Fitting a DETACHABLE TOWBAR to our Fiat Ducato based Elddis CV20 Campervan
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- Опубликовано: 8 сен 2024
- I fit a 13146 detachable towbar to our Fiat Ducato based Elddis CV20 campervan including a CANBUS dedicated towbar electric kit. The rough cost came in at under £300 for the towbar and the wiring kit.
The towbar also fits the Citroen Jumper van and Peugeot Boxer van as well as the Fiat Ducato van. Check for specific fitment to your vehicle.
I chose a detachable so it doesn't extend the length of the vehicle when I don't require to attach anything to the tow bar.
The 13146 detachable towbar for the Fiat Ducato/Peugeot Boxer/Citroen Jumper:
www.ebay.co.uk...
The Dedicated Wiring Kit I used from PF Jones:
www.pfjones.co...
Ensure you check to make sure the one you order is suitable for your model and type of van.
If you decide to do this yourself, this video is just a guide on how I have gone about it to suit my specific purposes and may not be the best way of going about it. Any mods you undertake you need to personally assess the risk before going ahead and whether it's needed or right for you. Do so at your own risk.
Everything I purchased is a personal purchase and not sponsored in any way.
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Follow David, Rachel and Roxy 🐾, our Labrador, as our story unfolds of our adventures and travels in our Elddis CV20 campervan/motorhome 🚐 to campsites, stopovers, day trips, motorhome shows and more, predominantly across the UK 🇬🇧 .
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▶️ Our Motorhome/Campervan:
Elddis CV20 Classique Auto (2021) in Grey from Cleveland Motorhomes.
The Elddis CV20 is a Fiat Ducato based 2 birth van conversion by The Erwin Hymer Group.
Thank you for watching LeisureBit ❤️
It was lovely to bump into you at the Lincoln show, all the best Julie, Paul and our two blue staffies.
It was great to bump into you guys too! Your Staffies are stunning and Roxy loved meeting them too! Are you still here or was it a day visit?
I can’t get over how many vans are here! Huge!
Rachel, David & Roxy 💕
Great vlog with all the relevant information for anyone wanting to fit a towbar. Interested to see the next vlog but I have an idea😉. Thanks David 👍
Thanks Tim, appreciate. The wiring kit made the job easier - thanks again. Shhhh! 😀 have a great weekend, all the best, David & Rachel 👍
Hi....nice vid. We tow our Hyundai i10 toad. Mainly on longer outings with the Peugeot boxer. It's great being able to leave van onsite then days out in the car. We await your next vlog to see what you will tow lol
Thanks Paul - I bet it’s really handy as you say especially for the longer stays giving you some extra flexibility and easier parking - you need that in some areas and towns and villages sometimes don’t you. Thanks again, All the best, David & Rachel 👍
Hi Great video, have you brought a pair of jet skis, or a speedboat!!!!! Can the removable balls tow the same weight as the fixed type?
Excellent job David, now, what are you going to be towing ?? A little car maybe 🙂
Thank you - appreciated. Now that would be telling - all will be revealed 😀 all the best, David 👍
We will probably fit a tow bar at some point. It was really useful to see how you did the mechanics of it. Looks to be a great bit of kit.
Thank you - I was impressed with how much (little) it cost and really like the option of being able to remove and then have no extension to the end of the van. See CalMac seem to have massively put up the cost of over 6m on some routes and they measured us (twice) at Armadale so clearly keeping an eye on the length, I’m really pleased with the end result and think I saved £500 on paying someone to install one. More straightforward than I thought. all the best, David 👍
I absolutely just love your channel. You bring so much value to the true humans that value and respect nature, and also love to gain all the necessary energy mother nature has to offer. As someone who has been struggling with stress lately, this is incredibly helpful when I come home after a long day. Thank you so much for creating this video and I wish you the best :)
Thank you - All the best, David 👍
Hi Great video, have you brought a
pair of jet skis, or a speedboat!!!!! Can
the removable balls tow the same
weight as the fixed type?
Haha - 🤫 like your thinking 😀
This particular one spec says 120kgs nose weight and 3000kgs towing weight - it seems pretty substantial and robust / well made.
All the best, David 👍
Another excellent video, when we decide to get e-bikes I'll fit similar. I won't need the electrics as hopefully we'll not obscure any lights etc.. Cheers.
Hi Tom, thank you - It’s ideal if the bikes will fit without obstructing the lights as keeps the cost down too as you just need the towbar. There’s different fittings depending on the chassis type (van, coachbuilt, etc) but the detachable I think is handy as when you’re not using it, it’s out of the way and no chance of banging your shins on it :) All the best, David 👍
Hi David very good video thankyou. Can you please tell me the weight of the towbar and impact on payload of the van. Thankyou.
Hi John, the weight of the tow bar was around 20kg (17.5 I think) however you are offsetting some from the old bumper so I would estimate about 10kg ‘gain’ in weight (maybe slightly less) plus then there’s the nose weight of what’s been towed - this supports upto 120kg so fully loaded that’s an extra 130kg on rear. Hope that answers the question.
All the best, David 👍
Hi again David could I trouble you again to give me the weight of the existing bumper you have taken off. I am weighing up the difference in payload loss between a door mounted bike rack and the preferred option you have taken. I have on order a Autosleeper Warwick xl maquis auto which unfortunately has a small payload of only 328kg so every kg counts. Your help much appreciated. Thankyou. John
@@johnreeves4803 let me see if I can weigh it tomorrow and see what it comes in at - hopefully I can get the weight on some scales, will come back once checked
@@LeisureBit thankyou so much really appreciated David
@@johnreeves4803 it’s been a bit fiddly to measure and I have a weight between 14.8 and 15.4 kgs so the new one is 2-3kgs heavier (which would make sense based on the additional bits and it being roughly the same base) - please take this as a guide though as was very awkward to balance to weigh - all the best, David 👍
David, found your channel tonight after doing a search. Wow, im very imptessed having virwed a few vids. Im looking to buy and fit the towbar myself. Youve made it clear and appears simple. It appears youve had it a while, any feedback after your use. Nose weight issues? Also im unsure, is it possible to fit a TB and justbuse the vehicles rear lights or is it a legal requitement to have a tailgate running boars etc. I know this a technical legal question. But your opinion is just that, an opinion and not legally binding at all! Regards Paul -autotrai van owner
I'm not sure on the legalities of not having a light board, when I looked at it, it's if the numberplate or lights are obscured by anything carried on but there are various other rules around things protruding from the vehicle and lighting, some different in Europe also (such as reflective boards etc) - probably worth looking into in more detail depending on what it is, like most things it can be interpreted differently, not sure who best to check with either - I found my bike would obscure at least some of the lights and part of the number plate so it helped having the lights/board in the back, makes it really clear so no one gets too close behind too,
No specific issues beyond I managed to break the ratchet for the pin which goes through which I need to replace as I can't currently remove it but that was totally my fault be tightening it too tight with my foot rather than hand tight as that's all it needs to be! Other than that no problem at all. Wiring wise, you can get all different kits, some you connect into the rear lights, others like mine connect into the vehicles CAN bus to control the lights. You generally need some form of interface on modern vehicles to avoid error messages / lights on the dash.
Hope that helps in some way and makes sense, All the best, David 👍
Hi very nice video well presented. May I ask have you had any issues with the reversing sensors being affected by the towbar? I'm just trying to foresee any potential issues before doing this job. Many thanks.
With the bike rack on, yes but with just the tow bar I’ve personally had no issues - I know some people have but using the sensors I have and spacing I wouldn’t expect an issue with this particular towbar - again if you put something on to tow or bike rack then yes it does detect it. Hope that helps, best regards David 👍
Great job but I can't find the electrics video you sed you were doing
Thanks for flagging, Let me check…
Hi David. Great video. I have a Nov 21 Evolution. Everyone I’ve contacted says they don’t have a towbar listed for the model. Did you encounter this and if so, did you search for a towbar based on a different variant? Thanks
I was a bit worried when looking in case it wouldn’t fit but they seem to be quite standard for the Fiat Ducato - it was mainly choosing whether fixed or detachable and the electrics was slightly more complex as there are different types of setup, in the end someone on the CV group had an electric kit for sale and I got that which worked out great. The towbar kit it’s self I just looked for the 2018-2022 Ducato to fit x290. Just make sure it’s the panel van one rather than the ones for other types of vehicle.
Hope that helps, all the best, David 👍
Hi David
You don’t say which wire to connect for reverse & I am struggling to find which one it is. Can you remember?
Do you mean from he unit or the socket - if from the control unit, there was a (blue/white if I remember but could be wrong) wire which had a spade connector socket on it and that was the reverse signal, it was documented in the instructions as it was a 7 way trailer connector on originally which I replaced (as you will have seen) so just ran the connection through to the 13 pin socket, if it's the socket wiring let me know. All the best, David 👍
@@LeisureBit Thanks David. It was the unit end I was interested in.
Hi David, quick question, did you have any issues fitting the spacers labelled "A" in the instructions?
My offside one fitted easy but the nearside one needed the chassis hole widening to 18mm dia. I used a small Dremel after attempting to use a round file, not easy and the tackiest part of the whole job.
I can’t remember which was marked A but the part which goes under and through the hole, on the passenger side was a bit of a pain, drivers side went in no problem. It did go in without widening but was much tighter.
Great informative vlog...thankyou...not got van yet still waiting...where did you get the tow kit from please and did you have to buy the correct wiring loom separately?
Hi Jonathan, I got the towbar and wiring loom separately but you can get them together - the link is in the description for where I got the towbar (eBay, if the link has expired just search on the part number) and the loom was from PF Jones (link in description) - hope that helps, All the best, David 👍
@@LeisureBit thanks David👍
Hi David, very good explanation of the fitting. Do the reversing sensors switch off when the trailer socket is used?
Hi Simon, thank you. The reverse sensors don’t switch off currently so if something is attached to the tow bar, and you’re in reverse it would cause them to falsely alert. Perhaps a future improvement, for now it doesn’t worry me too much but would be nice to do at some point. All the best, David 👍
Hi David, have the same reversing sensor kit you have, which I’m going to fit. Looking through the manual, there is a brown wire on the sensor unit which is for turning off the sensors when a tow bar is fitted. It shows it connected to earth to turn off rear sensors and disconnect from earth to turn back on. I assume this is done through the earth in the 13 pin but have not had confirmed yet. Maybe you have someone in the know you can ask and check on your system 😁
HI David. Do you have a link to the exact 13 pin electric kit you fitted please? Many thanks Sean
i got a 7 pin and rewired it to 13 pin, it was from PF Jones for ref but believe they do the 13 pin version however I picked it up from someone for sale to save a few £s.
Hope that helps?
All the best, David 👍
@@LeisureBit Thanks
@@LeisureBit Hi David. Sorry to bother you again. What is needed to add a reversing light to the 7 pin system? Is it just add an extra cable which connects to the reverse wire? How is this then connected at the back end? If you have a link to an installation method that would be great. Many thanks for your help. Sean
Hi Sean, there was a connection out of the kit which had the reverse feed and I just ran a separate cable (in conduit) along with the other cable to connect that up - it had a spade terminal on it (was marked as such) and that got the reverse lights working too.
Hope that helps, David 👍
@@LeisureBit Thanks David. So at the rear plug/socket end is the reverse wire not going through the plug fitting? Many thanks. Sean