At a glance: These tow bar kits provide the head plates and other parts to fabricate a tow bar used on Fairmont, Woodings, Beaver, and other railroad motor cars. The builder supplies the main tow bar square tube.
Tow Bar - A tow bar is a required device you should carry on your motorcar. At some point, when out on the rails, either your car or your immediate neighbor will break down and have to be "put on the bar" and towed back to town.
These tow bar kits provide the four head plates to fabricate a motorcar tow bar. Many people find head plates to be the most cumbersome to make, which is the inspiration behind creating these kits.
Both weld-together and bolt-together kits are available. The welded kits also include two 1/8" thick end-caps to finish off the tow bar main tube ends. The bolt-together kits require only a drill press and include all assembly hardware (Grade 8 bolts, nuts, and washers).
The completed tow bars accommodate motorcars manufactured by Fairmont, Woodings, Beaver, and other manufacturers.
Pocket Length - Pocket length is the distance from the hitch-pin hole center to the end of the main tube. The pocket provides clearance for the motorcar hitch to engage the tow bar.
Two kit variants are available: a 2" standard-length pocket (works on all but Woodings motorcars) and a 3" extended-length pocket (required by Woodings motorcars but also works on all motorcars.) If you have any doubts, purchase the extended pocket kit.
The back story on Woodings. The rear hitch on a Woodings is the same as Fairmont and other motorcars, so a 2" pocket length works fine. The front hitch, however, is positioned behind the front bumper tube, which is 1-5/16" in diameter. So, the front hitch is positioned inward by this extra distance, requiring a 3" pocket length.
General Dimensions - The hitch-pin holes are 1" in diameter. A ¾" diameter hitch-pin works well when connecting motorcars. The ¼" difference in diameters and the 1-1/2" distance between head-plates provide enough play to allow the tow bar to be at a slight angle vertically between motorcars when towing.
Each of the kits, if built to the drawings, produces a tow bar with the following general dimensions:
- Hitch-pin hole diameter: 1"
- Overall length: 40 ¼"
- Hitch-pin hole to Hitch-pin hole distance: 37-3/4”
- Distance between head plates: 1-1/2"
- The hitch-pin holes are offset inward an extra 1/4" to provide a wear-guard tip.
Material - The head plates are laser cut from 1/4" HRPO (hot rolled, pickled, and oiled) steel, and tube end plates are from 1018 (cold rolled) steel. All parts have been deburred and chamfered. Due to the nature of HRPO and cold-rolled steel, there is no mill scale that needs to be removed in preparation for welding.
Not Included in the Kits - The kits do not include the 1-1/2" x 1/8" wall square steel body tube. You must provide that part. The length requirement for each kit is slightly different, so see each kit description for the needed tube length.
Tow Bar Catalog
- Welded 2" Standard Length Pocket
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Bolted 2" Standard Length Pocket
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Welded 3" Extended Length Pocket
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Bolted 3" Extended Length Pocket
