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Towbar
Posted: Fri Oct 08, 2004 4:10 pm
by onnzo
Has anyone ever seen a towbar for a FTO? Im buying a couple of mountain bikes soon and they arent going to fit in the boot!
Im looking for somethign which I can atach a bike rack to which doesnt look ugly!
Mike
Posted: Fri Oct 08, 2004 10:24 pm
by SchumieFan
Funny you should say that... today i was doing my usual walk round the car yards checking out the FTO's and i came across this silver GR and just about cried when i saw the towbar on it even had the narva coupling for the lights for the trailor to be attached... FTO's SHOULD NOT tow anything, they are not designed for it, even says so in the manual. The have tow hooks on the front and rear which are designed for being towed out of something... say a ditch.
However, if like you say, its for a bike rack i should see no problem with this...
Posted: Mon Oct 11, 2004 1:41 pm
by onnzo
Thats what im after. Do you know if that one was custom made? or is it avaliable off the shelf?
Mike
Posted: Mon Oct 11, 2004 3:31 pm
by SchumieFan
off the shelf i assume... had been professionally installed from the look of it... just go to a mechanic and tell them you want a towbar/ball, shouldnt be a problem
This 1 was acctually at the Official Mitsi dealer here, they put them on them as well as other servicing but i dont think they put this 1 on.
although they are pretty thick
Posted: Mon Oct 11, 2004 4:45 pm
by onnzo
Thanks, I was just wanting to know if they made off the shelf items. Fitting it is just a matter of bolting it on and I dont like going to mechanics! I might give mitsu a call - but im sure their prices would be ridiculous!
Mike
Posted: Wed Aug 03, 2005 2:30 am
by onnzo
It's been 8 months in the making but my towbar is finally finished! It is sturdy as hell and cost next to nothing (about $100 in parts and a few welds)
It is un-obtrusive and if you remove the bike rack you wouldnt know it was even there
Ill post some pics of it if anyone is interested.
Mike
Posted: Wed Aug 03, 2005 3:05 am
by Aweb
ARRRRGH NOOOOoooooooooooooooo
NOT A TOWBAR!!! sacrifice it now!
Posted: Wed Aug 03, 2005 11:15 am
by alku83
onnzo wrote:Ill post some pics of it if anyone is interested.
Sure I'm interested to see what it looks like
Posted: Wed Aug 03, 2005 11:31 pm
by HiRAEdd
onnzo wrote:
Ill post some pics of it if anyone is interested.
Mike
Definitely interested in seeing some pics and maybe some specs on design!
Posted: Thu Aug 04, 2005 8:29 pm
by onnzo
I'm having some problems with my FTP program at the moment...
Anyone want to host some pics for me?
If so - PM or email me.
Mike
Posted: Sat Aug 06, 2005 2:27 am
by onnzo
Here ya go. What do you think? Pics are without the slide in mount. Ill take pics of that tomorrow
Mike
Posted: Sat Aug 06, 2005 9:05 am
by Bennoz
I thought it was going to be ugly as hell, but that looks good!
Very subtle.
Are you going to splice open the rear wiring loom to create a lights plug for a trailer? Or is it purely for a bike rack?
Posted: Sat Aug 06, 2005 12:22 pm
by Argie
Strange how people stay well back if you've got a towbar. The driver behind is thinking about how much a rad is worth or the engine for that matter.
Posted: Sat Aug 06, 2005 12:36 pm
by Bennoz
Argie wrote:Strange how people stay well back if you've got a towbar. The driver behind is thinking about how much a rad is worth or the engine for that matter.
Hehe, good point... might put one on the front as well!
Posted: Sat Aug 06, 2005 2:57 pm
by onnzo
Bennoz wrote:I thought it was going to be ugly as hell, but that looks good!
Very subtle.
Are you going to splice open the rear wiring loom to create a lights plug for a trailer? Or is it purely for a bike rack?
Thanks
Well aesthetics were very important when we were designing it. Thats why I went for the slide type mount... If I had the fixed mount it would always be sticking out and looking ugly as hell...
It is purely for a bike rack - so i wont be splicing any lights etc...
I've fixed my ftp server so i've got some more pics (below)
Bike and bike rack on
Slide mount on (side view)
The slide mount (removeable)
close up undercar shot
Mike
Posted: Sat Aug 06, 2005 4:21 pm
by OC
Thats not bad at all!
Posted: Sat Aug 06, 2005 5:09 pm
by HiRAEdd
That's awesome.
I'm going to make one of those for my car.
That would make a great article for a DIY section.
Posted: Sat Aug 06, 2005 6:39 pm
by onnzo
Thanks guys
I'll try to find the initial specs/drawings for it and scan it on if anyone is interested... but I accept no responsibility if anything goes wrong!
The most time consuming part was drilling the holes in the boot floor - I wasnt too sure if it would interfere with anything so I was pretty cautions. The rear most bolt mount was pretty close to the inner boot frame though and we had to round off a bolt to fit it in.
If I have some time ill try to write up a DIY.
Mike
Posted: Sat Aug 06, 2005 9:40 pm
by Argie
Posted: Sun Aug 07, 2005 11:45 am
by HiRAEdd
Tech specs would be very handy
btw, make sure you get a bike rack number plate. I've been booked for that in the past.
....did a double take there. Thought it was one of those new Magnet mod's