I would like to fit a towbar to my saloon but hate the look of it on the car and so am planning on making my own and making it removable.
I made one a few years back for my corsa and after years of towing (even slightly overweight items is still going very strong)
I was thinking of making the towbar so it sits under the back bumper (so no drilling of the blade) and the final ball part of the towbar slots on. hard to explain without pics but i have it all planned. My real question is, will a towbar in the shape of a T be strong enough? I have seen pictures of towbars that fit between each rear bumper mount and then at the centre having one bar coming off, going under the car and bolting to the boot floor. Can the rear bumper mounts realy take the weight? I know it needs to be bolted to the boot floor to stop any twisting action (when braking or accelerating) but I am worried about the bumper bars snapping off?
An age when roads were empty, machines were simple and every journey was an adventure!!
Thanks for your post. It is illegal to tow with a towbar that has not been apporved by the EU law if the vehicle it is fitted to is built after 1998. So fitting a homemade bar to the morris should not be a problem.
Anyone have any ideas about the bumper mounts?
An age when roads were empty, machines were simple and every journey was an adventure!!
AndrewSkinner wrote:
Anyone have any ideas about the bumper mounts?
I made my towbar out of a load of brand new Dixon Bates items I bought as a job lot just for the steel ages ago.
The bar between the bumper mounts needs to be bent if you want it hidden (luckilly I had such a section from the pile)
The bumper mounts themselves aren't strong enough for towing - they simply stop the towbar dragging on the floor and help spread some of the loads.
You must have a link from the bumper crossmember to the boot floor - the commercial towabrs you can buy for a Minor fit in exactly the same way.
Simple answer is a "T" won't be strong enough - you need a crucifix shape instead.
I'd also be tempted to source a detachable arm from a scraped car (Mercs are good) as a basis instead of making your own quick release as that will be the weak point.
Sorry i should have explained. The shape of the T would be positioned so it goes under the car like in Fig.1
Fig.2 shows the forces acting on the towbar. Force B is the twisting force that is applied when the vehicle changes speed e.g. braking or accelerating which tries to twist the ball upwards or downwards off the braket. This is stopped by the bar that travels under the car is it then has better leverage to stop the towbar twisting.
What I am concerned about is Force A. The nose weight of the towing body. The weight that is exerted straight down onto the two bumper bars. this force will also be amplified when A) acceleration the bumper bars will be pulled out/backwards and B) braking the bars will be pushed inwards and upwards/downwards depending on conditions. It is these forces that I am worried about. Will the bars take it? is the small T peice enough to support it?
Last Q is where does the towbar bolt onto in the boot? is it the first bit of flat floor you get to before the fuel tank?
Kind Regards Andy
An age when roads were empty, machines were simple and every journey was an adventure!!
Sorry i should have explained. The shape of the T would be positioned so it goes under the car like in Fig.1
Fig.2 shows the forces acting on the towbar. Force B is the twisting force that is applied when the vehicle changes speed e.g. braking or accelerating which tries to twist the ball upwards or downwards off the braket. This is stopped by the bar that travels under the car is it then has better leverage to stop the towbar twisting.
What I am concerned about is Force A. The nose weight of the towing body. The weight that is exerted straight down onto the two bumper bars. this force will also be amplified when A) acceleration the bumper bars will be pulled out/backwards and B) braking the bars will be pushed inwards and upwards/downwards depending on conditions. It is these forces that I am worried about. Will the bars take it? is the small T peice enough to support it?
Last Q is where does the towbar bolt onto in the boot? is it the first bit of flat floor you get to before the fuel tank?
Kind Regards Andy
An age when roads were empty, machines were simple and every journey was an adventure!!
AndrewSkinner wrote:
Last Q is where does the towbar bolt onto in the boot? is it the first bit of flat floor you get to before the fuel tank?
You are right in that it bolts to the floor in front of the tank.
It's also has a small crossmember welded onto the beam form the bumper mounts so the boot floor attachment is spread over a wide area.
I'm going to remake mine so that it extends under the tank and also attaches in front of the tank as well.
Years ago I made a towbar assembly of angle iron on my Traveller which bolted across the two bumper mounts without a central strength-
ening member. I used this to tow a fifteen foot boat containing the diving gear of eight divers all over the country many times. I never had any problems except a broken half-shaft!
I had no problems when towing but you certainly need a braked trailer!
This was many years ago when motoring wasn't nearly as frantic as nowadays so your brake system is all important.
That area of boot floor - behind the fuel tank - is very very weak. My old Minor (the Rally one below) had a proper DB tow bar fitted - it was made from heavy angle which was shaped to sit behind the bumper blade and was bolted to the bumper mounts - but it also had two sturdy angle brackets which ran down at an angle and forwards - one at each side - and picked up on the rear 'chassis legs'. This bar hauled dinghys - and in time a racing Mini on a trailer - all over Scotland. Braking was indeed an issue - the trailers didn't have brakes - but (wait for it !) - big brakes from a Wolsely 1500 solved the problem of fade although all too often the car was simply pushed along by the trailer - with all 4 wheels firmly locked up!
haha great story dmcecosse! I to have had a simular problem while towing the boat with a Corsa! on one ocassion it has failed to stop with all wheels locked, and that was with wider tyres!
Think with the boat behind the morris I will be taking it very steadily and looking very far ahead! better get the binoculars out
I have been offered a tow bar from a member of the club it bolts between the bumper mounts and onto the boot floor infront of the fuel tank but the block which bolts to the floor looks as if it is only about 20cm in width. Is this going to be enough?
It has come off a minor so I gues its been 'proven' to work and my morris boot floor is rock solid?
What sould I do? I have pics of the towbar if you want to see them?
An age when roads were empty, machines were simple and every journey was an adventure!!
Well - I would add on bracing bars forward to the chassis legs! That boot floor has no support at all - any that is there is from the petrol tank. At least put a full width brace (1 1/2 " angle) across the car at the point where the leg meets the boot floor - with the brace ends fixed to the chassis legs with some kind of bracket. And - think of this - in a rear end shunt that single middle leg is going to be banged straight into the petrol tank, at least the design with side braces formed a sort of protective cage behind the tank.
ok, ill get the towbar first and then asses where I can add strengthening. Was a towbar ever an optional extra? is there an 'original' design, or where they always custom built for those who could afford it?
Also I cannot seem to find new bumper mounts anywhere? If I am going to be towing I am going to replace these with new ones so I know they are ok but cannot find them in any of the morris minor websites? any ideas?
An age when roads were empty, machines were simple and every journey was an adventure!!
The bumper mounts are usually very solid steel - unlikely they will be weakened in any way. The one on my car was definitely professionally made for the car - I'm sure it was a Dixon Bate item.
The 'bolt' that passes through the bumper iron had disappeared on two of my cars, so if that's involved at all, inspect it carefully. Should say this was at the front - pick-ups don't have rear bumpers
lol! all the bolts are still there for sure. They are only being held in by one bolt at the moment while it is being re-built but they seem pitted/very rough from previous rusting and so would like to replace them if possibe?
An age when roads were empty, machines were simple and every journey was an adventure!!
Probably wise - though like you I've not seen them advertised as parts. On the assumption that they're the same as the front ones, it'll mean some improvisation
is still going very strong)
