Beiträge getagged mit: "towbar"

The Dacia Jogger inspires as the latest compact model and offers plenty of space for children and cones. So that the Jogger can also be used for driving with the trailer, a suitable trailer hitch is a must-have.

We have now developed the right towbar for the new Dacia model: Our trailer hitch can be easily retrofitted and is equipped with the MVG 2040 automatic system. This is operated using a rotary wheel, the handling is done in a few simple steps. The detachable trailer hitch also does not interfere with the look of the new Dacia.

The benefits of the detachable towbar for Dacia Jogger 04/2022 model

• vertically detachable towbar, MVG towbar 2040 
• No visible cut-out required 
• automatic system removal by twist grip
• automatic locking device when fitting

Technical data for detachable towbar

• D-value: 7,5 kN
• Towing capacity: 1284 kg
• Trailer load: 90 kg

The detachable towbar for your Dacia Jogger 04/2022 model can be found in our MVG-shop. The item number is 0985 AS.

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Bonjour Luxembourg! We are particularly pleased to present our new shop to you today: You can now find our shop for customers from Luxembourg at www.mvg-ahk.lu. In our new shop we offer you our towbars and electrical kits in the usual MVG quality. The range is rounded off by rear bicycle carriers, as well as practical accessories and spare parts for driving with the trailer.

We are pleased to be able to intensify the existing contact to our customers from the neighboring country with our own shop for Luxembourg. The shop is available in English and French, making shopping convenient.

„With our new shop, we are now getting even closer to our customers from Luxembourg and are looking forward to hopefully even closer personal contact with our neighbors,“ says Michael Pütz, Managing Director of MVG. „Of course, our entire MVG range is also available to our Luxembourg customers in French – for an uncomplicated shopping experience at MVG.“

Uncomplicated operation is not only important to us in our shop, our trailer hitches are also characterized by a high level of ease of use and can be operated in just a few simple steps. As a family business, we are already in the third generation and are now happily facing the challenges of a new market in Luxembourg, both for end customers and for specialist dealers.

The Jeep Gladiator is the American manufacturer’s new pick-up and is known as a powerful towing vehicle. Of course, when driving with the trailer, the right trailer hitch for the pick-up should not be missing.

In our range we offer the matching rigid trailer hitch for the Jeep Gladiator. The towbar can also be equipped with a practical removable plate system, so that it can be switched to the open-end coupling in just a few simple steps. The system for changing the plates is operated by a lever.

The benefits of the change system for Jeep Gladiator

• fixed towbar with optional exchangeable plate system
• no visible cut-out required
• automatic locking device when fitting
• easy handling, plate changing is done simply by lever

Technical data for the change system for Jeep Gladiator from 2021

• D-value: 15,8kN
• Towing capacity: 3500 kg
• Trailer load: 175 kg

The fixed towbar for your Jeep Gladiator from 2021 can be found in our MVG-shop. The item number is 0850 D.

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While electric cars with trailer hitches were a rarity for a long time, there are now suitable trailer hitches for more and more electric models. These are often sold ex works, but retrofitting is of course also possible. You will also find some matching towbars in our assortment.

Less towing capacity with electric vehicles

Most electric vehicles are characterized by a lighter construction. This automatically limits the towing capacity somewhat, according to the rule of thumb that the larger and heavier a car, the more load it can pull; the reverse applies as well: the smaller and lighter a vehicle, the less it can pull.

So if you are currently thinking about buying an electric vehicle and would like to tow a trailer with it, then think about the loads in advance. There are currently few electrically powered vehicles on the market that can pull a horse trailer, for example.

The range when towing a trailer with an electric car

The additional weight that the trailer puts on the towing vehicle also increases electricity consumption – or, in the case of non-electric cars, fuel consumption. In this respect, combustion engines and e-cars are initially very similar. But the increased power consumption of electric cars means that the range is reduced and more time has to be planned for recharging. It is of course much easier with the combustion engine, since you can refuel within minutes at any time.

The extent to which the range of an electric vehicle is limited by towing a trailer depends on three factors: the weight of the trailer, the wind resistance caused by the trailer and the speed. If you tow a small trailer to transport green waste for a few kilometers, the range is not much limited, if you want to take a caravan to Italy, things are of course different and you should plan many charging breaks.

Of course, the following helps as always when you are traveling with the trailer: Driving with foresight is important and can have a positive effect on consumption – regardless of whether it is fuel or electricity.

Attention: Not all electric cars are approved for driving with the trailer

Not every e-car is allowed to pull a trailer from the manufacturer and is approved as a towing vehicle. This means that the various systems of the vehicle, such as the drive system or the thermal management, are not designed for the higher load caused by the trailer and trailer towing is therefore not possible. In most cases, these vehicles then also have no mounting points for a trailer hitch.

In isolated cases, however, it may be the case that electric vehicles are not approved for trailer operation, but have entered a vertical load. In this case, a car mount can be used to attach a rear bicycle carrier. Before you make your choice on an electric car, just find out from the manufacturer and think about the requirements you place on a vehicle for everyday use.

Not only are pick-ups visually different, they are also not exactly ordinary in terms of their pulling power and their use. Pick-ups are mainly used in agriculture, the construction industry and forestry and are characterized by their large loading platform and their high towing power.

By retrofitting a trailer hitch, every pick-up simply becomes a towing vehicle, but unlike other vehicles, there are small special features. We present the different options for retrofitting a trailer hitch on your pick-up in the following passages. This much can be said: Your choice is between a detachable trailer hitch and a rigid trailer hitch.

Practical and versatile: The rigid hitch with removable plate

The fixed hitch for the pick-ups is much more versatile than normal, rigid trailer hitches. You can optionally order an interchangeable plate system and expand the trailer hitch for your pick-up like this: With the interchangeable plate system, you not only have a rigid ball hitch as you know it, but also a plate for a jaw coupling. This is of particular interest in the area of ​​agriculture and forestry, as many trailers can only be towed there with a jaw coupling, such as that installed on tractors. With the interchangeable plate system, you work with a lever system that allows you to exchange the individual plates in just two movements.

A major advantage of the interchangeable plate system, in addition to the two different towbars, is the option of not having either plate on the pick-up. When not in use, the lever system is simply covered with a cover plate so that you don’t have a visible towbar on the pick-up. You are also very flexible with the fixed towbar including the plate system and can always spontaneously decide to use the pick-up as the towing vehicle for transport.

The detachable trailer hitch for pick-ups

As with all other vehicles, you can also install a detachable towbar on your pick-up. The towbar in the MVG system 2040, for example, is operated using a rotary knob. You can easily mount the ball rod at any time and just as easily remove it again when your trailer ride ends. Due to a product innovation, the system is characterized above all by the fact that you do not need a protective plug to hold your ball rod, even when used in forestry and agriculture as well as in the construction industry. Our towbars are designed in such a way that they can be easily cleaned even if they are heavily soiled in the above-mentioned trades and do not lose their functionality despite the lack of a protective plug. Would you like to learn more about the protective plug and the product innovation? Then read our blog post.

You can find out more about our towbars for pick-ups in our shop or on our information page (in German).

The detachable trailer hitch is a practical and convenient solution: If you want to drive the trailer for a short time, but do not necessarily always want to have a trailer hitch mounted on the vehicle, you can remove it at any time. A rigid ball bar does not offer this and can sometimes be a nuisance, for example when loading the car. Often, vehicle owners do not want to permanently drive around with an unused trailer coupling on the vehicle, as this is seen as an interference with the vehicle’s optics, depending on the model.

The detachable towbar is a good alternative, after all, it can be removed at any time in only a few simple steps and is then neither actually nor visually in the way. However, the detachable towbar should be removed in some situations. Although there are no regulations, you should keep a few points in mind.

That is why you should remove the detachable towbar in these cases

Depending on the trailer coupling and vehicle, it may be that the removal of the ball rod is noted in the vehicle documents and thus made a requirement for driving without a trailer. This case can apply, for example, if the towbar would cover the license plate. This is not allowed and must be avoided when driving without a trailer, so you should remove the towball.

Basically, it makes sense to remove the towball whenever you are not pulling a trailer. This is mainly due to insurance reasons. For example, if you back up to another vehicle while parking, the risk of damage to the opposing vehicle with your trailer hitch still installed is higher. This also comes into play in rear-end collisions, although in that case you are only partly to blame if you did not remove the ball bar. Many insurance companies advise you to always remove the ball rod when it is not in use. By doing that, you can minimize personal or third-party damage and you can be sure that the claims that may be made to the insurance company are not reduced.

Should there ever be a rear-end collision with the tow bar installed, i.e. if someone crashes your car from behind and you have not taken off the towbar, the warranty for the entire trailer hitch expires and it must be replaced. The reason for this is that the smallest cracks in the trailer coupling cannot be ruled out. But even if you have removed the towball and someone hits you on your rear, you should at least contact the manufacturer of the trailer coupling and reassure yourself there with regard to a possibly necessary replacement for the cross member.

If you get a new trailer, then you should definitely plan the trip to the registration office. A trailer for a car is not registration-free and you have to get official license plates in addition to the registration. In order to get this and to be able to use your new trailer for the first trip, you have to register your trailer. You can only use it in road traffic with a valid license.

These documents are needed for the registration of your trailer

So that your trailer is approved and your new license plates can be issued, you can’t avoid driving to the responsible registration office. When you are on site, you need the following documents so that your approval can be issued: You need the manufacturer’s certificate or confirmation of a valid general inspection by a testing organization such as the German DEKRA or TÜV, which confirms that your trailer is roadworthy. If the “TÜV” has expired, there will be a fine depending on the duration of the overdraft, so make sure that the general inspection is still valid. You should also be able to identify yourself, for example with an identity card. Also have the registration certificate part I and II with you in any case. Finally, you need an insurance code from your insurance company, alternatively you can also bring a double insurance card with you.

No papers?

Even if you don’t have any papers, you can register the trailer, but this is much more difficult. Such an exception is only made if the vehicle registration or registration document has been lost, not if you have forgotten it at home. In the case of lost documents, the responsible authorities first check who the actual owner of your trailer is. Of course, a sales contract between you and the seller is helpful here and can accelerate the process. In addition, of course, it must also be checked whether the trailer has been reported as stolen. A replacement for the lost documents can usually be requested promptly, the old license plate should be known and the vehicle registration document should ideally still be available.

What should you pay attention to as part of an annual check-up – regardless of whether you travel a lot with the trailer or whether you drive less with it? We have put together the most important points for the annual check-up of your towbar, after all, your towbar accompanies you all year round and in the true sense of the word.

For detachable towbars: cleaning the mount

If you have a detachable trailer hitch, then rinse the coupling for the towing hitch, i.e. the sleeve into which you insert the ball rod during assembly, once a year with some water. There used to be a so-called protective plug that prevented the sleeve from being contaminated. This plug is no longer required due to a product optimization of the intake. A simple rinse is sufficient, as the holder is now designed in such a way that, in principle, significantly less dirt can adhere to it.

If you’ve been off-road, of course, after such a trip you should take a look at the towbar anyway, rinse it off briefly and, if necessary, check whether there are any small branches or mud crusts in the mount.

Functional test of the removable and swiveling towbar at the check-up

If you travel a lot with the trailer or the rear bike carrier, then you already use your trailer hitch a lot and use all functions regularly. However, if you have not used the trailer hitch for a longer period of time, it is advisable to assemble and disassemble both a detachable and a swiveling towbar from time to time. In this way you can rule out that processes may no longer go well or that something gets stuck in the automatic system of the towbar. This is also good for the lock of the trailer hitch, at the same time you know your way around the product better and are prepared for every journey.

Where is the spare key?

If you order a trailer coupling, we will supply you with two keys with every detachable and swiveling trailer coupling. These are for the theft protection of the towbar. One of the two keys is intended as a spare key. You should keep it in a fixed place and best of all with a key fob, as the keys have a red handle, but are still quite small.

Remove the trailer coupling when not in use and stow it safely

If you do not use your towbar, it is advisable to always remove it or to fold it in with the swiveling towbar. A rigid towbar naturally remains on the vehicle. By removing it, you reduce the risk of damage to the trailer coupling in the event of a possible rear-end collision. Otherwise the towbar would have to be completely replaced, and many insurance companies also require the trailer hitch to be folded in or removed when not in use.

To safely stow the detachable ball rod, we provide you with a practical bag in which you can store the ball bar in the trunk, for example. Make sure that the towball cannot fly around in the trunk, for example when driving or braking.

If you have retrofitted a detachable towbar from us to your car, then you have decided on a product that, if possible, does not interfere with the look of your vehicle and can also be operated easily and easily. Nevertheless, we would like to explain a few steps to you once, in the video we introduce you to everything you need to know about the detachable towbar in the MVG system 2040.

Assembly and disassembly of the trailer hitch

To assemble and start up the towbar, insert the ball rod vertically into the mount from below. The ball bar usually locks automatically, you can hear that clearly. In addition to the click sound, you can also see it on the handwheel that jumps to the green mark. Once this has been done, you can lock the removable ball bar with the lock, so that the towbar cannot be disassembled or stolen. If you want to remove the ball bar again, you first unlock the ball bar. Then you put one hand on the ball bar and one on the handwheel, which can be found on the right of the ball bar. You then have to pull this handwheel to the side, i.e. to the right away from the ball rod, and then turn it backwards. The lock then releases and the ball rod can be removed from the holder downwards.

Assembly not working?

So you pretension the detachable towbar If the assembly does not work as described above, take the ball rod out of the holder again and check whether a silver bolt protrudes from the ball rod at the top. If this is the case, then the ball rod cannot be mounted in this way because it is not preloaded and the locking mechanism cannot therefore work. In order to then pretension the ball bar, you best place it on the floor or on a table. Place it so that the handwheel is facing up. Then you fix the ball bar with one hand and raise the rotary wheel with the other hand. In this position, turn it backwards until the silver bolt disappears into the ball rod and remains there. Then the trailer coupling is pre-tensioned and can be reassembled as usual. If assembly does not work as usual and pretensioning is not possible, then please do not use any tools. The best thing to do is to get in touch with us shortly, we can advise you by phone and give you information whether, for example, a ball rod has to be sent in.

Before or after driving the trailer

Before installing your towbar, you should always check again and again whether the receptacle of the removable towbar is dirty. Especially after driving in rough terrain or through mud puddles you should take a look inside. If the intake is contaminated, it is usually sufficient to simply rinse it out with the water hose. A protective plug is no longer required for most current towbars. If you do not need the towbar, then remove the ball rod. This is especially important for your insurance companies or if you are involved in an accident. Even if you misjudge when parking or driving against a wall, for example, this can have an impact on the ball rod and the liability. The removed ball rod is best stored in the trunk. We always provide you with a bag in which you can safely stow the ball rod and additionally protect your trunk from dirt. It is best to stow the detachable towbar so that it cannot slide back and forth and is instead firmly in one place. The best place in the trunk is often where the first-aid kit is also stored.

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Loading the trailer properly is not that easy. There are a number of things to pay attention to, for example the correct distribution of the load and securing play a major role. Above all, the weight of the load is important, it not only has to be distributed correctly to enable the trailer to travel as smoothly as possible. The permissible total weight of the car/trailer combination must not be exceeded, which of course is also influenced by the payload. The permissible total weight of the train results from the permissible trailer load, the permissible total weight of the vehicle and the unladen weight of the towing vehicle and must not exceed the values ​​in the vehicle registration document.

Overloading the trailer

While overloading cars (PGM up to 7.5 tons) or trailers (CGM up to 2 tons) of over 5% only results in a fine of € 10, with 30% overloading it is already € 235 and one point on one’s driver’s licence. If you are traveling with a truck and trailer, the penalties are higher. In any case, fines and, if necessary, points are also due for the vehicle owner. So if you borrow a car/trailer combination and are caught with an overload, the owner of the combination will also be asked to checkout. The penalties for the keeper are higher, so if the overload is more than 5%, the keeper must already pay € 140 and expect a point.

You must also always pay attention to the vertical load when loading. The vertical load is defined as the load that the trailer coupling is subjected to from above. The vertical load is specified for both your vehicle and the towbar. It is often the case that the two values ​​are different. In this case, the lower value applies and must be observed. If the permissible drawbar load is exceeded, a fine of € 25 must be payed if it is exceeded by up to 50%. If more than 50 % are exceeded, € 60 are due, in addition you have to count on a point on your licence. This offense also has an impact on the vehicle owner.

Below you will find the differentiation for fines and penalties that may arise when overloading your car/trailer combination.

Overloading cars / trucks (PGI up to 7.5 tons) or trailers (PGI up to 2 tons)

• by over 5%: € 10
• by over 10%: € 30
• by over 15%: € 35
• by over 20%: € 95, 1 point
• by over 25%: 140 €, 1 point
• by over 30%: € 235, 1 point

Overloading trucks or trailers (ZGG over 2 tons)

• by 2-5%: € 30
• by over 5%: € 80, 1 point
• by over 10%: 110 €, 1 point
• by over 15%: 140 €, 1 point
• by over 20%: € 190, 1 point
• by over 25%: € 285, 1 point
• by over 30%: € 380, 1 point

Vehicle owner: Overloading trucks or trailers (zGG over 2 tons)

• by 2-5%: € 35
• by over 5%: 140 €, 1 point
• by over 10%: € 235, 1 point
• by over 15%: € 285, 1 point
• by over 20%: € 389, 1 point
• by over 25%: € 425, 1 point
• by over 30%: € 425, 1 point

Drawbar load exceeded

• by up to 50%: € 25
• by more than 50%: € 60, 1 point
• Permissible drawbar load not indicated by sign: € 5

You can find more information on the website of the German schedule of penalties.