Tow Bars

whoppa · Veteran Member

Tow Bars

dave06 · Guru

hey whoppa how you doin, big variance in towing weights on 18 foot vans, I did a bit of research and can give you a ballpark figure of between 1100 and 1500 kgms and thats about as close as I can get, given the variances of internal fitouts, but I would think if you used the above figures as a very rough guide to a selection of a towbar then you wouldnt be far off

assuming a weight of 1300kgms laden then your ball loading would be roughly 130kgms so a selection of a towbar to that or better standard is desirable, haymen reese will not fall short on this, better to go a little bit heavier than a bit lighter

remembering also to keep within your towing limitations of the falcon (1500kgms I think was your max without modification)

brickies · Guru

Hi Whoppa most Falcon have a 2300kg. towing capt. . the weight of the van should be stamped on a plate in the boot, has Dave has said the weight can have a large difference has it got a shower and toilet 1 water tank or 2 , so look for the compliance place to fid out the weight but i dont think you will have any problems towing any 18ft. with a falcon . but i would install a Haymanreese hitch and also a haymanreese distribution hitch to the van

dave06 · Guru

yep should read 2300kgms, tow cap.reading something else at the time

whoppa · Veteran Member

Thanks all,
We have been looking hard on trading post for vans ,we have decided the Viscount regency with shower would be an ideal in our price range, A lot of vans with single beds ??????
but Viscount appears the best lay out for us.
We can,t wait to get on the road. Flights booked for the 3rd of May.
I belive they have a 1600kg towbar but It looks like the 2300kg towbar is what we will need.
cheers Mike

dave06 · Guru

ebay is another great spot for nosing at vans, I would actually go for the next towbar up if I was you, but whatever you decide I hope you enjoy it, dont grab the first have a good look at ALL the options

Wombat 280 · Guru

Towbars for a Falcon shouldn't be that difficult to come by. Went to a council auction a while back and they sold a shrink wrapped pallet of them , YES a pallet ,for $50 most were Hay R 's I'll bet a wrecking yard or a dealer snapped them up, quick coat of paint and now worth 450 - 600 each plus fitting.

dave06 · Guru

thats a good idea, I had a nose in ebay and within two minutes came up with a dozen towbars for falcons, not knowing which model you have I just had a squizz at this hayman reese one rated at 2300kgms currently at $150, gotta be worth a lot more than that

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Hayman-Reese-2300kg-BA-BF-Falcon-sedan-Towbar_W0QQitemZ220383434421QQcmdZViewItemQQptZAU_Car_Parts_Accessories?hash=item220383434421&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=66%3A2%7C65%3A1%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318

whoppa · Veteran Member

Yes ebay is good to , i know what you mean about second hand bars I put one on a Nissan Primera about a year ago, the nissan dealer wanted $700 to supply and fit.
I got a factory towbar from a wrecker and fitted it my self for $185.00 all up.
It came with all bolts and wiring and only took about 2 hours to fit.
i will definatly be looking at a used option.

dave06 · Guru

certainly saves a quid, I had a quote from the mitsubishi dealer to repair my electric passenger side window regulator, turns out the people who used to supply mitsubishi went broke so the reg was no longer available through them

sydney has one, the price has jumped from $300 to $500, I looked on the web got a secondhand one for $180, trouble is the dealers have me over a barrell, I cant fit it, so I got to pay them $100 an hour to fit it for me

Wombat 280 · Guru

dave06 wrote:

certainly saves a quid, I had a quote from the mitsubishi dealer to repair my electric passenger side window regulator, turns out the people who used to supply mitsubishi went broke so the reg was no longer available through them

sydney has one, the price has jumped from $300 to $500, I looked on the web got a secondhand one for $180, trouble is the dealers have me over a barrell, I cant fit it, so I got to pay them $100 an hour to fit it for me

Fords are the same They must be still using the same wiring harness from the first Falcons. The elec motors in the Fairlanes windows , and I suppose other Ford models, are mounted directly under the window pane so when the dust and rain gets pass the rubber the motor is right inline to cop it all . As each window has it's own cam angle they can't be changed over, back right fits only back right and so on .

I can still hear the cash register playing from here. Mechanically Fords pass the acceptable mark but the electrics are utter crap

dave06 · Guru

yep looked at it sorrowfully yesterday arvo and spied what I thought was a pair of shadows on the passenger seat, turns out to be two rather large grease spots, they were placed there by the mechanic who initially took the door panel off to inspect the breakage

the grease spots are produced from the silicon they use to seal the plastic outer barrier just under the door panel, impossible to remove from the seat, so I am now embroiled in a legal struggle to get my seat replaced, thats why I was a bit off with the above falcon tow weight, a new seat is $2300, I'm not paying for it, where the hell do they get these prices from, to build a car from spare parts would have to cost $100,000 or more

so now I must prove the stains were not there in the first place, and that I did not put them there, as if I havent got enough on my plate

sgntbilko · Senior Member

Hi Whoppa,

The BA Falcon Station Waggon I had, had a tow ball capacity of 230kgs and towing capacity of 2,300kgs.

I believe the car or utility is less.

I also towed a Tandem wheel Pop Top of 17.6 feet with the Falcon and it was also very legal and also did it standing on its head.

Of Course you will need the tow bar that has that capacity if you have the BA Station Waggon or other model station waggon. It will have a plate on the tow bar with the specifications.

I should imagine if you are towing and 18ft Van you should have no problems with it providing the tow ball weight does not exceed 230kgs and the laden weight does not exceed 2300kgs. That way you are legal as well as being covered by your insurance. I should imagine that you will have no problem with either with an 18ft Van.

I know that the Falcon will tow it very easily.

Take care

mike and Judy · Guru

Have seen an incidence of the ball itself not meeting standard, in the early days it was in 2 pieces, and have seen it snap at the tongue, it was used to wrap a towline around to tow out a bogged vehicle, I think they are all made to a standard now

dave06 · Guru

yep the other thing to watch out for is a loose tow ball, very quickly wears a weakness in to the thread and snaps them, check them and re tighten as necessary please

I think they are all highly rated and built to a standard nowadays

PeterH · Veteran Member

Whoppa,
I tow a 1350 GVM van with a BF Falcon MKII. When I had the bar fitted, I made sure I got the 2300kg bar. Thought this the best, as we may upgrade the van later..who knows?
Have a friend who has the latest model Ford with the factory fitted bar, cost around $2000, electrics and all fitted...
Mine was about $750 ?????(I think) with electric brake controller and all.
I have done a couple of trips and the Ford tows better than the 2005 Commodore I had before.
The friend says he could not be happier with his new Ford after only one trip.
My suggestion:
1. Put the best tow bar you can afford on now as you may want to change the van later and keep the same car.
2. Better to be 'over speced' than under and find the van happens to be heavier than someone told you on your first trip.

-- Edited by PeterH on Monday 6th of April 2009 08:56:59 PM