Tow bar for Volvo XC90 fitting in Sydney

The Volvo XC90 makes an excellent tow vehicle and when fitted with the Hayman Reese quick release tow hitch it is rated up to 2250kg max trailer weight. A notch is cut into the bumper to allow the receiver box to pass through while hiding the rest of the installation behind it. The towbar securely attaches to the XC90's chassis rails with three 12mm bolts each side giving a strong towing platform. Finally the electric hook up to run trailer lighting takes a bit of care on this vehicle and requires a control unit to protect the vehicles ECU and prevent interference with the vehicles bulb failure detection system.

2011 UPDATE: Hayman Reese have now developed a vehicle specific wiring loom for this vehicle which simply plugs into the light circuits and incorporates an ECU distribution box to protect the cars electronics.

 

See our towbar finder for current fitted price.  You should allow about 3 hours for fitting. Give us a call at the shop on (02) 9817 1475 to schedule an install or pop in and see us (map).

Towbar Fitting VW Golf V and VI

As the VW Golf has exploded in popularity this has become one of our top selling tow bars. The Hayman Reese tow bar we use is rated to 1250kg max trailer and 120kg max down load. The bar is pretty straight forward as it simply slides down the chassis rails and secures with a couple of bolts each side through the rail walls. The trickiest bit is the bumper cut which takes a lot of care to get a neat symmetrical outline.
The trailer lighting plug on this vehicle requires an electronic control box to be fitted to prevent damage to the car's electronics and the trigger sources have to be carefully selected because the Golf has a multiplex wiring system. The multiplex system results in the tail lights and brake lights sharing the same wiring.

NOTE 2011: Hayman Reese have now developed a vehicle specific wiring loom that is able to interpret the multiplex tail/brake signal using an ECU control box which makes this a very neat electrical fitment.

We have fitted the bar to the new Golf VI and it fits fine. The photo below shows the difference in how the bar fits with the bumper, with the lug removed.

Please see our tow bar finder for current fitted pricing

Golf VI tow bar with lug removed
Tow bar wiring loom

On the Gti Golf the tow bar doesn't line up as nice with the bumper as the models shown above. It looks ok with the tongue fitted and we used a bit of trim to tidy it up but it can look a little bit messy with the tongue removed.

Golf Gti

Tow Bar Fitting in Sydney - Subaru Forester

Subaru Forester tow bar fitting, 1997 to 2008

(For details of the new 2008 Forester please see below)

This is one of our most popular fittings. A tow bar for Subaru Forester. The one fitted today is a quick release hitch style although a cheaper slightly lighter duty is also available with a bolt on goose neck. I will give a step by step guide as this is a bar well within the capabilities of the DIY fitter. Just one note of warning, if you have access to a rattle gun for undoing bolts don't use it on the bolts going into the chassis rails. These are often over torqued at the factory and you will find them difficult to refit if you rattle them off. If you remove them gently and slowly by hand with a socket you'll be fine.

1. Remove and discard the bumper support in the centre of the bumper (pic).
2. Drop the muffler from the 3 rear most rubber mounts.
   
3. Remove the shipping hook and muffler mount from passenger side (pic). Remove the rubber mount from its bracket.
   
4. Remove 3 nuts securing the charcoal box where fitted and let it hang (pic).
5. Remove shipping hook (discard) and charcoal support from drivers side.
6. Lift tow bar into position and fit with 3 bolts on passenger side and the 2 rear most bolts on drivers side.
7. On the forward most hole on drivers side use the long bolt and spacer tube supplied to refit the charcoal box bracket. Then refit the charcoal box.
   
8. Bolt the the rubber muffler mount from step 3 to the tow bar arm in the hole provided for it and refit the muffler (pic).
   
9. Fit the tongue on standard tow bar or hitch on quick release and your bar is pretty much done.

The wiring is a doddle as Subaru have kindly included a socket which can be found tucked in the rear corner of the boot (pic). You can get a loom that plugs into here for about $50 but you will find most fitters will just use a universal loom and make their connections here where everything is provided in one place.

See our towbar finder for the current fitted prices

Please call the store on (02) 9817 1475 to confirm prices and schedule an install

Subaru Forester towbar 2008 onwards

The towbar for the new Subaru Forester is a little bit more involved because it requires the removal of the bumper and a notch cutting in it to accomodate the hitch box. You are left with nice neat unit with towbar frame hidden up behind the bumper.

The bar shown is a Hayman Reese unit which has a rating of 1400kg. . The fitting time is about 2.5hrs.

See our tow bar finder for current fitted prices

Please call the store on (02) 9817 1475 to confirm current pricing and schedule a install.

Quick release tow hitch VW Jetta

Biggish job today. Hayman Reese quick release mini-hitch. This has a 40mm square reciever on the vehicle with a removable tow ball mount and a rating 1400kg max trailer. The tow bar is made in sections with separate side arms being inserted into the chassis rails. The cross member spanning the rear panel of the vehicle bolts on to the side arms. The Jetta has a multiplex wiring system which means the tail lights and brake lights share the same wires. VW sell a special loom for this vehicle which like the Golf is sold for big dollars and requires re-coding of the ECU. We use an electronic control model made by Lumen in Australia which allows you to operate the trailer lights while protecting the vehicle electronics from any faults caused by dodgy trailer wiring.

Total fitting time is 3 to 4 hours because of the wiring and you have to make a window thro the bumper skin for the hitch to pass thro. This involves measuring, remeasuring, procrastinating for a bit, remeasuring then cutting.
See our tow bar selector for current fitted price

Tow bar Mazda 3

With the Mazda 3 being the one the best selling cars in Australia we get to fit lots of towbars to them. Mostly this is so that the owners can attach a bike carrier. There are several Hayman Reese towbars applicable to the various body styles and model years of Mazda 3. However, externally they all look very similar as the majority of the hardware is hidden up behind the bumper. Tow bars for Mazda 3s are what is known as a tongue style or standard towbar. This means that the ball is attached by an 'S' shaped lug to the rest of the towbar. The lug can be removed when not in use by undoing two bolts. This may be necessary on the some models because due to the position of the number plate there is a risk of falling foul of traffic laws by obscuring the vehicles rego.

Using a spanner to remove the towbar lug

See our tow bar finder for current pricing.  You will need to know the month/year of manufacture of your vehicle which will be shown on the VIN plate. There are different bars for hatch, sedan and SP models. If you are in Sydney and want a professional install please give us a call to schedule a fitting.We will need your car for a couple of hours.
Steve Shop1auto