Tips about the tow bar

摘要

DAVID THORNTON takes a timely look at towbars and all the issues regarding hitches, trailer brakes, plugs and modern cars. Towing your boat is a natural part of trailer boating, and it starts with fitting an appropriate towbar to your car. And that'snot as easy as it sounds. You must get the correct one because if the rig is too heavy for the towbar, or it's not fitted correctly it could result in an accident on the road and significant damage to the car. Many years ago my father had a new Holden Commodore V8 wagon and the towbar that came with the car was not the best choice. After 12 months towing a heavy 6.4m fibreglass Reef Runner, we discovered the car's rear end had actually stretched inward due to the weight of the boat. Dad then upgraded toa heavier Falcon Wagon with a heavy-duty weight distribution tow bar fitted that spread the load more evenly through the car's chassis. That was around 1982 and (thankfully) things have improved since then. The towbars that were often sold back then were rough, as were the wiring for the trailer plugs. You'd often see wiring was simply twisted together in the back of the car, and not surprisingly, it would often fail.