Dark Season: Lights, Plates and Visibility for Rear-Mounted Loads

One legal question

A box on the towbar sits where your number plate and rear lights are. The rule is the same in every country: nothing you hang on the back may hide what needs to be seen. Brake lights, indicators, position lights, reflectors and the registration plate all stay visible and lit. Whichever country you are in, the plate on the load carries the same registration number as the car, is readable, and is lit at night like the one it replaces.

How IXTAbox solves it

IXTAbox Pro has integrated LED brake lights, indicators and position lights, plus a light under the handle that also lights the registration plate, all running off the 13-pin socket. A licence plate holder is available as an add-on.

The Classic has no lighting built into the box but can be upgraded with an LED light and registration sign kit. On most cars, though, the IXTAbox doesn't cover the plate in the first place.

Will the box even cover your plate?

One measurement answers it. B1 is the gap between the towing hook and the bottom of your registration plate. Measure it with a tape, then read it off:

• 24 cm or more: the box sits below your plate. Nothing is covered, and you need nothing extra.
• Under 24 cm: the box covers the plate partially or entirely, and you need the extra accessory.

That accessory is where the two lines differ. On the Pro the light is already there, so you are only adding the licence plate holder. On the Classic, the plate light is an upgrade, fitted along with the holder as seen below.

Two minutes before the clocks change

Plug it in, get someone to press the brake pedal, and walk round the car. Brake, indicators, position lights, plate light.

Then wipe the reflectors. Salt and road spray dull them quickly, and a dull reflector disappears at exactly the distance where it matters.

You can see how the lighting is built into the box on the IXTAbox Pro.