Tow bar
Hi,
My G463 is about the only one I have ever seen without a tow bar. The electrics are there, but the ball is missing.
Any ideas on which aftermarket type I should be looking at?
The Westfalia one (part number 313320600001) seems to be for split bumper models
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Westfalia-313320600001-2-Hole-Flange-Towbar/dp/...
There are ones like this on ebay, coming with electrics, but seem suspiciously cheap:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Fixed-towbar-swan-neck-Mercedes-G-Class-W461-W...
Anyone got a link for a reputable supplier?
Cheers,
Chris
The original ones are manufactures by Oris / Bosal.
They come up quite frequently on German ebay, as some people remove them from new vehicles to install ridiculous Brabus rear bumpers and styling kits.
On eBay, they typically sell for around Euro 100 - 125. A new one would be about Euro 250. (There's a forum member here who could probably get you one from the factory if you wanted to pay that.)
There is actually one on offer at the moment probably from a 2015 vehicle and showing the MB part number - currently with 4 bids at Euro-24.50 - with the auction ending in 5 days and international shipping is offered. The design of these for the W463 has not changed since 1990.
http://www.ebay.de/itm/Oris-A50-x-Anhangerkupplung-fur-Mercedes-Benz-G-Modell-W463-/361811359430?
You will need to order the 4, high tensile steel bolts from your local MB parts dept, if you don't have your originals.
(They are an optional accessory on US vehicles, but their version has a 2" ball which is slightly different from the European 50mm standard)
Good luck!
You can also bid through ebay UK. Just search the item number 361811359430
or click here:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Oris-A50-x-Anhangerkupplung-fur-Mercedes-Benz-G-Modell-W463-/361811359430
A word of caution, just check rear cross member really solid , sure it will be but a mate at a farm sale assures me he saw a G ( 460) tow bar detach from the chassis whilst pulling a heavy trailer luckily only at slow speeds.
I had a bid on a couple of factory german items from ebay but they all seemed to get away from me.
In the end I emailed "Captain Hook" the vendor of the suspiciously cheap items on ebay. He assured me that the item would fit. Their items are made by Auto-Hak in Poland, e-marked and rated to 3500kgs. I wanted one without electrics (my car already has those) so he sold me the hook only outside of eBay for £64 including shipping.
The item arrived in about 7 days via Parcelforce. It fitted correctly onto the factory mount and doesn't foul the bumper (just). It seems excellent quality and very substaintial heavy guage steel, powder coated with neat welds.
I've fitted it but only towed a little camping trailer so far.
One annoyance is the factory prepared electrics lead is very short, almost too short to come under the bumper, so doesn't fit on the supplied mount on the Auto-Hak item. Rather than chop into the factory prep I thought I'd get an extension cable but they all start at about 1.5m (I need about 300mm extra!).
JOIN THE GWOA
This website and forum are provided for the benefit of enthusiasts and owners of all Mercedes Benz off road vehicles, in particular the G Wagen. The costs of development, upkeep and provision of the site are met entirely by the annual subscriptions of club members. If you are using the site and are not a member of the G Wagen Owners Association please consider joining. You will have access to areas on the site that are not open to non members, to club trips and meetings and to technical assistance. In addition your contribution (only £25 annually) will help us maintain and develop our website for future users.
Who's new
- Jaffa_JIM_23
- Wrabstar
- GG
- KTMSCANIA22
- 280ge
Thanks, I'll have a bid on that one.