In 2026, Hayman Reese is celebrating 75 years of keeping Australia moving

From a practical solution built in a South Melbourne workshop to a modern Australian engineering and manufacturing operation, Hayman Reese has spent 75 years helping Australians work, travel, and explore with confidence.
In 1951, Australia was entering a new era of mobility. Car ownership was increasing, roads were improving, and paid holidays were giving more families the opportunity to explore their own country. Cars were packed, caravans were hitched, and the great Australian road holiday was taking shape.
Against this backdrop, bicycle-spoke maker Eric Hayman was asked by a friend to build a towbar for his new caravan.
Eric built two: one for his friend and one to sell. It was a straightforward solution to a practical need, but it marked the beginning of the business that would become Hayman Reese.
Seventy-five years later, that small beginning has grown into one of Australia’s most recognised names in towing.

Growing with Australian motoring
As Australians travelled further, the vehicles they drove and the things they towed changed considerably.
Caravans became larger and more sophisticated, while vehicle electronics became increasingly important to modern motoring.
Hayman Reese evolved alongside those changes, developing towing solutions for Australian motorists and the wider automotive aftermarket.
The company introduced weight distribution systems to Australia, helping improve balance and control when towing.
It also pioneered the 50 x 50 mm square hitch receiver towbar, a design that became an industry standard.
Fifth Wheel systems, vehicle-specific wiring, SmartClick and X-Bar followed as customer needs continued to change.
The business grew beyond its South Melbourne beginnings, moving to Dandenong and eventually to its current operation in Keysborough.
Each move reflected the transformation of Hayman Reese from a small manufacturing business into an operation spanning engineering, product development, testing, and modern manufacturing.

A changing automotive industry
For much of Hayman Reese’s history, Australia had a substantial local vehicle manufacturing sector. Ford and Holden vehicles were familiar fixtures on Australian roads and driveways, supported by a broad network of component manufacturers, suppliers and aftermarket businesses.
That landscape has since changed. Local Ford and Holden production ended, closing a significant chapter in Australian automotive manufacturing and taking with it skills and knowledge developed over generations.
Hayman Reese remains part of that local industry story. At its Keysborough facility in Melbourne’s south-east, steel is laser-cut, components are welded, coated and assembled, while engineers use CAD, develop prototypes and test products under load. Automation and contemporary manufacturing technology work alongside skilled people and decades of experience.

Generations of knowledge
One of the clearest links between Hayman Reese’s past and present can be found within the Keysborough facility. Known affectionately as the “Jig Jungle,” rows of historic manufacturing jigs, original drawings and tooling document decades of Australian vehicle applications.
They are more than artefacts. Together, they represent the engineering and manufacturing knowledge built through generations of developing towing equipment for Australian vehicles. Some Hayman Reese employees have been with the business for more than 40 years, bringing experience across major changes in vehicle design, manufacturing methods and towing technology.
The company’s history is also captured in its communications. A 1979 Hayman Reese press advert, reproduced in the accompanying anniversary advertisement, reflects a timeless focus: helping customers understand the importance of choosing towing equipment designed for safety, strength, and the vehicle it is fitted to.

Engineering confidence for today
Historic tooling speaks to where Hayman Reese has been. Modern engineering points to where it is heading, says the company.
Hand-drawn plans have given way to digital modelling and CAD. Product development now incorporates engineering review, prototyping, measurement, and physical testing, with designs tested under load before they reach the road.
The responsibility behind that work extends beyond the product itself. A towbar may be made from steel, but what connects to it is far more important: a boat heading to the water, a caravan beginning a long-awaited journey, equipment travelling to a worksite, or a family setting out to explore Australia.

Still moving forward
Behind every product are generations of engineers, draftspeople, manufacturing teams, welders, quality specialists, warehouse staff, distributors, and installers who have helped bring Hayman Reese solutions to Australian motorists.
The vehicles, equipment and technology have changed, but the knowledge and commitment behind the brand have continued.
Seventy-five years on, Australians are still hitching up: taking tools to worksites, boats to the water, caravans across the country, and families away on holidays.
From humble beginnings in 1951 to the engineering and manufacturing capability operating at Keysborough today, the Hayman Reese story spans an extraordinary period of change in Australian motoring with the company stating, “it is a history worth celebrating – and a story that is still being written. Seventy-five years on, Hayman Reese keeps Australia towing.”

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