Towing

I've just fitted a towbar on my TD5 90 but the towbar is from a 110 so the tiebars don't fit. They are there for a reason but is it okay to tow without them. Normally I'll be towing a bike trailer with about 200Kgs on but I've been asked to move a 1.5ton tractor.

On a side note, can you buy the tiebars separately?

If the trailer carrying a 1.5T tractor comes off due to an incorrectly fitted tow bar, and causes an accident, who will be at blame?

I think your question answers itself there!

As for buying them separately, try going to any metal fabricators and ask for the appropriate size strips of metal....

edessex said:

If the trailer carrying a 1.5T tractor comes off due to an incorrectly fitted tow bar, and causes an accident, who will be at blame?

I think your question answers itself there!

As for buying them separately, try going to any metal fabricators and ask for the appropriate size strips of metal....

Click to expand...

+1 seen to many accidents with trailers breaking free and a few have been tow bar fitting probs.

Beaver said:

I've just fitted a towbar on my TD5 90 but the towbar is from a 110 so the tiebars don't fit. They are there for a reason but is it okay to tow without them. Normally I'll be towing a bike trailer with about 200Kgs on but I've been asked to move a 1.5ton tractor.

On a side note, can you buy the tiebars separately?

Click to expand...

Don't know what sort of a tow bar you have but if the tie bars are not connected you could find pulling a heavy load might twist your rear cross member. I personally would not risk it. If a one and a half tonne trailers comes adrift you could have a serious problem and as has been said your insurance might not pay up.

Belt and braces mate, they were put there for a reason

I've towed my drift car with my 110 when I had no other option with it's original hitch which was a dixon and bate with no tie-bars to the chassis.

Was ok but you'd need a bloody good rear cross member and all 6 bolts well held to it. I was getting rid of it as had a receiver hitch ordered

You'll probably be fine with the bike trailer but if you don't plan on changing the hitch, just get two bits of steel with two holes in it.
I would have done it with mine but just was caught for time and had the new hitch on the way anyway.


If you decide to try it without the tie-bars and your rear cross-member gets twisted, don't come crying on here though as there's a very high chance it will pull it a small little bit with a heavy load.

Beaver said:

I've just fitted a towbar on my TD5 90 but the towbar is from a 110 so the tiebars don't fit. They are there for a reason but is it okay to tow without them. Normally I'll be towing a bike trailer with about 200Kgs on but I've been asked to move a 1.5ton tractor.

On a side note, can you buy the tiebars separately?

Click to expand...

Better to get them on if you are towing any sort of weight. Police and insurance are unlikely to see the funny side if there is an accident.
Im not familiar with your vehicle, but if the tie bars are like mine any decent fabricator could make them in an hour.

What year is your 90 ? as see following

Towbars and the law
European Law now states that all light passenger vehicles registered on or after 1st August 1998 require a type approved towbar tested to EC94/20 and towball with suitable D&S value. This is not retrospective and does not affect any vehicle registered before this date.
Fitment of a non type approved towbar on a vehicle registered on or after 1st August 1998 could result in prosecution and in the event of an accident the vehicles insurance could be invalidated.

the bar will have a plate affixed with part number weights etc .

Is an 04. It's a genuine LR tow bar but the tie-bars are for a 110 I was told it would fit

sorry unfamiliar with the towbar system of the defenders.
how are the tiebars meant to fit do they go from the bottom of the tow hitch plate and up to the chassis. and how do they not fit?
all i'm thinking is that if they are anything like my disco tow hitch then it's the 2 angles that go from the bottom of the hitch plate and up to the chassis and depending on how they are not fitting (too long/too short) then surely there is a simple and cheap way round it i.e if they are too long cut them down and drill a new hole if they are too short then get some correct length angle?
I wouldn't want to be towing with an incomplete tow hitch so I would definitely be getting it sorted before towing anything

They are bent and welded at the chassis end, so to shorten them you would have to do that

I'm only familiar with pre-td5 ones. They bolt on to the bottom of the towbar plate, and the other end bolts through the chassis. I should think the only difference is length.