Towing Solutions

Date Posted: 11 August 2021

Towing has become more and more important to Australians in recent times as we have been restricted to venturing around our beautiful country. We have taken to the roads towing our boats, caravans and trailers. Although, as many of you would have found, finding the correct fit and class of towbar can be quite mind boggling. You're probably asking yourself "What tow bar do I need?" and "What size tow bar do I need?". Whether you are going to tackle the task to fit it yourself or take it to your local mechanic to fit, Perform-Ex Automotive has all the towing solutions and after sales service you need!

Now let’s break down the different types of towbar:

Light Duty Towbars / Class 2 Towbars

Class two towbars are only rated up to 1200kg and only suitable for towing small 6 metre by 4 metre trailers. Class 2 tow bars usually only use a flat tongue style hitch.

Medium Duty Towbars / Class 3 Towbars

Class three towbars are for medium weight loads and are rated up to 1600kg. Class 3 tow bars are suitable for towing compact cars, small boats, and slightly larger trailers.

Heavy Duty Towbars / Class 4 Towbars

Class four towbars are very popular as they are rated up to 3500kg and aren’t massively more expensive in price. Class 4 tow bars are suitable for towing boats, horse floats, caravans or car trailers. Weight distribution hitches are also compatible with heavy duty towbars.

	CLASS 2	CLASS 3	CLASS 4
Type	Light-duty	Medium-duty	Heavy-duty
Weight Rating	1200kg	1600kg	3500kg
Hitch Type	Flat Tongue	Horizontal Hitch	Horizontal Hitch
Example Vehicle	Hatchback	Family Sedan	4WD
Example Load	Small Box Trailer	Large Box Trailer	Caravan
Weight Distribution Hitch Compatible?	No	No	Yes

Still wondering which towbar is right for you? First things first, find out in your vehicle’s owner’s manual how much your vehicle can tow, this will then determine what class of towbar is right for your vehicle. There is little point in putting a heavier class towbar on a vehicle that is unable to tow that much.

VE Online stocks a large range of brands and class of towbars for a wide range of vehicles. Contact us today for advice on which towbar will suit your vehicle and needs.

All VE Online towbars come with a compliance plate on the underneath of the towbar, meeting the AS/NZS 4177 which is the Australian Standard for towbars.