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A tow bar can be a triangular-shaped bar system or a trailer hitch system. It can be coach-mounted or car-mounted and must have a primary connection and safeguards. A trailer hitch has a square hole for a drawbar and requires special wiring for brake lights.
A tow bar can refer to several different types of vehicle towing devices. There are two varieties of tow bars that are most common: a triangular-shaped bar system that attaches to the rear of one motor vehicle and to the front of a second vehicle, so that the first vehicle can tow the second; and a trailer hitch system that connects to the rear of a vehicle for trailer towing or a variety of other applications.
A tow bar designed to tow a second vehicle can be bolted to the towing vehicle, called a coach-mounted system, or it can be bolted to the front end of the vehicle being towed, called a car-mounted system. In either case, the tow bar connects the tow vehicle to the vehicle being towed, and allows turning between the two vehicles so they can move independently around turns and bumps. A towbar must be redundantly connected. In other words, there is a primary connection which is usually a ball and socket system, and there are safeguards, usually in the form of tow chains that connect the tow bar to the tow vehicle or vehicle being towed.
The other type of tow bar is more commonly known as a trailer hitch or receiver. It is a steel bar bolted or welded to the frame of a tow vehicle, with a square hole intended to receive a drawbar attached to a ball hitch. The trailer hitch and drawbar are separate components and are interchangeable; therefore, the trailer hitch can receive any drawbar designed for a variety of purposes, as long as the drawbar and hitch are the same size. For towing, a two-inch (5 cm) bar and receiver system is most common, although a one-and-a-quarter-inch (3.175 cm) system is also available. The smaller trailer hitch system should only be used for small trailers or other purposes such as bike racks or storage racks.
Both the tow bar and tow hitch designs require special wiring to ensure that the trailer or vehicle being towed has proper brake lights that work in conjunction with the tow vehicle. This is accomplished by wiring a female end harness on the tow vehicle to a male end harness on the trailer or vehicle being towed. This wiring is required to make the trailer’s vehicle or street legal. Additionally, security chains should always be used in conjunction with the primary endpoint.
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