MySwag.org The Off-road Camper Trailer Forum
General => General Discussion => Topic started by: Tony310864 on March 14, 2017, 01:23:47 PM
-
Hi all the Wife and I have up dated from the 80 series to a 2016 XLS Ranger.
We did not get the ford tow bar, although I did get a factory wiring harness and the tow module kit.
I checked out the local tow bar seller who is suggesting a hayman Reese at $720 or a Aranda at $450.
The seller likes the cheaper option. I do not know if this his recommendation to get a sale or if it is a better value option.
Which way would you go if it was your money that you spending? I do not have unlimited funds but in this situation Quality of product and value for money is more important than overall cost.
Thank you any input,
Tony.
-
What are the ratings on each?
-
Assuming a similar rating, Aranda has been around as long as I can remember. They aren't poor cousins to HR. I've had their bars before and at that price I'd be back there again. Smart move not going the factory bar, mine's a dozer blade. Back when they were new, I know a few guys went straight to Mazda and got that bar fitted. I don't know if it still occurs.
-
I have seen on another forum of an issue with a non-ford towbar that had issues with the spare tyre clearance on larger tyres fitted aftermarket eg 285/70/17 etc.
-
Several Ford owners I know went to Mazda and had theirs fitted as it is not as obtrusive as the Ford towbar and still rated at 3.5T
-
I went with the TAG Aranda Towbar -- As they have a Cab Chassis version which gives good clearance and is rated at 3.5 Ton.
I purchased the bar off ebay, as for some strange reason the TAG towbars are about $100 cheaper than purchasing directly from them, and the bar includes freight in the price..
http://stores.ebay.com.au/arandatowbars/TAG-/_i.html?_fsub=19610690010&_dmd=1&_nkw=ford+ranger+px (http://stores.ebay.com.au/arandatowbars/TAG-/_i.html?_fsub=19610690010&_dmd=1&_nkw=ford+ranger+px).
I found the bar to be good quality, and when installing all the bolt holes etc lined up making the bar a easy install. The only item I would not recommend is the Aranda wiring kit, so purchase the bar kit without the wiring, and use the Ford wiring kit and Tow module.
:cheers:
-
An update on the tow bar.
I bought the cheaper option as recommended by by local tow bar seller, took it home and fitted to the ranger, it fitted well and all the bolt holes lined up, happy days untill I looked at it from behind, it looked really low.
So on my way home from work I measured a couple of factory tow bars to discover that my tow bar had 70mm less ground clearance than the factory fit job.
I removed the tow bar from the ranger and headed back to the seller hoping that he would exchange it for one with more ground clearance. After a discussion about the fact that all the tow bars will fit the same way I suggested that a Hayman Reese tow bar for 2011 to mid 2015 was what I needed, his reply was that it was not suitable as the wiring loom is different. After explaining that I was using the ford wiring harness I left with a refund.
I found a tow bar with the part number that I wanted on ebay, this tow bar fitted more like how I thought it should be.
Now all that needs to be done is fit the brake controller and I will be good to go!
Tony.