Flange Towbar:

A Flange neck Towbar is permanently fixed to the vehicle.

A flange neck Towbar is the most popular Towbar because of the variety of accessories that are compatible, such as Alko style tow balls, bumper protector plates, stabilizer plates and cycle carriers. It is also possible to tow and have a cycle carrier attached at the same time.

Swan Neck Towbar

A Swan neck Towbar is permanently fixed to vehicle.

A swan neck Towbar is Compatible with Alko style caravan stabilizers without a need for modification. However unlike the flange neck, you can only tow or attach a cycle carrier, you cannot do both at the same time, or attach certain accessories.

Also swan neck towbars are sometimes less likely to interfere with parking sensors.

Detachable:

The majority of detachable Towbars are ‘vertical’ mounting systems making them fully hidden behind the bumper once the detachable neck is removed.

Most detachableTowbars incorporate a fold away electrical plate enabling the Towbar electrics to fold behind the bumper when not in use. This often makes the Towbar completely invisible once the neck is removed.

Detachable Towbars usually come as swan neck type, although a flange type neck is available for some vehicles. 

Key features of the detachable Towbar system are;

• Suitable for vehicles with reversing sensors
• In most instances this system is completely invisible once the neck is removed and therefore preserves the aesthetic appearance of the vehicle
• Alko compatible
• Allows free access to the rear of the vehicle
• The towbar neck is Lockable to prevent theft with a set of two keys provided
• A Storage bag Is provided for safe keeping once neck is removed

Towbar electrics

Towbar Socket Types

The type of electric socket you need is completely dependent on what you are towing, which is why making sure you get the correct electrics is paramount to your towing experience.

There are 3 different types of towing electrics that are used in the UK; Single 7 pin electrics, Twin 7 pin electrics and Single 13 pin electrics.

It is a legal requirement to have lights on the most rear point of your vehicle, as generally these are covered by your towing apparatus. Even if you are never going to tow anything, and are simply using a cycle carrier, you still need to have electrics to power a light board over the bikes in case they obscure the lights on your car. This is why we always include the standard 7 pin socket with our towbar installations.

Single 7 Pin Electrics

Single 7 Pin (12N) Towbar Electric Socket Single 7 Pin (12N) Towbar Electric Socket

Sometimes known as 12(N), are the most basic and is fitted as standard with any of our towbar installations, and are included in the price as standard. This is a black socket with 7 pins inside. We never fit towbars with no electrics at all as your towbar wouldn't be legal to use.

They provide the power to the lights on either a caravan, trailer or cycle carrier. If this is all you require from your towbar this is the perfect electrics for you.

You are able to tow a caravan with single 7 pin electrics, however none of your interior appliances would have any power supplied to them and therefore wouldn't work, the caravan battery wouldn't be charged either.

7 pin electrics also don't provide power for the reversing lights on a caravan or cycle carrier, the power for the reverse light comes from the caravan side of things, so it's only provided in twin or 13 pin electrics.

Twin 7 Pin Electrics

Twin (12S) Towbar Electric Socket Twin (12S) Towbar Electric Socket

Sometimes known as 12(S), are fitted in addition to the single 7 pin electrics, and are used for towing caravans built before 2008. These caravans have 2 powers leads coming from them (One black and one grey.).

This is an extra grey socket which is fitted in addition to the standard Black 7 pin socket above.

It is used to provide power to the reverse lights, and all the interior functions of a caravan. For example it will provide power to the fridge, the leisure battery, and the interior lights. This socket will charge the battery whilst you are towing.

13 Pin Electrics

For caravans built since 2008 the twin electrics have been replaced with the new 13 pin standard socket, which is most commonly known as the European plug.

13 Pin Electrics has been used in most European companies for some time. This style of electric was introduced to the UK in 2008 when all new caravans start being built with 13 pin electrics instead of twin. The 13 pin electrics are basically the twin sockets merged into one.

13 pin electrics are also needed when you intend to use a larger cycle carrier which has a reverse light built in, although it isn't a legal requirement to power the reverse light on a cycle carrier.

Most modern cars have advanced electrical systems which can activate safety features such as a trailer stability programme when fitted with a vehicle specific wiring kit. We are able to supply and fit this type of kit to suit your requirements.

Towbar Wiring Types

There are two ways that Towbar wiring can be installed on your car.

It can be installed using either universal aftermarket wiring, or using what is known as vehicle specific, or dedicated wiring.

Vehicle Specific wiring can be a lot more expensive, but has many benefits to justify the cost. When getting quotes for a Towbar installation it is important to understand what you are looking for. The 'cheapest' way to install the wiring is rarely the best.

On newer cars which have safety features built in to the car which would only be activated with vehicle specific wiring, we always recommend this option. Using universal wiring on these cars would mean that essential safety features are not active when you are towing.  In the future all cars will require this type of wiring to be fitted.

Universal Aftermarket Wiring

Universal towbar wiring kits were, until the introduction of vehicle specific wiring kits, the standard method for the fitment of aftermarket Towbar wiring.

This is a lower cost option than vehicle specific Towbar wiring, however it does have some compromises as a result.

Universal Towbar wiring does provide all the lighting functions that are needed to keep you legal while towing your trailer or caravan.

However it doesn't provide the additional benefits provided by vehicle specific Towbar wiring.

Vehicle Specific Wiring

Vehicle Specific Wiring, sometimes known as 'dedicated wiring looms' or 'plug in kits', are becoming ever more popular for Towbar wiring installation. To put it simply this is the way the job should be done.

Each kit is designed specifically for the vehicle that it is fitted to, and rather than soldering or using 'Scotch Locks' to connect the Towbar wiring, which is the case with universal aftermarket wiring, these kits interface with the vehicle systems in the same way as the vehicle manufacturer intended.

Because the wiring is designed to work with the vehicles on-board systems, certain functions on the vehicle are activated that would otherwise not work with universal electrics. Some of these features are vital safety features such as Trailer Stability Control, and other convenience features such as the cut off of your fog light and parking aids while towing.

It is important to note, however, that some vehicles require a software update to activate these features after the wiring is installed. We use Westfalia Autocode diagnostic tools to re-program vehicles when we install vehicle specific wiring, and in 95% of cars we can do the software update for you within the fitting price.

Please note that we can only activate features that are built in to your car. For example, not all cars have T-Esp, and some models have a button on the dash to de-activate the parking aids, so automatic de-activation of the sensors is not available.

 Sometimes we are unable to re-code vehicles simply because the vehicle manufacturer has not released the codes to the aftermarket.