Tow bar blues

geoffeales replied on 09/04/2021 15:22

Posted on 09/04/2021 15:22

Having just bought a gem of a CX-5 2,2D tow-car, I've now started looking for a good deal on tow-bars and I'm bewildered by the array of options available. Swan-neck would seem to be the way to avoid any interference with the reversing guidance system, but then there's a fixed or detachable option. Having looked closely at the Witter, I can see very little difference between the detachable version with a single hand-fixing knob and the "fixed" version which is attached by two bolts. To this bear of little brain it would take about 30 seconds longer to tighten two bolts with spanner and ratchet and it would surely be a lot more secure than anything that can be tightened by hand?  The most attractive factor around this decision is that the two-bolt version is about £40 cheaper!  Your thoughts please ladies and gentlemen.

commeyras replied on 12/04/2021 17:29

Posted on 12/04/2021 17:29

Not a good idea to remove the bolts after each trip!  Constant undoing the bolts and then fitting and checking the torque setting several times a year is not a good idea. I assume you are getting what we call a fixed tow hook not a removable one as you say you will remove the hook and bolts after each trip.  You may have got confused by the various posts here.  Your question is simple - do you want a fixed hook where it will always be on the car sticking out the 4 - 6 in; or a removable one which, when off, the bits bolted to the car are out of sight?  The pros and cons of each have been covered. I have a removable one which I fit at the start of a trip and remove when I get home.  It lives, with one of the keys, in the nice blue bag it came in, in the boot of my car (one of the side storage areas).  Fits and removes easily.  There is no way it can be removed without the key, so no theft risk.  If you remove it it will not seize!

Ensure you get vehicle specific electrics fitted; this should be the norm now but best to make sure.

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