. At least it would be comfy on a bog road I suppose.

Proper sod of turf too cut with a slan not that machine rubbish - lol
Blisters from the fork , the good old days no mortgage loans just bottle of tea and fig rolls - lol

Apiarist

I Was VB wrote: »

....Aside from bringing rubbish to the recycling Centre I don’t understand how and why so many Irish cars have them?

How else would would you bring harvested potatoes from your plot home? Or turf, as others have already pointed!

jmreire

elperello wrote: »

Now that you mention it I have seen cars for sale saying towbar fitted never used.
Nowt so queer as folk

Well, friend of mine, drives an handicapped adapted car...and everytime he changes it, he either has the towbar taken from the old one, and fitted to the new car, or if that wont work...he will buy a new towbar to fit the new car. So in this case, it would be true to say " Towbar fitted..but never used !!! LOL :D:D

whisky_galore

There's far more stupid things fitted to cars; reindeer noses and antlers, those stupid flags that are forever falling off and getting lost, baby on board signs...yeah so you managed to reproduce so you advertise, L plates fixed the wrong way round...

beauf

Use mine for a trailer, and for a bike rack.

freddieot

Used to get them fitted every time I bought a new car (Santa Fe, Vitara, Sorrento etc.) but never used it to tow. Always put a small red sticker on the ball so it could be more easily seen.

Last two cars, no tow bar and now clowns park right up against my bumper, especially when parallel parked on the road but also even in supermarkets etc.. as well as more tailgating etc. They usual I don't give a shi** attitude.

Say what you like, having a tow bar does help keep the crazies a little further back.

Also, when I had the sorrento, an old boy let his car lurch forward into mine at the pumps one day, just a few feet. Scratch on the tow bar but no other damage to my car so no big deal, for me. Broken grill and a dent for him though.

whippet

I have a retractable one ... I ordered it with the car for my bike rack .. much easier to use than trying to untangle several miles of straps each time I want to take the bikes

CJhaughey

They are useful for more than just trailers, you can get a whole range of accessories that fit to towbars, Dog boxes, Bike Carriers, Transport platforms etc.
No good reason not to have one IMO, increases the versatility of the car immensely even before towing a trailer.
http://www.bak-rak.com/images/g3uk.jpg

Large bottle small glass

pablo128 wrote: »

Yeah the car will be ok but your spine and neck will take the impact instead.

Yes, the energy transferred is identical in magnitude irrespective if a tow bar is fitted or not.

The tow bar which is rigidly fixed to chassis will insure the peak accerlerations suffered by human occupants is much higher.

The crumble zone, bumper bars etc attenuate the peak acceleration suffered by occupants.

Cee-Jay-Cee

Its to protect the rear bumper in case of a rear ender or mis-judged reversing move.

ednwireland

what annoys me is the people that put bikes on the back or pull a trailer but dont have a light bar and number plate attached as thee lights and number plates are a blocked by the bikes, uk traffic police would have that van pictured above in minutes.

suppose it just shows the lack of enforcement of traffic laws in this country

does towing put stress on the rear suspension ? only car i had with a towbar needed work on the rear suspension

ohnonotgmail

I have a tow bar on mine and i have no intention of towing anything. It did come in very handy though when somebody drove into the back of me 5 months ago.

jmreire

ednwireland wrote: »

what annoys me is the people that put bikes on the back or pull a trailer but dont have a light bar and number plate attached as thee lights and number plates are a blocked by the bikes, uk traffic police would have that van pictured above in minutes.

suppose it just shows the lack of enforcement of traffic laws in this country

does towing put stress on the rear suspension ? only car i had with a towbar needed work on the rear suspension

The biggest cause of suspension problem's ( front and back) with cars in Ireland is the Irish pot holed road's. I've always used towbars on any car I ever had, but I have never had rear suspension problems due to towing. Its true that towing can be abused, pulling heavier loads or the wrong trailer will for sure shorten rear tyre life, and wont do the rear suspension's any good, but that's abuse, not normal use.

jmreire

ohnonotgmail wrote: »

I have a tow bar on mine and i have no intention of towing anything. It did come in very handy though when somebody drove into the back of me 5 months ago.

Agreed 100%. The problem with modern cars is that the bumper's are designed to take an impact,and "Bounce" back into shape. And this is fine, but the problem with it is that it can hide more serious damage underneath. Beware any plastic bumper that holds a dent, or show's a crack, it should be removed and the inner bumper / reinforcement checked.

ohnonotgmail

jmreire wrote: »

Agreed 100%. The problem with modern cars is that the bumper's are designed to take an impact,and "Bounce" back into shape. And this is fine, but the problem with it is that it can hide more serious damage underneath. Beware any plastic bumper that holds a dent, or show's a crack, it should be removed and the inner bumper / reinforcement checked.

even though he hit my tow bar he still managed to damage my bumper. Cost 1600 to repair. he was left with a 12 inch deep v shape in the front of his car.

beauf

Problem with modern cars, is they are not designed to be repaired cheaply.

kirving

beauf wrote: »

Problem with modern cars, is they are not designed to be repaired cheaply.

To be fair, they're designed not to break in the first place. Modern cars are far more reliable than in the past.

Couple that to cheap production and regulatory requirements, and the poor mechanic is left with a pain in the arse of a job, and the customer is left with a big bill (even if it does happen less regularly).

Reminds me, I'll have to get a towbar actually, very handy to put the bike on.

John_Rambo

There was one on my car when I bought it but I took it off. It extended pretty far out beyond the bumper it would do a fair amount of damage is someone were to bump in to it.

jmreire

ohnonotgmail wrote: »

even though he hit my tow bar he still managed to damage my bumper. Cost 1600 to repair. he was left with a 12 inch deep v shape in the front of his car.

Just imagine what the damage would have been like without the tow bar....

dsmythy

I've one because the car had it when I bought it....

My first instinct was to remove it because I'm paranoid about nicking cars with it but was told it's handy if a car hits me in a car park or whatever. So kept it.

Reading here not so sure now.

Duckjob

ednwireland wrote: »

what annoys me is the people that put bikes on the back or pull a trailer but dont have a light bar and number plate attached as thee lights and number plates are a blocked by the bikes, uk traffic police would have that van pictured above in minutes.

suppose it just shows the lack of enforcement of traffic laws in this country

If you're talking about enforcement, then start with the most basic of basics: Licencing.

I would guess if from tomorrow the guards started pulling everybody towing, they would be hard pressed to find somebody who actually hold a licence to tow.

TrailerBob

^^^ please God don't start a conversation on the BE license and the requirement for it... Thus will follow pages of links from the RSA website and conflicting 'facts'

As it happens the uptake of the BE is increasing rapidly.. lad in work finding he has a decent wait to get the lessons in.