Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Tow Bars For Your Vehicle

By Byron Jonas

When you want to maximize your vacation time and enhance your lifestyle in general, you'll find that towing can give you plenty of flexibility. Extended trips to visit relatives will become as comfortable as can be when you tow along your belongings. The kids will be happy with their bicycles or toys, and the whole family will have everything they need during the time spent away from home.

Family vacations in the great outdoors can benefit greatly when you use your mobile home or SUV to tow a compact car for a day trip back to society. After spending a week or more in one of the national parks, the whole family will delight in a nice dinner out in a restaurant. Your only task will be connecting a car or trailer to your main vehicle. You can use either a tow dolly, a flat trailer or, finally, a tow bar. The tow bars currently available offer the safest and least expensive solution to towing needs.

In your travels, you've certainly noticed the trailer system of towing, in which cars are set on a raised platform and towed behind the main vehicle. Normally best suited for industrial-sized tows of many cars, the trailer solution is less attractive and often more expensive than the tow bar alternative.

Tow bars require little storage space, unlike the very bulky trailers. The parts of a tow bar connect to your vehicle where they remain in place.

Looking over the different types of tow bars, one option is the self-aligning bar, the most popular style due to its easy handling. There is also the A-frame option, a tow bar that needs two people for application.

Remember about all the extra weight you will be handling when towing. Make an accurate count of the pounds you will be hauling. The Class of tow bar you need will correspond to this weight. Lighter compact cars are naturally a great choice for towing.

After you have installed the simple equipment needed for towing, you'll want to give the connection process a test run before your trip. Though connecting the two vehicles with a tow bar is not difficult, it is always easier with some practice.

When driving with extra weight behind you, operate your towing vehicle with care, making sure you leave plenty of space between your vehicle and cars ahead of you. The towed vehicle will make turns and bending roads slightly more difficult to manage. You should give your haul a test run in a safe spot close to your home before venturing out on your holiday trip. Always avoid moving in reverse when towing, as it could damage your towed vehicle as well as your tow bar.

The tow bar can come in handy if a friend or family member is in need of towing after an accident or mechanical failure. With a tow bar you are towing on four wheels, so keeping the bar parallel to the ground is important. Because of this leveled-off approach, tow bars work well with almost any vehicle. - 16887

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