GWM Cannon Tow Bar: Fitment, 3500kg Specs & Install (2026)

Which Tow Bar Fits Your Cannon?

GWM Cannon tow bar fitment starts with confirming your variant and build year. A Class 4 tow bar is confirmed for the GWM Cannon Base, L, X, Vanta and Ultra. If you own a 2024-or-later Alpha or XSR, verify fitment directly with the supplier before buying — those variants use different homologation data.

The braked towing capacity is the headline number, and it's ADR-compliant — meaning the bar must carry the required rating markings to be road-legal. If you're unsure of your exact build, check the compliance plate in the door jamb or the variant badge in your owner's handbook.

OEM vs Aftermarket: Which Path?

You have two routes to a tow bar, and the right one depends on budget and whether you're fitting it yourself.

The OEM path gives you a bar engineered with the vehicle and typically keeps your factory warranty intact when dealer-fitted, at a higher price. Aftermarket complete kits are the more common choice for owners fitting the bar themselves — a full kit includes a receiver hitch, wiring harness and all mounting hardware, and sits in the $400–$900 AUD range depending on whether a brake-controller pre-wire is included.

Tow Bar Specs at a Glance

Cross-check the bar's ratings against your trailer's requirements before ordering.

Always refer to your owner's manual for the exact towing capacity of your vehicle, as engine, gearbox and other variations can affect the rated figure.

Two numbers deserve extra attention when you're planning a real tow. The tow ball download (350kg on 2025+, 300kg on earlier models) counts toward your vehicle's payload — so a heavy caravan nose weight eats into what you can carry in the tub and cabin.

The braked vs unbraked gap is large too: without trailer brakes you're capped at 750kg regardless of the bar's rating, so anything heavier than a small box trailer needs a braked setup and, in most states, an electric brake controller.

Step-by-Step Installation

A DIY install is achievable in two to three hours with basic mechanical experience and a torque wrench on hand. Here's the process.

1. Prepare the vehicle. Park on flat ground, apply the handbrake, and disconnect the battery before any wiring work. Gather a calibrated torque wrench, socket set and the kit's fitting instructions.
2. Locate the chassis mounting points. Find the four chassis mounting points at the rear rails. On most variants you access them by removing lower trim inserts rather than the full bumper — check your kit's instructions for whether a bumper cut is needed.
3. Mount and torque the bar. Slide the receiver hitch up to align with the mounting points and secure with the supplied hardware. Torque every bolt to the specified figure — an under-torqued bolt on a 3-3.5-tonne-rated bar is a genuine safety risk, so a torque wrench is not optional.
4. Route the wiring harness. Route the harness forward from the trailer-plug position along the underside of the tub, secured with cable ties clear of the exhaust and moving parts. Connect via the T-harness or bypass relay — never splice directly into the tail-light loom.
5. Test everything. Reconnect the battery and test all trailer functions — indicators, brake, tail and reverse lights — before towing. Re-check bolt torque after your first loaded trip.

Will Cruise Control Still Work?

This is the Cannon's most-reported towing quirk, and it's worth understanding before you buy. Owners find the cruise control disables itself after a tow bar wiring harness is connected — sometimes even with no trailer attached. It's not a tow bar fault; it's how the wiring talks to the vehicle.

The cause is a basic adapter or direct splice triggering the Cannon's "tow mode," which deliberately disables cruise control. The fix is to use a wiring harness with a proper bypass or decoder module rather than a plain adapter — this presents a clean signal to the vehicle computer so cruise control keeps working. If you hit the issue after install, an auto-electrician can check the harness against the vehicle's wiring diagram.

Because this comes down entirely to the wiring, it's worth reading our dedicated GWM Cannon tow bar wiring guide before you choose a harness — getting the right decoder-equipped kit from the outset avoids the problem completely.

Warranty & Compliance

Any tow bar used on an Australian public road must be ADR-compliant and carry the required rating markings — this applies to OEM and aftermarket bars alike. Fitting an aftermarket accessory doesn't automatically void your GWM warranty under Australian Consumer Law, but keep a professional fitting record for a clean paper trail.

For trailers above certain mass thresholds, some Australian states require an engineer's certification or modification plate — check your state's rules. You can confirm your Cannon's factory towing specs on GWM Australia's site, and the Australian Design Rules set out the compliance framework.

A practical point owners often miss: the tow bar's rating is only one link in the chain. Your real-world towing limit is the lowest of the bar's rating, the vehicle's braked capacity, the tow ball download, and your Gross Combined Mass (GCM) — the combined weight of the loaded ute plus loaded trailer.

On the Cannon, hitting the full 3,500kg trailer while also carrying a full payload can push you over GCM, so the honest maximum is often lower than the headline number. Weigh your rig loaded if you tow near the limit.

What's in a Complete Kit

A complete GWM Cannon tow bar kit includes the receiver hitch, a 7-pin flat wiring harness, all mounting hardware and fitting instructions. Aftermarket kits are priced from around $400 AUD, with more complete kits including brake-controller pre-wiring toward the $900 mark.

What's often not included is worth knowing before you order, so you're not caught short on install day:

• Tow ball — check whether a 50mm ball is supplied or sold separately.
• Electric brake controller — needed for braked trailers over 750kg; often a separate add-on.
• 13-pin harness — if your trailer uses 13-pin rather than 7-pin flat.
• Decoder module — the part that keeps cruise control working (see below); confirm it's in the kit.

For the wiring itself — and to solve the cruise-control issue properly — our GWM Cannon Tow Bar & Trailer Wiring Kit (7/13-pin with decoder) is built around a decoder module. To round out the build, a rollover protection bar and a TPE cargo mat are worth considering, and our bull bar fitment & recovery guide covers the front end. Browse the full GWM Cannon range to complete your setup.

GWM Cannon Tow Bar FAQs