Towbar Safety

Towing is big in South Africa and for that, you need a towbar. That sounds simple enough but there is a lot more to it than just having one fitted to your vehicle, hitching a caravan or trailer, and driving off on that family holiday. In fact, towing is a highly responsible job that requires a major change in your driving style and constant vigilance to execute safely. And we have not even started talking about the equipment you need. All towing equipment is not created equal and if you fit something substandard, you could suffer a mechanical failure or – worse – an accident.

Unscrupulous fitment centres sometimes just fabricate a towbar on the spot and claim to be able to fit one to any car as a result. There are several serious problems with this. First, you have no guarantee of the safety of the hastily assembled tubing of whoever-knows what type of metal being welded together to create the end product. One thing you can be certain of is that it has not been tested by the SABS, let alone approved. It could fail along a weld on the first outing, it could weight a ton, or it could be at entirely the wrong height.

And now we’re only talking about the quality of the product, not the fitment process. Towbars can only be fitted to some cars, not all. Some vehicles are explicitly classified as unsuitable for the fitment of towing equipment by their manufacturers. You should know beforehand whether your vehicle is allowed to be fitted with one and be very circumspect of an establishment willing to fit one to a car that is not permitted to tow. Often, this has to do with the structure of the vehicle not being strong enough, there not being suitable mounting places on strong anchor points like the chassis rails, or there simply not being space to fit one safely.

Fitting a towbar to such a vehicle anyway may lead to the fitment centre resorting to dangerous practices like attaching it to places that are not strong enough, like the boot floor or spare-wheel well. It might eventually tear right out of the soft sheet metal, possible causing a terrible accident and, at best, seriously damaging your vehicle. That is why it is critical to only have the work done at a reputable workshop selling safe SABS-approved towing equipment and fitting the equipment to cars allowed to tow.

Electronic Fitment Centre ticks all these boxes. Have your towbar fitted with us today and be safe on the road.