Technical Fitting a tow bar to panda 2004

[jon1612]

ok so decided i needed a small trailer for tip runs
slight problem no tow bar, bit of research and look on fleabay found one for £95 plus postage total price under £110 which includes the bypass relay system and all wiring.
arrived today from poland 4 days after ordering.
first impressions good solid bar and complete with everything you need to fit it.
a look in the haynes manual tells you how to get the bumper off which was not as bad as i expected - was going to leave till weekend but thought would see how bad it was.
bumper was off in 15 mins, some of the screws in the wheel arch needed a bit of a fiddle but otherwise was ok - only problem i came across was the captive plates needed to bolt the bar through the chassis were too big to fit through the hole in the chassis end cover but 2 mins later and a cut with tin snips soon had it sorted. you are supplied a full set of bolts but didnt need 3 of them as car had captive bolts holding the crash bar in place - so reused them - did find a cable hanging down at the rear of the car which i assume to be wiring for the tow socket but probably needs a expensive module adding somewhere to the body computer so just pushed it back inside car boot and will use the very comprehensive wiring kit that came with the bar. bumper off, bar fitted and bumper back on on my own all done in under 2 hours - have wired the tow socket but not connected inside the car yet.
all pics have comments on for guidance. The bar is rated at 900 kg towing though the gross weight of my trailer is 300 kg.
very pleased with the build of it - only downside is the instructions were in polish but didnt need them as a picture tells a thousand words.

Oh forgot to mention there is NO BUMPER CUT required unlike the Witter and Westfalia bars
any questions message me

 

[2668GRIFFIN]

That connector you found behind the crash bar is for reversing sensors, there will be a small loom from the sensors that plugs into this.
I've seen reversing sensors on the net for your car for around £60 second hand and complete.......so you could have reversing sensors on your car, diy fit, trip to fiat to get it enabled.......simples
LUIGI

 

[jon1612]

thanks for that - thats explains it - if you look at picture of my bumper you will see that i already have aftermarket ones fitted ( hard to see as was a very good colour match with the ones i bought for £20 )

 

[DTanner]

All,

I have a 1.2L Fiat Panda Dynamic Eco 2009 (Petrol).

I am considering a camping trip at the end of the month but want to use a small trailer (Erde 122) to help transport our gear. However, my Panda does not have a towbar so I need some advice about fitting one myself.
I found this post and it looks relevant, but I have some questions:
1) In installing a towbar is an electrical connection required for a small trailer? I would prefer to have one anyway.
2) What towbar would you recommend?
3) I am most worried about the electrics:
a. How straightforwards is it to connect the wiring harness from wherever it is in the car to the towbar, so that the connection can be made to the trailer?
b. Are there any instructions or guides for connection of the electrics? Is it a simple connection or does it require ripping up the car interior and soldering?
I have looked at Towbar Express but a quote of £360 makes me think I should do it as: 1) parts would be around £100 (so a saving could be made) and 2) I enjoy working on the car where I can.

Please let me know what you think!
Thanks

 

[PuntoHowTo]

You will need electrics even on a small trailer.

To install the electrics you will need a bypass relay, which allows the lights on the trailer to work Without setting off all the bulb fail warnings on the dash. These can be a bit of a faff to fit but not beyond a diy mechanic, you will then need a tow bar, most off eBay will do the job.

I believe the law requires any new towbar to be professionally fitted, but then again if it was fitted when you bought the car.... how would anyone know

They are usually fairly easy to fit, some bolts and brackets attach to points on the bottom of the car put there when it was built. Just be careful if there is a lot of rust around the brackets you might want to seek a professional opinion

 

[DTanner]

Great, thanks for the feedback.

I was looking at getting the following:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/172490052379

There are instructions for the mechanics and electrics included, though I am sure I will find some gaps.

This video looks very useful, as it is based on the Panda, though not in English:


This video looks good for some general info on wiring:


Hopefully this will be enough to get me through. Shout if you have any advice or information.

Thanks.

 

[09 johno]

Seems easy enough, however, I wouldn't use 'scotch-lock' connectors on the wiring, they become moisture and corrosion traps and also really bulky when connecting a large number of wires.
My preferred method is to solder in the new wires, I would buy a separate multipin connector so that if and when you unbolt the towbar ball you can unplug the towing electrical socket and store them safely away together.


I use the same method on my Goldwing and sidecar, when I remove the sidecar for summer riding the electrics just unplug at one point.
which includes the towing electrics as it has a towbar as well!