I don't use the batting bar on mine either. Kept banging my knees on it as I sit to quilt. So, off it came! If you did want to replace it, you could get a large diameter wooden dowel, or even PVC pipe from the hardware store. If you don't have the end caps anymore, use a screw in the end of the dowel. For PVC pipe, I'd get a piece of wood, or a large cork to plug the ends and put a screw into that. If you could find a bolt that had a screw on one end and a bolt on the other, that would be ideal. (like the kind that come with the ceiling light fixture hooks)