Modifying the factory towbar

[gowie77]

Hey all.

Apologies if this has already been discussed, I did look but couldn't see anything about it. I know I have seen others complain about the factory mitsubishi towbar because it sits really low and wanted to know if anyone has modified theirs to sit higher? When I go offroad it is always dragging and the rubber boot keeps getting filled up with mud.

I got under the car today and noticed if I was to chop off the top section where it bolts on, then take an inch off the 90 degree angle and redrilled the holes I could easily position the towbar up another inch. In theory this should make no difference to the towing capacity as all I have done is drilled some new holes. Is this correct?

I realise the the factory rear bumper bolts onto the towbar but it would be easy to make a new brackets to fit.

What are peoples thoughts? Is it worth the hassle?

[Mooons]

I did what your talking about but I pulled the rear step off & cut about 4" off the tow bar
Sat up nice and high but I stoves in the rear 1/4 as I had no side protection

[Cowboy Dave]

Yeah it's been done before. Off the top of my head I can't remember who but there's at least 2 guys who've done something like that.

[Snooozy]

here,
have a look at Greedys towbar mod

edit

whoops, works better if I include the link
Greedys build clicky

[assa1979]

Yep I did it to mine 100mm higher. The used 60mm tube for rear protection set up. Just make sure you can get the use of a mig welder, I did mine with a stick welder and took around day to complete.

[Lee-thal]

Be very careful modifying a towbar, If something fails and it causes injury, they may find it is due to the modification of the towbar and then you would have no insurance, ask your insurance company if you can modify, I guarantee they say no.

Cheers

[helicoptercow]

the other option people have used is to find a cheap GLX tow bar off ebay. They are essentially what you'll end up modifying a GLXR towbar to. Only diff is that the GLX has a 2.3T rating, but if that doesn't bother you then could be a quick fix

[Blue]

I had the main bar cut from the side mounts and welded back in ~15mm below the 90º tabs that bolt to the underside of the chassis - I did have the boilermaker/fabricator at work do it as I trust his welding more than my own... Mine now sits higher than the GLX bar but still has the Mitsu 2500kg compliance plate on it

[Mooons]

old holes & new holes




after

before

after

whole towbar mover about 75mm forward as well

[buddah]

Hey Gowie,

As qualified welder I would not take the risk modifying the towbar, I know a few guys on here have done it and have done a fantastic job and are happy with the results, but if you mod it you can't guarantee the stength or engineering spec is the same as when they left the mitsu factory (As such the compliance plate is void). I had a few issues with the low slung towbar so I invested $590 in the TJM Rear Step Towbar which is all certified to tow 2700KG's and is all good from an insurance point of view. If the only thing you tow is a box trailer to take rubbish to the tip, maybe its worth the risk, but it would be a massive shame to see the insurance company not pay out if you had an accident and were towing a expensive boat or caravan.... We all know they will look for any excuse!!!

Cheers
Buddah.

[gowie77]

Cheers for everyones advice. My factory GLX-R towbar looks different to that MOONS, it only has 4 bolt holes from memory but I will look tomorrow.

BUDDAH - it wasnt my intentions to cut and reweld. It was just to chop about an inch or more from the bracket which bolts onto the chassis and then redrill the holes lower down so the towbar sits 1-2 inches higher. There would be no loss in strength so in theory should still be certified.