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Please introduce yourself here, your Volvo 300 hobby... NO technical support, parts requests or car advertisements here
I'd like to fit a towbar to my 360 daily driver. Since I've never towed anything before, nor have I ever owned a car with a towbar (I'd tried to avoid it until now - they're not exactly the coolest-looking things ) I'm a bit of a newbie on the towing front. So here goes:
* ideally I'd like to fit one with as little drilling as possible, and I don't want to have to cut bits out of bumpers etc. Are original Volvo towbars better for this, or are aftermarket towbars OK too (e.g. Bosal tobo, or this one http://cgi.ebay.de/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie ... 0219667024)
* anything to specifically look out for, when looking at used towbars?
* is it easy to tell the difference between a saloon & a hatch towbar, how can you tell if it's a genuine Volvo one?
* are there any differences between towbars MkII and MkIII models (are the bumper mountings the same?)
* any general advice on towing with a 300?
Seems similar which i've got in my older 360. It is hard to say which condition it is in the pic. But if it has been taken care of it is only surface rust and cure for it is either wirebrush or sandblasting. And good paint job on it.
If you haven't towed anything before. Don't be afraid if the car feels slow even with little load. Ie. normal trailer and enduro bike on it. At least mine 360 didn't really like tow that trailer at 80km/h, economy gauge showed really big fuel consuption in fifth gear. Then i accelerated to 100km/h it was fine, it was just like cruising without trailer.
1999 Volvo S80 T6 Quiet long distance cruiser.
1990 Volvo 360 GLi Waiting inspiration.
1989 Toyota Land Cruiser For days when wellies aren't enough inside the car.
1987 Volvo 360 GLi Being restored.
1986 Volvo 740 Turbo Sold, but not forgotten.
That tow-bar looks about right...same as mine (hiss!). It's bolted with 2 plates in the boot, one on either side then another bolt on each side onto the chasis underneath. The bumper then bolts onto the tow bar.
If its as hard to put on as it is to get off (Dremel, Angle Grinder, Drill, 2 weeks of WD and alot of swearing) Don't bother lol.
B Volvo 360 GLT - 2.0i 52k
N Volvo 480 Celebration - 2.0 140k!
P Hyundai Coupé SE - 2.0i 16v 99k
I've managed to track one down - original Volvo for MkIII hatch (33402280)
Looks like those are the plates and the chassis bolts you were talking about Cloud. I'll probably have the same experience getting the bumper off as you had with your towbar
Tourinki wrote:If you haven't towed anything before. Don't be afraid if the car feels slow even with little load. Ie. normal trailer and enduro bike on it. At least mine 360 didn't really like tow that trailer at 80km/h, economy gauge showed really big fuel consuption in fifth gear. Then i accelerated to 100km/h it was fine, it was just like cruising without trailer.
I've driven with four bikes on the car, two on the roof and two hanging from the hatch - that pushed the fuel consumption up by about 3 litres/100km. I expect something similar from towing ...
I don't know what the German towing laws are, but you may want to check them out.
In the UK you need to take a separate test in order to tow all but the smallest trailer, if you passed your car test in 1997 or later. Any trailer with a maximum load capacity of over 750Kg (That's the maximum weight the trailer can take, it doesn't matter how much you've loaded.)
Some speed limits are different as well, such as 60 on the motorway (instead of 70)
I too, have an old-fashioned UK driving licence which allows me in theory to drive 16-seat minibuses, 7.5 ton lorries all with / without trailer or caravan. But it's a good point MJ!
I'm slightly embarrassed to admit it - but we're also thinking of getting a caravan. I like moving around on holiday, and we've had some great times in the parts with car + tent. But with two small kids, the concept of having a roof over your head starts becoming more and more attractive.
All those years of being stuck behind the damn things, and meeting strange caravanners with garden gnomes and picket fences used to kind of put me off. But now, I'd like to give it a try.
Even if we decide against it, I still want a towbar to fix a bike carrier on. I now need the roof rack for a roof box, and fitting a bike carrier to the rear hatch isn't an option anymore, as the hinges have already been welded back into place once ...
Mick, any advice on buying a used caravan? I know absolutely nothing about them ...
) I'm a bit of a newbie on the towing front. So here goes:
Don't know if I'd trust 1200kg with it ...
