discomog wrote:

I know that there has been much discussion over recent years regarding the safety aspect of detachable tow bars, particularly on the Discovery 3/4, some of this discussion has been on the Disco3 forum and a lot of coverage in Horse and Hound magazine. A number of horse trailers have become detached from Discos with detachable tow bars with some disastrous results. I was originally warned off having a detachable fitted to my first Disco 3 some 12 years by a JLR dealer because they did not believe the fixation was fit for purpose. Personally I would not consider fitting one, I feel safer with a fixed installation that I can easily check for security.

Are you talking about the genuine ones that look like this:



which to my mind are a world apart from the aftermarket types that fit into a square receiver:



I had the former on a RRS and it did nothing but rattle from day one; the latter have the security of the large fixing pin and on the model I had a bolt on the side that could be adjusted to take out any movement.

I think the square receiver ones are more than up to the job to the 3.5 tonne limit.

the keys for the lock were also pathetic - with many stories of them snapping in the locks or not being able to removed from the lock - which normally meant that the locking mechanism had not fully engaged. really not fit for purpose - too many small moving parts that filled with muck and dust and never worked smoothly. Only good thing was that there was a nice bespoke place to store it in the boot.

Quote:

What is Regulation 55.01?
Regulation 55.01 (Reg55) became mandatory for new vehicle types on 29th October
2012.
It replaces EC-94-20 and lays down the requirements of mechanical coupling
devices and components are required to meet in order to be regarded mutually
compatible.