Got hold of a good secondhand Witter towbar for my Fiat. Unfortunately it is less the fixings which consist of large bolts (no problem) and some cage bolts.

What are they you ask. Well I don't know myself, and this is the question, where can I get some when I found out the proper size. The holding bolts are 12mm and they bolt into the cage bolts which bolt into the ready drilled holes in the chassis.

According to the engineer who is going to do the job Witter only sell the complete kit with all the fixings, including the bits I don't want at about £50+. I might have to stump it up but all we need are these cage bolts and he can't find any locally, even the Fiat dealers can't help.

Anybody with any contacts out there please

do you mean cage nuts?



http://www.orbitalfasteners.co.uk/en/categories/cage-nuts

you could probably find a local fasteners with them too

Yes, thanks, I was just going to reply to myself to say they should be cage nuts.

Talking to myself in print now!

I will have a look at that site.

look in yellow pages for a local fasteners, if you just want a couple they often say put a quid in charity box

try a local towbar fitters or contact witter you dont want to take a chance of it coming off you dont know the original parts hardness/ tensile strength and you dont want your trailer coming off on the motorway

You are quite right Andy, a concern for me as well, but a brand new Witter tow bar and fittings for my Ulyss is a mind boggling £399.99 !(More than half the value of the car!)

I have a very good condition second hand one minus the fitting bolts and said cage nuts.

Witter will not sell any parts seperately, you have to buy the complete fixing kit which works out, with postage, at a shade under £55 and includes many parts I don't need.

A bit much when a local towbar fitter is prepared to do the job but needs the cage nuts only. Enquiries ongoing to find the right size and I will take it from there.

If I can't find them then I won't bother, the interior of the van is cavernous and I only want the bar to tow a trailer up to the local tip with garden rubbish.

I cannot recall seeing 12mm cage bolts?

I have loads of M5/M6 ones...

They are cage nuts as has been pointed out. All I know is the mechanic who is going to do this job, when I get the bits, has measured up the hole and they take 12mm diam bolts.

What that is in modern parlance I don't know.

I have now got a couple of old nuts of the correct size coming. I am not going to reuse them, just use them as a pattern to get new ones.

A cage nut fits into a square hole on the other side of the metal that the bolt is going through, the cage just holds the nut in place while you fit the bolt.

IMO if this can be done without a cage then a washer and ordinary nuts can be used, the Nyloc ones would be better as there would be much more body on them and bigger can often be better when its a heavy caravan etc behind you.

Where exactly are they fitting? Is this to fit the bar to the vehicle?

Yes, to fit the tow bar to the underside of my Ulyss.

Six holes predrilled at the locations required. They were covered in tape and underseal so they are pristine so no worry there about the fitting or corrosion.

Its the fittings that are the problem. Might be getting over it shortly.

Thanks for the info received.