67-72 Custom Tow Bars
 

Does anyone have any good plans for a tow bar to haul our trucks around?

Whatever plans or pictures you have would be helpful.

Where do you bolt onto? Where do you attach the chains?

I don't completely trust my truck, & besides, it'd be a fun new welding project!

If there enough other people on here interested, I may take tons of pics & post all w/ measurements & such. Not that I'm all that good, but you could use my work as a point of reference (to avoid) if nothing else.


Thanks Guys,

i used a tow bar (not custom) from longhorn man to haul a truck back a few hundred miles. it hooked right to the front 2 frame horns where the bumper bolts. worked like a charm.

in all reality, I say buy one...and I'm the cheapest SOB you'll ever know. ;)
A home made one isn't DOT aproved, and you can be fined for using it, along with having to drop your load (the truck) and return with proper equipment.

You can get them pretty cheap. I got one for 100 bucks at wall mart. I hear they don't carry them anymore, and I can't find them, but I just got a PM from a member in PA who said he got one at wall mart.

This one is new for 2004, but it looks almost identicle to the one i had.
http://www.reeseprod.com/products/pr...r_83450_lg.jpg

The one I had was rated at 3500 pounds, but I think the weak link on it was the way they wanted you to hook up. This was a fixed A frame tow bar. They wanted you to drill 1/2 inch holes in the bumper. I held it up to the bumper and saw it was about 1/2 inch short of bolting to the bumper bolts...the ones that go to the frame. So I streached it out untill it fit. It was a bit of a PITA to install becouse of the streaching thing, but it worked awsome. I hauled my old SWB GMC with an extra cab in the bed and a 400 small block and 3 tool boxes full of tools inside the spare cab...had no issues. 1300 miles from tx to oh.
Used the same one a few times on small trips..local mostly.
Then, (same tow bar) dragged the '70 one ton longhorn 430 miles from PA to here.
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/a...tachmentid=618
Notice, i just wrapped a chain from frame to frame crossing under the hituc. The crossing is important and many don't know, or don't know why...it is to catch the tongue of the tralierd vehicle in case it pops off the hitch. Not just a tow bar thing...a towing anything thing.

I wish i didn't have to sell the sucker.

DO NOT GET THE BULL DOG ONE ON E-BAY
I bought one last month, 75 bucks to my door, a collapsable tow bar, rated at 5000 pounds, shipped to my door for 75 bucks.
That POS broke less than ONE FRIGGEN BLOCK into it's first tow.
Called up the company, they acused me of not knowing how to use the tool. :rolleyes: in addition to the trips mentioned above, and the one s-10 5 miles to the junk yard, and an s-10 200 miles from here I towed home...on top of all that, i have well over 500 DOCUMENTED hrs of tow bar use in the army dragging 70 ton tanks, 56 ton recovery vehicles, hummers, 13 ton armored personel carriers.... and they say i didn't know what I was doing....
Anyways, don't get that POS. It needs major re-working so the stress points pull against the metal instead of against the weld.
If wally world doesn't have one, you can call a local RV dealer, and if that fails, http://www.reeseprod.com/ should be able to hook you up.

attaching points
 

Any close ups pics showing attachment to bumper bolt holes. Looks very slick.

I have plans for a tow dolly if you really want a project...

Thanks Blue Beard, but I'm not a fan of the tow dolly. I'd almost prefer chains or a tow strap.

I was told tow bars were illegal in SC. You have to use a dolly or trailer.... :bs: Just what I've been told....but then again we don't have vehicle inspections either....I think my 86 Camaro could use a 454 and some straight pipes...... Sorry to everyone who has to deal with all that California emissions BS!

i`ll get some on here when i get home tonight.

Thanks Chevye...I don't have any close ups of that anymore.
Illegal in S.C. huh?
I wonder if they let the federal gov use them in there state then? :crazy:
ppl think these are unsafe, but like any other method of towing, if done properly, and treated properly, with good components, it is perfectly safe.

yeah i was kind of skeptical at first too, but the towbar performed flawlessly. ;)
here`s the pic. my concrete slab in front of the garage is a 2 inch thick slab of ice... like everything else around here tonight.

thoes little c clamps attach through the towbar and hold on with a cotter pin. sorry for the poor pics.

I seriously doubt its against the law in SC. Even if it is its not enforced. People I knew in GA made a living going to PA & NY, buying 4 or 5 rust heaps with good motors and trannys and tow-baring them back to GA. They would sell the motor/tranny and anything else they could and crush the rest. But never knew of a ticket for using a tow-bar.