Selecting The Right Tow Bar

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Selecting The Right Tow Bar
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Purchasing the correct tow bar for your vehicle
may not be the easiest thing to do. You need to
have prior information about tow bars as well as
know all the technical jargon that comes along
with it. To make the task an easy buy for our
readers, we have listed the things you can do to
select the right towing accessory.
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Selecting The Right Tow BarFollow these simple
steps and you will never go wrong with the tow
bar you buy.Firstly, identify the Aggregate
Trailer Mass (ATM) of your caravan. The ATM is
the total mass of the van and whatever is added
as payload, for example water, fuel, food and
luggage.
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The ATM is specified by your caravans
manufacturer.Identify the tow ball weight of
your fully loaded caravan, which is the weight on
the back of your car or on the jockey wheel if
the caravan is uncoupled. The tow ball weight is
generally around 10 per cent of the ATM.
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However, an accurate measurement is recommended
take your vehicle and caravan to your districts
nearest weigh-bridge.Once youve figured out
your caravans ATM and tow ball weight, have a
browse of your favourite tow bar manufacturer and
use these figures to analyse which options will
suit your vehicle best.
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Make sure to search for ratings for any tow bar
you consider as well. Browsing and participating
in car and caravan enthusiast forums may help
with coming to an educated decision as well.
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Once youve decided on a tow bar, you may also
need to consider purchasing a hitch receiver to
accommodate your caravan. If the tow ball weight
exceeds 125kg, it is recommended that you fit a
hitch receiver, which will allow the use of a
heavy-duty weight-distributing hitch.
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Calculating The Tow Ball WeightWith a set of
simple tools, you can accurately calculate the
tow ball weight. All you need is need a set of
bathroom scales, a brick or paver, a piece of
pipe and a strong plank that is at least 120cm
across. After you gather the tools,
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Place the scales and the brick/paver 90cm
apart.Place a piece of pipe on top of both of
the scales and the brick, then rest the plank
across them.Zero the scalesRest the jockey
wheel on the plank 30cm from the brick
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Multiply the scale reading by 3 to get the
correct caravan tow ball weight.The tow ball
weight is a good indicator of the kind of hitch
you should buy for towing the trailer.
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The right tow bar will allow your automobile to
pull the attached trailer without exerting
maximum effort. This prevents breakdown of the
vehicles mechanical parts.