Disco 2 Watling Engineering front / push towbar - anyone else had problems?

I got my hands on what looked to be a nice bit of kit - a Watling Engineering made detachable front (push) towbar. I was thinking this would be great for manoeuvring our caravan as well as very useful for recovery (especially as if I got stuck trying to pull someone out then someone else could hook up to this and between us we'd be able to get both of us out of the mud - or soft sand as is more often the case here).

Anyway, after reading the instructions - which suggested this should be a job slightly easier than tying my shoelaces - I thought i'd give it a go (along with some help from a friend who's manager of a local very reputable garage). Well, between us, you'd think that we'd have been able to follow a single side of A4 insturctions - NO, NOT A CHANCE! They simply don't seem to relate to the same vehicle (despite saying "Discovery 2 1998 onwards" at the top of the page).

After spending half a day virtually dismantling the whole front of the vehicle, we came to the conclusion that the main bar itself seems to be faulty - I can only surmise that the end bars have been welded on the wrong way round as the off-set fitting holes are off-set in the wrong direction (front is back and vice versa).

Has anyone else fitted one of these / has anyone else had this problem? If anyone else has one then do these images look right? If they are the same way round as yours then how on earth did you make the damn thing fit?????

Huge thanks in advance for any help anyone can offer? I've tried contacting Watling and i'm waiting for their response - but i'd like to have thought that an engineering company wouldn't make a mistake like this - this is more like a GSCE project gone wrong!!

Hi Paul,

One thing is ,

Looks like a good plough for the front of your vehicle if you go off road.

Cheers

neilly said:

Hi Paul,

One thing is ,

Looks like a good plough for the front of your vehicle if you go off road.

Cheers

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Hahaha, yeah neilly, it probably would be on a green lane or similar. Luckily, with where I live, most of the off road use is going to be on fairly flat fields and the huge expanse of flat beach here (which seems to draw tourists from all over the country to try and get their cars stuck in the soft sand and mud - seem the "DANGER - soft sand" signs are a little tricky to read for the average visitor!!). Luckily for me it means no steep entry / exit points so thought the towbar would be more benefit than hindrance in my case. And, with 20ft of rope between me and the sinking tourist and another 20ft of rope going back to another vehicle then we should be able to pull them out without much of an issue! (don't like to see too many rust Citroen's spoiling the views so i'd rather pull them out and send them on their way - once the hit the motorway and break down from salt water contamination then it's the RAC's problem!!)

Hope you get sorted, I've used wailing a few times and never had a problem but then everyone can have a Friday afternoon moment..
I'd let the rac worry about getting them off the beach too if I were you.. I've stopped pulling people out now unless we're all off roaming together, we had a truck driver get stuck in our field last year after taking a wrong turn and against all my feeling I relented and went and got our Fendt tractor and chains, turns out they don't build those Scania's as well as they look we're constantly been disturbed by idiots putting their cars through our hedge asking if I'll come pull them back onto the road with a tractor and I just refuse now and offer them a coffee while they wait for a recovery, I'm not having some idiot trying to sue me for damaging their car recovering it from our property for them...

One problem with the Disco 2 is that the front of them is largely plastic and you've got to go a fair way back until you find a lump of chassis suitable to fasten anything like a front towing hitch to.
I'd tend to agree with @RallyHippo too about recovering people off a beach, unless you have the correct insurance to cover recovery (and any damage which might be incurred) or the person being recovered signs a proper waver absolving you of any costs which might be incurred due to possible damage being caused during the recovery.
Secondly, why take a disco onto a beach? They rot quite adequately on their own without external influences such as salty sand.

brian47 said:

One problem with the Disco 2 is that the front of them is largely plastic and you've got to go a fair way back until you find a lump of chassis suitable to fasten anything like a front towing hitch to.
I'd tend to agree with @RallyHippo too about recovering people off a beach, unless you have the correct insurance to cover recovery (and any damage which might be incurred) or the person being recovered signs a proper waver absolving you of any costs which might be incurred due to possible damage being caused during the recovery.
Secondly, why take a disco onto a beach? They rot quite adequately without external influences such as salty sand.

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Yes the front of the Scania cost myself and the farms insurance company (after abit of pleasing and negotiating with the truck companies insurer) the best part of 10k!!!! All for some idiot taking s wrong turn with 44 ton on board..

I've had chance to talk through things with Ben at Watlington Engineering - what a genuinely nice, helpful (and very patient!!) bloke he is. Hugely recommended speaking to him if you're after one of the towbar.
He's even provided me with a copy of the original design specs so I can check against my truck and my towbar - it's back on the ramp at the weekend and should be able to get it all sorted then.

Cheers to Ben and Watlington - help was very much appreciated.