The Army currently relies on vehicle recovery tow bars that are extremely heavy, unsafe, and difficult to use. These tow bars are based on old technologies and manufacturing processes. Today, advances in metals along with improved design offer an
improved tow bar that is lighter, uses less manpower, and is easier to connect in difficult terrain conditions. These advances provide a safer means of employment as well as a more efficient means of vehicle recovery. These new tow bars offer rotating internal legs, rotating lunette's, rotating clevis connections, and telescoping legs allowing for safer and more efficient operations as well as
allowing for tow bar movement without causing the towing vehicles to roll over. In addition, these new structural designs facilitate speedy and efficient installation of the tow bar between the towing vehicle and the towed vehicle resulting in faster and safer recovery operations. These new tow bars have cylindrically shaped legs with each leg having a telescopically inner portion that allows for easy use that can accommodate for the misalignment of the towing vehicle relative to the towed vehicle. These independently extendable legs compensates for the poor alignment and spacing between the towing and towed vehicle while connecting the tow bar thereby substantially reducing the time required to make the hook up. Incorporating these new tow bars into the Army National Guard combat and tactical wheeled vehicle fleet will provide soldiers with a safer method of vehicle recovery in both wartime and peacetime operations and should be included in the Army National Guard vehicle recovery equipment inventory.