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Watling Engineers Ltd.
88 Parkstreet Village nr. St. Albans Herts. AL2 2LR ENGLAND
Ph.: 01727-873661
Fax: 01727-875029
E-Mail: sales@tow-bars.co.uk

 

Watling Towing Brackets for Imported Vehicles

Import vehicle with detachable towbarWatling Engineering, hand build towbars for any vehicle.

Japanese Imports

In the past 15 years, Watling Engineers Ltd has specialised in producing towbars for Japanese import vehicles and now has an unrivalled range of towbars to cater for this market. Although similar to UK versions, almost all imported vehicles differ in some way and so require a special design.

Detachable towbar for a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VIII

Our designs include everything from the Nissan Largo and the Toyota Lucida to the Lexus Soarer and the Mitsubishi FTO Coupé.

If you can’t find your vehicle on our list, please give us a call as we are always interested in expanding our range and so can design you an individual towbar.

Click here for price list

American Imports

People have been bringing over cars from America almost since time began, and a little after that we started putting towbars on them. We have a range of towbars available for the most common ones we have seen over the years, so if the Pontiac Transam in the style of “Night Rider” is your thing or you have a Chevrolet Astrovan then we can help you out with a towbar.

Below is a sample selection of the things we can offer.

American Vehical reciever hitch diag1 American Vehical reciever hitch diag2
Fixed towbar for a Dodge Ram 1500
Bespoke Hummer H2 detachable towbar
Fixed towbar for Chevrolet Astrovan
Bespoke Cadillac Eldorado detachable bar

Click here for price list

American Towbars, Trailer Hitches and Accessories

For those vehicles that we do not actually manufacture a towbar for, we can source towbars, or as the Americans call them, Hitches, directly from the States. We can also get a range of accessories for your American hitches including receiver covers, fold down steps and lockable retaining pins.

Here are some sample Hitch Covers, many more are available so please ask for details and prices. Fold down hitch steps are available with logos or blank

We source our products from many of the leading US towbar manufacturers including, but not limited to: Putnam Hitch Products, Hidden Hitch, Valley Industries and Reese.

Because the Americans organise their towbars slightly differently you will need the following items for your American vehicle:

1 - A Hitch - This is the main framework of the towbar and ends with a 2" or 1 1/4" receiver tube.

2 - A Ball Mount - This goes into the receiver and is used to attach the towball. Different styles are available

3 - A Towball - This can either be an American size (2" or 2 5/16") to be used with American trailers, or a UK 50mm ball to be used with UK trailers.

4 - Retaining Pin - This keeps your Ball Mount attached to your Hitch and is either 1/2" (12mm) or more commonly 5/8" (16mm). You can use either a standard nut and bolt for this or we stock chromed drop nose pins (see below) which look much better!

A quick note about American Trailers and Towballs:- Due to the different construction and use regulations in place in the US and UK, American trailers with electronically operated hydraulic brakes are not legal to use on the public highway in the UK. Similarly, US 2" and 2 5/16" towballs are not Type Approved and should not be used in conjunction with Type Approved vehicles. They can however be used with non Type Approved vehicles which include all special import vehicles from Japan and America and UK commercial vehicles including all vans and pick-ups.

American 2" towballs and adaptors

We can supply both 2 inch and 2 5/16th inch American towballs and have adaptors so that they can be used with a standard 2 bolt hitch mounting. Prices for these items are as follows:

American 2 inch towball £20 inc. vat

American 2 5/16th inch towball £25 inc. vat

Adaptor for American 2" and 2 5/16" towballs £37.50 inc. vat

Please note that all the American towballs we sell are rated to their highest possible capacity i.e. 2" rated to 6000 lbs (2700kg) and 2 5/16" rated to 10,000 lbs (4545kg). Be wary of cheaper, lower rated towballs as they may not have the capacity for your needs.

American 2" towball
American 2 5/16th inch towball and UK adaptor

American Receiver Hitches

Alternatively, some vehicles come over with square towbar receiver tubes already attached to the chassis. Unfortunately there is no common standard for the sizes and relative positions of the receiver hole, its cross bolt hole and its height from the ground.

However, we can make up detachable sections to fit your receiver hitch that is simply removed when not in use. These are priced at £45+VAT and are engineered to be at the correct height for UK trailers and caravans. Some sample photos are below:

American receiver towbar
American receiver detached
Chrome drop nose pin to attach US receiver hitch

 

Please fill in the appropriate dimensions on the following form so that we can make the correct part for your vehicle.

American Receiver Hitch Order Form

To help us make the correct part for your towing bracket please fill in the dimensions below.

Import Vehicle mounting diagram

Vehicle Make: Model: Year:

A

Ground to the centre of the receiver tube

B

Front end of receiver tube to bolt hole

C

Bolt hole to the rear end of the receiver tube

D

Rear end of receiver tube to rear of bumper

E

Inside dimension of the receiver tube

F

Diameter of the pin / bolt hole

H

Required height of the ball centre from the ground

 

Do you require the ISO 50mm Tow Ball and cover at £7.80 + vat?

Yes No

 

I require Drop nose pin (£7.50+vat) Nut & Bolt fixing for the Receiver

 

Name

 

Phone

 

Fax

 

Address

 

Country

 

Post Code

 

E-Mail

 

Message

 

Yes indeed! we made a discreet towbar for this racing Dodge Viper
A 200 mph+ Dodge Viper having a detachable towbar fitted. To be used for towing a trailer full of spare wheels and as the anchor point for the parachute brakes.
 

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