New Towing Guides

**d2dave** · 13th August 2014, 11:05 PM

Originally Posted by hodgo

Before I posted this I sat for about 45 minutes trying to work out what I need for my 750 kg box trailer and who I am to attach it to my falcon standard tow bar and still comply. I some times tow a car float short distances loaded with a vehicle on it, I know its not legal but the trailer has electric brakes and well made and I drive accordingly to all conditions. To do this today I would have to have my tow bar modified beyond belief to attaché it to my Falcon and this is going to cause a lot of reengineering by back yarders that don't under stand engineering principles.
I would love to meet the person that dreamt up this miss leading load of hard to understand law I feel reasonably safe in saying that a big percentage of people today do not under stand the mechanic of tow bars or what suits what needs eg A person ( JIM) buys a second hand car you choose car B over car A because it has a tow bar he needs it because he has a 6x4 box trailer that's used for rubbish every now and then and take the dirt bike out bush
Now both Ford and Holden have at least 2 or 3 different rated tow bars, ^ months later he buys a caravan from a friend Jim now has a car with a light weight tow bar and a van weighing near 2 tone loaded this would make all these new rules useless but he has complied with all the latest regulation.

Oh I near forgot I hope to be able to attach hammer lock links to my tow bar
Hodgo

Our last Ford was a 98 NL Fairlane. The tow bar was rated to 1600kg and it had a plate clearly stating this, along with down force max of 160kg.

This being a requirement from 1992, I can't see any problem with confusion about different rated bars.

**ADMIRAL** · 14th August 2014, 12:28 AM

There is a lot of misinformation out there, before getting too excited about meeting any standards on shackles, have a read of the following.

MYTH

Incorrect rumour - towing shackles - Bundaberg

It's a rumour going around, but cops say it's an urban myth | Bundaberg NewsMail

**d2dave** · 14th August 2014, 07:54 AM

Originally Posted by ADMIRAL

There is a lot of misinformation out there, before getting too excited about meeting any standards on shackles, have a read of the following.

MYTH

Incorrect rumour - towing shackles - Bundaberg

It's a rumour going around, but cops say it's an urban myth | Bundaberg NewsMail

I thought this thread was about what the rules are, not whether or not they are being policed.

The link in the OP's post does not look to me like a rumour.

Now in the link above it states that there have been no changes to the shackles law and this is probably correct.

It has probably been the law for some time, as it has in Vic, but their are plenty of people still using Bunnings shackles.

Until a few years ago I was one of them.

No one here is being fined. Probably every second time I use my 6x4 trailer I am in breach of a loading law, which I have been doing for 35 years and not once been done for it.

**zulu Delta 534** · 14th August 2014, 07:57 AM

Originally Posted by ADMIRAL

There is a lot of misinformation out there, before getting too excited about meeting any standards on shackles, have a read of the following.

MYTH

Incorrect rumour - towing shackles - Bundaberg

It's a rumour going around, but cops say it's an urban myth | Bundaberg NewsMail

Well, I'll be blowed. That means I can't trust Facebook posts any more either. What a sad day for society.
Regards
Glen

**Lotz-A-Landies** · 14th August 2014, 12:58 PM

Originally Posted by d2dave

Our last Ford was a 98 NL Fairlane. The tow bar was rated to 1600kg and it had a plate clearly stating this, along with down force max of 160kg.

This being a requirement from 1992, I can't see any problem with confusion about different rated bars.

What is more interesting is that on the Falcon version they used the same bar for both the automatic and the manual yet the manual vehicle was only rated for 1275kg not the 1600kg of the automatic.

What manual car owners would have gone further than the label on the bar?

**V8Ian** · 14th August 2014, 02:47 PM

I will take a stab in the dark on why shackles didn't rate a mention in previous DoT documents.
Years ago, when DoT last visited the subject, nobody had heard of receiver hitches. We all had 4" x 3/4" flat bar tongues with a ram's horn welded to it, that we hung the chain on.

**d2dave** · 14th August 2014, 04:30 PM

Originally Posted by V8Ian

I will take a stab in the dark on why shackles didn't rate a mention in previous DoT documents.
Years ago, when DoT last visited the subject, nobody had heard of receiver hitches. We all had 4" x 3/4" flat bar tongues with a ram's horn welded to it, that we hung the chain on.

Geez Ian. That's showing your age.

**Mick_Marsh** · 14th August 2014, 04:59 PM

Originally Posted by d2dave

Geez Ian. That's showing your age.

That's showing the age of my vehicles. I have only recently changed the towbar on the hybrid from one using pigtails to one using shackles. A few still have pigtails. Some don't have the facility for connecting chains at all.
Bear in mind, the ADR's are not retrospective.
Mind you, for my own peace of mind, I am gradually converting the towing setup on my vehicles to ones that facilitate the connection of chains with rated shackles.
Does anyone have a rated solution for connecting chains to pintles?

**V8Ian** · 14th August 2014, 05:01 PM

Originally Posted by d2dave

Geez Ian. That's showing your age.

AULRO elder statesman.

**pop058** · 14th August 2014, 05:35 PM

Originally Posted by Mick_Marsh

That's showing the age of my vehicles. I have only recently changed the towbar on the hybrid from one using pigtails to one using shackles. A few still have pigtails. Some don't have the facility for connecting chains at all.
Bear in mind, the ADR's are not retrospective.
Mind you, for my own peace of mind, I am gradually converting the towing setup on my vehicles to ones that facilitate the connection of chains with rated shackles.
Does anyone have a rated solution for connecting chains to pintles?

I don't think pig tails are legal anymore anywhere on anything

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