Driving in and around Byford
Horses and generous lots
Byford's growth has brought hobby farms geared to horses and housing estates with generous lot sizes, and 18,878 people at the 2021 census. A float behind the car loads up the brakes, tyres, cooling system and an automatic gearbox far more than the same car empty.
South Western Highway
Byford is on South Western Highway, State Route 20, which runs about 406 km from Perth's south-east to Walpole. In Byford it meets Abernethy Road at traffic lights, 8.3 km from Armadale.
Thomas Road
Thomas Road, State Route 21, heads west to Kwinana and is the current link between South Western Highway and the southern end of Tonkin Highway.
The train reached Byford
The Armadale line was extended eight kilometres south to Byford and reopened on 13 October 2025. If the car now only runs to the station, it'll do fewer kilometres, but it still needs its service when the date comes up.
A licence to check
WA requires a repair business licence for every business in motor repair and servicing, and the people doing the work hold a repairer's certificate. Consumer Protection WA has an online licence check.
Before a season of towing, have these looked at
- Brakes: pads, discs and fluid, since they're stopping the float as well as the car.
- Tyres, including the spare, at the pressures the placard gives for a loaded car.
- The cooling system: hoses, coolant, and a radiator core cleared of insects and grass seed.
- Automatic transmission fluid, if the service book has a towing schedule.
- The towbar, the wiring and the trailer plug, so the float's lights and brakes work.
- Wheel bearings and rear suspension, which carry the extra weight.
Does a tow car need servicing more often?
Often, yes. RACV says a car that tows trailers or carries heavy loads may need servicing around every six months rather than once a year, and the maker's book is the final word. A mechanic can tell you which schedule your car is on once they know it tows.
If the temperature gauge climbs while towing, pull over somewhere safe, switch off and let the engine cool before anyone touches it. Radiators and cooling in Perth explains what the mechanic looks for, and 4WD and diesel mechanics in Perth covers utes.
If it were our float car
We'd have the brakes, tyres and cooling looked at before the first long tow of the season, not after something feels wrong. And we'd tell the mechanic the car tows, and roughly how heavy the load is, so they check it as a tow car rather than a commuter.