Towbars for recovery?

So I know alot of people use towbars as a rear recovery point so ive been looking at a few to use as a recovery point but they alll seem to have a lower towing capacity than the weight of the car! and considering that when your stuck fast the load could be double or more surely this is not a good option really?!

so what are your views and what towbars are people using for recovery?

I bought one off ebay for £100 and it came with a standard ball hitch, however you shouldn't really tow off the bull hitch with a rope as it could fly off, so I bought a ball and clevis type hitch for about £15 which has a proper verticle fixing point which is great for fixing a rope too.

What towing capacity does the tow bar have, the max ive found is 1300kg which is less than the car weighs? Does it attach to the shite tie down points?

IMO it looks like all tow bars attach pretty solidly to the chassis, so can't see there being any issues with strength

only downside I can see is that you'll loose some rear ground clearance, but then again a tow-bar can act as protection when "dropping off" rocks, pleased I had mine to protect my S/S rear box I heard mine ground a few times when I was out, and Gaz saw it catch in his role as gate closer







downside is that initially, everytime you put the groceries in the "boot", you smash your shins but you soon wise up

So even tho most tow bars seem to have a max towing capzcity of 1300kg it doesnt matter? Has anyone ripped their tow bar off from a sticky recovery?

Yer it doesn't matter really, and like halford said it does lower ground clearance, however I've found that my towbar just slices through the ground with the weight of the car, so actually it doesn't really reduce the ground clearance, as it digs beneath the surface, either way, you won't snap or brake one.

i use one, you'd stuggle to rip it off.......

Towbars are like it says, for towing!

A year or two ago, there was this 4x4 competition in Singapore or Sri Lanka or something, and there was a truck stuck in a ditch, and another truck was pulling it hard by the tow ball, which eventually ended up shooting off like a cannonball, hitting two spectators in the forehead killing them instantly. The video can be found somewhere, but I won't post any links because it was pretty graphic footage...

Shit me that is f*^#ing graphic very surprised its still on the net! That definatly shows how serious recovery can be especially when done in the wrong way which this video shows! I think if you do use tow balls for recovery don't try and pull nissan patrol loaded with gear not just out of a ditch but over a bank too! Personally I would only rely on one for level and straight towing or recovery which is what they are made for! Oh and like any one should ever have to say this don't stand in range of the tow strap or a winch rope, if you do your pretty much deserve what is coming!