I've just fitted a DIXON-BATE adjustable towbar to my '06 90 and everything went on fine except for one thing...the two arms that bolt to the underside of the chassis (using the lashing eye bolts) do not sit flat on the chassis (and strengthening plates supplied with the towbar). There is a gap of about 3mm at the rear end of the mounting plate on both sides and although the bolts torqued up OK you can see the bolt shaft if you look into the gap. Is this OK...I cannot see a way round it and I have checked to make sure it's assembled correctly. The supplier gave me a 202046 (Defender 90,1999 model) and have assured me that it is the right version for my vehicle.
Towbar fitting
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yella
New Member
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have you thought about tightening the bolts up to close the gap?
NO NO!
It is common to fit the side arms ON THE WRONG SIDES!!!!
They are NOT interchangeable!
Take them off, swap sides, and then there is only one way to go, and they should fit unless they are badly made which is VERY unlikely.
Do NOT simply tighten them up to "make them fit", because they won't, and you may induce stresses where there shouldn't be any. and you might even damage your chassis.
Yer trailer might end up overtaking you ....
CharlesY
It is common to fit the side arms ON THE WRONG SIDES!!!!
They are NOT interchangeable!
Take them off, swap sides, and then there is only one way to go, and they should fit unless they are badly made which is VERY unlikely.
Do NOT simply tighten them up to "make them fit", because they won't, and you may induce stresses where there shouldn't be any. and you might even damage your chassis.
Yer trailer might end up overtaking you ....
CharlesY
The last one of those that I had to fix was fitted by a LandRover MAIN DEALER.
What a mess. The clot that fitted it must have been blind, and irremedially stupid, and worse, no-one with any sense can have checked it.
The side arms must be fitted to the correct sides AND with the correct ends at front and rear, or else they just DO NOT FIT.
CharlesY
What a mess. The clot that fitted it must have been blind, and irremedially stupid, and worse, no-one with any sense can have checked it.
The side arms must be fitted to the correct sides AND with the correct ends at front and rear, or else they just DO NOT FIT.
CharlesY
Thanks for the advice. The side arms on mine are identical.... I spent 2 1/2 hours last night on it, basically if you tighten the side arms to the chassis they end up about 4cm from the bracket at the other end. Also the cross beam will then not fit. The only way to assemble it is to fit everything loosely and then tighten it all, but this then results in the arms not sitting flat on the chassis!
I contacted DIXON-BATE and they suggested that when I tightened everything it would all line up but there is just too much of a discrepancy,you'd have to basically butcher it together...
I'll ring them again. With my engineering head on I would say that the solution is to re-bend the side arms (and strengthening brackets), I will suggest this to them and let you know what happens.
I contacted DIXON-BATE and they suggested that when I tightened everything it would all line up but there is just too much of a discrepancy,you'd have to basically butcher it together...
I'll ring them again. With my engineering head on I would say that the solution is to re-bend the side arms (and strengthening brackets), I will suggest this to them and let you know what happens.
I don't want to argue too much, BUT ..... that's what they said to me when they brought the Defender here for me to look at.
The side bars LOOK pretty much the same, but there are double bends at the ends, and the two ends are NOT the same.
AS far as I am concerned from actual experience sorting this problem on a Defender quite recently, the probable cause of this is that the side bars are needing fitted the other way round - the bent shapes and angles of the two ends are quite different, and the symptoms you describe are exactly of the bars needing turned end-for-end.
There is NO WAY Dixon Bates has put out a kit with improperly bent steel, so the other solutions must be discovered - assembly problem.
For example, are you bolting the side arms on OUTSIDE the chassis or INSIDE?
However, you are the man on the ground, but I am willing to stake a pound on my thinking.
CharlesY
The side bars LOOK pretty much the same, but there are double bends at the ends, and the two ends are NOT the same.
AS far as I am concerned from actual experience sorting this problem on a Defender quite recently, the probable cause of this is that the side bars are needing fitted the other way round - the bent shapes and angles of the two ends are quite different, and the symptoms you describe are exactly of the bars needing turned end-for-end.
There is NO WAY Dixon Bates has put out a kit with improperly bent steel, so the other solutions must be discovered - assembly problem.
For example, are you bolting the side arms on OUTSIDE the chassis or INSIDE?
However, you are the man on the ground, but I am willing to stake a pound on my thinking.
CharlesY
Oh I see what you mean, the wrong way round end to end and not the wrong sides L/R?. These won't go on the wrong way end to end as the chassis end has 3 holes (2 for the strengthening plate) and the drop-plate end has just the one hole. Also you can't mount it inside the chassis as it's a box section on mine.
Dixon Bate have been excellent, they are going to take it back and have a look. I'm sure it is not faulty also...maybe I have the wrong arms with it? I've tried every permutation and it will just not work.
I will let you know the outcome.
Dixon Bate have been excellent, they are going to take it back and have a look. I'm sure it is not faulty also...maybe I have the wrong arms with it? I've tried every permutation and it will just not work.
I will let you know the outcome.
Pikey
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He meant the inside edge of the chassis rail not actually inside the chassis.
I will let you know what happens.
Sorry though I don't see any other way to mount it to the chassis. There's a 11mm hole that you have to drill out to 12mm and then the bolt for the towbar goes through...it's quite a job to get the nut on the end as it is inside the chassis (just above the anti-roll bar).
It's a 90 don't forget...I am going to look at another one tomorrow that has the same towbar (just fitted) and if I have made a mistake then it will be more obvious from that.
Sorry though I don't see any other way to mount it to the chassis. There's a 11mm hole that you have to drill out to 12mm and then the bolt for the towbar goes through...it's quite a job to get the nut on the end as it is inside the chassis (just above the anti-roll bar).
It's a 90 don't forget...I am going to look at another one tomorrow that has the same towbar (just fitted) and if I have made a mistake then it will be more obvious from that.
Pikey
Dummy Ejection Facilitator..
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- in Baron Wet Bum's Slave pit..
Dicky Bates towbar side support arms bolt to the lashing eyebolt hole at the bottom of the chassis rail or at least it does on the 110 I had and on the disco.
Sorted at last! Dixon-Bate were excellent, they said to take the towbar off and they would exchange it. I took it off but on comparing it with the new one it was exactly the same. I had a chat with the fitters where I bought it and we laid out the parts on the floor, they fit them for Guy Salmon and they had fitted 8 this month with no problems.
So I took the side arms and plates to a machine shop and had them reduce the angle of the end by 5mm and now it all fits perfectly...
I reckon the guy who assembled my chassis must have got those end bits where you fit the towbar a few mill out.
Once again I must commend the service from Dixon-Bate, their chief engineer rang me and said "what do you want us to do about this?"
In the end it was cheaper for me to just get it done than to post the parts to them,bearing in mind that the alignment problem was probably with my vehicle and not the towbar.
So I took the side arms and plates to a machine shop and had them reduce the angle of the end by 5mm and now it all fits perfectly...
I reckon the guy who assembled my chassis must have got those end bits where you fit the towbar a few mill out.
Once again I must commend the service from Dixon-Bate, their chief engineer rang me and said "what do you want us to do about this?"
In the end it was cheaper for me to just get it done than to post the parts to them,bearing in mind that the alignment problem was probably with my vehicle and not the towbar.
