When something hits your towbar

[barra265t]

Anybody had something come up against your falcon's towbar and drove away with no damage at all? Just had some stupid middle-aged women in a roofless '10 jeep cherokee ram into my towbar at a yellow light going red. Put a nice big dent in her front bar and a hole in her number plate, but my falcon and towbar still look spot on. Car still drives as before, panel gaps all still even and boot opens/shuts A1. Have I got away lucky?

[V3RSAC3]

My mum was in the front of a 3car pile up in my Fairmont. ... the VX wagon that hit my back was written off and the Subaru that hit her was too. But mine, just a small dent in the back lol

[BOSHOG]

Originally Posted by barra265t

Anybody had something come up against your falcon's towbar and drove away with no damage at all? Just had some stupid middle-aged women in a roofless '10 jeep cherokee ram into my towbar at a yellow light going red. Put a nice big dent in her front bar and a hole in her number plate, but my falcon and towbar still look spot on. Car still drives as before, panel gaps all still even and boot opens/shuts A1. Have I got away lucky?

time will tell if you were lucky or not, i wouldve exchanged details and got your car inspected to see if there was indeed any structural damage

[g220ba]

Just remember all that force was essentially transfered directly into your chassis, I would at the very least have exchanged details then had the vehicle inspected to ensure no damage. It can be very deceptive with no visible damage.

[barra265t]

Originally Posted by 84ltd

Just remember all that force was essentially transfered directly into your chassis, I would at the very least have exchanged details then had the vehicle inspected to ensure no damage. It can be very deceptive with no visible damge.

Have the number plate written down.
Who can do an inspection and where does the factory towbar hook up to on a BA?

[barra265t]

Originally Posted by V3RSAC3

My mum was in the front of a 3car pile up in my Fairmont. ... the VX wagon that hit my back was written off and the Subaru that hit her was too. But mine, just a small dent in the back lol

Did your fairmont have a towbar, or is the AU built that tough :

[FG XR]

had a guy run in the back of my previous car at a stop sign on the way home from work. Hit my tow bar but i didnt know that! Felt harder so i assumed atleast my bumper was stuffed. I looked up in my mirror and pulled over onto the side of the road as soon as i turned the corner however to my dissmay the idiot drove straight past me! : So i followed him home (he ended up living 5 minutes up the road) and i pulled into his driveway, got out and asked why he didnt stop and his reply was "there wasnt any damage". I said well it was a hard hit so what if i had whiplash etc? Lucky for him he was right their was no damage that i could see, not even a scratch but that still didnt stop me from taken a picture of his car, rego, noting his address and asking him for his licence details.

Wonder if he would have driven off it he hit a car with a baby on board or an elderly driver?

Got the car inspected just incase but luckly no damage and everything was ok. Just the impact of the car felt like something had to be damaged.

Wont hurt just to get it checked out

[V3RSAC3]

Originally Posted by barra265t

Did your fairmont have a towbar, or is the AU built that tough :

The AU's an ANIMAL!!! :ticking:

But, nah I've a Heavy Duty Tow Pack

[Feathers]

I had the same thing happen. Some bimbo P-plater had assumed I was going to run a red light because there was no one else around. I didn't.

She didn't even get out to look at the nice hole she'd just punched into her bumper, just handed me her licence and told me her parents would pay for any damage.

I got the car checked out and it was fine. I could have got a bumper respray out of her though. It needs one from whatever the previous owner scraped all over it...

[ebxr8240]

All the gaps will be about right now ?? Lol..

[Pinch]

Regardless of other unseen structural damage which others haven commented on, I would be very wary of towing anything decent with a bar that has taken a decent hit. A standard BA towbar is 1600kg rated, and I certainly wouldn't want to tow anything like that with the bar unless it had been checked. Towing or smash repair place maybe?

Have had two rear enders in cars with bars attached. No visible damage, and no structural (luckily) but both bars were sent to recycling and the other person paid for new ones. Not something you want to mess with. Any rear hit with a tongue or hitch still in and my smashy gets rid of the bar. I actually think its illegal too to leave a tongue on or a hitch in - just never enforced.

I also never keep my hitches in anymore anyway. While it might stop cosmetic damage, it transfers the impact to more serious places where the damage remains unseen, or bypasses the force from energy absorbing crumple zone straight into the chassis and your seat which can mess your neck up for life... oh and the 'lane is so long won't fit in the garage with the hitch still plugged in anyway. Bit harder with a towbar though as you have to undo the two bolts holding the tongue on, but still takes less than 20 seconds to get on and off.

I would get both the chassis and the bar itself inspected.

[ebxr8240]

Originally Posted by Pinch

Regardless of other unseen structural damage which others haven commented on, I would be very wary of towing anything decent with a bar that has taken a decent hit. A standard BA towbar is 1600kg rated, and I certainly wouldn't want to tow anything like that with the bar unless it had been checked. Towing or smash repair place maybe?

Have had two rear enders in cars with bars attached. No visible damage, and no structural (luckily) but both bars were sent to recycling and the other person paid for new ones. Not something you want to mess with. Any rear hit with a tongue or hitch still in and my smashy gets rid of the bar. I actually think its illegal too to leave a tongue on or a hitch in - just never enforced.

I also never keep my hitches in anymore anyway. While it might stop cosmetic damage, it transfers the impact to more serious places where the damage remains unseen, or bypasses the force from energy absorbing crumple zone straight into the chassis and your seat which can mess your neck up for life... oh and the 'lane is so long won't fit in the garage with the hitch still plugged in anyway. Bit harder with a towbar though as you have to undo the two bolts holding the tongue on, but still takes less than 20 seconds to get on and off.

I would get both the chassis and the bar itself inspected.

Come on !! Paranoia reigns supreme ...

[galaxy xr8]

This is why I have my tow ball on, It's not going to stop a major hit but it might just save some panel damage one day.

[galaxy xr8]

[QUOTE=Pinch] I actually think its illegal too to leave a tongue on or a hitch in - just never enforced.

QUOTE]
I do believe this is true, well in Vic anyway.

[barra265t]

Originally Posted by galaxy xr8

This is why I have my tow ball on, It's not going to stop a major hit but it might just save some panel damage one day.

Exactly, more so when you've got a genuine fpv rear bar and only got 3rd party insurance.

[Pinch]

Originally Posted by ebxr8240

Come on !! Paranoia reigns supreme ...

First rear ender my wife was passenger, looked to the left to see if the dog we stopped for made it (it did - just). P Plater though accelerated into the back of the car with the tow bar attached. Angle of my wife's neck when the hit came damaged all the ligaments in her neck. Would have been injured anyway but was told by all and sundry that the towbar tongue attached made it worse.

She still suffers the affects 10 years later.

2nd accident (wife not in car, but I was lazy that day and left tongue on) and there was a hairline crack in the paint on the tongue. Towing 1500kg and swerving on a highway was probably not the best plan to take my chances on how lateral forces affect weakened metal. I take it I am not alone in this though and this is why reputable repairers and insurers replace rather than taking the chance. Trailer sway with a damaged bar will greatly exaggerate underlying deficiences. I admit though that I had never thought about it much either though until explained to me by experts.

Actually wasn't my idea to change, it was just done and explained why when I picked it up. It was two different repairers over a period of a few years.

I haven't heard that Hayman Reese or Carosel did rear-end crash studies on their bars though which proved at which collisions they were safe to still use, and those which necessitated their replacement - which is why they are generally replaced.

Cautious? Yes.

Paranoid? Hardly.

You can guarantee if there was no merit in replacement that insurers would not pay for it, they aren't exactly charities. Yet they do all the time.

Laissez Faire is probably not the best concept for dealing with damaged cars.

[DJM83]

Originally Posted by barra265t

Exactly, more so when you've got a genuine fpv rear bar and only got 3rd party insurance.

No one to blame but yourself in that case if your car is indeed damaged

[mik]

your engine /gearbox is mounted on rubber mounts , a sudden shunt to the rear end can do all sort of things, a mate of mine did exactly what you did no change off adress, later that day the auto failed, it can buckle bodywork in unseen places , the next hit in the back it may fold up unexpectedly, you should always exchange names and address just incase, check your back door gaps.

[irish2]

Originally Posted by Pinch

Regardless of other unseen structural damage which others haven commented on, I would be very wary of towing anything decent with a bar that has taken a decent hit. A standard BA towbar is 1600kg rated, and I certainly wouldn't want to tow anything like that with the bar unless it had been checked.

I wouldn't worry about the bar, just the transferance of force to weaker areas. Most bars have over 1 inch square of steel in the main body. 1 square inch of standard mild steel has a 28 tonne shear load or in imperial terms steel has a shear strength of 60,000PSI. If your connections to the car are intact i doubt you would have trouble towing 1600kg's after the bar has had a hit.

[barra265t]

Originally Posted by mik

your engine /gearbox is mounted on rubber mounts , a sudden shunt to the rear end can do all sort of things, a mate of mine did exactly what you did no change off adress, later that day the auto failed, it can buckle bodywork in unseen places , the next hit in the back it may fold up unexpectedly, you should always exchange names and address just incase, check your back door gaps.

Was your mate driving a VT commodore or something? Bit surprised if it was a falcon, as 50% of my car's parts (entire drivetrain) are out of a car that was sent flying across an intersection after being struck on front right by a f250 at around 60kph with a drunk behind the wheel. And my car's been ticking like clockwork for 50,000+ km's as a daily with just regular servicing.

[DJR-351]

Originally Posted by barra265t

Anybody had something come up against your falcon's towbar and drove away with no damage at all? Just had some stupid middle-aged women in a roofless '10 jeep cherokee ram into my towbar at a yellow light going red. Put a nice big dent in her front bar and a hole in her number plate, but my falcon and towbar still look spot on. Car still drives as before, panel gaps all still even and boot opens/shuts A1. Have I got away lucky?

Don't worry about the bloody car, are you sure you don't have any neck pain, even a little twinge $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

[Jastel]

Look underneath where the towbar bolts to the chassis rail (most types do) on the passenger side, there is usually a big slide part that lines up with a bolt sticking down from the car.

Take off your bumper and look behind it, there aere several bolts that hold it on here to, something will be bent unless it was just a small tap from the jeep

For serious impacts, ie other car doesn't drive away, your boot caved in, check engine and gearbox mountings as said, diff can be pushed forwards as well and usually it will start some driveline problems.

[Ross-b]

mates mums bf2 was in like a 3 or 4 car pile up
2 small cars and a pajero from memory all ploughed into the back of the bf2
towbar went through the boot

[uranium_death]

I would certainly get it checked out.
Back in 1987, my parents were turning right on Warragul Road (waiting) when a drunken sod in a Fairlane came flying into the back of their car. The force bent the heavy-duty towbar 90 degrees apparently. The damage to the car was minimal...actually, it was almost non-existent, or so it appeared.

The force went throughout the car and the chassis was warped like buggery. Write-off.

That is why all of our cars have towbars attached. We never tow.

[mik]

Originally Posted by barra265t

Was your mate driving a VT commodore or something? Bit surprised if it was a falcon, as 50% of my car's parts (entire drivetrain) are out of a car that was sent flying across an intersection after being struck on front right by a f250 at around 60kph with a drunk behind the wheel. And my car's been ticking like clockwork for 50,000+ km's as a daily with just regular servicing.

no it was a valiant but the point was you don`t know what damage is done in a rear ender even if it appears there`s no damage at the time, my dad also copped a hit in the rear hit and run, he tried to give chase but the gear linkage was bent and be could`nt select a gear, again no external damage could be seen .

[Ibrox90]

Interesting enough Back when I had my Magna, one of SAPOL's finest decided he wanted to rip off (Yes it came off completely) his front bumper on my magnas towbar.

No damage to the Magna at all.

Cop car removed and destroyed bumber, 2 punctured tires

[broken_suave]

I had a lady roll into me at a set of lights, only a few days ago.

We had both stopped, she (with kids in the car) obviously didnt realise she had taken her foot off the brake enough for her Pajero to roll forward and tap my car.

We pulled over to the side of the road after the lights. No damage to mine, and a round punch mark on her bumper. If I didnt have the bar on there, I'd have had damage to my rear bumper and possibly boot and tail lights, not heavy damage, but enough to send it to the beaters. Glad I hadnt taken it off in that situation.

Oh and I did get her info (we also had a little chat, she was a nice lady) and I'm having the chassis inspected this week, though i doubt there was enough of an impact to do anything.

[TUF_302]

I have the tounge in all the time on all my vehicles, it wont stop a huge smash but does offer a little bit of resistance if someone gets a bit to close, even have one on the XR8, you just never no who is behind you and how stupid they are

[barra265t]

Originally Posted by Jastel

Look underneath where the towbar bolts to the chassis rail (most types do) on the passenger side, there is usually a big slide part that lines up with a bolt sticking down from the car.

Take off your bumper and look behind it, there aere several bolts that hold it on here to, something will be bent unless it was just a small tap from the jeep

For serious impacts, ie other car doesn't drive away, your boot caved in, check engine and gearbox mountings as said, diff can be pushed forwards as well and usually it will start some driveline problems.

Thanks mate, had a look under her today and the chassis mounting points are as straight as she rolled off the factory. No contact was made with the bumper at all (bumper had dirt over it at the time and no dirt came off) .

When the impact happened, the car was still rolling forward and I didnt have my brake all the way down, as I was confused hearing this almighty screech (from the jeep, thought it was from my car) moment before the impact, thought my rear suspension had fallen out or something.

Anywhere else would I be looking? Where would I be going to get a proper inspection, would a mechanic be sufficient? I am reluctant to walk into a panelbeater as often their level of customer service is dirt and prices sky high unless you say the word 'insurance claim'.

[BradZ]

My dads Fairlane has one, I remember one time in a busy parking lot some lady smashed a nice big hole in her bumper from parking too close haha, it's like an insurance policy.