What to do if there are no documents for the trailer?
If you do not have the above documents for the tow bar, please contact the manufacturer of this equipment to obtain copies.
Self-respecting organizations provide copies of documents without any problems. You can contact:
- in electronic form - through the organization’s website;
- in person - through an official representative in your city;
- by mail - by registered mail.
If it is not possible to restore the documents, then the only option left is to purchase a new coupling device, or to officially make changes to the design through the traffic police.
Note. Some organizations offer to buy a package of documents for a tow bar. I recommend ignoring such offers, because... Only the manufacturer himself has the manufacturer's documents. If such documents are issued by another organization, they will be fake.
Alternative tsu options
There are alternative solutions that I would like to discuss with you.
- Reinforced bumper with towbar. Nowadays, the Chevrolet Niva towbar with bumper protection is very popular. But no one is stopping you from installing it on the classic Niva. This is a ready-made bumper with a trailer hitch mounted into it. Products from Bosal (Bosal) or RIF will cost about 30 thousand rubles. This cost is justified because you get a bumper with a powerful gate and reinforcement, providing a high degree of rigidity and resistance to loads. Allows you to carry heavier loads. In this case, installation is carried out on conventional crossover body brackets and no modification is required;
- Square towbar. Another option for the rear bumper. It costs about 2 times less than the previous trailer hitch. But you will need to buy a ball joint separately. It is in great demand due to price, ease of use and load-bearing capacity. And it looks quite original compared to standard towbars. Just look at the numbers indicated on the trailer hitch. They indicate permissible traction loads and additionally help to make sure that what you are looking at is not a fake.
Main features of operating a Chevrolet Niva SUV with an installed tow bar
Some owners believe that having a tow hitch will help prevent serious damage to the rear of the vehicle in the event of an accident, especially if an LPG is installed. However, this opinion is completely wrong. Moreover, the operation of cars with a tow bar without a trailer is prohibited in a number of countries, since during an emergency the body will suffer more. Therefore, the connection of the element to the rear of the vehicle must be easily dismountable, so that the towing device can be quickly removed if not needed.
Bumper towing options
Before purchasing a towbar for a Chevrolet Niva, you need to familiarize yourself with the manufacturing companies and the varieties of this part.
Among the companies that occupy leading positions in the production of towbars, it is worth highlighting such as “Bosol”, “Auto-Hack”, “Baltex”. Experienced motorists and specialists recommend choosing trailer hitches manufactured by these companies. The devices are characterized by high reliability and high-quality materials.
Towbars for Chevrolet Niva are divided according to the design of the product into:
Easy to install and dismantle. Mounted with 2 or 4 bolts, which are easy to remove. You can often find models with a removable ball on sale.
They are a one-piece design. Installed on a reinforced car bumper. They are welded to the side members or attached to massive bolts.
Often equipped with a folding mechanism. The ball is removed and stored separately from the trailer hitch. Used for transporting light loads in a trailer.
On the old-style Niva there are no standard mounting points for the tow bar. Experts do not recommend making special holes for mounting the trailer hitch yourself. In addition, it is impossible to find models of towbars for such cars on sale, and homemade towing devices do not have the proper quality.
After selecting a suitable towbar, we proceed to install the trailer hitch on the vehicle ourselves.
Installing a towbar on a Chevrolet Niva
There is a special place for her near the ball. Next, you need to take a drawing that will show the connection diagram. According to this diagram, the socket will be connected. The cable can be laid in a heat-shrinkable tube or simply with electrical tape.
We attach the wiring to the structure of the product and lead it into the cabin through the hole in the luggage compartment on the left side. There is no need to drill holes as it is already there. Special lugs for the Chevrolet Niva towbar socket are pressed onto the wire lugs.
TSU selection
Is there an option for installing towbars on Nivas if the car originally came from the factory without one? Yes. These domestic crossovers have special holes, so the trailer hitch is mounted in standard places. But you will also need to drill a few additional holes. Now look specifically at your car.
Niva car owners are offered the installation of several trailer hitch options:
- non-removable or non-removable, in which the hook or coupling ball is welded to the base;
- conditionally removable, fastened with several bolts;
- quick-release, having a slightly protruding coupling for fixation, which allows you to store the hook with the ball separately;
- quick-release with a vertical type of fastening, where the hook is pulled down and the fasteners are not visible;
I will say right away that a removable ball is more preferable for me, since this design allows you to use the trailer hitch only when necessary. Moreover, it is better to take quick-release devices, because unscrewing several bolts will take quite a lot of time.
For VAZ Niva 4×4, they usually prefer to choose the simplest towbar options. They are inexpensive and can be purchased for several thousand rubles. Although this has its drawbacks.
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