2003 Media ReleasesJump To | |
Aug 03 - Australia Looks To NZ TowbarsAustralians are turning to New Zealand-made towbars to haul their trailers, boats, horse floats and caravans. Superior technology and quality has been the key in giving New Zealand’s leading towbar manufacturer Best Bars Ltd a big foot in the door across the Tasman.The success is based on an innovative “new to Australia” type of towbar that is both easier to use, meets ADR requirements and is engineered from quality materials, yet is comparable in price to local Australian towbars. After viewing the new Best Bars design, a number of Australian car companies were so impressed they have switched to the Kiwi product. Within months of discussions Best Bars has become the preferred towbar supplier to MG Rover Australia, Audi Australia and also Peugeot Australia (one of the sponsors of the 2003 Rugby World Cup). Best Bars is hoping that other car companies in Australia will follow suit. “We have been working on the Australian market for some time and the success has not come easy – it is a difficult market to break into – our innovation, quality and delivery performance has been key to our success,” says Stephen de Kriek, General Manager of Best Bars Ltd. “We set up a business in Australia so we would be see us a local distributor, this also enable us to gain knowledge of the Australian market and their unique market requirements. In essence it provided a vehicle for proofing our product at end user level. As we already had a world class production facility in New Zealand that could produce excellent products at competitive prices, we set about building on that base, using feedback from end users to tailor our product design to their market.” Best Bars was one of the pioneers of the detachable tongue towbar that has become a favourite among many New Zealand car owners and it decided to develop the idea further, with an eye to exports. The latest version features a quick-release detachable tongue that is faster and easier to install and remove. A new paint finish has also been developed that Best Bars believes is far superior to the paint used by competitors and for those who prefer the ultimate durable towbar, a chrome tongue option is also available. Mr de Kriek says other car companies and even other road users in Australia have noted the difference between the Best Bars towbars and the rest and have made enquiries. He is hopeful this will lead to increased business. Another key Best Bars advantage is the ability to test the performance, strength and safety of each towbar design in-house on a specially designed machine. It puts towbars through their paces whilst attached to a vehicle, thus providing real-life feedback on their performance. Mr de Kriek says Best Bars is the first and only towbar maker in New Zealand to test on vehicle for both static and dynamic load conditions. Design, quality and attention to detail have seen Best Bars become a preferred towbar supplier to the majority of car companies in New Zealand. And now that it has broken into the Australian market, the company’s 78-strong South Auckland workforce is hoping for similar success. << BACK TO TOP >> |
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Jul 03 - Best Bars Equips Police FleetThe police vehicle fleet will be better set up for the variety of special tasks carried out by members of the force around New Zealand, thanks to the efforts of an automotive equipment engineering firm. The latest police vehicles are being fitted with an array of specialist equipment designed with the rigorous demands of police work in mind.Equipment manufactured and supplied by Best Bars Ltd of Manurewa, Auckland has been incorporated into vehicles placed into service over the past 14 months. Best Bars is the leading manufacturer and supplier of vehicle tow bars and automotive accessories to most car companies in New Zealand. This has given Best Bars the ability to work within vehicle distributors guidelines achieving packages suited to the operator’s requirement. The police force is currently undertaking a vehicle replacement program, Best Bars has been working closely with Holden NZ – as it does with other vehicle distributors - to tailor vehicles to task requirements. Operator safety, ease of operation and functional layout to service accident and crime scene situations was a key design factor. This included the provision of protection bars to prevent damage of the vehicles. Most Ute’s and station wagons will also be fitted with heavy-duty tow bars, featuring detachable tongues that can be stowed away when not in use. The utes, which are to be used for various tasks are in daily use, from off road rescue to accident emergency patrols, most get canopies, cab protectors and tray liners, along with specialty storage systems. The station wagons get cargo barriers to prevent items from flying forward and hitting occupants. Also fitted are liners to protect the floors and specialty storage systems to house the equipment necessary for the police motorway patrol. John Nash, Sales Manager for Best Bars Ltd says, "The police were looking to establish a uniform standard of equipment for their vehicles, both for cost efficiency and to ensure vehicles fully meet the tasks for which they are designed." In addition to being able to supply the right products, Best Bars also had to meet strict quality and performance standards. The company has established its own in-house testing systems and its product quality is highly regarded. Quality of design and build for product used in extreme and hazardous conditions ensure the public receives the best service possible from NZ’s Police force. Best Bars has provided special equipment for similar vehicles used by the NZ Army in the past, but even still, the products for the police vehicles were individually designed and tested to ensure they perform to expectations. Holden and Best Bars have supplied specially equipped vehicles to the police in batches over the past 12 months for distribution nationally. << BACK TO TOP >> |
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May 03 - Wrong Towball Could Be Fatal, Warns Best BarsUsing the wrong size towball could result in a trailer breaking away from a vehicle and causing an horrific accident possibly resulting in death, fears Best Bars, New Zealand’s leading towbar manufacturer and auto accessory specialists.The company says there is a real danger of trailers detaching from vehicles due to confusion regarding two sizes of towball that are both legal in this country and both widely available. Best Bars is pushing for action on the problem and advises people who tow vehicles to carry a special dual-purpose towball called a ‘Convert-A-Ball’ to ensure they can safely hitch up to either size rawbar coupling. The problem goes back more than 20 years, when Government transport officials sanctioned a new 50mm towball size as New Zealand embraced the metric age and it was supposed to have replaced the old imperial 17/8” size. But trailers have continued to be made to fit 17/8” towballs and they still make up around 80% of the market. A 17/8” towball is equivalent to 47.6mm, which means that although it slots into a 50mm coupling, the fitting is lose and therefore not secure. Stephen de Kriek, General Managing of Best Bars Ltd says, "The potential for someone to mistakenly hitch a trailer fitted with the larger 50mm coupling to the smaller imperial towball is huge. We have seen 50mm couplings come away from imperial towballs quite easily, especially if the towball is worn. Even if the trailer remains connected with a safety chain, there is still significant potential for an accident to happen." He says the problem is likely to arise when people hire trailers or first purchase a trailer with a metric coupling and they hitch up to their old imperial towball. Unless they have been informed of the size difference, the driver could be completely unaware of the potential danger. Mr de Kriek is mystified why transport safety officials have allowed this situation to continue for so long and is worried that it may take an horrific accident to prompt action. He says that a timetable should be set to phase out one of the towball sizes instead of ignoring the situation and continuing with both. And he advises that all drawbar couplings should be marked clearly with its size, to ensure it matches the right towball – especially on hired trailers. If a towball or drawbar couplings does not have its size marked clearly it may well be an inferior product. In the meantime, his company is advising customers who fit Best Bars towbars to their vehicles to have the special ‘Convert-A-Ball’ fitted as well. The “Convert-A-Ball” replaces a standard towball and comes with two interchangeable balls - 50mm and 17/8”. They can be swapped over in seconds simply by removing a central pin, which can be pushed out with the tip of a key or pen, whilst the shank remains firmly attached to the towbar. Mr de Kriek says,The “Convert-A-Ball” is easy to use and the spare towball can be carried in the boot of the vehicle to be swapped over at any time. It is a constant reminder to the driver to be aware that there are different sizes." For some motorists, the “Convert-A-Ball” can also get them out of trouble with traffic police if their existing towball obscures part of the number plate – with the ball removed and stored inside the vehicle the number plate is not masked. Best Bars offers two versions of the “Convert-A-Ball”, one in ordinary steel and the other made of stainless steel. As with all Best Bars products Convert-a-ball meets international safety standard and enjoys a V5 safety accreditation. << BACK TO TOP >> |
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Feb 03 - Best Towbars Are From Best BarsHow do you know if a towbar is suitable for your four-wheel-drive vehicle?There’s only one way to tell, according to New Zealand’s leading towbar designer and manufacturer, and that is if they have been tested on the vehicle. So how do you know that? Best Bars is the only manufacturer in the country that tests every design before it is released on the market. That means you can be sure a towbar carrying the Best Bars logo is going to do the job for you. Towbars sold by vehicle manufacturers as genuine parts are also tested on the vehicles, because most are supplied by Best Bars. A towbar designed for a four-wheel-drive vehicle undergoes far more stress and strain than towbars that are fitted to the average car, according to Stephen de Kriek, General Manager of Best Bars Limited. Owners who take them off road are likely to use the towbar assembly for snatch recovery, which subjects it to increased stress compared to ordinary towing. Best Bars has designed its four-wheel-drive vehicle towbars to withstand such stressful use. These measure include sturdy construction of the bar itself, use of Grade 8 rate hi tensile bolts and using the biggest bolts possible. Best Bars has created its own machine to test all towbars on the vehicle and subject them to punishing lateral testing as well as fore-aft movement, since many snatch tows are not straight on. Mr de Kriek recommends the Best Bars removable tongue towbars for use on four-wheel-drive vehicles. Removing the tongue improves the angle of exit and prevents the vehicle from hanging up on objects. Additionally, owners can purchase a removable drilled bar (for attaching shackles) or removable hook on a bar – both are ideal for hooking up a towrope. He strongly advises against looping a towrope over a towball for towing or snatching as it could break off. Corrosion resistance is equally important and Mr de Kriek says that powder coating is not an ideal finish for towbars because the paint easily chips and moisture will penetrate under the coating and rust. Go for a towbar that has been thoroughly pre-prepared with zinc phosphate and dip painted. Best Bars is also one of New Zealand’s leading supplier of retrofitted brakes for trailers. A trailer with brakes is far more useful (and legal) than an unbraked trailer. Best Bars has put together packages for retrofitting brakes to a wide variety of unbraked trailers up to 2000kg. Owners have the choice of an override drum brake or disc brake package, with stainless steel pistons, marine bearing seals and all connection parts. A galvanised marine option is available for the disc brake package. << BACK TO TOP >> |
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Jan 03 - Bike Problems Solved By Innovative BuddyAn innovative New Zealand design idea will make carrying a bike on the back of a vehicle much easier.Bike racks like the Ezi-Grip II made by Best Bars are becoming increasing popular for carrying bikes to leisure and sports activities, but what if the bike has no cross bar, such as ladies bikes, mountain bikes and some children’s bikes? No sweat. Best Bars has come up with the Bike Buddy. The Bike Buddy is an adjustable bar that fits between the handlebars and the seat bar to provide a robust attachment to the carrier. The impact-resistant plastic hooks are designed to comfortably fit the bike without causing damage. Steve Newland of Best Bars Ltd says,"A bike rack isn’t much good if it can’t carry the bike……and there are quite a few bikes which don’t have them, so we decided to come up with a solution that looked as good and worked as well as our Ezi-Grip rack. The Bike Buddy is simple to use, with an easily adjusted twist grip and it looks attractive. We think it is a nice piece of design that fulfils a real need." The Bike Buddy has been tested in the field over the past few months and won high praise for the way it works. And it’s made from tough materials, enabling it to withstand heavy use – Best Bars backs this with a 3-year warranty on workmanship. Bike shops around New Zealand have been among its keenest backers, with many believing that sales of some bikes have been hindered through the lack of a suitable crossbar to enable them to be carried on vehicles. The Bike Buddy is going into sports and bike retail outlets now and Best Bars has high hopes that it will also sell well into export markets, with Australia already on its target list. The recommended retail price in New Zealand is $59.95. << BACK TO TOP >> |
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