Illegal towbar?

tfspark

Not sure wether this should be in this section or the consumer rights section.

This is a long story but I'll ask the basic question first and gauge the response.

I took delivery of my new company car in May 2014. The next day I had a tow bar fitted by a local trailer and tow bar company. The day after that I took my caravan away on holiday.

As the height of the tow ball is quite low it has always been a struggle to hitch the caravan but once on the 'van tows as expected.

A couple of weeks ago someone pointed out that my tow ball was very low and was probably illegal.
After a bit of research it seems there is a european directive that regulates the height of a tow ball and mine is below the minimum requirement.

Unsure if this is a legal requirement I popped into my local constabulary to be told that I could be causing a traffic offence and if prosecuted would get at least three points and a fine up to a maximum of £2000 depending on the circumstances.

Has the fitting company fitted an illegal tow bar and does that make it unfit for purpose?

Do I have any redress from that company even though it is now fourteen months later?

I would just like them to rectify the situation at no cost to me.

I look forward to anyones comments.

enfield_freddy

european directives and european directives , can the tall ball "actually be mounted higher up than it is?


remember there is a size for number plates , many jap Imports use smaller ones , early landrovers had h/lights that were to close together , alfa romaos have number plates (front) , on an angle




I would be very surprised if the "local constabulary " knew the laws on tow bars ,

tfspark

Thanks for the quick reply.

The tow ball can't be adjusted at all. The tow bar is bolted to the car and the tow ball is bolted that. It's all fixed.

I can only believe what I was told by the police officer at my local police station. Unfortunately its probably one of those officers who is going to do me.

I take your point on numberplate, but there is a legal requirement to size and letter spacing etc. Anyone not complying is, strictly speaking, breaking the law.

nomoneytoday

I'd ask the towbar company to clarify if it meets the standards in place on the day it was fitted.

enfield_freddy

ok , pick the phone book up or google several of the UK towbar companies , grab a photo of your car and email them to see if its correct .


I still cannot believe that a tow ball fitted lower (must be only inches) from what you consider correct is illegal


not sure , is it still VOSA , that give the definitive answer on things like this , not PC Plod

enfield_freddy

witter tow bars: http://www.witter-towbars.co.uk/towbars/faq8.php


the rules 350mm to 420mm with vehicle loaded


what height is yours?


edit: or at a height designated by the vehicle manufacturer , does the PC have the books from all car manufacturers?

Herzlos

What height does it sit at? And how far under the bumper is it sitting? What's the car?

If it's part made for that car, it can only sit in one place, so I'm curious as to whether they've fitted a bracket/frame from something else and it's not a suitable size.

might be worth doing a google image search to see where it's meant to sit.

Minrich

If the towbar was fitted by a proper company fitting towbars i would guarantee it is fitted correctly . The towbar is made for your type of car and would not be made so that the towball would be at an illegal height . I don't think there is a legal height anyway .

InsideInsurance

Online it states:

The EC Directive 94/20/EC states that the towball height should be between 350 and 420mm with the vehicle in the ‘laden’ condition. Laden condition may have been defined (by the manufacturer) as either fully laden (the maximum technically permitted mass of the vehicle as shown in the vehicle handbook), or, conventionally laden (defined as 68.5kg per specified passenger seat and 6.5kg of luggage per specified passenger and located in the centre of the luggage storage area). Alternatively, the towball may be at the height or height range specified by the vehicle manufacturer in the homologation documents and possibly the vehicle handbook. Not so straightforward!

It also notes there are exceptions for:

The exceptions are: Vans/ Good Vehicles, Chassis Cabs, Tippers, Pick-Up Trucks, Motor Homes, any Motor Cycle, Non Road Use Vehicles and some Imports

I agree, your local bobby is not going to have in depth knowledge of the law and its implementation.

enfield_freddy

thinking back I had a tow bar on an OLD mini , that was low , coz the boot lid lowered from the top on strings

verityboo

We fitted a tow bar to our old Volvo XC70 and it came with spacers to lower it to the correct height as the same frame is supplied for fitting to the lower riding V70. If someone fitted the same tow bar frame to a V70 but with the spacers it would be too low.

I can therefore see that it would be possible to fit a tow bar incorrectly so it was too low but would not expect a professional to make such a mistake.

It would be useful if the OP were to confirm the make and model of car