When was the last time when you opened the boot of the car and it had a tow bar in it? Most don’t even carry the necessary tools like a jump starter kit in case of emergencies let alone a tow bar. But when we’re stuck in such situations, all of us wished that we had jump starter cables or a jack or a tow bar.
The reason behind not carrying such tools is simply because they’re bulky, take too much space and we’re not DIY experts so we can’t tell which tool is perfect for us. Don’t worry, we will guide you on what makes a great tow bar and introduce a harbor freight tow bar that will put all your worries of owning these tools aside.
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What makes a great tow bar?
A tow bar needs to tick a couple of boxes before it can be considered as a great device for pulling or towing vehicles. So, what are some of the things that one should look out for when purchasing or deciding which tow bar to get?
Weight
The amount of weight that a tow bar can support is mentioned on the product or in its specification. It is important to have a tow bar that can support as much weight as possible. A tow bar does not take the entire weight of the car but simply takes some weight (which is referred to as pulling weight) and lets the tires do all the hard work.
However, this does not also mean that any tow bar can pull a car. You need to have a sturdy tow bar that is able to pull some weight hence a tow bar with a capacity between 4,500 pounds to 5,500 pounds should be perfect. Anything below that would be too little and could potentially break the tow bar and anything above that is frankly not necessary.
Length
The length of the tow bar is another aspect of determining a good tow bar. You may feel that any length of the tow bar will do the trick but that’s not how things work. A short tow bar will always put more pressure on the tow bar and front vehicle while a longer tow bar can affect the handling of the vehicle towed and even break if the bar is long enough. Anywhere between 20 inches to 45 inches should be just great for a tow bar, not too long and not too short.
Convenient
A tow bar should be convenient. Let’s face it, we’re not what they would call DIY experts. Having a tow bar that is built around convenience can really save you time and also effort. Many tow bars can become complicated to set up and attach to the primary and secondary vehicle.
In such stressful times when you’re waiting for a vehicle to give you a pull, you need the process to be as smooth as ever. Having a tow bar that is not complicated will easily save you time and have you on your way to the nearest mechanic for repairs.
Easy storage
Another feature of a good tow bar is also something to do with convenience, easy storage. Yes, you do need a tow bar that is compact and can easily hide it in the boot of your vehicle. The reason why most of us don’t have tools to help us out in such sticky situations is that they’re too big to store.
A good tow bar should have an easy storage feature allowing users to easily hide the tow bar in the boot of the car without taking too much storage space. There are many tow bars on the market, however, the one that we feel gives the best price-value proposition is the harbor freight tow bar.
Harbor freight tow bar
Harbor freight started off as a small family business and now expanded all across the United States. It has earned its reputation as “America’s favorite tools shop” and has more than 1,100 stores making it easy for consumers to get great quality tools at the lowest price possible nearby where they live.
Harbor freight tow bar, like many other tools they have on display, is made to the highest quality. Harbor freight tow bar is made from steel and has a towing capacity of 5,000 pounds which is perfect for most of the vehicles on the road.
Harbor freight tow bar is not too long and is not too short. The arms of the tow bar are adjustable allowing users to extend the arms from a distance of 24 inches all the way up to 43 inches. Any more than that can be dangerous and therefore not recommended.
Users can also take advantage of the quick connection feature with the mounting brackets it comes with. It is great for those who have no shred of experience when it comes to DIY. Simply follow our guide on how to use a tow bar and quickly mount your vehicles using the harbor freight tow bar quick connection feature.
That’s not all. The tow bar is efficiently designed and can easily fold away for easy storage. This is great if you have a small boot or usually have a trunk that is always filled to the brim. A foldable tow bar makes carrying such tools easier.
