Tow Bar Swap

[stagman]

Hi, I have just joined this forum and was amazed and delighted to find there is a 406 owners club. I have a question that I am hoping someone can provide the answer to.

I have a 2001 (X) 406 diesel (90) LX estate with a tow bar fitted and I do use and need the car for towing. Seizing upon an opportunity I have just bought a 2002 (02) 406 diesel (110) estate (Rapier), but without a tow bar fitted. Whilst I casually thought I could simply transfer the tow pack from one car to the other, it appears that isn’t as easy as I feel it should be, even though the cars are only 1-hear apart in age.

Lying under the back of the LX I see there was two hockey stick shaped metal brackets, each bolted to the inside facing sides of the two box sections that run fore and aft under the load space floor. Running between the downward facing ends (the blades) of the hockey sticks there is a square section bar onto which the ball hitch arrangement is bolted. I’ve not removed anything as yet, but am assuming that the two bolts on either ‘handle’ part of the hockey sticks are threaded into captive nuts within the box sections under the floor of the car.

Lying under the back of the Rapier, there are the same box sections under the load space floor, but there does not appear to be any fixing points for the hockey stick shaped tow bar mounting brackets.

Does anyone know what I am talking about and if there is a solution to how I can swap the towing equipment over from one car to the other?

Many thanks in anticipation.

Julian

[steve_earwig]

Hi Julian, welcome

I've no direct experience I'm afraid, but what I do know is the biggest problem people have fitting tow bars are the cage nuts and I'm wondering if this is what you're not seeing on the new car (because it won't have them). These push in through a slot and line up with a hole in the chassis rail. They're #9 on this diagram:

(Presumably these "hockey sticks" are 2 & 3)

This is one from my sump guard but the principle is the same:


Of course, it's entirely possible that whoever fitted your tow bar used their own arrangement...

[GingerMagic]

Good information from Steve, the locating squares for the captive washers to fit in are on the inside edges of the box section ( you will see a square hole and a round hole side by side ) - the N/S is a bit obscured by the rear silencer but is is possible to remove the towbar with it in situ.

I assume all estates have these locating holes mind....

[stagman]

Thanks guys, that’s great and gives me more hope that I can transfer the towing gear to the other car. I’ll see if I can get time to have a more detailed look at it during the weekend. I'll unbolt the offside mounting bracket first (easier to get to) to see more clearly if there are any caged nuts in there, as you suggested there may be.

The tow hitch arrangement on the LX seems as though it is the proper equipment for the car and has been on it for a long time – maybe from new? There are no indications it is a bodge job or something that had to be modified to fit. It’s all too neat for that. If I come up against any issues I will take photos and re-post with them.

(Yes, Steve. 2 and 3 on your diagram are what I am referring to as hockey sticks.)

Thanks again.

[GingerMagic]

I forgot to mention that you don't need to remove the rear bumper to do the swap, but a trolley jack to take the weight of the towbar while you faff about with silly cage nuts and bolts is handy....

[stagman]

Thanks everyone,

Had another look under the cars at the weekend and can now see clearly how it all comes off and bolts on, if you know what I mean. Didn't have time to do the job (that'll be this coming weekend I hope), but at least I have a clear picture in my head of how it's all going to go. The next thing will be to sus out how the electrics are spliced together, but I guess that can vary from one car to another, depending upon who fitted the equipment. Not worried by that and shall play it by ear on the day.