The fancy (and very expensive) portable tow-bar is clearly placarded to say there are no safety devices (shear pins) and to exercise caution while towing. Fair enough!
The standard tow-bar (equally expensive but it looks a lot chunkier and creates the impression of a bit more value for your dollar) has no such placard and has a very sexy-looking row of replacement shear pins mounted along the side.
If you don't know already, exercise caution, boys and girls - the shear protection is only available in longitudinal (fore/aft) load. If you apply excessive lateral load (nose wheel lock still engaged) the main tube will fail, assuming the nose wheel lock assembly doesn't come asunder first, of course.
According to Agusta, it is designed this way and must be replaced, not repaired in such an instance.
So, if you push or pull too hard in a straight line, you replace the 50 cent shear pin. If you push or pull too hard sideways, you replace the $21,000 tow-bar. Che C***o!!
So, after a review of procedure and the proper use of the Locking Pin, we've now re-placarded the main tow-bar as having no safety devices (it might as well not have) and appropriate caution is to be exercised!!
