MOTORHOME TOWBARS |
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COURTESY CARS USUALLY AVAILABLE |
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Armitage's have more than 20 years experience of designing and fabricating towbars for virtually every kind of motorhome on the road. Feedback from our customers tells us that the addition of a motorhome towbar really has given their motorhome a new dimension. Many use the towbar to pull small trailers or cars converted by Armitage’s for a-frame towing. And a sizeable proportion use the towbar as a platform for our very popular scooter/motorcycle rack with an ever growing number of motorhomers finding that an Armitage motorhome towbar is ideal to take along a car or motorbike. It’s not always just a mini-sized runabout that our customers tow. Among our recent towbar customers are those taking two-seater sports cars to help them explore France and Spain, speed enthusiasts towing racing cars in comfort and born-again bikers taking their Harley-Davidsons and Honda Goldwings along to where the real riding begins. |
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Most of our customers ask for tow bars with a full-width under run bumper bar, made of galvanised 80mm x 40mm box steel. They like the protection our bar gives to their motorhomes against low-speed car park shunts or bollards that leap out of nowhere! This is a no-cost option and can be specified as an alternative to the flush-fitting bar. It is available in galvanised finish or painted white, grey or black to match the motorhome, or with a brand new stainless steel bumper cover. Designing and fabricating a motorhome towbar home usually means we need to have your vehicle here at Ferrybridge for 4 to 8 hours. In very rare circumstances (one or two vehicles a year) there may be an overnight stay to complete the tow bar the next morning. |
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Our motorhome towbar pricing structure is:- Motorhomes built on Al-Ko chassis, chassis with Al-Ko extensions, most Hymers and chassis that come right to the rear of the vehicle are £ 350.00 + vat. (£420) A towbar for a pre 2007 motorhome built on the donor vehicle's original ladder chassis, but with a strong chassis extension at the rear costs £400.00 + vat (£480) Fabricating a motorhome towbar for a vehicle with a weak chassis extension, perhaps made of 1" box section or angle iron structures that require reinforcing are usually £450.00 + vat (£540 inc). Many 07-on Boxer/Ducato/Relay -based motorhomes have very good quality chassis extensions which means the towbar can be made and fitted for £350 + vat (£420 inc). Please note that all 07 on Boxer/Ducato/Relay-based and 06 on Sprinter-based motorhomes have computer controlled electrics. These vehicles must be fitted with a special bypass relay at £75 plus vat (£90 inc vat) when we add the towbar. Omitting the relay will cause very costly damage to the on-board brain. This brings the total cost for these vehicles to £425 plus vat (£510 inc vat). The relays are needed on all motorhomes that have used any of those vehicles' engines. In very rare circumstances when there is a large overhang and either no chassis extension or just a pressed steel wedge screwed to the motorhome floor we have to build a chassis extension first to bridge the gap. Only then can we fabricate the towbar. This version costs £500.00 + vat (£600). Towbars for Ford-based vehicles can vary in cost from £380 plus vat (£456 inc) to £500 plus vat (£600) because of the huge range in extension quality we encounter. It is best to ring or e-mail us to talk through a tow bar for Ford motorhome. All towbars with central built in steps, detachable towbars & under-run towbars that are stepped up or stepped out add £ 50.00 + vat (£60) to the relevant price category. Versions with a full width step add £100.00 + vat (£120). For that really distinctive look we now offer the no-extra-cost option of a stainless steel, mirror finish, full width cover for the straight tow bar. It's a real eye catcher and needs nothing more than a wipe over to maintain its good looks. Click on the FJ05 motorhome, below right, to see a gallery. |
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Click on the pic to see an array of towbars with our stainless steel cover. |
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New 2006 onwards Mercedes, Fiat, Citroen & Peugeot based motorhomes have multiplexed Cambus electrics which require delicate handling. Instead of simply pulling 12v power from the vehicle’s wiring harness in the time-honoured method, it is vital that we use a special bypass relay to “read” micro-current signals and then feed 12v power direct from a safe source to each light bulb or LED. Doing this adds £75 plus vat (£90) to the price but if we don’t fit the relay, the cost would be irreparable damage to the very costly on board computer. Many recent Ford Transit-based motorhomes leave the factory with towing wiring already in place. If the wiring is intact and reaches the rear of the motorhome (it doesn’t always) then the cost of fitting will be reduced by £30. All our towbars are fitted as standard with British 7 pin power sockets. Pre-wired Transits follow the Continental wiring system and have 13 pins. The price for Transits includes the cost of a 13 pin to 7 pin adaptor. |
As you can see from the picture above, Armitage's motorhome towbars can be the last word in versatility. Because we make each motorhome towbar individually, we can include ideas like this customer's project. He wanted a big utility box with no hole-drilling and to be able to use his towbar for its original purpose |
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