S211 E55 AMG towing a classic ski boat?

[Tonye]

Thanks Bobby Dazzler, i thought i sort of said this in post #9.

 

[Bellow]

A mate of mine turned up a few weeks back to collect my Bultaco with his VW Golf and a bike rack. The rack attached to two pieces of box section he has welded onto the part of the tow bar that is the ball hitch. The ball part isn't utilised. If he cut the ball off - is it still a tow bar?

 

[BTB 500]

If it can't be used to tow anything then *probably* it's not a towbar any more. Think I have heard of dedicated bike carriers that are designed to attach to the towbar fitting points, for cars that aren't type-approved.

 

[E55BOF]

Unfortunately not - it's technically illegal to have a towbar fitted to the car at all.

I rather doubt that; can you quote the reference to support it, please?

 

[BTB 500]

I rather doubt that; can you quote the reference to support it, please?

Many towbar sites have text similar to this (from towsure.com) ... it's the best I can do for now:

The main requirements of an EC Approved towing bracket are that it is fitted to all of the towbar mounting points specified by the vehicle manufacturer,

If your car is registered on or after 1st August 1998 and you fit a towbar, it MUST by law be approved to EC94/20 and installed correctly according to the manufacturers' instructions. It is an offence under the vehicle Construction & Use Regulations to fit, use or permit to be used, a non-approved towbar on the vehicle

If a car isn't type-approved for towing there are no manufacturer specifications for fitting a towbar, so you can't comply with these requirements.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

This is a letter from the Department of Transport, but it’s not really conclusive.

See post number 67 here:

Now with fully legal trailer hitch up to 750 kg on my...

www.speakev.com

Tow Bar Legality on Non Type Approved Vehicles

Thank you for your email dated 14 March to the Department for Transport about tow bar Legality on Non Type Approved Vehicles. Your correspondence has been passed to us in International Vehicle Standards (IVS) as we have responsibility for vehicle safety.

We suggest you contact the manufacturer on this matter as there may not be any points of sufficient strength to mount the towbar.
Assuming it can be safely mounted, we believe that you could use a towbar mounted bike carrier.

Please note that this letter contains the views of the Department for Transport and that insofar as this letter provides an interpretation of the law, it is only a court of law that is able to give a legally definitive interpretation.

Yours sincerely

 

[Bellow]

Many towbar sites have text similar to this (from towsure.com) ... it's the best I can do for now:

If your car is registered on or after 1st August 1998 and you fit a towbar, it MUST by law be approved to EC94/20 and installed correctly according to the manufacturers' instructions. It is an offence under the vehicle Construction & Use Regulations to fit, use or permit to be used, a non-approved towbar on the vehicle



If a car isn't type-approved for towing there are no manufacturer specifications for fitting a towbar, so you can't comply with these requirements.

Where does that leave me?
American import registered in the UK in 2002. I didn't fit its (non EU approved) tow bar (that was done before it left the factory), and don't use it or permit another to use it (it requires a detachable ball I don't have). Is its mere presence in contravention of the vehicle Construction & Use Regulations?

And, if I wanted to tow, I have the option of mounting a ball directly into the bumper. If I fitted an EU approved ball (if such a thing exists) would that be legal as no tow bar is required?

 

[BTB 500]

Where does that leave me?
American import registered in the UK in 2002. I didn't fit its (non EU approved) tow bar (that was done before it left the factory), and don't use it or permit another to use it (it requires a detachable ball I don't have). Is its mere presence in contravention of the vehicle Construction & Use Regulations?

And, if I wanted to tow, I have the option of mounting a ball directly into the bumper. If I fitted an EU approved ball (if such a thing exists) would that be legal as no tow bar is required?

No idea, sorry. But there are various UK companies that specialise in importing/retailing US vehicles ... they might well be able to advise as this must have come up before.

 

[nickjonesn4]

Discovered mine has the necessary homologation and tow bar being fitted next week

 

[ALFAitalia]

Only a 750kg towing limit though......For those that don't know its the gross train weight (max weight of car added to max weight of trailer) so 3245kg in this case, minus the max loaded weight of the car.....2495kg in this case....giving you 750kg....which is not a lot.

 

[Tonye]

which is not a lot.

Better than nowt, especially in my R129

 

[nickjonesn4]

Only a 750kg towing limit though......For those that don't know its the gross train weight (max weight of car added to max weight of trailer) so 3245kg in this case, minus the max loaded weight of the car.....2495kg in this case....giving you 750kg....which is not a lot.

Irs for transporting a 200kg PA system so will be fine

 

[cactussed]

I spoke to my insurere about this and specifically the tow bar and no IVA. They acknowledged and said that they'd still cover me for bikes, just not towing. I have it on record, FWIW.

 

[cactussed]

That beinbg said, I'm still on the lookout for a car, so its theoretical just now

 

[cactussed]

Plus, as you can tell, I'm getting my post count up so I can actually responjd to some classified ads

 

[Alex5000]

By the way,

Attached is the correct wiring for a 2003 S211 Tow bar wiring with bypass relay.
There are endless amounts of incorrect information online!

My S211 Tow Bar wiring now works properly - For only £35!

Did you manage to get IVA/SVA for your E55?

 

[Alex5000]

Bit of a thread revival, but thanks to this thread I discovered my own S211 E55 also has homologation for a tow bar!

Love the idea of towing a ski boat/track car with the AMG wagon.

Seems more than a few of these slipped through.