Tow bar noise

[Wooders]

Originally Posted by Numb Thumbs

If the bolt gets sheared off - which is a real possibility when it is the lowest point on the rear of the car - you have a problem.

Cheers
Numb Thumbs

Every heard of an easy out?
Seriously if you have a bolt with just the head sticking down I SERIOUSLY doubt you are going to sheer it of or catch it on anything.
I said by what I said, regardless of how hard you go offroad, the correct sized bolt is THE correct way to secure the hitch from rattling.

[Clarky]

Drill & tap a hole in the side or top edge of the bar, problem solved.

[cruiserfied]

I always thought that you are supposed to loosen the bolt when towing. I've welded on many new nuts (Toyota) as the spot welds holding the original nuts break quite easily with the 100kg + downball loading if they are positioned under and behind the hitch pin. Of course the picture above is different because the bolt threads straight into the receiver.

[Escapable]

Originally Posted by Clarky

Drill & tap a hole in the side or top edge of the bar, problem solved.

I always wanted to drill and tap a hole in mine (it does not have one) but alas I am not a mech or auto engineer, so I leave the location up to them as they know the consequenses.
I have noted that different manufacturers prefer this location.. maybe they do know?

One thing I do know is that the noise is less with the trailer connected .. with the tow ball properly adjusted.

[Galvo]

I'm with Numb Thumbs on this one. Looking at mine is it could easily take a knock and cause some swear words to come out! Maybe one of the bolt head protectors – like the ones Chief Products sent me with the sump protection plate would be an easy fix.

[Clarky]

Mine has the bolt underneath & if anyone is going to sheer it off it would be me, so far no problems.

[scarps]

Originally Posted by Clarky

Mine has the bolt underneath & if anyone is going to sheer it off it would be me, so far no problems.

Same, no problem to date with mine and I've had it in some pretty rocky climbs in the Vic High Country. Next time you get a chance, park next to another Brand 4by and have a look at the clearance angle on your GC compared to a Pajero, Cruiser, dual cab etc. The departure angle on ours is one of the best and you would normally remove your tow tongue when off road. The only damage I've done to date was to my aux tank and that was 100% driver error when I was reversing back down a rocky section and should have had someone spotting me, to tell me that I was about to drop into a rut.....

Interestingly, when I do go off road I usually slip the recovery post and shackle into the hitch and the bolt underneath screws right up and in with no contact between the post and bolt, so you could actually remove the bolt altogether when off road. If you're worried about potential damage to the internal thread because it's open, then a grub screw would do the trick.