My alphard is ready to go camping but I need it to be able to be towed out of the mud …do I need to have a towing hook fitted underneath the front engine or is there something that I ve missed

apparently it’s called a towing eye 

Edited March 12, 20241 yr by Mandy schmidt

Hello Mandy,

 

There is a squarish panel in the front valance.

Behind that will be the towing eye fitting.

 

I cannot remember whether my van has a towing eye included in the tools kit.

Nor have I removed the panel so cannot advise if the towing eye is already fitted. I doubt it.

 

They are available in standard sizes, perhaps from Halfords or other auto-factors (JDM vehicles may use a different size, I doubt it).

 

If you think you need s towing eye, you will need a towing cable as you cannot rely on other 'campers' to be carrying one !

41 minutes ago, Rojie said:

Hello Mandy,

 

There is a squarish panel in the front valance.

Behind that will be the towing eye fitting.

 

I cannot remember whether my van has a towing eye included in the tools kit.

Nor have I removed the panel so cannot advise if the towing eye is already fitted. I doubt it.

 

They are available in standard sizes, perhaps from Halfords or other auto-factors (JDM vehicles may use a different size, I doubt it).

 

If you think you need s towing eye, you will need a towing cable as you cannot rely on other 'campers' to be carrying one !

 

Thanks for your help ..there is a threading hole behind the panels and there was an eye hidden in the jack tool cupboard that we didn’t find before xxx all sorted

Great news.

 

Don't forget a towing cable or rope !

Gonna buy a tow rope ….thanks for your help 

Hi, It's worth every one checking for a towing eye,our camper has one in the tool kit. It is impossible to have a tow without one, to be towed safely. A tow rope can be used to tow without the eye, but to find a safe place to connect a rope will be difficult and dangerous. With the advent of towing eyes many breakdown services now use a solid metal bar which connects to the towing eye. The problem with a rope is most folks are not used to being towed,because the towee has to try to keep the rope taut when slowing down using the brakes carefully,if not when the towing vehicle accelerates away the rope re-tensions[snatches] and often breaks the rope.

Believe me,when I was in the motor trade,towing broken down vehicles was an almost daily chore.

If a solid towing bar is used the towee does not need to brake.

As all Alphards are automatics, they shouldn't be towed with the driven wheels on the floor, so at the very least they should be on a dolly if 2WD. A short tow out of some mud won't be a problem, but being pulled on the road is.

9 hours ago, starider said:

Hi, It's worth every one checking for a towing eye,our camper has one in the tool kit. It is impossible to have a tow without one, to be towed safely. A tow rope can be used to tow without the eye, but to find a safe place to connect a rope will be difficult and dangerous. With the advent of towing eyes many breakdown services now use a solid metal bar which connects to the towing eye. The problem with a rope is most folks are not used to being towed,because the towee has to try to keep the rope taut when slowing down using the brakes carefully,if not when the towing vehicle accelerates away the rope re-tensions[snatches] and often breaks the rope.

Believe me,when I was in the motor trade,towing broken down vehicles was an almost daily chore.

If a solid towing bar is used the towee does not need to brake.

Thank you for your help 

3 hours ago, smurf said:

As all Alphards are automatics, they shouldn't be towed with the driven wheels on the floor, so at the very least they should be on a dolly if 2WD. A short tow out of some mud won't be a problem, but being pulled on the road is.

Thanks … I would only be towed to get out of camping mud x