Does installing a tow bar in the back of a pickup help?

[davidst01]

A year ago I was driving fast along a road that was under construction. There was loose gravel on most of the surface and as I drove to the right side of the road the back of my pickup slid a little bit. I lost control briefly and it scared the shit out of me. 

 

If I were to instal a heavy tow bar on the back would the weight of this prevent this problem happening again. Also, if some idiot smashes up the back of me then this will be safer if I have my baby in the back seat (baby chair). One would presume that its safer bc it reduces the crush impact at the rear?

 

What are your opinions?

thanks

[transam]

It will do nothing about vehicle control....

 

As the tow bar will be bolted to the chassis it will deal with a "small" impact from the rear....That's it...

But for folk nudging you parking it will help a lot....

[Jai Dee]

My first car in Thailand was a rental 2 door Toyota Hilux pickup (rear wheel drive).

 

It was really light and loose in the rear end and would often slip on a gravel road.

 

4 large bags of cement in the back of the tray did help a bit with the looseness but I ended up throwing them out as I got used to driving it safely within its limits (and mine).

[transam]

2 minutes ago, Jai Dee said:

My first car in Thailand was a rental 2 door Toyota Hilux pickup (rear wheel drive).

 

It was really light and loose in the rear end and would often slip on a gravel road.

 

4 large bags of cement in the back of the tray did help a bit with the looseness but I ended up throwing them out as I got used to driving it safely within its limits (and mine).

THAT is the key................Understand your vehicle........What ever it is........

[Jai Dee]

You gotta love rear wheel drives... 

 

Slightly off-topic but did you know that Australia now has anti-hoon driving laws?

Link

That means no more donuts. 

 

Back on topic, I think that the additional weight in the back end of the OP's pickup may help if it is RWD.

None of course if it is FWD or 4WD.

Worth trying a couple of bags of cement first to see if it improves the handling of the vehicle.

[electric]

IMHO the small weight of a towbar will make negligible difference to vehicle handling. Just chuck a 20litre water drum in the back. However .....

 

you will soon discover just how many friends you never knew you had .... magically all with trailers.

 

Very nearly crippled myself years ago when I walked full pelt straight into a towbar of a parked ute. Caught me just below the kneecap. Painful ? ...... farkinell

 

[Anythingleft?]

No it wont, you need a lot more weight than a "heavy" towbar in the back to stop the sliding
Slow down a bit or pay for a race day ticket

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[DILLIGAD]

It will help when reversing!
Oops!


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[Crossy]

Putting it in 4WD will help with control on the loose, but be aware it makes no difference to the braking performance.

 

Having driven RWD almost all my driving career I do enjoy our manual transmission pickup, goes sideways very nicely. Scares Wifey although she enjoyed the Beemer in Belgium, OK I wasn't quite so "enthusiastic" under European law

 

The SUV with all the trimmings can make it boring, but there is a switch marked "off"

[overherebc]

Rear wheel drive and lots of cubic inches.

???

Putting a weight in the back helps a bit but can also change what happens if you loose the rear end, the extra weight will make it snap out quicker when it goes.

[VocalNeal]

5 hours ago, davidst01 said:

I was driving fast along a road that was under construction.

Answer to the first part is in here.

 

 

5 hours ago, davidst01 said:

if some idiot smashes up the back of me then this will be safer if I have my baby in the back seat (baby chair).

Any injury to your child in the back will be the result of the impact force not the damage done to the vehicle. So NO

[DavisH]

Wouldn't one of those hard canopies help? They weigh quite a bit. No idea on the effect on the vehicle stability though. 

The tow bar may be more problem than it's worth. If a biker runs into the back of you they could be more injured than than is necessary. Even though it's their fault, well you know how it works in Thailand:) It's the same with huge roo bars on the front of pickups....not necessary (in Thailand) and some may not be compatible with frontal collision systems.  

[Hereinthailand]

Ummm just be careful putting any weight in the back, make sure it is very securely tied down. Nothing like having a couple of bags of cement or a barrel of water bash your bed all to hell when it moves/slides around. It also will be of no use unless it is behind the rear wheels. In winter I used to put a board across the bed behind the wheel wells to keep them from flying into my cab with sand bags there for extra traction. But honestly your driving too fast if you are losing traction in the situation you described.

[overherebc]

10 hours ago, Hereinthailand said:

Ummm just be careful putting any weight in the back, make sure it is very securely tied down. Nothing like having a couple of bags of cement or a barrel of water bash your bed all to hell when it moves/slides around. It also will be of no use unless it is behind the rear wheels. In winter I used to put a board across the bed behind the wheel wells to keep them from flying into my cab with sand bags there for extra traction. But honestly your driving too fast if you are losing traction in the situation you described.

I'd be more inclined to have the weight right above the back axle, less likely to swing the rear end.

[giddyup]

The more weight you put in the back, the worse your fuel consumption is going to be. Best advice is just drive sensibly and to the capabilities of yourself and the vehicle.

[Ahab]

17 hours ago, transam said:

It will do nothing about vehicle control....

 

As the tow bar will be bolted to the chassis it will deal with a "small" impact from the rear....That's it...

But for folk nudging you parking it will help a lot....

Concur with all. I have had several cars rearend crash into the back of mid and full size pickups in the USA. Little to zero damage to my truck but several thousand dollars worth of damage to all cars involved (three).

[giddyup]

Just now, Ahab said:

Concur with all. I have had several cars rearend crash into the back of mid and full size pickups in the USA. Little to zero damage to my truck but several thousand dollars worth of damage to all cars involved (three).

A towbar is only going to protect you from the smallest of nudges, probably any collision greater that 5 kph is going to result in at least a serious ding to your tailgate.

[Ahab]

5 minutes ago, giddyup said:

A towbar is only going to protect you from the smallest of nudges, probably any collision greater that 5 kph is going to result in at least a serious ding to your tailgate.

All of mine were more than slight nudges, although not high speed by any measure. At a minimum I would have had to replace the bumper and likely more if I had not had the frame mounted tow bar installed.

[DILLIGAD]

A towbar is only going to protect you from the smallest of nudges, probably any collision greater that 5 kph is going to result in at least a serious ding to your tailgate.

Or 'fold-up' your rear chassis.


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[Don Mega]

6 minutes ago, DILLIGAD said:

Or 'fold-up' your rear chassis.


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How ?

[Don Mega]

Davis, my vigo used to like to step out over potholes in the road. I fixed it by replacing all suspension bushes with nolothane ones and new Rancho shock absorbers.

[Anythingleft?]

http://alerts.nationalsafetycommission.com/2011/04/how-receiver-hitches-affect-rear-end.html?m=1

An informative read done by a commission

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[giddyup]

33 minutes ago, Ahab said:

All of mine were more than slight nudges, although not high speed by any measure. At a minimum I would have had to replace the bumper and likely more if I had not had the frame mounted tow bar installed.

The front end of most cars is plastic. A car won't just bounce off after hitting a towbar at speeds above 5 kmph, but the momentum will still carry it forward into the rear of your vehicle. Not saying a towbar won't offer some protection against bad parking nudges, but that's about all.

Edited April 28, 2017 by giddyup

[DILLIGAD]

How ?

As it's bolted to the chassis, I would have thought if it got a hearty bang, that could more than likely damage the chassis.


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[Don Mega]

2 hours ago, DILLIGAD said:

As it's bolted to the chassis, I would have thought if it got a hearty bang, that could more than likely damage the chassis.


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But surely as the chassis is already there a hearty bang would still cause damage to it.

 

A sedan that has no chassis on the other hand I can see a hit on the tow bar causing more damage than with out.

[canthai55]

Any heavy duty bumper will protect your truck in an impact - front or rear. Problem being that must trucks ride high, and if impacted with a lower vehicle most will go under the bumper with the most heavy component - the engine. As for having your child in a seat - good idea. But the bumper will not mitigate damage - only a controlled crush zone will help by spreading out the impact over time and over a large area, as they are designed to do. And beware of any custom bumper as the air bags might not work as designed. As far as the rear of your truck 'skating' while driving over rough ground ... it is designed to carry a load. Unladen the suspension suffers from too much compression and rebound damping - hence the tendency for the rear of the truck to 'step out'.