Westfalia removable towbar, a warning

[Niall.b]

2 weeks ago i loaded up the bike rack on the towbar and put the 2 mountain bikes on.
the swan neck was already fitted and i'd been towing the trailer the weekend before so didn't even think thered be an issue - there was.
got about 6 miles from home and doing 30 ish, heard a loud bang from the back of the van. looked in rear view mirror and saw the bikes and rack sliding down the road behind me.
the guy in the van behind was luckily not too close and able to stop in time. he helped me to lift the rig onto the footpath so very lucky. the rack, complete with swan neck had dropped out and skidded down the road. the only damage is the electrical socket and a few scuffs to the bottom of the swan neck.
put the bikes into the van and carried onto the campsite where i investigated the issue further.
the swan neck locked into place with a loud clunk however there was one crucial issue. there was a small amount of rust on the V surface where the swan neck goes into the bar. this was preventing the plastic turn knob from going fully home against the swan neck itself. this rod obviously prevents the ball bearings from dropping out of their locating groove in the bar so mine was not locked in position. if you have a westfalia bar, ensure that the plastic knob is fully in against the swan body when fitting.
i can only imagine what the situation would have been if i had a caravan or car transporter on the back.

 

[Garv]

Wow That's shocking!
lucky escape by the sounds!
Thanks for the headup

 

[Pete C]

Was it locked ?
I would hope that it wouldn’t lock if the mechanism wasn’t fully engaged.

Pete

 

[Niall.b]

Was it locked ?
I would hope that it wouldn’t lock if the mechanism wasn’t fully engaged.

Pete

no, the red key will not turn unless the knob is fully home. i obviously hadnt checked this when i fitted it previously. dont lock it as i usually remove the swan. neck when im done towing.

 

[dubber36]

I never remove mine, expect from time to time to make sure it doesn't seize up. It's good practice by all accounts to keep all the bits moving as they should.

 

[Dellmassive]

A bit of grease on the ball bearing and receiver socket will help prevent corrosion.

As above ours is removable, but we leave it installed permanently.

You can also use wd40 on the key mechanism/ lock.

 

[Paynewright]

I always lock mine as brother in law had his nicked off his Disco 3 - OEM Landrover part so £££ to replace!

 

[Village]

I haven’t touched mine since I installed it when I got it, but isn’t it the case that you can’t remove the key unless it’s actually locked?

 

[StanHerbert]

Blimey scary stuff. When we got our van @ 5 years old the barely used westfalia bar wouldn't latch in at all, had to clean the rust off the triangles on each side of the receiver to get it to stay in. Bit of emery cloth sorted it.

On a related note - where do people connect their caravan / trailer breakaway cables? There's a nice loop on the detachable hitch, but that doesn't help much if it drops out!

 

[Paynewright]

My westfalia kit came with a cover / plug to go in the hole when the tow hitch is removed. That said I’ll daub some grease on the metal mating surfaces!

 

[Niall.b]

My westfalia kit came with a cover / plug to go in the hole when the tow hitch is removed. That said I’ll daub some grease on the metal mating surfaces!

i have that too and always fit it when the swan necks removed. the swan neck stays in the garage so not lying around in a damp area. agrees, a dab of grease on the triangles should prevent in future. my issue was that i heard the solid metal clunk as it engaged, didn't think to check that it was fully engaged as i didnt need to lock it

 

[StanHerbert]

Yep, ours had the butt plug too. Still rusted with it in there. Must have been put in dry.

It's been liberally greased now.

(There was no better way to say that).

 

[SamD]

im going to go and put some grease in mine now as i dont use it normally but i do have a cover over it but prevention is better than something like this happening!

 

[Texxaco]

Imagine if you had been towing a caravan, I grease mine when I take the removable towbar out, then place the plastic cover in place.

 

[Niall.b]

Imagine if you had been towing a caravan, I grease mine when I take the removable towbar out, then place the plastic cover in place.

or something of value on the car transporter!