This may be of interest to Plumber for his data base or any one who had a Wesfalia/Skoda towing kit fitted to their Yeti or any other Skoda. Skoda has finaly come up with a fix to make their tow bar legal, ie to enable the attachment of a breakaway cable or a secondary means of attachment for an unbraked trailer.You need to fit a clamp on the tow bar, part number 5L0056705 to resolve the problem. I would think it would be free to some one who bought their Yeti with towbar fitted or about £8 over the counter.

Iamgeob

This may be of interest to Plumber for his data base or any one who had a Wesfalia/Skoda towing kit fitted to their Yeti or any other Skoda. Skoda has finaly come up with a fix to make their tow bar legal, ie to enable the attachment of a breakaway cable or a secondary means of attachment for an unbraked trailer.You need to fit a clamp on the tow bar, part number 5L0056705 to resolve the problem. I would think it would be free to some one who bought their Yeti with towbar fitted or about £8 over the counter.

Iamgeob

Hi,

Which towbar are we talking about? All towbars supplied by Skoda are 'legal' (not sure what you mean by legal though).

Chris.

Hi,

Which towbar are we talking about? All towbars supplied by Skoda are 'legal' (not sure what you mean by legal though).

Chris.

There is a requirement that you have a separate attachment point for a cable that activates a switch on a braked trailer, should the trailer come off the ball. This turns the trailer brakes on - before it gets ripped away.

My dealer arranged this with a separate eyebolt attached to the car, as the Westfalia hitch does not have this.

There is a requirement that you have a separate attachment point for a cable that activates a switch on a braked trailer, should the trailer come off the ball. This turns the trailer brakes on - before it gets ripped away.

My dealer arranged this with a separate eyebolt attached to the car, as the Westfalia hitch does not have this.

Under EU type approval regs there is no requirement for a separate attachment point to attach a breakaway cable. It is desirable, but not a requirement. As my question has not been answered I have to assume that the original poster was referring to the detachable swan neck towbar. this has full EU type approval. UK law only refers to separation of a braked trailer not breakage of the coupling therefore when AL-KO looked at the problem in conjunction with the Police advice was subsequently issued via the National Caravan Council in 2003 covering this situation. To comply with UK law it was deemed that to connect the breakaway cable around the swanneck was sufficient to ensure compliance.

However, it is important to understand that this advise only applies to braked trailers up to 3500kg GVW. The advice does NOT apply to unbraked trailers of up to 750kg GVW, here the law requires that a secondary coupling is used to ensure that the trailer remains attached to the towing vehicle if the main coupling fails.

The advise I received both from Skoda and the Caravan Club supports this.

Chris.

I agree with the above post - Any towbar is legal as long as it has the correct labeling showing it's designed loading and the vehicle it was designed for.(& fitted too of course!)

The breakaway cable can be attached either to a specific 'eye' on the towbar mounting, or in the case of a 'Swan neck' or detachable tow bar looped around the tow bar itself. BUT in all cases it must be attached by cliping the cable onto itself, NOT by clipping directly onto the 'eye'

This is a link to the Caravan Clubs leaflet on the subject:

http://www.caravanclub.co.uk/media/21535/Coupling-Up-a-Caravan-to-a-Car.pdf

I agree with the above post - Any towbar is legal as long as it has the correct labeling showing it's designed loading and the vehicle it was designed for.(& fitted too of course!)

The breakaway cable can be attached either to a specific 'eye' on the towbar mounting, or in the case of a 'Swan neck' or detachable tow bar looped around the tow bar itself. BUT in all cases it must be attached by cliping the cable onto itself, NOT by clipping directly onto the 'eye'

This is a link to the Caravan Clubs leaflet on the subject:

http://www.caravancl...an-to-a-Car.pdf

Seems very strange to me that the official Skoda tow-bar has a maximum load limit of 1800KG and the towing Maximum towing weight for the 4 x 4 Yeti is 2000KG

Seems very strange to me that the official Skoda tow-bar has a maximum load limit of 1800KG and the towing Maximum towing weight for the 4 x 4 Yeti is 2000KG

I spotted this too, perhaps it's a throw back to some of the original vague weights that were being given in the early days of the Yeti, or on who you ask, a dealer has a brochure that says 1,800kg, a tow bar fitter says 2,000kg. I plan to fit a Brink or Westfalia swan neck, and they are listed as 2,000 KG - or they are from the websites I have been looking at. (This of course is all dependant on my Yeti arriving sometime in the next 12 -14 days, rumour has it that mine should be on the ship due into Sheerness tomorrow !!!)

I spotted this too, perhaps it's a throw back to some of the original vague weights that were being given in the early days of the Yeti, or on who you ask, a dealer has a brochure that says 1,800kg, a tow bar fitter says 2,000kg. I plan to fit a Brink or Westfalia swan neck, and they are listed as 2,000 KG - or they are from the websites I have been looking at. (This of course is all dependant on my Yeti arriving sometime in the next 12 -14 days, rumour has it that mine should be on the ship due into Sheerness tomorrow !!!)

I contacted Westfalia about the limit on the detachable version (Skoda approved) and their reply ignored the question but pointed out that the swan neck version was rated a 2000KG

This may be of interest to Plumber for his data base or any one who had a Wesfalia/Skoda towing kit fitted to their Yeti or any other Skoda. Skoda has finaly come up with a fix to make their tow bar legal, ie to enable the attachment of a breakaway cable or a secondary means of attachment for an unbraked trailer.You need to fit a clamp on the tow bar, part number 5L0056705 to resolve the problem. I would think it would be free to some one who bought their Yeti with towbar fitted or about £8 over the counter.

Iamgeob

Hi iamgeob,

thanks for the info . Is the part number you quote (5L0056705 ) a Skoda UK part number - or is it a Westfalia number ? . I like the idea of a proper attachment

point for the safety cable rather than just looping it around the swan neck.

The secondary coupling for the tow bar has come up in the latest products of the Skoda UK accessories section

secondary coupling

The 5L start to the part number makes this component a Yeti designed item, notice the other Skoda models have their own couplings.

Regards,

TP

The secondary coupling for the tow bar has come up in the latest products of the Skoda UK accessories section

secondary coupling

The 5L start to the part number makes this component a Yeti designed item, notice the other Skoda models have their own couplings.

Regards,

TP

I wonder what it looks like? and where it fits.

Mike

I wonder what it looks like? and where it fits.

Mike

I was just about to ask exactly the same question

The secondary coupling for the tow bar has come up in the latest products of the Skoda UK accessories section

secondary coupling

The 5L start to the part number makes this component a Yeti designed item, notice the other Skoda models have their own couplings.

Regards,

TP

Hi TP,

Thanks for your post about the availability of this " secondary coupling" for the Skoda approved detachable towbars ( Westfalia ).

Is there any way of finding out what this attachment is and what it looks like . The Skoda link you posted just says "no photo available".

I think you know more about Skoda,s than Skoda themselves do - so hope you can advise.

Many thanks John

"Secondary coupling bracket to enable towing of trailers below 75kgs that are unbraked, designed to fit with genuine accessory tow bars."

This seems specific to trailers UNDER 75kgs. Are you sure this is what you want?

Fred

The dealers computer system has a "sketch" on its parts listing. It is difficult to say how good or substantial it is. I have ordered one anyway. Will post pictures when I get it.

I tow a small trailer using my motorbike (for the camping gear, airbeds etc.). I do have a cable attachment between the bike and the trailer. It would be an 'interesting' experience if ever the trailer did become detached.

tom

I would be interested on how much you owners paid for tow bars , my dealer quoted over £900 for twin plugs or 13 pin + adaptor almost £200,over what was shown in showroom , the showroom price was for single electrics :wonder:

I have contacted Trident trailors in Maidstone ,and fitted including updating cars ECU £709 and the best part is that according to Trident , a lot of car dealers just farm out towbar fitting to companies like them , as they are the experts in this field, so a £200 mark up , not good , but the dealer freely admitted that a lot of customers , taken aback by the dealer fit price ,have gone aftermarket.

That is way over the top for a tow bar. I paid £390 for a swan neck towbar with twin 7 pin elecrics, vehicle specific wiring kit and coding at Phil Taylor towbars at Horndean in Hants. It was fitted while I waited in about 1 1/2 hours. It pays to shop around and not rely on dealer to fit towbars.

Ian

That is way over the top for a tow bar. I paid £390 for a swan neck towbar with twin 7 pin elecrics, vehicle specific wiring kit and coding at Phil Taylor towbars at Horndean in Hants. It was fitted while I waited in about 1 1/2 hours. It pays to shop around and not rely on dealer to fit towbars.

Ian

I forgot to add, the quotations were for a detachable tow ball , was yours detachable ? if so it will be worth a trip down to Hants

Also did you need factory towing preparation ?

Edited 28 April, 201115 yr by MX51ROD

I forgot to add, the quotations were for a detachable tow ball , was yours detachable ? if so it will be worth a trip down to Hants

Also did you need factory towing preparation ?

Having a detachaable will add £75 - £100 to the price, exactly the same amount of work, just the difference in the tow bar cost.

It is usually better (cheaper) not to have the factory prep if you are going to a towbar company, various systems are avaialble that duplicate the factory prep, but include the '12s' electrics as well.

I am having mine fitted in Chester (when the car eventually arrives!!) for £390 + vat for swan neck, full 13 pin electrics properly 'plumbed in' and the electronics reprogrammed etc It's just a bit too far for me to go to Hampshire. BTW you may find that the detachable has a slightly lower towing limit than a 'fixed' bar, I seem to think that it gets quoted at 1800kgs as opposed to 2000kgs.

I would definatly stay away from a dealer for this, they are going to charge their normal labour rate, take it to an expert..

It is usually better (cheaper) not to have the factory prep if you are going to a towbar company, various systems are avaialble that duplicate the factory prep, but include the '12s' electrics as well.

That is very misleading information!

Factory prep not only includes the wiring fitted from the front to the back of the vehicle, but also includes bigger fans for the radiator, which are a very useful addition, especially if towing a heavy caravan.

Please check your facts and the requirements of the person enquiring before you make some statements.

That is very misleading information!

Factory prep not only includes the wiring fitted from the front to the back of the vehicle, but also includes bigger fans for the radiator, which are a very useful addition, especially if towing a heavy caravan.

Please check your facts and the requirements of the person enquiring before you make some statements.

Sorry, perhaps I should have qualified that a bit better, what I meant was it would be cheaper overall, as indications are that you get charged the same price whether or not you have had the tow bar prep fitted..

I agree that the extra parts fitted as part of the towbar prep are useful, especially if you are having a detacheable bar fitted as it includes the 'hatch', however I personally have never had an overheating problem when towing a heavy caravan with a vehicle of this size, (& that includes a Touran with a 140 engine)and I wonder if perhaps Skoda's approach is a little bit 'belt & braces'. certainly I don't recall seeing any reports of problems from forum members who have gone down the 'independant' route.

Having said that, I would have ordered mine with towbar prep, but the information I looked at said 'not suitable for caravans' so I ordered without - as others have pointed out sometimes Skoda's literature leaves a lot to be desired !!

The last two replies certainly muddy the water , the major part of my towing is and will be in southern France , where daytime temperatures can be in excess of 30c ,

One of the routes I do often with the caravan is over the “ Massif Central “ on my way to southern France , this involves an arduous climb to over 1000 m . Even the cooling system in the current Mk 6 Passat has to work flat out, and to help, the AC has to be shut down .

So this makes VERY interesting reading. The dealer WILL be getting a call later. I want to get this done correctly from the beginning

Rod,

exactly what I mean about not giving advise until the full facts are known.

In your case I would say that the larger fans are definately needed. I can think of hills around here that even with my light van the engine temp starts to creep up, even now.

Interesting..... when I bought mine, the salesman said, " You won't save any money by having the factory prep...", so I didn't.

But, I will want a towbar fitted in the future; seems like I may miss out on some goodies that may have been made available.

Which goes to prove what several have said in the past; that even the salesman don't have good product knowledge some of the time!