Which towbar type

[M666LFF]

Hello I am new so I hope this is allowed in this section ?
I am picking g up my new to me 57 plate M class tomorrow and I need to get a towbar fitted for the caravan .
Basically the options are fixed of detachable, I really want a fixed flange type so I can have a bike carrier fitted with the caravan attached.
Looking at the towbar sellers they all recomened detachable as the fixed cause issues with parking sensors .
Do I ignore this and risk parking sensor issues or will they be ok
I am coming from a Pathfinder which has a fixed swan neck bar and this does not affect the sensors .
Also there is the option for bypass electrics or vehicle specific which needs coding once fitted again any advice please
The caravan has ATC fitted
Sorry for the long first post

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Welcome to MBClub and congratulations on your new car. I have detachable Westfalia towbar son all of our MLs, and never detach them - the parking sensors are fine.

 

[M666LFF]

Thank you for the welcome
That was what I thought the answer would be to be honest , so that has helped make up my mind on that .
What about electric is it worth getting the car specific type ?
I am going to be towing our 2019 coachman pastiche 545 which has ATC fitted

 

[BTB 500]

What about electric is it worth getting the car specific type ?

IMO yes as it should do things like disabling the rear parking sensors when you are hooked up.

I really want a fixed flange type so I can have a bike carrier fitted with the caravan attached.

Depending on the number and type of bikes and weight of the carrier you may need to check you aren't exceeding the towbar limit with the caravan hitched. Even with ATC you should probably still be running 75+ kg noseweight on a 1500 kg caravan (5-7% is the normal guideline).

 

[BTB 500]

PS we have a factory detachable towbar (Westfalia) on our 2007 Vito and that doesn't trigger the rear Parktronic sensors either.

 

[M666LFF]

Thanks for the advice
The caravan max nose weight is 85kg the car max allowable weight is 140kg so I think that should be Ok
I have not towed the caravan very far yet it is brand new and my pathfinder is very poorly so only just got it the 8 miles home the other day so dont know what the ATC feels like

 

[br1anuk]

Don't forget that if you go for fixed flange you'll need an Alko towball.

 

[M666LFF]

Yes saw that thanks something else to put the price up a little more

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Thank you for the welcome
That was what I thought the answer would be to be honest , so that has helped make up my mind on that .
What about electric is it worth getting the car specific type ?
I am going to be towing our 2019 coachman pastiche 545 which has ATC fitted

Personally, I go for the vehicle specific electrics. It removes the risk of something going wrong.

 

[m80]

I've fitted tow bars & electrics. As long as you feed the electrics through a relay there won't be any issues.
I prefer to solder to the vehicle wiring to eliminate another potential fault point.

You could rest an imitation of the tow ball at the back to see if your sensors see it. I would expect the sensors to not see it as they are to each side usually.
Personally I wouldn't worry about the issue of the sensors seeing the caraven, as it's only when you reverse and can be switched off anyway.

 

[SG94]

Just a point about the nose weight.
The car May have a max allowable hitch weight of 140, but I doubt your towbar will. You will need to check this via the sticker on the tow bar and don’t get caught out and fined as a caravanning friend of ours did this year. We all stopped at the services and the police and DVLA were doing random checks. He got fined for ‘over specified limit’ at the hitch, and for no extension mirrors. I’ve been telling him about the mirrors for years! But he always insisted he didn’t need them as he tows with a big 4x4.
He took a warning and 60 quid on the spot fine, he borrowed my spare mirrors for the rest of the trip, and we took a few bits of his into our van to get his weight sorted. I have always preferred to tow our van empty so had some weight to play with.

Anyway, welcome, and enjoy!

 

[BTB 500]

Yes good point on the towbar limit - for removable ones this is usually marked near the socket on the vehicle and depending on the installation can be difficult (even impossible) to see! Removable ones can have pretty decent limits - it's 150kg for our factory Westfalia one, but I know some aftermarket types are significantly lower so you do need to check. On the towing mirrors, they changed the regs. a little while back and are much stricter now. The door mirrors on our Vito are a little wider than the caravan (handy to know when going through tight gaps!) so I never used to bother, but I do put them on now. The other thing you see is people driving off-site to the shops / day trips / etc. with towing mirrors still on - that will also get you a fine if spotted.