Anyone fitted a tow bar/ball to a 16 Warwick

Looking to fit a towbar/ ball to the rear of our Warwick duo , just wondered if any member has had one fitted to theirs? 
I'm thinking of adding a A frame tow car or a Thule tow ball rack and box, I'm aware that the electrics have to be added for lights and power to the tow car braking etc.
I have had a look at a 18 Reg Warwick duo Xl with a Westphalia bracket and rear box fitted, it looks over engineered and expensive.
Hopefully some one will recommend a suitable unit to fit our van.
Thanks
Boaby

Look at PF Jones website for a selection of tow bars, they also do dedicated wiring kits 7 or 13 pin

airhoguk wrote:Look at PF Jones website for a selection of tow bars, they also do dedicated wiring kits 7 or 13 pin

Thank you Sir 
Boaby

Not fitted a tow bar, but did have local Towbar fitter to fit 13pin electrics for bike rack number plate, at £135. Just to give you an idea if you did a DIY bar only fit, electrics were Cambus, so no need to touch lighting loom etc.
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Richard

rgermain wrote:Not fitted a tow bar, but did have local Towbar fitter to fit 13pin electrics for bike rack number plate, at £135. Just to give you an idea if you did a DIY bar only fit, electrics were Cambus, so no need to touch lighting loom etc.
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Richard

Thanks Richard, air hogs link to PF Jones has given me a good insight to the costs involved and the type of towing equipment required.
The van is going in for a Hab check soon and I will ask the dealership for a quote to fit said tow bar etc, also we have a local mobile company who also supply and fit tow bars etc.
Boaby

Hi Boaby, I can thoroughly recommend PF Jones as I have bought many bars from them and never had a problem. They are very helpful with wiring issues too. 
       Funnily enough I have been looking at bars too and saw a removable one one ebay for just over £115 . I have fitted many bars over the years of every make and only ever had problems with fit on a Witter bar that was slightly 'out' and gave issues and they were meant to be one of the best!

is there any reason why no one ever seems to use the OEM Peugeot Boxer towbar?

I think I remember seeing one in the manual with a detachable towball.

AutoSleepy_Don wrote:is there any reason why no one ever seems to use the OEM Peugeot Boxer towbar?

I think I remember seeing one in the manual with a detachable towball.

Thanks Don
Will have a look at these too!     
Boaby

kaspian wrote:Hi Boaby, I can thoroughly recommend PF Jones as I have bought many bars from them and never had a problem. They are very helpful with wiring issues too. 
       Funnily enough I have been looking at bars too and saw a removable one one ebay for just over £115 . I have fitted many bars over the years of every make and only ever had problems with fit on a Witter bar that was slightly 'out' and gave issues and they were meant to be one of the best!

Hi Kaspian
Nice to hear from you , the last tow bar I had fitted was in Glasgow,think it was a Witter unit on the back of a Berlngo towing a caravan down here.
I have a wee garage ideal for tinkering with the car, carn't get near it with the van, so have to rely on our local garage for jobs like fitting tow bars, probably go for one of PF Jones tow balls.
Let me know how you get on with your choice.   .
Boaby

I would make sure if it was me go for a detachable one, saves your legs and looks good.

I fitted myself ones on the Focus and now sold Topaz, all bought from PF Jones.

Makes me smile when I see 50k+ vans with dreadful tow bars sticking out, all for the sake of £100 ( I guess ) extra, same with expensive cars. Also they do not play up the reversing sensors if fitted when towbar is not required.
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Richard

AutoSleepy_Don wrote:is there any reason why no one ever seems to use the OEM Peugeot Boxer towbar?

I think I remember seeing one in the manual with a detachable towball.

The OEM bar for most manufacturers is probably  just one of the well known makes such as Witter, Westfalia , Bosal etc , at the most ' rebadged ' and a few hundred quid added on for good measure. All bars are now type approved and should be designed and certified for fitting to the designated strong points on the vehicle chassis. Gone are the days of welding up a few bits of box section and calling it a towbar. For the most part no matter what make you choose, the actual bars are almost identical as they all pick up the same manufacturer specified points.
    Having twice seen a caravan come off a towbar ( towball  attached )with removable towballs possibly not plugged in properly , I am wary and prefer the ball to be well bolted as in a traditional bar. It also gives a bit of rearward protection against  those who cannot drive or park ! Better them destroying their bumper and radiator than damaging the rear of your van!

Hi Boaby

Just seen your post and can recommend [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] not too far away from you and they did a first class job on my Ducato using Brink bracket and wiring kit which fully integrates into the base vehicle electrical systems. Compared to OEM price a significant saving too. Although some people like the removable tow ball, I think the fixed ball helps protect the rear bumper from careless parkers.

As you may have guessed the Topaz has now gone (after 17 years of excellent service) replaced by an Auto not Sleeper the other one, however, I still look in on the forum from time to time.

Regards Zapot

Hi Zapot
Nice to hear from you, I haven't had much luck with tow bars locally, even Willersby re directed me to a company in St Albans.
Currently waiting for an answer from a A frame manufacturing outfit in Grimsby.
However will have a look at your recommendations shortly, when ever I'm down in Sewerby I always have a look for your Topaz.
Thanks for the link, will update soon.
Boaby

If travelling with A frame in some bits of EU beware.
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Richard

rgermain wrote:If travelling with A frame in some bits of EU beware.
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Richard

Thanks Richard, will keep that in mind.   
Boaby

Hello, I bought one from this eBay shop:  [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]  two years ago and it was very easy to fit.
I decided on a Peugeot wiring loom, a bit fiddly to fit but straight forward. If you have reasonable mechanical skill you should have no problem doing the job.
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Thanks for the info MWC, just received today quotes from Jacques York and Tow-bars-2tow cars, still looking at cars to convert.   
Boaby

burlingtonboaby wrote:Thanks for the info MWC, just received today quotes from Jacques York and Tow-bars-2tow cars, still looking at cars to convert.   
Boaby

Booked into York on Monday afternoon to fit towbar , decided against the A frame tow car for this year and we are having a Thule easy base 949 carrier and 900 back box fitted too!.
Our own wee car is to old to convert to tow and it's still in good condition with low mileage to part exchange.
Boaby

burlingtonboaby wrote:

burlingtonboaby wrote:Thanks for the info MWC, just received today quotes from Jacques York and Tow-bars-2tow cars, still looking at cars to convert.   
Boaby

Booked into York on Monday afternoon to fit towbar , decided against the A frame tow car for this year and we are having a Thule easy base 949 carrier and 900 back box fitted too!.
Our own wee car is to old to convert to tow and it's still in good condition with low mileage to part exchange.
Boaby

Just a quick update , Brink tow bar/ ball and electrics successfully fitted by Jacgues of York, thanks to Zapots recommendation.
Hopefully have the Thule easy base and back box (900) fitted next week.
Thanks to everyone who posted their recommendations. 
Boaby

Just a wee update on the Thule easy base carrier and back box, successful 6 week trip covering 1100 miles ,traveling on all sorts of roads, had the tighten up the easy base carrier a couple of times over the trip as it did wonder off centre a couple of times, however it is a great piece of kit. Thanks once again Zapot for the recommendation .
Boaby

Hi Boaby , I fitted a brink to my own van and have the wiring colours if anyone is interested. Could not find out the colours on line so had to resort to multimeter . On the Kemerton you can access the wiring from the lhs rear light cluster. This is where I mounted the relay. You really dont need the expense of a dedicated wiring kit.  If you know what you are doing it really is a 1 hour job at most....
          I have towed our new toy , a Smart car on a trailer twice now and get roughly 28mpg! The decrease in road speed seems to compensate for the extra weight.....

kaspian wrote:Hi Boaby , I fitted a brink to my own van and have the wiring colours if anyone is interested. Could not find out the colours on line so had to resort to multimeter . On the Kemerton you can access the wiring from the lhs rear light cluster. This is where I mounted the relay. You really dont need the expense of a dedicated wiring kit.  If you know what you are doing it really is a 1 hour job at most....
          I have towed our new toy , a Smart car on a trailer twice now and get roughly 28mpg! The decrease in road speed seems to compensate for the extra weight.....

Hi Kaspian
We had a look at a Smart car +trailer at our nearest car sales forecourt in Filey (Coopers) and decided against a tow car for awhile, the back box suits us fine.
I've seen a few Warwick XLs with tow cars lately, one had a wee Mini Cooper in tow  
Great to see you are still enjoying your Van.  
Boaby

Yes Boaby, a bit of overkill I am the first to admit but Frustrations finding parking etc and wifes current mobility issues mean the wee car is a boon . We are tending to park up somewhere then use the car to explore an area for a couple of days . Parks on a sixpence and is really quite big inside for the 2 of us plus a young Yorkie in the back. He loves it , must be lying in his dog carrier over the engine with heat and vibrations but he is quiet the whole journey!  Plus it is a hoot to drive with its formula 1 style  flappy paddle gearbox! Nearest thing to driving a Ferrari I will ever experience....unless the lottery numbers come up....
    Yes we still enjoy the van , great layout but frustratingly despicable build quality and lack of attention to detail taints ownership......A thousand curses on the company who must not be named!  

Lives to short to worry to much Kaspian, enjoy it while you can.
Loved Morayshire this year.
Boaby