Types of Towbars and Electrics
There are three types of towbars that are
available for most modern vehicles they are the fixed
flange, swanneck and the detachable.
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Fixed Flange
Swanneck
Detachable
Towballs
Alco
Ball/Pin/Jaw
Single Socket (12N)
Twin Socket (12S)
Multiplex Wiring |
| Fixed Flange |
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This is the most common type of towing bracket
used in the UK. This type of towing bracket is
much more versatile than the Swanneck or
Detachable system.
With the two bolt attaching system for the tow
ball it offers you the scope to add accessories
such as a bumper protection plate, stabiliser
car plate, bike carriers also if you have a
commercial or 4 x 4 vehicle the standard towball
can be changed to a ball and pin coupling and
tow steps can also be added. |
Swanneck
Not a
common towbar fitting in the UK. The swanneck is a
slimmer option to the fixed flange but it does not offer
the flexability of enabling you to attach bumper
protection plates and if fitting a cycle carrier it
cannot be used whilst towing, stabiliser brackets will
also require additional fittings costing approximately
£50.00.
Detachable
With the
increase in the number of vehicles with rear parking
sensors detachable towbars are growing in popularity.
Detachable towbars have a quick release neck which is
easily stored in the back of your vehicle and can be
removed and fitted in a matter of seconds. The
disadvantage of a detachable system is the same as those
highlighted for the swanneck
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Standard Towballs |
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S & B
Towbars fit as standard an EC approved 50mm towball to
all vehicles unless you require an alternative towball.
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| Alco |
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Becoming much more common on modern
day caravans with built in stabilisers. |
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Ball/Pin/Jaw |
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Mainly used in the commercial
sector offering the flexibility of the pin option |
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ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS
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Single Socket (12N) |
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The
single socket provides power to your trailer board or
caravan for the stop/tail lights, fog light and
indicators, an audible buzzer is situated in the rear of
the vehicle to inform the driver that the trailer
indicators are working correctly. |
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Twin
Socket (12S) |
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The twin
socket is used mainly for people with towing caravans in
mind. The extra socket allows a fridge to be powered and
an auxiliary battery to be charged whilst driving. It
also has a permanent feed to operate the interior lights
of the caravan. A split charge relay is fitted as
standard ensuring that power is only fed to the caravan
when the car battery has enough voltage, this allows you
not to have to uncouple your second socket if you stop
on your journey, as when then ignition is turned off,
power will not be fed to the fridge or auxiliary battery
ensuring you do not get a flat battery. |
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Multiplex Wiring
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Many
modern vehicles are fitted with sophisticated wiring
systems called multiplex wiring or have bulb failure
systems. To protect your vehicles wiring system from
potential damage S & B Towbars fit a Cambus replay which
receives its own power supply so no extra load is put on
your existing vehicles wiring.
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Self Switching Relay
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This rely is used to protect your vehicle’s own
battery from being accidentally drained by the
caravan fridge and auxiliary battery when hooked
up. It feeds power to your caravan’s fridge and
auxiliary battery only when the voltage in the
line from the battery reaches the appropriate
level as the alternator begins to charge the
battery, the trigger unit switches the relays
on. When the alternator ceases to charge and the
voltage drops, it switches the relays off |
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