Towbar

Signed up for a new ST today & the car Salesman will fit the Nissan towbar for $495.

3 vertical bolts & 2 horizontal each side. I was aware there were issues with the earlier Nissan towbars on the Navara because they did not have the horizontal bolts.

I tow a large van & need to use a WDH. I said I would get back to him early next week.

Went back to the dealer later in the day with my Hayman Reese hitch to make sure it fits the Nissan bar. Confirmed with the Service Manager that I can use a weight distribution hitch and he hesitated before he said "It should be right but definitely not on a Pathfinder". "Should be right" rang alarm bells. I don't want to take a risk with 2.5t on the back of the vehicle.

I now think it would be best if I had a Hayman Reese tow bar fitted or is my logic flawed?

Thanks for any advice.

Id say not on the Pathfinder as the Pathfinder runs a monoque chassis where the Navara runs a ladder chassis.

I've no idea about the Pathfinder. I thought they ran mostly the same underneath and just had a different shell on top. I do know I'd love to get my hands on one so I could rip its climate control out and its rear axle so I can get better aircon and rear discs.

Having the two axes is enough. We use a Hayman Reese bar, hitch and the 1-inch weight distribution hitch on ours. So far, so good, and we don't mind going (mildly) off-road with the van behind us.

The Pathfinder is where they had the tow bar problem. When I was choosing a tow bar earlier my salesman told me they had a Pathy (1 instance only) where the towbar fell out of the back and lost a caravan.

This prompted the extra bolts. There hasnt been any reported problem on a nav though. I've ordered the car with the Nissan unit for $595 due to longer warranty.

Chris

You can find the post here http://www.navara.asia/d40-general-chat/5896-towbars-hayman-reece-vs-nissan.html

Thanks fellas,

It certainly would be easier just to let the dealer fit the towbar.

Not sure why I make things so complicated.

Amen to that, even with the wiring loom in place and the tow bar pretty much being bolt on it's way easier to let someone else do it. Would be different if you already owned the car but as a part of delivery it's just something else you don't have to stuff around with. When I got my D40 I priced the same Haymen Reese towbar locally and the price difference was only $100 to have it done at delivery so Nissan got that job to save me thinking about it.

I installed mine and in all honesty it was 20 minutes start to finish with a floor jack .Lift into place and install the bolts. unplug the factory harness and plug in the new harness. jobs pretty much done.
Only down side I found was the harness didnt come with a plug so had to buy that as well .