WARNING: TrailBoss tow bar DOES NOT fit Landcruiser 79 series

Submitted: Friday, Feb 26, 2021 at 10:03
ThreadID: 141147 Views:8730 Replies:5 FollowUps:23
This Thread has been Archived
Hi all,

I am a newbie to caravanning, have limited experience of course, but I have a serious warning to everyone, who might be effected.

We bought a new van one-and-half years ago. In 2016, I had a TrailBoss tow bar installed on my LC 79 series (dual cab, 2014). For two years, I wasn't using that at all. Since August 2019, I have been towing a 2t caravan - never overloaded - on the sealed roads only.

About a month ago, I found two bolts were completely severed and the captive nuts were broken off inside the LC frame. I could move the tow bar up and down with my hands.

We could have been seriously injured or killed, or even worse - could have killed innocent people on the road.

Took my truck to two different mechanics (RACQ approved Service Station and Toyota Service Centre) for independent opinions. The verdict from both places - "This tow bar does not fit the LC 79 series. It was a 'back-yard' quality job done in the first place".

Please, see the photos. The big gaps, between the frame and the towbar on both sides, were filled in with metal washes.

I am not sure, if I am allowed to name the company on the Gold Coast, which installed the TrailBoss.
I phoned the company. They couldn't find any records of that job. I sent an email request to the manager - no reply.

I have all the paperwork to prove the installation. If anyone would need details, please give me you private e-mail and I am more than happy to provide you with the info.

So, my warning is:
1)TrailBoss towbar does not fit the LandCruiser 79 series, dual cab. If you have the same bar installed onto your Landcruiser, please check it ASAP.
2)The well-known company on the Gold Coast dangerously cutting corners in selling and installing those bars.



Towbar Details

Towbar Details


Missing Bolts

Missing Bolts


Loosen Bolt, Washers

Loosen Bolt, Washers


Missing Bolt, Washers

Missing Bolt, Washers


Missing Captive Nut

Missing Captive Nut

Back Expand Un-Read 3 Moderator

Reply By: RMD - Friday, Feb 26, 2021 at 14:18

Friday, Feb 26, 2021 at 14:18
Laz
The tow bar obviously does fit and the opinion of the RACV and a dealer may not be as a result of a serious assessment of the situation. A TOWBAR centre would have more of an idea.
Yes shim plates are used in some places, so no issue there IMHO., BUT it does seem the bolts have never been tightened when fitting of the towbar AND NEVER checked later on either. The subsequent movement with a load on the ball would promptly break off so called captive nuts which are spot welded in 4 small points at their corners. OK if tight, but with
bolts slack and angle movement and pressure, either the bolt breaks or the nut disconnects.

Were the bolts verified as TIGHT, at or, after installation at any time? Might be barking up wrong tree with suitability when fitting expertise and integrity may be the issue for the fitting company , not the bar maker.
AnswerID: 635258

Follow Up By: OzzieCruiser - Friday, Feb 26, 2021 at 20:08

Friday, Feb 26, 2021 at 20:08
The bar has been fitted for about 4 1/2 years and doing some decent trailers - what maintenance has been done on the bar since installation? Checking mounting hardware on a regular basis - sounds like not and as a result the above damage has occurred.

0
FollowupID: 912792

Follow Up By: RMD - Friday, Feb 26, 2021 at 20:57

Friday, Feb 26, 2021 at 20:57
Another thought, I can't see any broken bolts, just missing ones or very loose ones and clearly where one loose one unscrewed from the captive nut completely, or it was removed. Did you, Not at Any Time, hear the rattling or feel the flogging up and down of the towbar on it's bolts. I would imagine it did not happen overnight and it only became that way after many km of towing. Even when hitching up the tongue would have been angled downward a little more than normal. I shakes me 'ed.
0
FollowupID: 912797

Follow Up By: Laz - Saturday, Feb 27, 2021 at 15:05

Saturday, Feb 27, 2021 at 15:05
Hi RMD,
That is the thing - I did not hear any rattling or feel any vibration at all. The bolts heads were snapped off. And the mechanic extracted the bolts bodies (I'm not sure if I am using the right terminology; I am far away from being a mechanical person) from the frame. I don't know, may be the bolts originally installed should have been of different type. I just hope the same would not happen to anyone else. Then, my thought is, if there were gaps of two inches on each side between the towbar and vehicle frame - how that can be "the towbar fits"?
Regards.
0
FollowupID: 912828

Reply By: Laz - Friday, Feb 26, 2021 at 20:53

Friday, Feb 26, 2021 at 20:53
Hi, guys. Thank you for your replies.

As I said, I am a newbie and trusted the company in good faith. Nobody after the installation told me "Keep an eye on those washers" etc. In any case, I don't think that was a quality installation, if the bolts gone in the matter of one and a half year. Once again, towing on the sealed roads only and never overloaded (I am very pedantic about it).

By the way, the new tow bar installed from Toyota does not have those gaps. And now, of course, I've marked every bolt with permanent marker.

I am still terrified thinking about that I could've simply killed someone by the runaway caravan. That is the reason for my post. I am not blaming anyone.
AnswerID: 635265

Follow Up By: RMD - Friday, Feb 26, 2021 at 22:28

Friday, Feb 26, 2021 at 22:28
If you were towing and the bolts loose from new, then they would work and loosen to become worse. Strange you had no idea and didn't detect an impending problem which must have been "chatting to you" with "noise and clunks" etc. Awareness of what you are in charge of is an important factor in owning something. The towbar would be very sound and trouble free if starting with correct fitment. Just because it is different in some way means they didn't infringe copyright or patent. There is only two people to attribute any blame.
I do hope you regularly check your wheel nuts after any usage or tyre service or rebalance as they too will cause accidents if left loose and unchecked by the driver. The wheel will come off in much faster time than a towbar will.
Even if the tongue on my towbar is loose and rattles up and down slightly it makes a noise and I can feel it through the chassis. If the towbar was loose the towed item would be causing a fair degree of inertia transfer of forces to alert you.
1
FollowupID: 912800

Follow Up By: Member - David M (SA) - Friday, Feb 26, 2021 at 22:42

Friday, Feb 26, 2021 at 22:42
There you go Laz. It's all your fault. Bet you think twice before posting anything helpful on this site again. :)
Dave.
5
FollowupID: 912802

Follow Up By: Member - McLaren3030 - Saturday, Feb 27, 2021 at 08:15

Saturday, Feb 27, 2021 at 08:15
Sorry Dave, I think you are missing the point. There are far too many instances where people attribute blame to others when some, if not most of the “blame” lies with themselves. I am not defending the installer, if mounting bolts were left loose, or missing altogether, that is entirely the fault of the installer, not the bar manufacturer.

If the bar was loose, ever time you connected or disconnected the trailer, the coupling would move. It would also rattle ever time you went over a bump in the road.

Whilst I have some sympathy for Laz, and understand his feelings of “what could have happened”, I feel this issue could have been picked up a lot earlier with due diligence and proper maintenance. I would also encourage Laz not to be discouraged from posting, but to learn something from the exercise, that not all problems are completely someone else’s fault.

Macca.
Penong S.A.
Macca.

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3
FollowupID: 912803

Follow Up By: Member - David M (SA) - Saturday, Feb 27, 2021 at 09:35

Saturday, Feb 27, 2021 at 09:35
Agree with all those comments Macca however my concern was not with the advice but in the way it was given in a very condescending manner. I'm afraid this tends to rub me the wrong way. :)
Dave.
7
FollowupID: 912805

Follow Up By: Laz - Saturday, Feb 27, 2021 at 15:14

Saturday, Feb 27, 2021 at 15:14
Thanks Dave. Appreciate that.
Once again, the reason from my post was to give a warning to other people (naïve like myself) who might find themselves in the similar situation. I am not in the blame game or for any payouts. Just stated the facts.
Regards,
Laz.
2
FollowupID: 912829

Reply By: Member - McLaren3030 - Saturday, Feb 27, 2021 at 08:24

Saturday, Feb 27, 2021 at 08:24
Hi Laz,

Do not be disheartened by the seemingly negative comments, as a “newbie”, we all have to learn sometime. As someone else has posted, you should also check your wheel nuts after a few kilometres when you or anyone else has taken a wheel off the car. Most (but not all) loose or “runaway” wheels happen just after service work on the wheels. This applies to both car and caravan/trailer.

As an aside, I think Toyota only recommend that you fit a genuine Toyota tow bar. However, there are a few companies out there, such as Hayman Reece, who have tow bars that are suitable for most Toyota models, and have not had a failure. I do not know the particulars about Trailboss towbars.

Macca.
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AnswerID: 635267

Follow Up By: Member - Warren H - Saturday, Feb 27, 2021 at 14:27

Saturday, Feb 27, 2021 at 14:27
Trailboss are a Qld company that's been around for decades. I had one fitted to my Maverick in Townsville in 1995. Mind you the supplier, not Trailboss, managed to clamp the brakelight cable to the trailer plug between the towbar and the chassis, blew a couple of fuses before I worked that one out.
Wazza
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2007 Goldstream Crown

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0
FollowupID: 912825

Follow Up By: Laz - Saturday, Feb 27, 2021 at 15:18

Saturday, Feb 27, 2021 at 15:18
Thanks, Macca. Stay safe.
Laz.
0
FollowupID: 912830

Reply By: Kenell - Saturday, Feb 27, 2021 at 09:19

Saturday, Feb 27, 2021 at 09:19
Hi Laz,
Interesting that the part no. of your towbar is different to the current part no. for your vehicle on their website. ie QT1119 as pictured and QT1133L on the website. Now that might mean nothing at all and is simply a change in nos. since your purchase but the cynic in me suggests they might have used the wrong one and all the washers etc were used to make it fit.
Perhaps there is some onus on the owner to check now and then but with the current foray into caravans by first timers since Covid you can be sure than very few of them would be getting under and checking their towbar fitments. Half the ones I see wouldn't be physically capable. The fact that 2 independent trained people have said the bar isn't made for the vehicle coupled with the variance in part nos. suggests to me you are onto something. Not so much that the brand doesn't fit but that perhaps the dealer used the wrong part.
AnswerID: 635270

Follow Up By: RMD - Saturday, Feb 27, 2021 at 09:37

Saturday, Feb 27, 2021 at 09:37
Kenell
Who says the two who looked at the towbar are trained. They may work at a place where you may expect people to be, "trained in something", but trained in what? Maybe the whole problem in reality is the towbar bolts were never tightened, if they were tightened, how did they come loose??? and that amount of free play must have been fairly screaming LOOSENESS long before anything broke, unscrewed or fell off. If something was whacking your vehicle in the bum at every bump in the road would you know something is wrong and to check, at least.
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FollowupID: 912807

Follow Up By: Kenell - Saturday, Feb 27, 2021 at 10:01

Saturday, Feb 27, 2021 at 10:01
RMD,
I understand your cynicism relating to the training of people in mechanical businesses such as RAC and Toyota but I think even you would have to admit that they would be able to tell pretty quickly whether a part such as a towbar is made to fit the vehicle it is on. I think you would also agree that a correctly installed towbar shouldn't work loose under normal conditions - particularly in such a short period.
There is no argument from me that the rattle and feel of the slop from the looseness would/should have been apparent but to someone who hasn't had experience in towing - I am not so sure. I just checked my towbar which is on a similar vehicle and it fits like a glove without any additional washers etc. Mine was fitted by Toyota though. Should I be worried?
1
FollowupID: 912808

Follow Up By: Member - David M (SA) - Saturday, Feb 27, 2021 at 10:21

Saturday, Feb 27, 2021 at 10:21
Kenell.
"very few of them would be getting under and checking their towbar fitments. "
We don't have any trouble " getting under". It's just the " getting out from under" that
causes the problems.
Dave.
6
FollowupID: 912810

Follow Up By: RMD - Saturday, Feb 27, 2021 at 11:15

Saturday, Feb 27, 2021 at 11:15
The Newbie claim is a furphy. He owned it with bar for 2 yrs, has used it for 5 yrs and THEN recently with a caravan. No observations of anthing or notice anything in more than 5 yrs. That is what worries me. What does the caravan have to do with it.
2
FollowupID: 912813

Follow Up By: terryt - Saturday, Feb 27, 2021 at 11:23

Saturday, Feb 27, 2021 at 11:23
Mainly in reply to RMD. If shims are required to fit a towbar it is pretty obvious that the towbar was not made to fit the vehicle.
In my opinion whoever selected that towbar as suitable is at fault. Could be owner, installer or manufacturer. It isn't unreasonable to expect something fitted by a professional is fitted properly and you shouldn't have to grovel around on the ground to check it.
6
FollowupID: 912814

Follow Up By: Member - McLaren3030 - Saturday, Feb 27, 2021 at 13:08

Saturday, Feb 27, 2021 at 13:08
Hi terryt,

The cynic in me and my own personal experience says trust, but verify.

Macca.
Penong S.A.
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FollowupID: 912817

Follow Up By: axle - Saturday, Feb 27, 2021 at 14:14

Saturday, Feb 27, 2021 at 14:14
I agree with Terryt , Having to use shims like that is a joke!, with a set up like that what could you expect?


What grade hi tensile bolts where used, They where hi tensile?? Which Thread ,all important factors.


Shocking install work with a towbar that was never going to fit ...PROPERLY.


Laz have every right to be concerned, Although i think he should have picked up on it a lot earlier

The wonderful fun of towing!

Cheers Axle.




2
FollowupID: 912822

Follow Up By: Laz - Saturday, Feb 27, 2021 at 15:34

Saturday, Feb 27, 2021 at 15:34
Hi, everybody. Thank you for your input.

Just some clarification: the towbar was installed in 2016 and I had not used it at all until August 2019; after that towing was always on the sealed roads; my mechanic (whom I trust) said they were not high tensile bolts - I wouldn't even tell the difference. If somebody told me "You know, we can install this bar, but it will be - with multiple shimmies, non high tensile bolts and it will possibly fall out in one and a half years" - I would think twice about it.

Regards to everyone.
0
FollowupID: 912831

Follow Up By: RMD - Saturday, Feb 27, 2021 at 16:03

Saturday, Feb 27, 2021 at 16:03
The bolts were 8.8's in that size and would clamp quite ok, star marked high tensile better of course but, as Axle has correctly pointed out, the thread of the bolts may be coarse instead of fine. We can't see that. A fine thread has far more ability to tighten and clamp. The bolts didn't shear off or really affect the plate holes either. The bolts simply came loose, possibly because of what Axle was alluding to, likely because wrong thread, or never tightened fully at the outset. They were nice thick spacer plates and with tight bolts would not undo or cause a problem. I bet there are MANY of those towbars fitted to same vehicle type and no problems. Suspect the human error first, it is nearly always the cause of failures.
0
FollowupID: 912832

Follow Up By: Phil G - Saturday, Feb 27, 2021 at 17:55

Saturday, Feb 27, 2021 at 17:55
The Toyota factory towbars for the 70series Landcruisers use multiple shims to get a tight fit.
Nothing wrong with shims.
1
FollowupID: 912833

Follow Up By: RMD - Saturday, Feb 27, 2021 at 23:01

Saturday, Feb 27, 2021 at 23:01
Phil G
Seeing Toyota use shims in some own towbar fitments, according to Terry T, Toyota are using towbars not made for the purpose and fitting them to their own Brand vehicles at dealerships. I wonder if people realize how many towbars do use shim plates and must do to get round chassis protrusions etc. Interesting isn't it?
1
FollowupID: 912835

Follow Up By: Phil G - Saturday, Feb 27, 2021 at 23:50

Saturday, Feb 27, 2021 at 23:50
Yeah I was a bit surprised to see so many people making incorrect assumptions.
Here is a section from the Toyota fitting instructions for the VDJ78 factory towbar:
Toyota 70series towbar

Toyota 70series towbar

2
FollowupID: 912836

Follow Up By: RMD - Sunday, Feb 28, 2021 at 10:01

Sunday, Feb 28, 2021 at 10:01
Phil G
Thanks for that, I can clearly see TOYTOA don't use shims at all!!!! It looks like 12 different shim plates to suit and pack for the slight differences in chassis' and towbar production so a nice tight secure fit is achieved.
Hope these people don't go hunting as many will be barking up the wrong tree in the next paddock and blaming the landowner.
Cheers
0
FollowupID: 912842

Reply By: Phil G - Saturday, Feb 27, 2021 at 18:07

Saturday, Feb 27, 2021 at 18:07
Looked up their website and the towbar for a 2014 VDJ79 Dual Cab is a QT1133L.
Yours is a QT1119, so on the face of it, looks to me that you had the wrong towbar fitted.
I don't know the differences, but maybe yours is made for a troopcarrier or a 76 series which is a different towbar to a 79.
AnswerID: 635282
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