2nd hand towbar - how much rust is too much?

[gogoboygareth]

Hi all,

I was at a wreckers today buying a couple of parts for my car, and figured I'd grab a towbar while I was there. It was dirty but I figured "meh" and grabbed it anyway.

Once I got home I cleaned it up a bit, and found a bit more rust than I was expecting. I know towbars get a lot of surface rust... but take a look at the following photo:

http://img39.imageshack.us/img39/5254/towbar.jpg

It's kind of pitted some of the surface. Is this OK to use or should I take it back for a refund/replacement?

[Reaper]

20 seconds with a wire brush and some black paint will make it as good as new. What you have there is fine.

Reaper

[edals]

Its only a little bit of rust, Will be fine, Unless your towing a house with it lol. even steel thats very rusted is still quite strong.

[gogoboygareth]

Ahhh see that's the thing... I'm not really used to towbars, so I don't know how rusty they normally get. I've seen photos on ebay where you can see the blotchy rust areas on the tongue etc... but this has a lot of rust marks everwhere, and is a bit pitted/eaten away on some sections (as seen in the photo). I don't know "how much is too much".

[Reaper]

Ahhh see that's the thing... I'm not really used to towbars, so I don't know how rusty they normally get. I've seen photos on ebay where you can see the blotchy rust areas on the tongue etc... but this has a lot of rust marks everwhere, and is a bit pitted/eaten away on some sections (as seen in the photo). I don't know "how much is too much".

You can probably leave it outside for the best part of a decade and it will still be ok in most cases. Holes etc in the pipe = bad. A bit of pitting is ok.

Reaper

[edals]

Well its up to you mate, if your not conformable using it, then don't, Best way of judgement, Or go to someone that knows towing and check it out to be sure for piece of mind :-)

[gogoboygareth]

Naaaah I'll use it provided you all say it's OK. I figured if it was bad, someone would immediately say NOOOOO, don't use it (etc).

I took another photo:

http://img29.imageshack.us/img29/1895/dsc01934r.jpg

(very large, sorry!)

So you can see a fair amount of rust on it, and even the bolt is orange/brown! All I will be using it for is for towing a trailer to pick up furniture every so often, nothing major.

[thedeadwalk]

nothing wrong with it man

[edals]

Yeah thats perfectly fine mate. go with it lol

[gogoboygareth]

Thanks guys I'm assuming it's OK if I go over the whole towbar with a wire brush, put on some of that rust remover/converter/primer stuff, then give it a coat of black auto paint?

[edals]

Be a good idea, help slow the rust down quite a bit & it will last longer.

[thedeadwalk]

Thanks guys I'm assuming it's OK if I go over the whole towbar with a wire brush, put on some of that rust remover/converter/primer stuff, then give it a coat of black auto paint?

and you'll get another 20years out of it

[gogoboygareth]

Out of curiousity... do I need to undo the bolts and stuff for cleaning it up? I don't mean the bolts that attach the towbar to the car... I mean the actual bolts that hold the towbar together. I have no intention of ever pulling it apart. I noticed the bolt heads are also a bit rusty... so I'm not sure what I should be doing with them exactly. I'm not even sure if I'd be able to get those bolts off anyway, they're most likely very very tightly done up.

[gogoboygareth]

Okay everyone... I need some help! I took some advice and swung by a towbar place, to get them to have a look... and their first impression was "that's not right!". Not about the rust (they said it was fine), but the plate said "C'DORE VT HSV SEDAN" (Hayman Reese part number 1633). I have a VXII Exec commodore.

It's this one:

Product details

I found something similar on Ebay, it looks sort of like this:

holden commodore towbar VT VX VY VZ cairns HSV SS - eBay Tow Bars, Exterior, Car Parts, Accessories, Cars, Bikes, Boats. (end time 28-Dec-09 17:13:14 AEDST)

They didn't think the towbar would fit, and it'd be too low. The towbar is very curvy.

Looking on ebay at towbars for VT/VX commodores:

Genuine Holden Commodore VT - VZ Tow Bar - eBay, Other Car Parts, Accessories, Car Parts, Accessories, Cars, Bikes, Boats. (end time 29-Jan-10 13:46:23 AEDST)

That one's a straight bar. So it looks a bit different to mine. I called up Hayman Reese, the lady said the one I got was for a 1997-2000 model HSV, whereas I have a 2002 Exec so it won't fit.

I then called the wreckers and they said it was fine, and these ones are designed to fit under the car and the "normal" Holden towbar requires the rear bar to be cut to fit. Looking under the car it LOOKS like it'll fit, everything looks like it'll line up. They said they'll swap it over for the "normal" one though, so there's no real issue - but if this one fits, I may as well use it.

Anyone have any advice?