Tow Bar / Ball Question

[Modette]

Apologies for posting this here, its car related but not a Fiat. I just bought a new bike, I have decided to get more exercise and as my son works in Halfords on the Bike Hut and gets a discount, AND there is a sale, I have nice little Carrera in the same colour as my lipstick.

Where I live there isn't really anywhere to cycle so I need to get a cycle carrier. I have a Smart Cabriolet so it cant be roof mounted or rely on the rear window for support. I have found a few similar to this :http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/..._productId_751137_langId_-1_categoryId_165477

They just clamp on to the tow ball and don't touch the car itself.


I don't have a tow ball, so my question is, how hard would it be to fit one and are they a universal type part, and could I pick one up from a scrap yard? I would get my mechanic to fit it obviously just don't want to spend a fortune.

 

[maggers]

Not sure if they make towbars for Smarts, it has to be one made specifically for at as they are type approved now - you can't just chuck any old bit of ironmongery on, it's illegal.

 

[Modette]

They do make them I have been doing searches for bike racks specifically for Smarts and the type for Cabrios all rely on a tow ball.

 

[maggers]

O.K. sweet. Never seen one so may be slim in a breakers, may be worth trying a specialist Smart breakers.

 

[Modette]

This would be perfect and that carrier is in Halfords but I cant find those tow pins anywhere. I see images of them when I do searches but even the Smart dealers don't have them, any ideas?

 

[sludgeguts]

http://www.4smartcar.com/servlet/the-214/Smart-Car-Bicycle-Rack/Detail


OMG - HOW MUCH??????

 

[Most Easterly Pandas]

This would be perfect and that carrier is in Halfords but I cant find those tow pins anywhere. I see images of them when I do searches but even the Smart dealers don't have them, any ideas?

You beat me too it, there is a specific bike rack for smarts - not sure smarts even have tow bars available

Goes into the 2 mounting points on the back. Don't forget 2nd number plate and lighting board

 

[sludgeguts]

This would be perfect and that carrier is in Halfords but I cant find those tow pins anywhere. I see images of them when I do searches but even the Smart dealers don't have them, any ideas?

Looking at the YT clip, it seems to me that all they have done is screwed a couple of threaded rods into the bumper behind those knockouts & the right hand rod has a couple of threaded holes to accept a short crossbar.
Surely any half decent handyman could knock up something similar?

Or you could try http://www.evilution.co.uk/144
This thread seems to give loads of info
http://forum.onsmart.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=4420

There is a good point about the stresses on those pins.

 

[Modette]

Looking at the YT clip, it seems to me that all they have done is screwed a couple of threaded rods into the bumper behind those knockouts & the right hand rod has a couple of threaded holes to accept a short crossbar.
Surely any half decent handyman could knock up something similar?

Or you could try http://www.evilution.co.uk/144
This thread seems to give loads of info
http://forum.onsmart.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=4420

There is a good point about the stresses on those pins.

Thats the thread where I found this idea! I have joined that forum and emailed someone about getting those pins made. I don't plan on driving up and down the country with my bike on the car, it would be to get to local sky ride meetings so Im not too concerned about stress on the pins, it would only be one bike too. The Smart cycle carrier would be great but some sites are saying they don't make them anymore and its rare to find one on Ebay - although I will keep looking. That cycle carrier is actually intended for a roof rack.

 

[Modette]

You beat me too it, there is a specific bike rack for smarts - not sure smarts even have tow bars available

Goes into the 2 mounting points on the back. Don't forget 2nd number plate and lighting board

Smarts do have tow bars but the ones for mine are only legal to carry a cycle carrier - which is all I want it for anyway

 

[sludgeguts]

Places like B&Q sell a 3ft rod threaded all the way along - not sure if you could buy one the correct size?
If you were really serious about fitting a rack, maybe remove the bumper completely & get someone to drill out those threads & weld in a couple of more standard nuts* at the front & back of the bumper so a rod can be screwed fully in.
*I'm assuming that, like most manufacturers, those threads are something really obscure & only used on that particular make/model?

It shouldn't be too difficult to then securely clamp a crossmember to the protruding rods.

Don't forget to fit a trailer board!

There was mention about problems those rods may cause if you were rear-ended. To be honest, any additional damage caused by those rods, I think, would be the least of your worries.

 

[Modette]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BC2040-To...ccessories_Touring_Travel&hash=item2ec7b1258e


This is the tow ball option - although I cant imagine putting THREE bikes on the back of a smart, I parked it with two wheels on a grass verge the other day and was worried it might fall over LOL.


I basically want the cheapest option, and less than £100

 

[sludgeguts]

Thats the thread where I found this idea! I have joined that forum and emailed someone about getting those pins made. I don't plan on driving up and down the country with my bike on the car, it would be to get to local sky ride meetings so Im not too concerned about stress on the pins, it would only be one bike too. The Smart cycle carrier would be great but some sites are saying they don't make them anymore and its rare to find one on Ebay - although I will keep looking. That cycle carrier is actually intended for a roof rack.

I think the stresses on the pins is a valid point - it's amazing how much a bike weighs - especially when it is being bounced around on a fulcrum!

I have a 3 bike carrier that sits on a bracket permanently bolted behind the towball. Worried not only about the stresses on the uprights (I know the rack is designed to carry 3 bikes) but I also worried about the whole thing bending & banging against my tailgate. to this end, I employed some thick pipe lagging and a ratchet strap to pull the whole top end tighter to the car - made everything (arms & bikes) far more stable.
Even if you don't reinforce the inside of the bumper, still might be worth pulling the top end towards the car more?

 

[sludgeguts]

Just wondering - do you have a small towing pin/eye that is screwed into the thread behind the knockouts?

if so, maybe get hold of a second one, screw them both in & clamp your bike rack onto those pins?

If they are towing eyes, you don't need to fully tighten them, just enough so the 'eye' is horizontal. The Thule rack can then be drilled & held to each eye by a wingnut/bolt.
This assumes that the 'eyes' would stick out far enough to allow you to attach a bike rack.

 

[Modette]

I think the stresses on the pins is a valid point - it's amazing how much a bike weighs - especially when it is being bounced around on a fulcrum!

I have a 3 bike carrier that sits on a bracket permanently bolted behind the towball. Worried not only about the stresses on the uprights (I know the rack is designed to carry 3 bikes) but I also worried about the whole thing bending & banging against my tailgate. to this end, I employed some thick pipe lagging and a ratchet strap to pull the whole top end tighter to the car - made everything (arms & bikes) far more stable.
Even if you don't reinforce the inside of the bumper, still might be worth pulling the top end towards the car more?

The problem with pulling the top end of the bike close to the car is that it could puncture the already fragile plastic rear window. I have already cracked it from carrying a box in the boot that moved when I went over a speed bump. I don't want a handlebar going through it.

With regard to the tow hooks, I am wondering how many sizes they come in or if there is a standard. If so I could get a couple of slightly longer ones with loops on the ends which I think would be more secure than those long pins anyway as I could use the loops to better secure the bike and the carrier. Maybe I need to visit the scrap yard.

 

[Modette]

The guy on the Smart forum responded to my email he can supply those metal pins for £30. I am going to go and speak to my mechanic, who also has a Smart car (he loved mine so much he had to buy one ) He may have a better idea. Meanwhile I will keep looking for the Smart cycle carrier as that seems to be the best option. Thanks for all the advise, much appreciated

 

[varesecrazy]

The guy on the Smart forum responded to my email he can supply those metal pins for £30. I am going to go and speak to my mechanic, who also has a Smart car (he loved mine so much he had to buy one ) He may have a better idea. Meanwhile I will keep looking for the Smart cycle carrier as that seems to be the best option. Thanks for all the advise, much appreciated

as an engineer, the pins in the picture look pretty good,
threaded rod / Studding is generally a lot lower quality steel..so will not cope with the "considerable" forces too well,( bike bouncing over speed-humps.etc)
those pins SHOULD be fine

I have actually used the roof rack/rail mounted "channel / GUTTER" cycle carries ( paddy hopkirk), with an "A"-frame that clamps onto the bikes downtube,
I mounted a pair of these onto the rear of my camper, they have been there @ 6 years and have done well,

Charlie

 

[Modette]

Mechanic says that this model does not take a tow bar, so that is not an option. I am going to buy these metal pins and the roof carrier and see how it goes. Its possible that I could add a strap that attaches to the roll bar inside the car somehow if it seems like it needs more security but if its designed to secure a bike on the roof it must be pretty stable.