Beware the fitting of Removable tow balls

[arceye]

:-[Having just had the misfortune of a ruined holiday I would like to warn other owners of said tow balls. We were rushing to get ready for our week away in our caravan. I fitted the tow ball to our Land Rover Freelander 2 and checked it was secured and locked it. We drove the four miles to the caravan compound where we keep our caravan only to find the tow ball was missing.Driving back along the same route scouring the roadside for it, it wasn't until I was about a quarter of a mile from home when I noticed what looked like part of the locking barrel. Sure enough that was it but nothing else someone had picked it up and taken it, why i do not know as obviously it was of no use to them.
I telephoned my local Land Rover dealer to price a new tow ball to be told it would be in the region of £300 or so, too expensive.!
I went on line and found a Witter tow Bar with removable tow ball for £150 so off to collect it. The fitting of the new tow bar will be around £50 which is still a good saving on the price of a Land Rover part.
The morel is :- I have been caravaning for 20 years, I will now TRIPLE check the fitting of the tow ball from now on, so beware the same does not happen to you.

[Dickers]

Hi Arceye,

Sorry to hear about your misfortune. I've always had a healthy mistrust of removeable towballs but this is the first time I have heard of one coming off in transit. Bad luck!

Hope you get sorted out and have another go at getting away in the caravan soon.

Dickers.

[klyne]

Not much use to the OP but I have to say that one of the things I enjoy having changed to a motorhome is none of the faffing around connected with towing and setting off.

David

[Trooper]

Apr 15, 2015 19:42:49 GMT klyne said:

Not much use to the OP but I have to say that one of the things I enjoy having changed to a motorhome is none of the faffing around connected with towing and setting off.

David

+1

Like Dickers I have never really trusted Removable Tow Balls, though the only one we have used was on a LR Discovery that Red Pennant hired for us when the Trooper Broke down on the way to France a few years back.

I hope your sorted soon very annoying and costly.

Trooper

[Carper]

I am on my second car with a removable tow bar. Touch wood I have never had a problem and have towed about 3000 miles. Now you have said this I will check it more often.
Is it possible that there was a fault with the tow bar itself.



Les