Detachable towbar - self detached

[Swifty]

Hi all,
I have a detachable towbar on my Ford Kuga mk2 (2015), when the removable arm came out and trailer separated whilst braking for a roundabout. Fortunately no one was hurt and only minor damage to the jockey wheel and bumper as the trailer crossed two lanes and ended up on the roundabout.

I have not been able to identify why the arm came away. I was towing my Searider on an Extreme EXT750 trailer (unbraked) with a nose weight of around 40kg - which is within spec for the Kuga (max 100kg).
The Ford lock/release mechanism has a white marker which has to align with the red section for fitting, when inserted far enough, the sprung catch deploys and the marker then aligns with the green section to indicate the mating is secure - which it was - but I had not removed the key. Off vehicle testing has not revealed any defects. Breakaway chain was fitted around the neck of the arm and thus, totally useless.

Anyone had similar experience or advice on how to proceed with testing before using again?

[Fenlander]

All I will say is I’ve always known it an absolute personal rule that the breakaway cable is attached to a separate fixing other than the detachable part of the towbar. My towing was often horses which concentrated the mind on such issues.

[69cmw]

I would be getting a new towbar fitted for piece of mind, not exactly a bankrupting amount either.
Now if it comes off again and wipes people out and you have already put it out on the net that it detached itself before …… 🤷

[beamishken]

If the key was left in that was your problem, whilst you probably couldn't pull it out by hand the constant wiggling with pressure on was probably enough to turn the lock mechanism against the spring
Removing the key is probably the answer to it not coming out again

[Steve509926]

I agree with both beamishken and Fenlander.

I've towed a caravan for over 30 years and I always connect the breakaway cable to a fixed part of the towbar and never the tow ball.

For peace of mind I would get it tested by whomever the manufacturer of the towbar is.

[Peter_C]

Interesting failure. Something wasn't fully engaged and as suggested the key could be part of the equation

In the USA we use safety chains or cables should the ball disconnect. Safety chains work! If it is a braked trailer there will often be a breakaway leash to engage the brakes too. Our receivers are held in with "pins" which won't fail, but could fall out should the secondary clip come loose. Often though the ball mount latch has a spot for a secondary pin which is not utilized. Either a lock or a tractor pin is recommended.

[spartacus]

Detachable tow bars are subject to water spray, vibration and general road dirt. I periodically remove my Westfalia detachable towbar (factory fitted), to make sure the key turns, clean and grease. I keep it fitted on the car for convenience, and when I’m fitting I want to make sure it engages properly and importantly the lock works once the key is removed, usually lying under the rear bumper to observe, it’s not the sort of job you want to rush in the pouring rain.

I certainly wouldn’t be driving with the key in it, even in a locked position, I think that should be your first rule. As others have mention If it’s failed, and we can only hypothesise as to why, then it’s realistic to replace it entirely for peace of mind.

[Orwell boy]

Maybe an aftermarket security plate available ? is for discovery
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/275360273365?

[tehguy]

Originally Posted by Peter_C

Interesting failure. Something wasn't fully engaged and as suggested the key could be part of the equation

In the USA we use safety chains or cables should the ball disconnect. Safety chains work! If it is a braked trailer there will often be a breakaway leash to engage the brakes too. Our receivers are held in with "pins" which won't fail, but could fall out should the secondary clip come loose. Often though the ball mount latch has a spot for a secondary pin which is not utilized. Either a lock or a tractor pin is recommended.

North America uses a completely different system for tow bars though, and arguably it's one of the very few things they do better than Europe. Standardised receivers and a simple, but very robust mechanism for securing the hitch in the receiver with a big pin which is itself secured by a cotter pin or R clip.

Europe on the other hand has no standard, and instead has a multitude of tow bar manufacturers that all make proprietary systems with fancy detachable hitches, none of which are compatible with each other. I think the reason why we like these is because the majority of them have the receiver mounted vertically rather than horizontally, meaning it's much easier to have a completely invisible system when the hitch is not inserted, without needing to cut the bumper etc. The problem with this is it would be extremely difficult to use the pin system that NA uses, because you can't see or reach in to the receiver to put the pin in it.

Detachable hitches here tend to have a spring loaded locking pin, which you "arm" by twisting something on the neck of the hitch. Then, when inserted fully into the receiver, a small catch is depressed and the spring pressure is released, forcing the locking pin outwards on the inside of the hitch, usually into a hole, which locks the hitch in place. There is usually a key slot too allowing you to lock the arming handle, preventing anyone from inadvertently disconnecting the hitch.

This system is great because it's simple to use but not infallible. In fact, some manufacturers (e.g. Land Rover) that offer either a fixed or detachable tow bar as a factory option on their vehicles, specifically recommend against towing regularly with detachable systems and instead advise using a fixed tow bar instead. They market the detachable system for occasional use only. I have heard many horror stories about especially Land Rover owners who have had the genuine LR detachable tow bars fail in exactly the above way while towing horse boxes etc.

As for the breakaway cable / chains, we only have chains (actually it's usually a steel cable) on unbraked trailers - up to 750kg max gross weight, designed to keep the trailer attached to the towing vehicle should the coupling fail. The vast majority of light braked trailers (750kg to 3500kg) instead have a breakaway cable which is a small steel cable which you connect to the tow vehicle, and it is attached to the trailer parking brake in such a way that if the coupling fails, the cable will pull and apply the trailer parking brake before the cable itself snaps. Thus the trailer breaks away from the tow vehicle and rapidly brings itself to a stop.

The breakaway cable SHOULD be attached to some strong point on the tow vehicle separate to the hitch itself, but many people (especially those who have not had any training in towing) just loop it around the neck of the hitch. Clearly this is going to do nothing when the hitch comes away from the tow vehicle. Astonishingly, the UK government have recently removed the requirement for any extra training before towing trailers >750kg.

[smallribber]

When I had a tow bar fitted to my discovery 3 the seller a Landrover agent refused to fit the removable one from experience of issues and fitted a fixed on.

To me I don’t feel a fixed tow bar looks bad and would rather have that peace of mind

[chipko]

Originally Posted by Fenlander

All I will say is I’ve always known it an absolute personal rule that the breakaway cable is attached to a separate fixing other than the detachable part of the towbar.

Can’t fault your logic there Mr F.
Not quite as simple with modern retractable/removable jobbies though which lack any easily accessible fixing points.

Whilst ours is a factory fitted retractable (folds away up behind valance at the pull of a switch in the boot) there is no option but to drop safety cable loop over ball or attach breakaway cable to eye on tow ball.

The only other option would be to insert the rear towing eye (circled) and connect to that. Not really practical and potentially dangerous as offset right to the vehicles offside.

[Fenlander]

Its a fair point but if there were no obvious handy attachment point I'd soon be down the farm workshop guys to weld an eye on somewhere.

I thought it had been law for many years that a towbar should have a breakaway attachment point (like yours) and looping over the ball was not acceptable.... and that further in some places like Germany and The Netherlands they take this further and often fine UK outfits.

[paintman]

Just had a flick through the Ford Kuga Owner's Handbook.
http://www.manualslib.com/manual/668...ga.html#manual
Page 129 onwards.

It does tell you to remove the key after fitting & the troubleshooting section on page 131 includes amongst the 'Before starting your journey' section that you should ensure you have removed the key.

[Pikey Dave]

We had a D4 with a removable hitch, I hated it from day 1. It would rattle & work loose, even though it was rated at 3500kg. I eventually binned it & fitted a fixed towbar.

[tehguy]

I have a detachable tow bar and there is a separate little hoop specifically for attaching the breakaway cable to

[Nasher]

I only have experience of detachable towbars on D3s and D4s.

Every D3/4 I've brought has come with one in the boot, which was really good news as they are great for one thing, selling on for a silly amount of money to people who think they are of any use other than attaching a bike rack to.
Granted they are useful in for bike racks.

I have a genuine LR fixed towbar that has now been on 4 Discos, and attach my breakaway cable to the side brace of the towbar frame attached directly to the chassis.

Oh, and do remember that a breakaway cable is only of any use if your trailer brakes are kept in good working order and adjusted correctly.