Receiver Hitches
Discussion
When I was out in Canada my friend took me to a local branch of Canadian Tire. amongst loads of other cool s
t I noticed a huge number of accessories to be used with receiver hitches. Luggage racks, bike racks, motorbike racks, steps, barbecues, seats.... the list goes on.
Anyway, why don’t we have stuff like this in Europe? I’m in the market for a new shed and I’m seriously considering basing the decision on what car I can get a receiver hitch for in Europe and getting my buddy to send me some accessories over. Although there is some stuff on Amazon UK already so I think it’s worth looking at.
t I noticed a huge number of accessories to be used with receiver hitches. Luggage racks, bike racks, motorbike racks, steps, barbecues, seats.... the list goes on. Anyway, why don’t we have stuff like this in Europe? I’m in the market for a new shed and I’m seriously considering basing the decision on what car I can get a receiver hitch for in Europe and getting my buddy to send me some accessories over. Although there is some stuff on Amazon UK already so I think it’s worth looking at.
Edited by MrBig on Monday 11th March 22:32
Receiver hitches are usually rated for 10,000lbs or more for towing. As most vehicles in the UK are unibody, putting a 2 inch receiver hitch on it will likely damage the frame. I think i saw a video of a Renault 5 once one trying to pull a caravan up a hill. It did not work out well.
HD Adam said:
The receiver hitch bolts to a solid ladder chassis on an SUV or Pick-Up.
Not unibody friendly.
Even something like a Tiguan or Cayenne is ladder chassis? Honda CR-V? I'm thinking Grand Cherokee or Merc ML anyway.Not unibody friendly.
If you drop down to 1.25" then they are available for almost anything... mk4 golf for example.
I'm not planning on towing 5000kg with it. I just like the idea of the flexibility.
if they make it, someone will put it on a VW golf and try to tow a bus with it. They are a much smarter and less ugly system than a fixed towbar, but as stated the vast majority are not type approved for Europe. I don't know why this is the case, as a few aftermarket ones are (I had a witter one I on my 2005 Range Rover) so it can't be a blanket ban on the concept.
Right, I looked into this when I owned a Grand Cherokee. There's absolutely no reason, from a technical point of view, they won't work just fine over here.
But.
Where it falls down is the type approval stuff needed on any relatively (within the last two decades) modern car, the US/Canada kit won't be certified for it, and getting the certification is not a realistic proposition, I had that conversation with the DVSA (or was it VOSA at the time? I can't remember when they stirred the alphabet soup), and you have to submit an example to them to test (at your expense). Even with access to the kind of kit needed to do the testing, I wouldn't be allowed to do it myself.
Now, the off-the-record answer from one of their engineers was just slap the thing on there and no-one will ever know any better, but strictly speaking it would be naughty, and if you did manage to get yourself into a bad situation where the towing equipment was a factor, it might be a bit awkward.
Of course, if you're only looking to use it for the non-towing functionality (load racks etc), knock yourself out.
But.
Where it falls down is the type approval stuff needed on any relatively (within the last two decades) modern car, the US/Canada kit won't be certified for it, and getting the certification is not a realistic proposition, I had that conversation with the DVSA (or was it VOSA at the time? I can't remember when they stirred the alphabet soup), and you have to submit an example to them to test (at your expense). Even with access to the kind of kit needed to do the testing, I wouldn't be allowed to do it myself.
Now, the off-the-record answer from one of their engineers was just slap the thing on there and no-one will ever know any better, but strictly speaking it would be naughty, and if you did manage to get yourself into a bad situation where the towing equipment was a factor, it might be a bit awkward.
Of course, if you're only looking to use it for the non-towing functionality (load racks etc), knock yourself out.
Terrafirma do them for Land Rovers (Defender Discovery, Range Rover)
https://www.firstfour.co.uk/shop/towing-jacking-re...
I'm sure they could be 'adapted' to other cars, whether taht's legal is a different matter.
https://www.firstfour.co.uk/shop/towing-jacking-re...
I'm sure they could be 'adapted' to other cars, whether taht's legal is a different matter.
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