Tell me about towbars

I'm going to fit one for attaching a bike rack too and towing a small caravan (perhaps).
So, attach to rear bumper brackets and reattach bumper slightly further back. Have I got that right ?
How simple is the wiring please ?

 

Wiring is SIMPLES, really SIMPLES.
TOWBARS come in a number of types, some use the bumpers, some the bumper mounts, some none of the above.
Ultimately it's your choice, I prefer the ones that leave the bumper where it is.

 

I have an aversion to drilling holes in the van if that makes a difference

 

try to get a westy one, they replace your bumper mounts and the bumper fastens to the towbar itself and doesn't stick out.

 

That looks pretty straightforward @rickyrooo1 - and a westy part should increase the value of my bus

 

ha, don't do what i did and sell the bumper irons for next to nothing and realise they are worth £100....... i was a newbie then.

 

Mines similar to the westy one (i.e it replaces the bumper mounts and you attach your bumper to it) but my towbar is detachable so when not needed you dont know its there. Im sure someone on here can educate me to which one I may have.

 

Mine goes on with the bumper mounts so no drilling, but it doesn't need the bumper moving further back. Bumper looks stock position without having to fork out for a "westy" one!

 

I've found this so I can fit any old thing

 

Got mine from these chaps and it fits snugly under the rear bumper. http://www.watling-towbars.co.uk/

 

Just checked up and this is where mine came from too Bern!

 

That takes me back Owen - I used to live down the road from that place. I bought a tow bar off them for a MkIV Cortina about 30 years ago. The last tow bar I fitted in fact

 

I've got the Daddy of all tow bars for sale, provided your chassis legs are up to it!!
Uses the bumper mounting bolts, which means that the bumper will be 1/4" lower.
Designed for std. T1 engine.
Tony

 

I like the look of Owen's one tbh Tony - sits there all discrete like

 

Yes, my towbar is like Owens.
Tony

 

As for the wiring, it's a doddle. Just don't use those cursed Scotch Block things. I bought a length of towbar multi core wiring and used these type of crimps;



and a wiring diagram like this;



I just didn't use the fog light connection!

 

Towbars are good. Fit one. You can stick your bike rack on it and it'll stop chavs stuffing their Corsas into your engine. Sticky out bumper ones are better, I reckon

 

My towbar is the type that makes the bumper stick out by the distance between the fixing holes in the chassis rails.
This meant that the Audi got the towball poked through its radiator grille and the bumper only needed a bit of straightening. Otherwise the rear valance would have been hit.
Also useful for tow starting Transit diesel tipper trucks at service stations.

 

When I bought this one, the picture of the crossover fitting they sent looked like it was taken in 1972. I guessed if they made towbars when the van was new, it would probably fit OK!