Isuzu Trooper Owners Club UK™

Philp · Posted: Wed Jun 11, 2008 13:17 Post subject: Fitting a tow bar

How easy is it to fit a tow bar yourself? When we get the wifes new X-Trail we need a tow bar and to get one fitted under the lease would have been stupid money, there was an option to pay cash but you are still prohibited from removing it when it goes back as I'd want to flog it on eebuygum! I've found someone on eebuygum selling genuine Nissan two bars for £160, plus £15 for a single electrics kit (its just to pull a trailer not one of those nasty caravan things Evil or Very Mad

) Should this be relatively easy to fit? I'm guessing that there should be bolt holes etc already there as its a genuine bar. This will save me about £80 over getting a non geniuine one fitted at a local independant towbar place.
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Phil

96 or is it a 98 Isuzu Bighorn Lotus

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dxmedia · Posted: Wed Jun 11, 2008 13:36 Post subject:

If it's straight forward wiring at the back, dead easy. I fitted one to a mk3 astra a few years ago in about an hour, and that one needed the floor drilling.
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Philp · Posted: Wed Jun 11, 2008 14:19 Post subject:

Nissan want £331 to supply and fit one, the parts guy seemed to indicate that even theirs isn't plug and play. The guy selling the towbars says it comes with full instructions, I've got a multimeter and soldering iron so it can't be that hard. Failing that I guess I could fit the bar and just get an auto electrician to fit the electrics, gotta be less than nissan want.
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Phil

96 or is it a 98 Isuzu Bighorn Lotus

Philp · Posted: Wed Jun 11, 2008 14:20 Post subject:

Oh and aftermarket ones are around the £265 mark.
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Phil

96 or is it a 98 Isuzu Bighorn Lotus

dxmedia · Posted: Wed Jun 11, 2008 14:26 Post subject:

If it's a single plug one, you need to tap into the left and right indicators lights and brake +ve's and a common -ve IIRC

Not that hard really. If you can actually get to the original fitting on the lights it might well be possibly to make an extension piece rather than cutting the original lume? Plug the original wire into extender and then split to holder + towbar
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jurrasic1412 · Posted: Wed Jun 11, 2008 14:52 Post subject:

Check behind the bumper,,IIRC,,there may well already be the wiring there to just plug into on a couple of multi plug type things,,

A mate bought a newpatrol not so long ago and had the same dilemma,,was 6 bolts and 4 plugs,,that was a twin electrics set up..took less than an hour and that was having to "adjust" the actual bar so it didnt sit that low.....

Philp · Posted: Wed Jun 18, 2008 13:46 Post subject:

No plugs there, the main dealer reckoned it takes a few hours work for the electrician to plumb the electrics in, I wonder at the sanity of Nissan tbh, most 4x4's end up with a towbar on so why the hell do they not spend a couple of quid extra and fit a socket in the loom to plug the wiring into. In the end we've decided to get one fitted by Indespension (its a Brink fixed towbar with single electrics) as its only £230 fitted so fifty five quid more than just buying one and fitting it myself, by the time I've bought all the little bits and bobs I'll need to do a decent job I'd rather pay someone else to do it as time is the biggest pressure for me atm. Between looking after the twins and all the other stuff I need to get done before we go to France on 2nd August. (I have four doors to make for the kitchen cupboards, have already made a wooden shutter, have a gate to make for the top of the steps outside, need to cut up a whole load of perforated sheet steel to block the eaves in, service the trailer, and so on.
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Phil

96 or is it a 98 Isuzu Bighorn Lotus

dxmedia · Posted: Wed Jun 18, 2008 13:57 Post subject:

I was under the back of the monterey the other day... that's got a plug for the tow bar, someone had spliced into the electrics on the plug to fit it Shocked

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Philp · Posted: Wed Jul 09, 2008 17:04 Post subject:

Just booked it in at Indespension for next week and the price has gone down to £183 as they're doing a special offer where you get free single electrics......result!
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Phil

96 or is it a 98 Isuzu Bighorn Lotus

Chris B · Posted: Wed Jul 09, 2008 19:17 Post subject:

Bigcolbee · Posted: Wed Jul 09, 2008 23:38 Post subject:

Don't know if this will help any?
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Bigcolbee · Posted: Wed Jul 09, 2008 23:45 Post subject:

Before anyone points out, I know it just shows up to 07 motors, but they may be worth a try Smile

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LTM: 000136

Alright brain, you don't like me and i don't like you, so let's just do this thing and I'll go back to killing you with beer

Philp · Posted: Thu Jul 10, 2008 13:24 Post subject:

Sadly it is a different towbar for an 08 motor and different roof bars and so on.........bloody thieving car manufacturers.
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Phil

96 or is it a 98 Isuzu Bighorn Lotus

Philp · Posted: Tue Jul 22, 2008 19:33 Post subject:

Got the bar fitted, a very nice neat job. Took the opportunity of the fine weather on Sunday to service the trailer before it gets dragged to France, greased/oiled everything, checked the brakes/lights work, washed it out as it had done a few tip runs and needs to be clean inside. Hooked it up to the x-trail and dragged it round to the petrol station to check the tyres as my gauge doesn't go up to the 65 psi they need to be at, good job really as they were at 34 and 37 psi so topped them up and the spare. Tows nicely behind it although you could tell it was there as its quite heavy even empty, it being an Ifor Williams with added steel framed extension and lid. Remembered this time to change the number plate (now held on with three cable ties over the platye for the trooper which is stuck on. When I bought the new troop last summer a week before we went I forgot to change the plate and wondered why we were getting some strange looks when pulled out by security at the channel tunnel. Realised when we got to the house we had non matching number plates on so I covered it up with silver duck tape and magic markered the right number on.
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Phil

96 or is it a 98 Isuzu Bighorn Lotus

greasemonkey · Posted: Tue Jul 22, 2008 20:45 Post subject:

The trooper wiring kits are still available from VX - but you have to wait for them as they have to order them from Isuzu ? Who say they are not available for the trooper but they are in stock for the Monteray under a different part number - remove the first 8 and last 0 and there we go doh
cheers
Steve
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Isuzu Vehicross 3.2 V6 The Silver Bullet