Tow balls - not EC Type Approved?

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LeadFarmer

LeadFarmer

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Im wanting to change the tow bar on my 1996 110 300tdi. Some tow bar products on ebay state:

This product is not EC Type Approved and is not suitable for use on light passenger vehicle (Class MM) first registered on or after the 1st August 1998.

What exactly does this mean? Was there a new piece of legislation introduced in 1998?
 
yep new rules say only type approved towbars can be fitted to post 98 vehicles. so no southdown tankguards with removable tow hitch. & no home made or modified tow bars allowed. and no fitting that old dixon bates of ya 84 defender. you have to buy a brand new one. and fit that instead. :mad:
 
Since you have a 1996 car though, you can ignore the need for type approval and just get the cheapest (so long as it does the job, decent quality, etc).
 
The strange thing is that commercial vehicles are exempt from the new regs.:confused:

I went out to a RTA a couple of years back where a huuuuuge box type drawbar trailer had detached itself from the HGV towing it and rolled down a hill and into a car coming up the hill. The tow assembly on the HGV was a standard NATO hitch (light vehicles) and it couldn't cope with the huge weight of the trailer.
 
ratty said:
The strange thing is that commercial vehicles are exempt from the new regs.:confused:

I went out to a RTA a couple of years back where a huuuuuge box type drawbar trailer had detached itself from the HGV towing it and rolled down a hill and into a car coming up the hill. The tow assembly on the HGV was a standard NATO hitch (light vehicles) and it couldn't cope with the huge weight of the trailer.
Click to expand...

HGVs aren't exempt from the requirement that the trailer brakes apply if disconnected from the towing vehicle, though. The trailer, shouldn't have been able to roll down the hill.
 
Grimmer said:
Whats the crack with NATO hitches, can you just fit one or not? I've fitted one on mi 110 but is i:confused::confused:t legal???
Click to expand...


See above, I imagine they're not type approved and therefore for a 1998-on vehicle, you can't use them to tow trailers. But not 100% sure on that one, I imagine the military has an exemption, etc.
 
paul_c said:
HGVs aren't exempt from the requirement that the trailer brakes apply if disconnected from the towing vehicle, though. The trailer, shouldn't have been able to roll down the hill.
Click to expand...

Yep. HGV's have airbrakes that are kept 'off' by the air pressure. When the airline is ripped out or if a brake chamber fails etc they should lock on. It was a couple of years back but from what I can remember the trailer had overrun brakes rather than airbrakes and being over 3.5 tons was therefore illegal.
 
So my Landy is 1998, which just confuses me even more. When fitting it i actually spoke to a specialist towbar place about the correct bolts and they quite happily gave me advice about this without mentioning any regulations. Obviously they were under no obligation, but the bloke seemed knowledgeable about NATO hitches and seems strange he didn't say anything, which confuses me even more.:confused::confused::confused:
 
Grimmer said:
So my Landy is 1998, which just confuses me even more. When fitting it i actually spoke to a specialist towbar place about the correct bolts and they quite happily gave me advice about this without mentioning any regulations. Obviously they were under no obligation, but the bloke seemed knowledgeable about NATO hitches and seems strange he didn't say anything, which confuses me even more.:confused::confused::confused:
Click to expand...

tbh I would say that NATO hitches were compliant as they do have a SWL. The HGV that had the NATO hitch on was grossly overloaded on the SWL of the hitch hence its failure.
 
It seems like you've answered your own question - the towbar place was under no obligation to persuade or prevent you from fitting it, so they didn't mention something they weren't asked about.
 
paul_c said:
It seems like you've answered your own question - the towbar place was under no obligation to persuade or prevent you from fitting it, so they didn't mention something they weren't asked about.
Click to expand...
I know what you mean but thought he may still have mentioned something. Seeing as quite a lot of people have NATO hitches fitted does anybody have a definitive legal answer. Absolutely no offence chaps, but as you've both hinted at your not 110% sure.:confused::confused:
 
Email from Dixon Bates to a member of LRUK asking if a NatoHitch would be compliant. Alkl is not as simple as it seems..

I forwarded your email to our technical team and
> below is the information that I was given. I hope
> this helps.
>
>
> Regards


As the vehicle is post 1998 it is subject to Type
> Approval 94/20 Regulations. This means that the
> towbracket must be designed for use with the
> intended couplings.
>
> Allthough our Towbracket wasn't tested with the
> Pintle we do have test evidence that shows the
> Pintle towing centre lies within our working test
> envelope, so therefore it could be fitted to this
> vehicle if it has a Dixon-Bate Towbracket. We can
> not advise that the Pintle can be fitted to any
> other manufactures towbrackets. Also if fitted the
> towing capacity would remain the same at 2.88 Tons
> and not the higher limit specified on the Pintle.

and the link to the thread in question. do you know
 
paul_c said:
Does the Nato Hitch have the type approval marking or type approval sticker?
Click to expand...

Mine is stamped Dixon Bate, seen this when i cleaned it up before painting. Don't know if it makes a difference but it's fitted using the appropriate holes in my 110 crossmember, using an 8mm spreader plate either side and 12.9 cap head bolts. I know it's not going anywhere, but i'm still confused about the legalities. Might call in the tow bar place next time i'm passing.
 
redhand said:
Email from Dixon Bates to a member of LRUK asking if a NatoHitch would be compliant. Alkl is not as simple as it seems..

I forwarded your email to our technical team and
> below is the information that I was given. I hope
> this helps.
>
>
> Regards


As the vehicle is post 1998 it is subject to Type
> Approval 94/20 Regulations. This means that the
> towbracket must be designed for use with the
> intended couplings.
>
> Allthough our Towbracket wasn't tested with the
> Pintle we do have test evidence that shows the
> Pintle towing centre lies within our working test
> envelope, so therefore it could be fitted to this
> vehicle if it has a Dixon-Bate Towbracket. We can
> not advise that the Pintle can be fitted to any
> other manufactures towbrackets. Also if fitted the
> towing capacity would remain the same at 2.88 Tons
> and not the higher limit specified on the Pintle.

and the link to the thread in question. do you know
Click to expand...

Redhand it says in that other thread that all Defenders are classed as commercials, and therefore it doesn't apply:confused::confused::confused::confused:
 
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