Skipton01
Admin Team
They are a belt in a belt and brace system, that is all. The counterweight/crash bar which has to be removed to fit the towing bar assembly weighs mor than the probable permissible nose weight on the hitch, but yet that is only held on with the same 6 screws. Believe me, the metal they’re threaded into is not weak, or even week.ive been in engineering all my life and i cant believe some people think half a job will do
the long solid bars that go through the chassis to meet up with these brackets and bolts do many things to add to the strength of the tow bracket
the small bolts on the flanges into aluminum are week on their own
you are pulling a weight and road conditions force a trailer up and down it will fail eventually without them
oh dear please dont leave out the brackets
good luck
Now cutting 4 holes into a chassis leg, risking not sealing the cuts well, or having galvanic corrosion occurring from mismatched pop rivets etc, that worries me more. Because yes, some people will do half a job and won’t de-burr their holes drilled, or won’t treat the bare aluminium on the edges of the cuts, and that is a surer way to weaken the whole assembly.
If you’re towing light loads in frequently, then believe me, the 6 screws alone are fine. I’ve been doing just fine for the last 2 years this way.