D3 tow ball removal

[Discofever]

Hi all,

A few months ago I upgraded my D1 to a D3 and as I purchased the car at auction I did not have a lot of say of what came with it. One of the thing missing is the tow bar key. I have read that some people just drill them out and replace the barrel and get a new key. Is this the way to go? I need to remove it for off-roading but will also need it from time to time to cart a work trailer around. Is there a way of taking it off and reattaching it that does not require a new barrel / key?

Many thanks, John.

[BMKal]

Do whatever you have to do to the lock barrel to get the thing off - and then I'd suggest replacing the hitch with one from a D4. ;)

They are a better design than the D3 hitch and do not sit as low. Still fits into the same receiver in the rear of the vehicle. There should be some second hand D4 hitches available, as many people go one step further and replace these with a "Mitch Hitch" (which is another option available to you if you want to do a lot of towing, particularly if you are pulling something heavy). ;)

[IvanR]

Without going into details, investigate the roll pin in the handle.

Ivan