Hayman Reese

Leading innovation for over 70 years

70 Years Strong – We Know Towing
The humble tow bar is an everyday item that many Australians fit onto their cars. As part of our active lifestyles, we use them almost daily for both work and pleasure. Behind that shiny tow ball, is a multimillion-dollar industry with one brand, in particular, standing out as a market leader.

Hayman Reese Towbar Origins
In the late 1940's a friend asked Eric Hayman to build him a tow bar to tow his newly acquired caravan. Eric however built two, one for his friend and another which he quickly sold at a country agricultural show. He could not have dreamed that it would be the first step towards building an Australian icon. Eric Hayman was not new to manufacturing, he had been making bicycle spokes in a small South Melbourne factory for some time. The tow bar business quickly became the focus of his attention and he set about making them in earnest.

In 1972 a major milestone was reached. A large American towing products company, by the name of Reese, was on the lookout for global partners and started working closely with Eric Hayman’s business. Seven years later a new entity was formed and Eric Hayman was appointed as the first Managing Director of Hayman Reese.

As part of this partnership, Hayman Reese introduced several key pieces of technology to the Australian market - weight distribution systems and compatible towbars. The latter being the 50mm ‘square-hole' Hitch Receiver tow bar. Until that time, most tow bars had been fabricated with fixed mounting points and were not easily detachable. The 50mm square tow bar hitch was a game-changer and remains the Australian industry standard today.

1972 also saw the company leave South Melbourne and move to a larger facility in Dandenong. The Hayman Reese business is now located in state-of-art engineering, manufacturing, and warehouse facility in Keysborough. With over two hundred staff on-site, they design, test, and manufacture a wide range of products under one roof in Australia's largest facility of its type. Now part of the locally owned AutoPacific Group, the Hayman Reese DNA remains at the core of the organisation.

AutoPacific Group Chief Executive Officer, Jason Kieseker notes, “Hayman Reese has been a keen participant in the Australian automotive aftermarket since the FX Holden went on sale. Our products have been helping Australians on worksites and weekends since the 1950’s - it’s a great achievement and something we are extremely proud of.”