Quote: Originally posted by paul1966 on 24/1/2013
front towbars are not type approved and so insurance companies might not like them fitted, that's if you tell them in the first place. i looked into getting one but in the end got a used motor mover for the van.
Why would you need to tell them? You're not towing on the roads, it's only used for parking the trailer/caravan.
I think we told our insurers but they said it was 'non-notifiable' item and didn't need to be reported to them.
Because you are required to notify your insurers if you make any changes or additions to the standard specification of the vehicle, whether that modification or addition is going to be used on or off road.
All in the small print, but of course very few people bother to read it.
LlaniDavies has a valid point, it is worth checking with your insurer, I very much doubt they would be bothered by it, I've never met an insurer yet that was bothered about a proper towbar which I always thought odd as there is surely a greater risk element towing, if only from a cost of potential claim point of view. Best to be safe, too late when you are manoeuvring onto your pitch or storage space and ram your neighbours unit only to find your not covered.
Quote: Originally posted by listerdiesel on 27/1/2013
Why would you need to tell them? You're not towing on the roads, it's only used for parking the trailer/caravan.
I think we told our insurers but they said it was 'non-notifiable' item and didn't need to be reported to them.
Peter
because whatever receiver it uses is still attached to the vehicle when you ARE on the road.
some will be bothered, some won't, just as some class a normal towbar as a mod, others not.
Interesting discussion guys. I have found the relevant page on the Watling Engineers website where you can see how the front towbar works compared to the caravan motor mover.
MikeBusby, There is no comparison a mover is way ahead of a front mounted towbar.
Ont the link you put try having 2 longers cars in those bays and parking tha caraven between them without using the block paved area. A mover will.
I was so glad i had the mover fitted last year, Where i needed to position it was through a gateway about 2ft wider that the van.
As i swung it in the hitch was brushing the wall opposite the gateway. And it was on a slope.
Front mover would have been useless and trying to do it by hand would have ended in damage.
Quote: Originally posted by LlaniDavis on 28/1/2013
Because you are required to notify your insurers if you make any changes or additions to the standard specification of the vehicle, whether that modification or addition is going to be used on or off road.
All in the small print, but of course very few people bother to read it.
As most vehicles have a screw in offset towing eye, simplist thing to do is get another towing eye, get another towball, get it welded to the towing eye and just screw it in as you need it, no need to even bother telling the insurance company if it worries you because in a few minutes you would be unscrewing it to remove it.
Food for thought there - my merc has has no screw in towing eye such as you refer to, but it has an extremely sturdy built in vertical towing eye which I am now busy planning a bolt on bracket to accomodate a slot in push hitch.
------------- If if it aren't totally broken its probably best left alone.