Towball Locks

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"Taking it off" also has the advantage of not clobbering your shins (or mine!!!) when walking behind the vehicle.

Removing it has another advantage..... if left constantly in place, some will rust in the housing making them virtually impossible to remove if you ever want to.

I can vouch for the rusting in problem. Mine was rusted in when I bought the vehicle second hand. No amount of heat, WD40 or wacks with a 10 pound hammer will get it out. The tow bar is part of the chassis (200 Series) so I'm stuck with it. Maybe a big tree and a snatch strap?

Is this the tow ball OR the tow tongue which people are asking or replying to. Taking the towball off doesn't remove the tow tongue which shins hit.

Keith B2
Don't use WD40 it isn't much good, use diesel fuel and soak it regularly for a while.
I think you will find it will come loose especially if the tow system has a hitch on it. Won't happen overnight but it will happen.

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Yes Keith, My son's Hilux had a tongue rusted in when he bought it. He removed the towbar, applied heat with an oxy torch and used a workshop 20t hydraulic press but was unable to budge it.

My Troopy also had one rusted in. Despite forceful efforts, I could not extract it. I finally used an angle grinder to remove the protruding sections of the hollow square tongue then spent several hours with a hacksaw cutting twice longitudinally through the entrapped section and removing the section between the cuts with a cold chisel which allowed the remaining section to be collapsed enough to free. Not something I want to doing again!

I am certain any efforts with a "tree and a snatch strap" would be futile in the above cases.
Besides, if it did come free, can you imagine that object hurtling toward you on the end of a snatch strap?

Alan B , ' clobbering shins ' ?? You'd have a head ache from my Spare tyre before the Towball tongue , FJ cruiser spare tyre sticks out just over 1.5 inches further than the towbar tongue , no need to ever 'remove' ....

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Well thanks for that Alloy. Your towball tongue is at least one that I need not worry about harming my shins, out of approx. 5 million in Australia. lol

Using a tree is how we got my brothers 80 ser towing hitch out some yrs ago soaked in WD40 and a couple of gentle pulls using a wire sling from memory. It just falls out onto the ground.

Yeh this rusting in, is a real thing

I once baught a second hand tow bar.

It took repeated heating with the oxy flogging with a sledge and finally the 20 tonne press finished the job

No way known it would have come out by snatching it with a tree.

one benifit of being rusted in ...... they don't rattle

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Another benefit too Bantam.... if someone pinches the pin, you can still tow!

If you find one in a carpark, do them a good deed to save them a fine and take the tongue out... Make sure you leave it on their bonnet so they can see it before they drive off.

Iza

I have had a long hard look & cant find anything that says that it is illegal to leave the tow hitch in the bar.
Iza B, you must like living dangerously if you are removing people’s tow hitches & leaving them on their bonnets. It would be a good way to find out if they do fit “where the sun don’t shine”!

The only time in QLD it has to be removed when not towing, is when it covers the number plate.

Isa, I don't think I would be pulling anyones tongue or balls if I was you, because that can lead to someone getting hurt

Perhaps the reference from Iza B relates to those who have towballs that obstruct regn plates when there is nothing being towed. That is pretty much universal I think. I also could not not find any other referral to such a law. When you think about it the practicality of that position doesn't stand up but they are predominantly xxxx drinkers up there so maybe Iza B is correct.
Kenell

If you look at the Dept of Transport site it states ..
"Towbars, including tongues must not protrude dangerously or have sharp corners"

. Police have booked drivers (been reported on local news and newspapers) for people having the tow hitch sticking out beyond the car when not in use
(ie..not towing). I know myself and a few neighbours now take the tow hitch out to avoid the attention of cops because of reading about the crackdown. Fishing rod holders on top of bullbars that were not being used were also attracting a fine..once again a dangerous obtrusion above the bullbar. My towbar is about 5mm behind the verticle line of the spare tyre holder. However I have upgraded to a longer tongue and different hitch so it now is about 100mm pass the cars length. I really dont care if people take it out or not. I,m just relaying the news that we had in Cairns about towbars and bullbars. aLSO A FEW PEOPLE ON FACEBOOK WERE WHINGING ABOUT IT AS WELL...SO IT MUST BE 100% FACTUAL.

Just storytelling an incident from where I saw someone remove a lot of bark from both shins when Numpty left a 200 Series with a tongue sticking out about 400mm from the line of the rear bumper. I thought it was the very model of restraint to just leave the tongue and ball on the bonnet rather than leaving it in the back seat, for example. I would have loved to have seen the 200 Series owner come back to discuss the situation with the injured party. Would have had proof positive answer to the question of whether the thing would fit "Where the sun don't shine".

I am sure that the dints and scratches on the bonnet would have polished out.

I have had a suggestion from a lawyer mate of mine (I know he is a lawyer but I know him from school) who has suggested he could be interested in taking the injury claim to court if someone hits their shins on a towbar tongue sticking out into the walkway.

Iza

Maybe the real Numpty was the fool not watching where he was walking LOL . Bet he'll be more careful next time.

As for the lawyer, just bloody ambulance chasers with no morals or ethics. The $ rules.

Regards

Steady on Gramps, lawyers have their place. Its just that no one has dug it yet.

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Now hang on a bit Gramps...... You don't expect a car to have a couple of feet of steel projecting out the back when you step between cars when crossing the road. Your'e more likely got your eyes on approaching traffic.

Read this. It is S.A. but much the same applies everywhere.

Bigfish, I was just replying to your original post that stated Towballs and tongues in Qld have to be removed when nothing is attached. That is not correct as I stated unless the tongue or ball covers obstructs the numberplate.

Yes it is correct about the protruding dangerously but I will let the bush lawyers work out what is dangerous.

Iza. As for both shins, it beats me how he didn't learn from the first shin hit, must have turned around so he could walk back into it and equal up the pain.

Bob, just something on the side. The day before Christmas I stopped to help an owner driver that had his fridge pan sitting on it's nose in a gully. He had parked up for a few hours kip and on departure all 20 metres of it, off came the pan. Some a-hole had opened the turntable jaws.

All his electrics and air were ripped out, both mudguards ripped off, damage to the pan, 24t in the pan to be delivered and no heavy cranes running because of Xmas.

He wished he had a jaw open alarm fitted and would get one when the mess was sorted.

Finally, some-one who knows what I'm talking about, thank you very much.

Maybe I should have re-worded it better, but thats exactly what I was asking for

Umm, you were asking for what ??? Maybe you should have reworded it better, but it was nothing like you asked for in the 1st place ??

Gday Frank - i'm guessing that van being uncoupled from tow vehicle and towed away or simply being being towed away when unattended with no vehicle attached.
bb

Hi bb,

Yes, that's most likely, I suppose, but the OP's question didn't really say it. With a bit of luck, within the spread of answers there will be one that gives the Outback Wanderers the info they seek.
Cheers

What b1b said, I thought I made it plain, to stop others from stealing my van when I was out touring

Thanks Frank, I should have worded it more simpler, to stop thieves hooking up my van whilst I was away touring

Umm, you could have worded it more simpler.....you said the towball, not the van ??

It does and can happen, but very unlikely, make sure your insurance is up to date and if still worried, buy a very heavy chain and a BIG padlock and put it around one wheel..

Sorry about that, lightning hit a sub-station, internet down for 12 hours

I want a device to attatch to the caravans coupling to stop thieves from hooking up and driving away with my van

Think out side the square abit every trailer lock for the ball I have seen can be removed one way or another - the alternative is a wheelclamp/ lock as used by the local rangers to prevent a illegally parked vehicle from being driven away.

anybody who witnesses a caravan being rigged up and lifted up by a crane onto a falt bed would be very attentive to the situation and hopefully recording or reportig to police

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Batt's, padlocks are a waste of time since bolt cutters became available.

Probably but it would slow them down a bit especially hardened steel. Sometimes a visual deterrent is enough as well.