Mounting aid - retrofit trailer hitch on motorhome itself

Purchasing and assembling - valuable tips from the industry professionals

Welcome to the blog of X-CAMPING - your supplier of towbars and frame extensions for motorhomes. In this tutorial we will try to explain to you how to fit a towbar to your motorhome. You will learn how to retrofit a trailer hitch yourself, which towbar you need for your motorhome and how to avoid mistakes while buying and fitting.

Towbar – what it is and why do I need it?

A towbar is a towing device attached to the rear of a motorhome or other vehicle to connect a trailer, bicycle rack or ski carrier, or another towed vehicle. It allows control, safety, and power (for lights, brakes, etc.) to be transferred between the towing vehicle (motorhome) and the trailer or connected device. In motorhomes, the towing hitch is often used to carry extra cargo, bicycles, boats or even an extra car.

Which towbars are available for campers?

There are different types of towbars for motorhomes, depending on the usage, type of RV and personal preferences. Here are some of the most popular types:

• Swanneck trailer hitch. The gooseneck towbar is a fixed hitch that has a longer neck. It is particularly popular with larger motorhomes as it allows more space between the trailer and the vehicle.
• Flange towbar. The flange towball is fitted to a plate mounted on the vehicle frame or main bar of towbar. It is very robust and particularly suitable for heavy loads. There are also many accessories for such a towbars, for example height adjustable plates or distance plates.
• Detachable towbar. As the name suggests, this towing hitch can be removed when required without using a tools. Ideal for motorhome owners who only occasionally use the towbar or pay attention to vehicle look.
• Adjustable towbar. These couplings can be adjusted in height, width, and length to suit different trailers and loads. Adjustable hitches can be fixed (gooseneck, flange) or detachable. One of the most popular manufacturers of these types of towbars is XIMPLIO.

Each type of towbar has its own advantages and disadvantages and is suitable for different applications and needs.

Which tow bar is right for my motorhome?

Which trailer hitch I need for my camper depends on various factors. This section is not about whether I need a fixed, detachable or even electric hitch, but about how to choose the right towbar based on the design.

It is important to know that the procedure for a motorhome, van or campervan is very different from that for a C-Class, A-Class, B-Class or Coachbuilt with overcab bed.

Towing hitch for panel van motorhomes, campervans and B-Class

The towbar for a camper van (also named as Class B) or panel van is a typical hitch as for a standard boxvan. The procedure for buying a suitable towbar is the same as for the regular van.

Towbar for A-Class, C-Class and coachbuilts with overcab bed

Coachbuilt design, A-Class, and C-Class with overcab bed are much longer than the basic vehicle on which they are built. If you would buy a standard towbar for such a vehicle, it would be useless because the towball would be under the living body.

The illustration below shows an example of a towbar mounted directly to the original chassis on a motorhome with a long living body. The towbar’s ball is located under the rear bumper and cannot be used for towing a trailer or other carrier.

On such vehicles, the vehicle frame must be extended because of the length of the body. This is known as a frame extension.

Although motorhome manufacturers extend the frame of the base vehicle to support the rear of car, such extensions are often not suitable for a towbar. In the following pictures we show such non-load-bearing extensions. Our examples are from the following vehicles:

• Fiat Ducato Bürstner Ixeo Time IT 734, year 2013,
• Fiat Ducato Bürstner Travel Van T 571, year 2014,
• Fiat Ducato Rapido 8096 DF, year 2011.

A sturdy frame extension is required to fit a trailer coupling.

What is a load-bearing frame extension?

A load-bearing motorhome frame extension is a structure that is attached to the rear end of the vehicle’s frame to extend the length of the vehicle. It is used to increase the payload and functionality of the motorhome by providing additional space for attachments such as bicycle racks, towbars, or rear boxes.

Why do I need a variable towbar for motorhome?

Universal towbar for motorhomes is advantageous for several reasons. Variable hitches offer a high degree of flexibility and adaptability to be compatible with different vehicle types, frame extensions, vehicle original frames or other accessories. If the load-bearing frame of the base vehicle is extended, a regular towbar will no longer fit.

Due to the wide variety of motorhomes, an adjustable towbar is often the only way to fit a towing hitch to a motorhome, avoiding the need for custom production and approval.

Mounting examples for towbars on C-Class, A-Class and coachbuilts with overcab bed

Sourcing and fitting a towbar and frame extension can be done by anyone with a little DIY experience. In this section you will find some examples of how to fit a complete trailer hitch to the Fiat Ducato and Citroen Jumper. We have chosen the following vehicles for examples:

• Fiat Ducato Roller Team Kronos 284M, year 2020
• Citroen Jumper Sunlight V69, year 2022
• Fiat Ducato 250 Pilote Aventura P716, year 2011

In each example we have shown all the components of the hitch, i.e:

• Vehicle-specific adapters that are screwed to the original chassis.
• Longitudinal member of the load-bearing frame extension.
• Diagonal reinforcements to stiffen the construction.
• And various designs of variable trailer couplings, which are mounted at the end of the frame extension.

A picture is worth a thousand words, so we hope this simple guide to buying and fitting a towbar to your motorhome will help you in doing it by yourself.

However, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us. We will be happy to assist you with the selection, purchase, and installation of a towbar on your motorhome.

Good luck!

Your X-CAMPING Team

Below you will find examples of assembles.