Watling no longer exist, and the company that bought part of it no longer do the Z3 unit, focus is on motorhomes.
Looking for a Z3 towbar for cycle carrier use.
TIA
Looking for a Z3 towbar for cycle carrier use.
TIA
Wanted Z3 Towbar
- Thread starter KASPar
- Start date
Having seen pictures of the Watling bar, if you can weld you could make a bar from the bumper mounting brackets with a 2”/50mm receiver mounted below, hidden behind the number plate. More than capable of hanging a couple of bikes from.
Or I could get a blacksmith to copy one. I'm unable to do lots of things due to health issues. But I can drive and ride a bike
I have a carrier, or a few.You're too late. April Fools' Day was on Monday
It's a shame, really, as I used to have a cycle carrier you could have. It fits on a tow ball.
I have a Hollywood rack that fits on the boot of the Z3, used to carry 2 hybrid bikes, but won't take our 2 e-bikes. Surplus to requirements.
A Thule Velocompact 973 for 3 bikes that fits a tow ball, surplus to requirements.
The Thule Easyfold XT that carries our 2 e-bikes on the tug, which is the requirement for a tow bar on the Z3, as below
I don't think that will be safe for the Z3, that will be way too much weight for the rear bar.
If you look in the manual it actually says you cannot fit a tow bar to the Z3 but some companies made them anyway.
When you next pop down to the unit I'll show you closely why its an issue on the Z3, theres a 2.8 fitted with one there.
If you look in the manual it actually says you cannot fit a tow bar to the Z3 but some companies made them anyway.
When you next pop down to the unit I'll show you closely why its an issue on the Z3, theres a 2.8 fitted with one there.
Trust you are healing and not sunburned after your holibobs.
I'll be down on Saturday. Primarily to see how my car is coming along.
The 1998 Z3 2.8 is tow capable, later models were subject to type approval when tow bar regulations changed (not retrospectively) and don't have TA. BMW had a part number that was a Westfalia unit: Towing hitch vertical detachable - original Westfalia30331760000. The manual (Owner's Handbook), P163 gives technical data in respect of towing including nose weight and rear axle load that is the parameter for the cycle rack: together with a section on towing a trailer P92-94
If a car post TA reg change has numbers in each of the 4 rows/lines it can tow. Exemplar of my tug below:
Top numbers - 2950Kg Max vehicle Weight
second row - 6550Kg Gross Train Weight. If this is blank, the car is not Type Approved to tow.
1- 1450Kg front axle max load
2 - 1600Kg rear axle max load
More recently tyres, AdBlu, spoilers are used to establish emissions and subsequently non ability to tow.
Long gone are the days of just bolting a tow bar on, unless as in the case in point the car is older than the TA regs!
Trev's Z3 has a different tow bar as used to tow a teardrop. Mike's has the Watling one. Anyone got the Westfalia one?
I guess the question is ‘why’ would you want to given you have perfectly nice merc for that. Bolting on a few 100kg of e-bike on the back won’t do your zeds handling any good…also.. I am sure the tow bars were designed to pull supported weight not carry suspended weight. You Zed is mint mate..I wouldn’t mess with it! Other opinions are available 
Interesting, I'm not aware of any chassis changes with the Z3 so interested to see if the manuals say otherwise between models.
Unit has been closed for a few weeks while I heal up. So no builds have started or progressed at the moment, my head on crash was quite serious. Holiday was a welcomed rest/break. Will likely continue the Z3's in the next few weeks, also looking to get the clio out the way.
Why? cos I want to, and I've always done differentI guess the question is ‘why’ would you want to given you have perfectly nice merc for that. Bolting on a few 100kg of e-bike on the back won’t do your zeds handling any good…also.. I am sure the tow bars were designed to pull supported weight not carry suspended weight. You Zed is mint mate..I wouldn’t mess with it! Other opinions are available
The colour scheme of my Z3 and the works the ZedShed team are doing to it are different.Decades ago I was based in Oz and had a Ford Capri soft top (the Ford version of the Miata) that I used to put my fold up mountain bike in behind the passenger seat to go for rides along the coast. I carried that bike onboard planes as I worked and travelled all over the world. It kept me fit given my working life. I want the opportunity to relive that again as I re-adjust to health issues, the e-bikes allow me mobility I don't have by walking.
The e-bikes are not that heavy.
Life changed dramatically for my wife and I recently, hence the decision to have the ZedShed team do their magic on the Z3 to give us years of further enjoyment. Part of that is to use the Z3 more and combine with using the e-bikes to explore if we can. Yes we could just drive around, but to explore by bike given my mobility limitations adds to life. Or something as simple as pop down to our favourite seaside village, ride the coast cycle ways, have dinner at our fave place, then pootle home with the wind in our hair.
I've just worked out how to put the e-bikes in the back of the tug so we can tow the caravan, as they are too cumbersome to put on the roof carriers. in my inimitable way of doing things differently, it's me.
Perhaps if the tow bar is doable, I'll figure a trailer to tow the e-bikes behind the Z3.
All part of life's rich tapestry.
You could easily make a bike carrying trailer under.the towing weight limit. I made a boat trailer for a friend back.in the day.
Another friend went to work in the Greek Islands after his wife died, he wanted to take a Honda 50 along so I built a carrier for that which bolted onto the towbar on his Mk.3 Escort. All it takes is a little enginuity and imagination.
Tony.
Another friend went to work in the Greek Islands after his wife died, he wanted to take a Honda 50 along so I built a carrier for that which bolted onto the towbar on his Mk.3 Escort. All it takes is a little enginuity and imagination.
Tony.
Friend of mine who raced mountainbikes had one made by Mottez (French I think)..attached to the tow bar and had a single wheel
edit..found one on eBay
edit..found one on eBay
Mottez A352P - Single Wheel 5 Bike Trailer Carrier Tow Bar Rack | eBay
Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Mottez A352P - Single Wheel 5 Bike Trailer Carrier Tow Bar Rack at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products.
www.ebay.co.uk
Interesting, but need the tow bar 1st!!Friend of mine who raced mountainbikes had one made by Mottez (French I think)..attached to the tow bar and had a single wheel
edit..found one on eBay
Mottez A352P - Single Wheel 5 Bike Trailer Carrier Tow Bar Rack | eBay
Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Mottez A352P - Single Wheel 5 Bike Trailer Carrier Tow Bar Rack at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products.www.ebay.co.uk
I could modify my small erde trailer, but need the tow bar 1st