ABOUT TOTAL TOWING

Hi, I’m Lee

My tow bar career started all the way back in 1998 where I started work for a towbar company based in Blackburn. I soon realised this was the job for me working on cars and trailers. I was fitting towbars, repairing cars and servicing trailers being shown by some of the best in the business.

The people I worked with gave me the best start possible. I was along side management and soon fitting towbars and servicing trailers unsupervised My boss soon saw the potential I had and invested in me to go on courses for trailers and towbar electrics.

20 years ago it was the towbar that was more difficult than the electrics. You had to drill the towbar most of the time to the mounting points. The electrics was just a buzzer and a relay. A 7 pin socket for a trailer, and a two 7 pin sockets for a caravan.

After 3 years I qualified as a towbar fitter and was teaching new fitters how to fit towbars to a high standard. This was also the time when I first fitted towbars independently.

Then multiplex came on the scene. This is when a bypass came on the market. Special test lamps being air bag safe and not to bring dash warning lights on . You could only go to the dealers for diagnostics as it was so new to the market.

I studied a course with the NTTA for multiplex wiring keeping ahead of the game. Towbar fitting was a seasonal job at this point and fitting 30 to 40 towbars per week at peak times.

In winter I would be servicing trailers along with a fleet of trailers for hire. The company I worked for had the opportunity to start building trailers and manufacturing box vans to bike trailers. This gave me even more skills from MIG welding to folding and cutting metal and fabrication work.

After 5 years i was working for a Towbar company based in Burnley.

At this point most towbars we fitted were type approved which came along in 1998. In short the Towbar had to be bench tested to meet the safety standards given by the car manufacturers and the mounting points set out by the car manufacturers. It was given an approval sticker after strict testing, and it’s still the same to this day.

I have been fitting towbars mobile around Lancashire for car main dealers and public. As well as fitting at the base in Burnley. Still continuing to teach new towbar fitters.

By 2004 a large amount of cars were fitted with canbus systems. Most new cars are now being fitted with dedicated wiring kit or bypass electrics and type approved towbars.

2008 saw the introduction of the 13 pin towbar socket and trailer plug fitted to all caravans and brake trailers from 2012. Still servicing trailers and carrying out restoration work on classic Minis as a personal hobby.

By 2012 I was ordering towbars from Witter. Westfalia. PCT. Tow Trust and dealing with Right Connections.

Booking in jobs for the week, taking payments and dealing with customers on a daily basis. At this point dedicated wiring kits 7 Pin and 13 Pin were hitting the market in a big way.

Programming was available for trailer stability, parking sensors cut out cruise control and dashboard bulb failure. Unfortunately for me I was having to take the vehicles to my old towbar centre for programming.

2013 I’m back at my old towbar centre in Blackburn. I’m now being shown the ropes of programming of dedicated wiring kits using the autologic.

Now fitting parking sensors. Towbars. Dedicated kits. Trailer servicing. Maintaining Fleet of trailers and diagnostics.

2014 unfortunately autologic stopped towbar updates. Now working with westfalia autocode.

2015 just completed a cobra parking sensor course.

2016 going strong with westfalia autocode now teaching others how to use this machine, and how to fit dedicated wiring kits. Programming the vehicle along with using the battery support unit. Then how to complete a vehicle test including PDC cut out, and bulb failure.

2017 just completed a vodafone car tracking system course.

2018 just purchased my own westfalia autocode and westfalia battery support unit. Also purchased a van that’s fully equipped for towbar and parking sensors fitting.

2019 getting set for the summer rush. Looking forward to doing business with you.

See you soon Lee @ Total Towing