Tow bar options pros and cons

G reg 90 with the standard current tow set up on a 2" lift. Tow bar is too high.
I can see loads of options, but struggling to work out whats best based on my thoughts below.
Any help appreciated!

My current set up (photo from internet)

This looks like the cheapest option, i assume you bolt into the bottom plate to give an extra drop? Around £10. But does it give me full 3.5te capacity for towing?


This is next cheapest at £40. I guess this gives the option to move, but will it give more or less height?


Then a jump up to around £100 for this option. The bottom has additional bottom stays which will reduce the bending of the plate when on the lowest setting. But why does this option need it and the one about (£40) doesnt?


Or i go for a receiver hitch. I will be offroading when not towing, and have the option for a nato hitch, so i like this option for keeping things out the way. My worry is the drop plate looks to be much less supported than the options above as its just a flat plate, rather than having the stays as seen above?
Will i get teh same drop with the receiver plate shown below as i would with the £100 option?

If you are often doing any serious offroading then the demountable is the way to go.
Catch that flat plate on something hard and something will bend.
Dixon bate adjustable are good if you need to change the hitch hight often but can rattle and are still a ground anchor off road.
All units are up to the towing job, the problem comes if they get hooked on something hard [ eg rock ]

Does the £100 version go much lower than the others? Why would it require the struts on the back but the others dont? It looks more robust even without the struts! Especially compared to the removable option which is just a flat plate!

The gold one will not go any lower than your standard one but with tow plate removed there is little to catch the ground.
What is it you are towing that needs a lower position than the lowest on your plate ? Don't recon a two inch lift would matter on most trailers.

tottot said:

The gold one will not go any lower than your standard one but with tow plate removed there is little to catch the ground.
What is it you are towing that needs a lower position than the lowest on your plate ? Don't recon a two inch lift would matter on most trailers.

Click to expand...

It's probably to stay within the 350 to 420mm height when laden.

just an IforWilliams tipper, so nothing fancy. I do have all terains on too, so i guess thats helping with the lift too.

I'm keen on the receiver. I'm trying to find info on the height the full drop plate will give me vs the receiver plate. I assume the receiver is not nearly as much...

Given what you want to do and the extra height of your truck the receiver and basic dropper may be the way to go. easly removed when not towing.

I have a 2 inch lift

I had your tow bar..

Was fine for a single axle just tilted it up

Now I have a Ifor gd84 twin I had to buy the Dixon bate to get it dropped enough to fit the trailer or it was impossible to reverse.

I had one of those drop plates you linked to first on mine. It wasn't straight by the time j got it so I don't know what bent it but I wasn't willing to use it.

It fits perfect with the Dixon bate

Your other option is to space the other recieved out from the chassis on the ifor you can get plates from ifor dealer. You'll probably need 3 kidneys to sell though.

top drive said:

I have a 2 inch lift

I had your tow bar..

Was fine for a single axle just tilted it up

Now I have a Ifor gd84 twin I had to buy the Dixon bate to get it dropped enough to fit the trailer or it was impossible to reverse.

I had one of those drop plates you linked to first on mine. It wasn't straight by the time j got it so I don't know what bent it but I wasn't willing to use it.

It fits perfect with the Dixon bate

Your other option is to space the other recieved out from the chassis on the ifor you can get plates from ifor dealer. You'll probably need 3 kidneys to sell though.

Click to expand...

Thanks for that.

When you say the Dixon bate, is that the gold one or the black £100 one?

Go for the black Dixon you will get more adjustment.
As for the rattle. If annoys you 2 bits of hose pipe on the risers stops it.

Not sure if the reciever ones are type-approved in the UK.
With the Dixon, it can be worth pulling it off when you aren't towing (depending where you live/park) as they can walk off easily

The 100 one. I wanted the bracing as when I use the trailer it's generally full to the gunnels

yeah receiver hitches arent type approved for the UK so if you have an accident they may tuck you up - so research before going down that route.

Late Defenders had a good setup with the extra support stays. Reduces the clearance angle a bit but that can't be helped while maintaining a secure tow mount. You have to balance trailer height against dragging its arse on some more severe offroad sections. Depends what you want the landy for.

Height-adjustables rattle around more and are only really useful if you tow trailers at different heights. Most will be more or less the same height anyway as there's a nominal standard height. The problem is that the setup on an early 90 is a bit too high. The other use is to get an extra mounting shoe so you can have pin or ball couplings, but far better usually to have a fixed combination coupling instead.

I've seen a couple of Defenders where the owner had done the wrong thing and either fitted a huge drop plate or long adjustable tow bracket with no additional support. Doing so will put enormous bending loads on the assembly as evidenced by the twisted crossmember.

Ok, so i've been hunting for over a week but still cant really get an answer i'm looking for.

Receiver hitches for the 90 come pre or post 1998. My one will be pre 1998 in the set up shown in my very first picture.

1) if i go for a receiver, do i need to remover the lower bracket currently on the car? The receiver would then sit just below the rear cross member?
2) The drop plate for the receiver (very last small picture), would that sit lower than my current arrangement, or would i have the same issue as i have now? I agree putting a further drop plate isnt much use.
3) Nobody can give me load testing for the receiver - i know they are not UK type approved, but they are surly tested to something?

I want the receiver to work (so i can remove for offroading), but i need to be able to tow without adding loads of drop plates etc.

What ever you go for the original hitch will need to be removed [ not the best type anyway ]
Looking at the receiver in the pic it looks much more substantial than your old hitch anyway with four main mounting bolts through the rear crossmember not just a couple going up.
The hitch in the pic has more adjustment holes than your old unit and should go low enough for your trailer.
A mate has similar on his Disco and has different hitches to fit depending what he is doing.
The hitch receiver / hitch locator pin looks like a standard type used for tractors and trailers and will be well capable of the load.

Rorie said:

But does it give me full 3.5te capacity for towing?

Click to expand...

If you have the tow bracket as shown in the first image, you don't have the full 3500Kg capacity now.

I remember finding the original spec of that bracket and it wasn't anywhere near the 3500Kg. At the time I remember finding the bracket I would need and it came with far bigger arms that go from the plate to the chassis rails - the actual mounting plate for more robust looking too.

Don't get me wrong, I am certain it will take 10,000Kg, heck much more, but not if you were to hook it all up and use it in anger often I reckon it wouldn't be up to it long term. From a legal point of view your insurance would be void if you did have an accident, especially if it was trailer related over the design capacity.

I have towed some heavy things with my same setup as yours, and it was fine, but remember this, design capacity in this situation is not about what something can physically do, it's about how long it can do it for before it fails.

Non type approved is a really bad idea period.

It’s been mentioned a couple of times about the receiver type hitch not being type approved? And therefore illegal in the UK.

Could somebody point me to where this info is as I am having trouble find this reference anywhere.

We have. Been known to drive to the UK and tow trailers we have the receiver type hitch so I would like to know if I am breaking the law. Although as a non UK reg car I doubt we would have an issue.

Thanks.

J

Quick google gave me these
https://www.firstfour.co.uk/shop/towing-jacking-recovery/receiver-hitches
https://ntta.co.uk/law/towbars/type-approval

I tried doing a quick search for the mentioned directive but soon lost motivation