V50 General : Tow bar flexing

[sd6446]

We previously had a Witter detachable tow bar on our XC90 and with our 4-bike carrier fitted (Thule G5 909) there was no movement from it if we went over a bump.

We now have a new V50 with a Volvo detachable tow bar and now when driving it's alarming how much the bike carrier is bouncing around - both up and down and side to side. The Volvo dealership agreed that it is the tow bar (swan neck) itself that is flexing and tried another one, but this did the same. They now tell me that there should be some flex in the tow bar, "similar to the wings on a plane". They are going to refer it to Volvo but I don't believe a resolution is likely.

I feel that with this amount of flexing of the tow bar, the bike carrier is moving so much that it's putting too large a strain where the carrier clamps to the tow bar, and hence is unsafe to use.

The dealership have been very helpful and are happy to remove the tow bar so I could have another make fitted, but would this still flex as much as the Volvo one? If anyone can offer any advice, or can recommend a particular make, please let me know.

Thanks.

[colinjy]

Is your bike carrier designed for swan neck ?

was it a swan neck on your xc ?

ive got the same bike carrier and it's designed for a fixed standard tow bar (the one with a big bolt either side) if i put it on a swan neck i get a lot of movement as the tow ball is smaller.

[sd6446]

Originally Posted by colinjy

Is your bike carrier designed for swan neck ?

was it a swan neck on your xc ?

ive got the same bike carrier and it's designed for a fixed standard tow bar (the one with a big bolt either side) if i put it on a swan neck i get a lot of movement as the tow ball is smaller.

Hi,
Thanks for the response. In answer to your questions, I _believed_ it was ok for a swan neck, but can't find where I read that now. It was also a swann neck on my old XC90, but a different make.

When you say you get a lot of movement, do you mean it's not clamping tight enough on the tow ball, or the whole swan neck is flexing?

cheers.

[Clan]

Has the tow bar got the big A bracket going from the lower centre mount to the chassis both sides by the exhaust mounts? someone may have not fitted it . Non volvo towbars dont use this ! so expect more flex on a non volvo one .

[sd6446]

Hi Clan, thanks for the response - I will take a look at the weekend (away at the moment). It was a Volvo dealership that fitted it, and it has "Volvo" written on it. Don't suppose you have a link to something that shows what it should look like?

Many thanks.

[Clan]

Originally Posted by sd6446

Hi Clan, thanks for the response - I will take a look at the weekend (away at the moment). It was a Volvo dealership that fitted it, and it has "Volvo" written on it. Don't suppose you have a link to something that shows what it should look like?

Many thanks.

Have a look at this , and page 11 .. that shows it clearly ,

http://accessories.volvocars.com/Acc...5507-1/NOTHING

[sd6446]

Thanks again Clan. I had a good look at it at the weekend and the A bracket is fitted, as per your diagram.

I also tried putting a jack under where the swan neck connects to the tow bar, to stop the suspension and the rest of the tow bar moving. Then, when I put some weight on the bike carrier fitted to the tow bar, you can easily see it is the swan neck that is bending.

It seems to be a Volvo-branded Thule towing system. Do you know if it is possible to fit the Thule "BMC" swan neck, as fitted to the XC90, to my existing Thule towing system which has a "BMA" scan neck? The reason being, the "BMC" version can take a greater nose weight.