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Towbar height?
RazMan - 27/7/06 at 05:27 PM

Can anyone tell me the recommended towbar height for a car transporter trailer (SVA soon .... oooooh). I just want to make sure I'm ok before hiring a trailer.

DIY Si - 27/7/06 at 05:30 PM

Just drive it there! Gives a chance to bed the brakes in etc, and if you think it'll pass (bar a few missing bits of trim and so on) you should be confident enough to trust it.

RazMan - 27/7/06 at 05:37 PM

That's my dilemma - I need to get the geometry set up (corner weights, tracking etc) and the engine is running like a six cylinder pig so needs some drastic mapping done by the ECU distributor.

So I will have to trailer it to Maidstone & Surbiton workshops in one day as it is not driveable until these are done ........ THEN I will drive it to SVA - but not my local centre as the Gillingham SVA is familiar with my car and is less likely to be picky (plus I get an hour's driving in too!)



[Edited on 27-7-06 by RazMan]

907 - 27/7/06 at 06:00 PM

19" to the top of the ball is the standard height I believe.

That's what mine is and it's a main dealer fitted one.


Paul G

DIY Si - 27/7/06 at 06:02 PM

Fair enough. Just seemed (to me anyway) that you needed one to get you to the sva. How come the engines not running right yet?!

RazMan - 27/7/06 at 07:47 PM

My Duratec is only the second one that the MBE ECU distributor has set up - and mine is a little different from the average. It has got SVT upper & lower manifolds, bigger injectors and modified throttle bodies, so the base map just isn't close to what I need. Hopefully it will give me about 220bhp (300 with NO2 ) after a good map has been written for it.

RazMan - 27/7/06 at 07:51 PM

quote:
Originally posted by 907
19" to the top of the ball is the standard height I believe.


ooh how quaint - inches! You must be as old as me

480mm is about what I have so at least I know I can hitch up to a trailer when the time comes.

907 - 27/7/06 at 08:23 PM

quote:
Originally posted by RazMan
quote:
Originally posted by 907
19" to the top of the ball is the standard height I believe.


ooh how quaint - inches! You must be as old as me

480mm is about what I have so at least I know I can hitch up to a trailer when the time comes.




Funny this old metric / imperial thing.


We have chassis made from 25 x 25 box,

and yet we have 2" exhaust pipes.

atb

Paul G

RazMan - 27/7/06 at 08:26 PM

LOL I just looked at your profile and you ARE as old as me .... well almost

907 - 27/7/06 at 08:29 PM

It was a good year

JoelP - 29/7/06 at 10:33 PM

the one on my old car was 16" to the top of the ball. My trailer is designed around this.

Mark Allanson - 29/7/06 at 10:53 PM

The ball centre (50mm) must coincide with the most sensitive part of the male human shin.

Just try out a few in Sainsbury's car park to check

owelly - 30/7/06 at 06:44 PM

Hmmm. I've built all my trailers to be 14 1/2" to the centre of the ball. It seems to work for me but my big 4wheeled plant trailer is exactly 15" to the COB when level. It makes it rattle when it's empty!

[Edited on 30/7/06 by owelly]