Talked to Blue OX at SEMA

[jbhobbs54]

When I was at SEMA I talked to Blue OX about an issue I was having with my tow bar. He asked how many miles or years did I have the tow bar. I told him about 2 years and 10,000 miles. His comment back to me is what I want to share with you guys.

You should send the tow bar to use so we can check it out, I said I'm a gear head and could I do it myself, he said yes, just order the rebuild kit.

Basically he said the tow bar should be "rebuilt every 10K miles or 2 years". I was shocked, and asked what parts needed replaced and basically it is bushings and a few bolts.

So, I will be ordering the rebuild kit soon!

[DoggieDaddy]

It’s also a good excuse to visit Pender Nebraska if you are passing by that way. Just had ours done. They have a nice RV park there that is free if you have service work done. We stayed three days.

[Surmotor]

Originally Posted by jbhobbs54

When I was at SEMA I talked to Blue OX about an issue I was having with my tow bar. He asked how many miles or years did I have the tow bar. I told him about 2 years and 10,000 miles. His comment back to me is what I want to share with you guys.



You should send the tow bar to use so we can check it out, I said I'm a gear head and could I do it myself, he said yes, just order the rebuild kit.



Basically he said the tow bar should be "rebuilt every 10K miles or 2 years". I was shocked, and asked what parts needed replaced and basically it is bushings and a few bolts.



So, I will be ordering the rebuild kit soon!

Thanks for posting this info it was a good reminder

[vsheetz]

Blue Ox has a service setup at Quartzite every January. We often attend. Every couple years I have them check and service our towbar.

[Nowabeachbum]

The rebuild kit for mine was a bunch of plastic washers. Can’t see why they would need to be replaced every 2 years. Just keep the tow bar clean and it will be good for more than 10000 miles!

[jbhobbs54]

That's what I thought, clean and ready to go. His comment made me think that I was missing something.

[Matt D]

With any Blue Ox, I’d strongly suggest testing for any play in the ball.

By accident I discovered ours to be quite loose, which isn’t rebuildable.

FYI, we had the bar rebuilt in Pender the year prior and far less than 10,000 miles.

Currently rocking the Demco, tough as nails.

-Matt

[jbhobbs54]

Replaced our old one with the ball a few years ago when I bought the longer armed Avail. I agree with watching the ball for being sloppy, we also had a few bolts that were worn.

[brobox]

The ball models of Blue Ox are not the only Blue Ox's to die of old age. JME, but Blue Ox tow bars need to be inspected often and hope you can see the damage going on. Look for nicks where the tow bar has reached it's limit in turns. If it has, much safer to replace it. I know I have posted this many times, just hate to see others have to experience it. BO is not a great company to deal with after a failure. I have moved on to a stronger tow bar with a lifetime warranty.

[Canuck53]

Originally Posted by brobox

The ball models of Blue Ox are not the only Blue Ox's to die of old age. JME, but Blue Ox tow bars need to be inspected often and hope you can see the damage going on. Look for nicks where the tow bar has reached it's limit in turns. If it has, much safer to replace it. I know I have posted this many times, just hate to see others have to experience it. BO is not a great company to deal with after a failure. I have moved on to a stronger tow bar with a lifetime warranty.

What tow bar did you go with?

[brobox]

Originally Posted by Canuck53

What tow bar did you go with?

Ready Brute with a lifetime warranty they do stand behind on. Ready Brake and Ready Brute Home
All tow bars still require annual inspections and cannot be let go. This tow bar does have grease zerks making it easy to lube each year.

[Gary.Jones]

Wow..... I find this whole thread amazing.

My Cornerstone is 5 months old and I have over 9,500 miles on it while 3.3 months on the road.... which would mean that if I was using that towbar, by the Blue Ox rep's recommendation, I would need to get it rebuilt within the next ~ 500 miles..... !!!!!! Are you kidding me???? IMO, any tow bar that needs to be rebuilt in 10,000 miles is not something that I would be using on my coach.

My DEMCO Excali-Bar II is a "steel beast", and it has been pulling the Honda now for 4.5-5 years with no signs of wear at all. Seriously strong tow-bar.... rated for 10,000 pounds towing. I have been really impressed with it.

Gary

[DoggieDaddy]

Company representatives are going to error on the side of less liability for the company. Whether it's tow bars, tires, or what have you. They just don't want to be in court with you saying "well you told me." We've pulled with our Blue Ox for almost 30,000 miles without an issue. We just had it rebuilt not because it was giving us an issue but because of my belief that it was better to error on the side of safety. Nothing was said at the factory that we should have came sooner.

That said, we can all toot our horns to justify our purchases but in the end it is what allows us to sleep better at night.


Happy towing.

[EVsCoach]

Originally Posted by DoggieDaddy

Company representatives are going to error on the side of less liability for the company. Whether it's tow bars, tires, or what have you. They just don't want to be in court with you saying "well you told me." We've pulled with our Blue Ox for almost 30,000 miles without an issue. We just had it rebuilt not because it was giving us an issue but because of my belief that it was better to error on the side of safety. Nothing was said at the factory that we should have came sooner.



That said, we can all toot our horns to justify our purchases but in the end it is what allows us to sleep better at night.





Happy towing.

Likewise, just a few hundred miles from 30,000 miles pulling our JEEP Rubicon and have had it in use for four years. Annual inspection/lube and recently inspected/serviced by Blue Ox with no problems noted.