Trailer attachment to Towbar

Miss L Toe

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Does the Ifor Williams towbar fitment sit "on top" rather than being bedded down right over the ball.
In the past, I am sure I have seen people jumping on trailer bars to make sure the socket is down round the ball,
With my old trailer, there was a sort of hinged handle on the socket, so it sort of clicked in to place as far as I can recall.
Also the lad who was trailing insisted the wire was to be looped round the towbar and back to the trailer rather than attached to the car [there is a big fat "eye" under the bumper]. That too seems pointless.
 

ROG

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Lower housing over ball and listen for the click by raising handle until it start to fit over the ball then release it so when lowering it will open up a little more then suddenly close and click into place

When travelling the break away cable MUST be betwen vehicle and trailer without being hampered so that if the trailer does come away from the vehicle it will apply the trailer brakes without getting snagged

Hope my explanation makes sense
 

Miss L Toe

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Lower housing over ball and listen for the click by raising handle until it start to fit over the ball then release it so when lowering it will open up a little more then suddenly close and click into place

When travelling the break away cable MUST be betwen vehicle and trailer without being hampered so that if the trailer does come away from the vehicle it will apply the trailer brakes without getting snagged

Hope my explanation makes sense
Thanks ROG, it makes sense to me but not to the guy who took the pony, he survived but I have told them how to do it in future.,
 

Miss L Toe

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So that is: 100% of all men think they are always right in every situation, why does that not surprise me?
I was referring to the car driver ROG, in case you thought I was disputing your ideas btw, being a woman means I can communicate clearly and without ambiguity.
Obviously I like to have the last word.
Subject closed.
 
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*Spider*

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If you look, there's a latch which should fit under your towball (if that makes sense)
Once you've clicked it on, a good trick is winding it back off the towbar to see if the trailer lifts the car up, then you know it's on, whereas if it comes straight back off, somethings wrong.
I did my trailer test about 3 months ago and we had to link the handbreak wire to the car, but mine isn't long enough so I wrap it around the towbar as I have a swan necked one.
 

ROG

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So that is: 100% of all men think they are always right in every situation, why does that not surprise me?
I was referring to the car driver ROG, in case you thought I was disputing your ideas btw, being a woman means I can communicate clearly and without ambiguity.
Obviously I like to have the last word.
Subject closed.
Sorry I do not understand what you are saying !! :D ;)


PS - I know (because I am male ;) ) that it was not your intention to dispute my ideas
 

Dry Rot

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I haven't checked but my male logic tells me that the correct position for the trailer should be with the weight equally distributed to all four wheels, so the draw bar will be parallel with the ground.

The bottom of the trailer side of the hitch should be level with the bottom of the ball hitch on the car. So the draw bar, when hitched to the car, should be approximately level. You might have to have the hitch on the vehicle adjusted up or down to achieve that.

The breakaway cable should be attached to a solid part of the vehicle, not the ball hitch, because if the trailer hitch jumps off the ball, the cable should tighten and engage the trailer hand brake. It is not unheard of for the ball hitch to become detached from the vehicle, so just hooking it around the ball hitch is not a good idea.

Another reason is that the ball hitch will eventually become worn and the trailer hitch can become detached. I had this happen to me, fortunately not with a horse trailer. The trailer disappeared through a fence into a field and no harm was done (except to the fence!) but it could easily have hit a car coming in the opposite direction. The brakeaway cable should have prevented that, but it didn't. Scary!
 
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