Towbars – What To Consider In A New One

Typically when we go camping, we go pretty spartan. A tent, a few sleeping bags and half a car of camping gear is all we really need. Late last year though, we decided to go a bit more "classy" and hired a caravan instead. It was a pleasant change. In order to pull the caravan though, I needed a new towbar installed on the jeep.

So I made my way down to All Vehicle Accessories (AVA) in Thomastown to get a cheap towbar installed. The cheaper it was the better it was as far as I was concerned. After all, we were about to go on holiday and I wanted to use my spending money there. Luckily for me, the guys at AVA were professional enough to talk me out of using price as a means of discriminating when choosing a towbar.

They were actually pretty good about it. What they did was show me the nominal cost increments between cheap and expensive towbars. They pointed out that this piece of equipment was all that was protecting whatever it was I was towing. In my case, obviously I wanted to tow the caravan on the trip we were taking. But I also intended buying some bike racks as my wife loves triathlon. Bike racks would be really helpful on those early morning trips into the hills for a training session.

Having compiled my list, we discussed the cost of the items we were going to tow. Our bikes (two of them) are worth about $6,000 all up. Mine isn't all that valuable, but my wife, boy she spent a mint on hers. Such is her love for the triathlon.

I ended up Googling caravan sales to get a feel for how much they are to buy. I didn't realise they were so expensive. I couldn't find anything for less than $5000 and I found quite a few which cost more than $100,000. You can buy property for that much… The one we rented was mid range, costing around $50,000 new. Its quite a "load" on the towbar when you think about it in those terms.

I really valued the advice I was given on this day. It completely changed my perspective in what I was buying when shopping for a towbar. It changed my mind regarding what I was looking for. Instead of shopping for price, I was shopping for quality, reliability, robustness and efficiency. Yes, that's right, efficiency. Different towbars actually make you vehicle perform differently too.

The AVA professionals pointed out to me that the Hayman Reese towbars are the only brand in Australia which carries a lifetime guarantee. This I thought was pretty telling, especially as quality was now the issue. I was almost sold. These particular towbars though had two additional features which absolutely convinced me.

Firstly, they have an accessory called a Weight Distribution Hitch. This important piece of equipment, when fitted properly, reduces the ball weight and therefore, the drag on the vehicle. If you are looking to save money on your towbar, think about this. Paying the extra dollars for this towbar and accessory will actually pay you back many times over down the track. Reducing the drag improves your fuel efficiency. That means that when you are towing, you use less fuel and save money at the bowser. This is an on-going saving, not the once off I was considering by going cheap with the towbar.

The other thing they sell is an accessory called Sway Control. This one I definitely wanted as it makes towing so much safer. Given that my family are going to be in the vehicle with me as we drive on our holiday, safety really is my first priority. Sway control is simply the add on that stops the caravan from swerving all over the road, every time a truck drives past the other way. A very nifty accessory which makes for a much safer trip.

This experience was a rare one for me. Usually when told I am wrong its like a red rag to a bull. The guys at AVA explained to me the importance of a quality towbar though, in a such a professional way that I didn't feel in the least bit miffed. At the end of the day, they are the experts and they were just helping me protect my family.

Damian Papworth realises the expense of quality towbars and bike racks are mimimal in comparison to the goods they are carrying.