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Wish to fit towbar to my TR6 after camping at TR International and seeing TR's towing trailers. A trailer tent could be more comfortable in our old age!

Watling Engineers of St Albans offer a kit. Any others?

Any comments/advice would be gratefully received.

Roger

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I have to say I was somewhat surprised to see a tr2 towing a caravan at this years IWE.

There was also a homemade trailer thingy , looked a little like a shed on wheels ingenious!. Just out of curiosity what are the towing capacities of the tr range?.

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We used to tow an Eccles caravan with our TR4, the caravan was 1150kg loaded (about 950kg unladen). Like the TR the Eccles construction (about 1974 as I remember) predated any such niceties such as manufacturers plates showing approved towing weights so we limited the caravan to not be more than the TRs weight.

The 4 cylinder engine is a great towing unit, it's low down torque and ability to take off almost on tickover allows the caravan to be pulled easily and always provoked comment on the camp sites where the caravan dwarfed it (14 feet long x 7 feet wide).

 

Just a point to remember, I'd made my own towbar picking up from welded brackets on the sides of the chassis (it was the seventies and TRs were cars to be used !) and a pair of u bolts and brackets picking up off the rear cross tube. My TR like many others had a paper thin crosstube from unchecked internal corrosion and cried "enough" snapping just inside the inside of the chassis. I repaired it with a complete good crosstube with the inner chassis faces still welded in situ hacksawed from a scrapyard TR4 (those were the days), and completed the workman like repair with an 8" length of solid bar knocked through the outside tube and spring hangar, through the chassis box section and into the newly replaced crosstube, welded into position and sealed it's still there today.

 

Mick Richards

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Tow bar kits for tr4-6 cars come up on eBay regularly. I have the rear cross piece of on but not the hitch. Free to a good home.

Tim

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I gave Roger Ferris (TR5 Registrar) a copy of the instructions I had for my TR6 towbar fitted in 1977 that required the centre section of the bumper to be drilled with the two 5/8 holes at 3.5" centres for the tow ball. I recall that this was about 10 years ago (could be longer!) and it was mentioned in one of his reports. I can't remember the make nor where I put the instructions safely but if they are in the back of my brown A4 workshop manual, I'll update tomorrow

 

I don't intend reusing the factory original 1971 bumper so it may be up for grabs/exchange rather than someone drilling a good bumper.

 

I was new to towing at 21 and was rather precious over the rear springs so I loaded the single axle trailer with a load of stone at the back of it.....I think you know what's coming....... I relished the pulling ability and with hindsight, should not have taken it to over 50 mph. I left arcs of rubber across both sides of the A road for a very long way and even to this day ~40 years later, I really, really hate towing, even with a 300 tdi Discovery commercial.

 

Regards

 

Bill

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Found them! Just a single sided A4 sheet

 

It is a C. P. Witter Ltd part S24 originally for the April 1965 onwards 4A and from 1968 the 5, but modified as part S24P for the 1969 TR6.

 

I took it off, had it sandblasted and red oxided and it is somewhere in the loft still pending a decision.

 

Regards

 

Bill

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Roger,

 

My TR6 had a towbar fitted when I bought the car in 1984. The bumper was drilled and the tow hitch mounted up tight against it. When I stripped the car in 1990, I kept all the parts. I don;t intend to refit it so would be available if you're interested.. Let me know and I'll dig the parts out of the garage.

 

Paul

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  • 1 month later...

Thank you all for your input here and to Paul and Tim for offers of bits and also to you Mick for encouragement with tales of towing your caravan with the TR4.

 

Instructions and Drawings of the current Watling tow bar show it fortunately not requiring the rear bumper to be drilled so am planning to go with this one. Will report back when the installation is completed.

 

Roger

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Roger, that looks like the one I have on my 6, the only problem is if the trailer has a high nose height as the ball is fairly low, the back of the trailer can be fairly high. I have adjustable shocks on the back. Would suggest taping up the electrical socket when not in use as it is prone to picking up road & exhaust muck.

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The recommended trailer to car weight ratio is 85%, so a TR6 at 1130 kgs would give you a towing limit of approx. 960 kgs. This of course is for a braked trailer as the unbraked limit for all vehicles is 750 kgs. It would be interesting to know insurers views on this as well.

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The 85% car to caravan is archaic, it was defined by the Caravan club over 30 years old and to help keep a strong safe level of stability between car and trailer, and is a definite rule of thumb.

 

I've towed at 100% for over 30 years with a number of vehicles including TRs and as long as the car AND trailer are loaded correctly ie approx. 7% of trailer weight going through the towbar (or to the manufacturers limit if given, (normally between 60-90kgs unless a 4 wheel drive). The trailers need to be loaded as low as possible with the heavy weights as close to on top of the axle as possible, beware carrying heavy items at the trailer rear end it often causes high polar weight transfer ie the caravans tail swings about like a spaniels offered biscuits.

 

30 years ago it was easier not to exceed the towing vehicles unladen weight, the normal caravans weights were spread between 700 and 1000kgs which kept the TR the safe side of where the weights should be. Today with all the additional equipment of caravans 1200 to 1400kgs are typical unladen caravan weights and their laden weights of up to 1700kgs on a single axle can push you into dangerous territory unless reviewed carefully.

 

More detailed information here http://www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/general-advice/towing-advice-what-you-need-to-know.html

 

Mick Richards

Edited by Motorsport Mickey
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I wouldn't have thought that a trailer tent, which was what Roger was thinking of, would come anywhere near 1700 kgs ! I was merely putting forward the limits as "recommended".

I regularly tow 3 tonnes with my Ranger 4x4 pick-up and like yourself have not experienced any problems,but then that is what it does. I'm not sure I would like to tow a trailer that was heavier then a TR, yes it is certainly powerful and torquey enough but having to stop an outfit weighing 0ver 2 tonnes in todays traffic with 40 year old brake technology ?

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  • 1 year later...

Thread resurrection… I'm looking for a towbar for my TR6 project. Plan is to use the car to tow a trailer tent eventually. Do any of the parties in this thread have any advice and/or parts available please?

 

Many thanks,

Matt

Try Watling Towbars or Rimmers.
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