Picking up new Auto Jimny Run in period

Don't just use the pin to hold it, if the pin bends then it's stuck in there, use a tow block designed to go into the coupling.
Or get a recovery tow bar.

DrRobin wrote:

The tow bar is rated to 1,300kg, but that is in the centre, so must be higher at the chassis mount point.


 

Two points:

1 ) The tow bar is rated to tow a trailer weighing up to 1300kg.  That is not the same as pulling a stuck object of that weight.  This is the point the others are making here.

2 ) It's worth keeping in mind that it was so rated without the holes drilled in it for the eye bolts.  There is a reason that towbars never have holes drilled in them at the factory.


It seems like you have made a couple of risky assumptions perhaps without realizing it.

wrote:

Two points:

1 ) The tow bar is rated to tow a trailer weighing up to 1300kg.  That is not the same as pulling a stuck object of that weight.  This is the point the others are making here.

2 ) It's worth keeping in mind that it was so rated without the holes drilled in it for the eye bolts.  There is a reason that towbars never have holes drilled in them at the factory.


It seems like you have made a couple of risky assumptions perhaps without realizing it.

Thanks for your concerns, however, I am perfectly happy with the arrangement, others may want to follow with caution.

1) Understood about pulling a trailer and been pulled out backwards.  However, a trailer is a dead weight and to safely pull a 1,300kg trailer all of the components will be rated to at least double that.  The Jimny is not a dead weight, I am sat in it in 4WD reverse, that gets some extra traction and reduces the load.

2) The tow bar is a heavy duty box section, it’s drilled on a vertical face and there is a large spreader plate on the rear of each bolt.  The force is evenly distributed to the horizontal part of the tow bar box section, which is the part which takes all of the force, the vertical part has no or very little force applied when towing.

As I stated in my previous post, once a tow bar is fitted, it uses the same fixings as the heavy duty rear recovery points, so they aren’t an option and my tow bar and eye bolt solution will be a lot stronger than these flimsy recovery points which fit over the tie down points.

Robin

.. [...] to safely pull a 1,300kg trailer all of the components will be rated to at least double that.

Over the decades that I have been working with cars, it seems that every time someone points out that a person has compromised or exceeded the capability of a rated component, that person responds with "well everyone knows that it is actually rated for (some larger amount)!"

Often that amount is +10% or +25%.  More-than-plus-100% is rather more rare, though you are probably not the first person to come up with that fascinatingly optimistic idea.

I used to try to reason with them -- "if you drill holes in a 1300kg-rated towbar, it is no longer 1300kg-rated," I would say -- but why bother?  They always know better.

Rated was probably the wrong word, it is rated to 1,300kg.

However, a trailer is a dynamic load, varying as you accelerate, brake, go over a bump and round a corner (also acceleration) all up to the maximum towing speed. The dynamic load on the tow bar is going to vary considerably and has to built to withstand these loads otherwise it would fail.

I have over 40 years motoring experience, 30 years of towing and am an Engineer by trade so do have a little understanding, but once again I thank you for your advice.

The box section used as a transverse section on my towbar is the same but shorter than the one on my old grand vitara and that was plated 1850kg ish so I kinda sympathise with the bar itself being way over spec. But I resist doing anything that could be considered rough with it.