Combining practicality, versatility, aesthetics, and affordability

TAG says the development of its XR Towbar was initiated when it noticed the demand for a competitively priced towbar that excelled in both functionality and aesthetics.
XR Towbar was conceived with two key features in mind. Firstly, it had to be practical. This meant being heavy-duty (class four), featuring a three-piece design for ease of fitment, providing excellent clearance, incorporating easy to access recovery points, offering additional plug brackets, and maintaining a weight-conscious design.
Secondly, aesthetics played a crucial role. Today’s 4WD enthusiasts don’t just need high quality gear that works, it also needs to look good and contribute positively to the overall look of the setup.
This meant that the XR towbar needed to exude toughness and quality, and its finish had to be visually striking and suit most 4WDs on the road.
TAG reports that its design team was excited to tackle the unique challenge of achieving the desired balance between aesthetics and practicality.
To start with, they aimed to emulate the appearance of a cast recovery point without incurring tooling costs, while also ensuring the towbar maintained a lightweight design.
To achieve this, TAG ventured into CNC machining for the first time. Using this process, its team were able to cut the recovery points directly out of the end plates, allowing for easy customisation of the recovery points during the design process to match the styling of any vehicle, and allowing it to squeeze in every millimetre of ground clearance possible.
TAG explains that this flexibility ensures the XR Towbar seamlessly integrates with a wide array of 4WD models, providing customers with a highly engineered recovery towbar that complements their vehicle’s unique style.
The recovery points are also bevelled to suit and extend the life of soft shackles – a feature that is important for any real 4WD enthusiast.
The new CNC manufacturing process has allowed the XR Towbar to save an impressive amount of weight, with TAG reporting that some models come in as much as 40kgs lighter than competitors’ recovery towbars for the same vehicle.
Most importantly, TAG states the reduction in weight has not had any negative impact on the strength and durability of the product.
Further, TAG notes that its dedication to safety and quality assurance is evident through its in-house testing to ADR standards, specifically ADR62/02.
TAG also took on the challenge of testing the Working Load Limit (WLL) rating for the recovery points in-house, which it states is a testament to its relentless pursuit of product excellence.

For more information, visit www.tagtowbars.com.au