Ditch Sydney Get a Towbar
Author: Bob Newman Date Posted:10 October 2013
As the summer holidays draw closer, it’s time to think about ditching Sydney this Christmas.
Why not head up or down the coast to the beach to escape what is surely going to be a scorcher of a summer. Whether you’re hitching up the caravan, the trailer, or a small army’s worth of bikes, you need to know your facts when it comes to towbars and making sure you’ve got your towbar fitting right.
The first thing you need to know is what you’ll be towing and how much it weighs. Some cars come with towbars already attached but that doesn’t mean you can just whack the caravan on. A lot of standard towbars are only meant to take a lightweight trailer. If you’re going to tow anything heavy, you’re best off to do some research on what equipment you’ve got, and where to get a towbar that can handle the job.
To keep things safe, it’s a legal requirement in all the states and territories of Australia that whatever your towing is also attached to your car with a safety chain. Your safety chain needs to meet Australian standards, and must be strong enough to hold the trailer, even if the actual trailer coupling comes loose. The national standard is that you only need one chain for weights up to 2,500 kilograms, and two chains for anything over 2,500 kilograms, up to 3,500 kilograms. Remember to check that your D shackle has a load rating that is the same as that of the chain. It’s no good having a chain that can handle the weight but a shackle that’ll break 50 metres down the road.
Before you set off on your holiday or adventure, check to see how your towbar’s fitting. Is it towing your trailer nose down or nose up? You want to have your towbar in a position where it tows your trailer nose down, otherwise you might have a very unstable load. If your towbar position needs to be changed, it’s best to get an expert to do the job.
When you’ve got your towbar secure and sitting right, and you’re towing everything safely, then you can set off on your summer holidays!
This blog was posted in Towbars, Travel and tagged in Adventure, Bars, Cars, Driving, Holidays, Sports, Summer, Sydney, Tow, Towbars
