Detachable tow bars and tank guards.

[Disco_Stu]

I've been thinking about getting a tank guard for the Disco but as yet I'm undecided which type. I also want to fit a tow bar, either a detachable type or one thats high mounted and I can then remove the drop plate, I dont tow very often so it wouldn't be too inconvenient.
My choices are between tank guards with integral hitches or separate items, but then I may have problems fitting them if they share the same mounting holes.

So, what have you guys got? Lets have some piccies :)

Stu.

[TEMPER593]

Hi stu. :)

Mate have u had a look see at guardian4x4?
Its the best 1 i've seen so far and im eyeing it myself. :drool:

Cheers TEMP.

[Disco_Stu]

Yeh, looks nice.
Price is a bit tasty tho  :shock:

If thats what I have to pay in the end, fair enough but I'm pretty tight me :)

Stu.

[landroverkeith]

I have the golddigger4x4 one on my Disco

[karlo]

[J.D.]

Southdown one, if you look in the other thread recently about the same topic, you will see why!

[muddyjames]

but as far as I can tell none of these type of hitches allow the mounting for a dixon bate slider which I need for my caravan. Do any of them allow such an item to be bolted on?

[Range Rover Blues]

You can bolt the DB slider to the drop plate on a Southdown and I'm sure on the Guardian one as well, both work in a similar manner.

What none of them do is provide and alternative "rack" for the DB to go straight on to.

[muddyjames]

I tow my caravan with a DB shock link.

I feel having a link to the tank guard then bolted too the rack with no reinforcement like all other db racks do and then pins to the shock link then tow bar seems alot of stress through the tank guard linkages etc. Guessingnot a great plan?

Sorry feel I have hi jakced the thread. sorry.  :oops:

[KingWolf]

I have the Guardian tank guard on mine - It's a really strong piece of kit and offers excellent protection.

Mark.

[crazymac]

I have the Guardian one, and its a top piece of kit!

The detachable drop plate has 3 sets of holes, so you can set the tow ball for the height you need. I have two trailers, one needs the ball at the lowest height, one needs it on the next set up! All I need to do is swap over a couple of times a year.

[DiscoDan]

Hi.

Don't forget the US receiver hitch type of tow bar. Used to be available from Discoparts but Scorpion do an identical one which is better made in my opinion, only about £20 difference in price at the shows.

The square receiver bolts on using the standard towbar mounts and you can fit drop plates or recovery eyes as you wish with only 1 pin to remove.

For the tank guard you can get one that uses the original tank mount bolts so no conflict with the towbar. I've seen Ebay recently, £40 plus £15 delivery.

HTH, Dan

[Range Rover Blues]

The only problem, and the reason I don't have one, is that by the time it's long enough to reach 14 inches from the floor, the dropplate is so long form a US reciever tha it would be unsafe to tow any significant weight, like say a car trailer.

As for the Southdown, well you can jack the back of the car up on it, I run my winch from mine and I've towed 3 tonnes with it on the bottom set of holes (and mine is a long one, ooh-err :roll:) without any problems.

[karlo]

[Disco_Stu]

Thanks for all the replies so far lads. Anyone just got a detachable or high mount tow bar I can take a look at?

Stu.

[Jake]

I had a dixon bate on my Southdown.
It looked rubbish when fitted due to the size but worked a treat

And yes, i did paint it black  ;)
 :D

[crazymac]

Here is my Guardian one

[TEMPER593]

Crazymac is there room to fit a nato hitch to the top of that and cut the bottom 6'' off that drop plate? :-k


Cheers TEMP

[crazymac]

Crazymac is there room to fit a nato hitch to the top of that and cut the bottom 6'' off that drop plate? :-k


Cheers TEMP

I see no reason why not, but if you email Spence at guardianoffroadproducts@talktalk.net then he will be able to answer the question from an engineering point of view. He really knows his products.

[muddyjames]

I had a dixon bate on my Southdown.
It looked rubbish when fitted due to the size but worked a treat

And yes, i did paint it black  ;)
 :D

To me I wouldnt be happy towing with that because on defenders etc there are support bars bracing the bottom of it and that doesnt have any.

I would work out a way to fit bars somehow. No idea how though :lol:

[stageonesimmo]

2 bits of angle between the rear-most pin on the guard and the pin on the shackle plate would do it nicely - may need to use slightly longer pins to accommodate the 'braces' and the ends would need to be bent accordingly to make for the differences in width.........

I'm watching this thread with interest as I've not seen anyone come up with a way of combining an ally tank guard and a de-mountable hitch yet - thats the combination I'm after, but the drama is that both bits of kit want to use the same mounts (where my JATE rings are currently) but on the same side of the chassis which is impossible.

So, anyone know of a combination of de-mountable tow-hitch and ally tank-guard where the hitch is on the outside of the chassis rails and the tank guard mounts to the inner, both in the area of the JATE ring mounts, or if possible and even better, with mounts as far away from each other as possible!

I know, tall order...........  :lol:

[Disco_Stu]

Tell me about it Simmo, thats exactly what I'm trying to work out. How do I fit an equipe ally guard and still tow stuff?

Answers on a postcard....

Stu.

[stageonesimmo]

Problem shared - problem halved - not solved, just halved - now there's at least 2 of us up at awake at night wondering about this one.........

......... or more likely, just me.  :lol:

[Range Rover Blues]

Didn't scrapion sell a tank guard that fitted with their towbar?

[Disco_Stu]

Have they gone bust or is that just wishful thinking on the part of some people?

[stageonesimmo]

According to LRO/ORRP forums they've done us all a favour and died.

I would'nt have any of their over-priced tat on my motor anyway.

Unless of course, it was the only way to solve this particular problem  :doh:

[Range Rover Blues]

Well I wouldn't have their detachable anyway becasue the droppl ate is way too long and unsupported, but as he asked I'm sure I saw one with a tank guard too on their website.

[stageonesimmo]

Thinking about it - if the receivers (as in financial, not hitches) are indeed in, they might be flogging kit off cheap?

Worth a punt me thinks........

[karlo]

Company has been taken over.

http://www.scorpionracing.co.uk/

Scorpion Racing is under new management.
59 Great Cambridge Road
Cheshunt, EN8 8NZ
TEL: +44 (0)1992 630 701

[Disco_Stu]

Just had a look at their offering, I've got to say it looks quite neat and compact. Comparing it to the Guardian or southdown products, it doesn't look as substantial but thats half the issue, they are great pieces of kit but weigh as much as an average family saloon

As always with scrapiron there's no price, I suppose I can waste a phone call to them tomorrow.

Stu.