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Old 08-11-2007, 09:52 AM   #1
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Am considering a Blue Ox Aladdin tow bar (for an 05 Dolphin LX 37 foot)and base plate to pull an '07 Grand Vitara. Does this tow bar have the capability to hook up and unhook the toad on UNlevel ground and at various angles. Does the Blue Ox operate under these conditions as well as a Roadmaster All Terrain? Thanks.
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Old 08-11-2007, 09:52 AM   #2
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Am considering a Blue Ox Aladdin tow bar (for an 05 Dolphin LX 37 foot)and base plate to pull an '07 Grand Vitara. Does this tow bar have the capability to hook up and unhook the toad on UNlevel ground and at various angles. Does the Blue Ox operate under these conditions as well as a Roadmaster All Terrain? Thanks.
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Old 08-11-2007, 10:27 AM   #3
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I too would be interested in hearing from Roadmaster All Terrain owners.

I have the all steel, now discontinued version of the Blue Ox Aladdin.

Hooking up is rarely a problem for anyone as most of us hook up in an area where the coach and toad can be aligned.

I don't drive my MH on very uneven ground, as most don't, and have rarely had any trouble unhooking due to the terrain.

Where difficulty arises with the Blue Ox is unhooking when the coach and toad are not in a straight line, as in an uncompleted turn.

Any binding or tension is relieved by turning the toads steering wheel back and forth several times, and then unhooking.
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Old 08-11-2007, 03:15 PM   #4
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When we got our last new car and needed a heavier duty tow bar, I switched from an older Roadmaster Falcon to a Blue Ox Aventa because I thought the Blue Ox seemed to have less unhooking problems overall (based on observation of friends who owned them). I have no experience with the newer Roadmaster All Terrains, though, and would have liked to try one out. Didn't know anybody who had one, though.

The Aventa is not fool proof either, but it does seem to unhook easier under more varied conditions than my 7 year old Falcon did.
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Old 08-11-2007, 03:21 PM   #5
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I have the Alexus (3 years old) now called the Aventa LX Tow Bar. While not the same weight capability as the Aladdin, the principles of opperation are very similar. The key to success is ensuring the tow bar is always properly lubricated at all the pivot points. This is especially true at the towed vehicle end of the tow bar. If the joints are lacking lubrication I find myself in an exercise workout to get the locking pin out of one of the legs. The same is true for hooking up, to get the tow bar bracked into the towed vehicle bracket. I lubricate every pivot point 3 times a year and thoroughly clean the tow bar two times a year.

Consider 10K safety chains even though your tow bar is rated 5K lbs. A member of our RV club had his Blue Ox tow bar break. As the towed vehicle drifted farther from the coach, the emergency brake plug was detached, activating the towed vehicle brakes. The stopping force of the towed vehicle snapped both safety cables (5K rated). The vehicle drifted off the road and flipped several times. The vehicle was totaled.

The moral of the story is to have safety cables rated much higher than the weigh you are towing.
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Old 08-11-2007, 05:29 PM   #6
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The Aluminum Aladdin Towbar from Blue Ox is serving me very well pulling the Saturn Vue. It is pulling less than 4000 pounds and this I feel is well within 80% of the rated capacity of the tow bar. The Blue Ox baseplate with the removable tabs hides out very well in my grill work and I have even adapted hitch ball covers and placed them over the sockets.

If your toad approaches the 5K rating of the bar I would upgrade to the Aventa in a heartbeat.

I appreciate the light weight of the tow bar and I can normally unhook the bar on practically any terrain. The previously mentioned technique of steering the wheel one way and then the other to unload the locks on the tow bar works very well. I as well as others learned this technique at the National Rally in Sevierville, TN in 2006.

My safety cables are rated for 10K pounds and if you are going to employ a safety device make sure it's the best you can get and don't skimp on the rating. The heavier rated the better.

One other thing is to make sure that you have your dummy key in place in the break away switch to keep out dirt and most of the moisture that would be impacting the switch.

If there is a Blue Ox support team at the Rally where you are they will fix your tow bar for no charge so don't be afraid to flag one of the golf carts down and just ask. Most often the support team tries to come to you and it's my experience that they are quite happy servicing your tow bar and making sure your towing equipment is up to spec.
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Old 08-12-2007, 02:04 AM   #7
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We have been using the Aventa II tow bar for five years now. It is as easy now to hook up or unhook as the first day we installed it. I use it for towing the truck and the Vue in combination with 10k lbs safety cables and brakemaster brake assist. As stated keep it clean and lubed and it should last a lifetime.
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Old 08-12-2007, 08:02 AM   #8
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Because I hardley ever take the tow bar off the MH I think the steel 10,000 lb rated bar is a better idea than the 5000 lb aluminium bar which cost alot more.
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Old 08-12-2007, 10:55 AM   #9
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Even though you don't physically carry the tow bar around, the much lighter weight of the Aladdin's aluminum arms is still a joy when hooking & unhooking. But it is viable only for vehicles well under 5000 lbs - I would suggest a limit of 4000-4200 lbs max.
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Old 08-12-2007, 01:25 PM   #10
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I've been using the Aventa for a few months, now (was cheaper than the Aladdin). It seems quite flexible (heh) with regards to the relative positions of the MH and toad. The mounts are completely invisible when not in use, except for the pigtail connector sticking out below the license plate. Installation was even easy, if you're into that - although the wiring made up for it! I hope I never have to string wire from one end of a vehicle (hiding it all the way) again!

Good luck!
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Old 08-12-2007, 06:08 PM   #11
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When my Alexus tow bar failed a few months ago, I contacted Blue Ox immediately. I sent them some digital photos I took of the tow bar, and they had me send mine back to them. They replaced it with the Aventa tow bar on the condition that if they determined that the failure was my fault, that I would have to pay for the new tow bar. I was certian I had nothing to do with the failure, and sent my Alexus tow bar back immediatley. That was about 2 months ago and I never did hear from them. Thats a good thing I guess. The new tow bar is performing well, and I am leaving on a 2 week trip pretty soon, so hopefully all will be well. I say for the money, go for the heaviest rated tow bar you can. It's cheap insurance, and the heaviest saftey cables as well.

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Old 08-12-2007, 06:13 PM   #12
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For those that may not know, the Alexus tow bar from Blue Ox was renamed the Aventa LX some months ago...Sarge and I purchased it as the Alexus and seeing it still listed as same in Sarge's profile, I figured I'd mention the clarification.

Blue Ox's customer and warranty service is some the best in the business...Wait til you attend a rally where they're a vendor, they go around the campground fixing ALL of their products.
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Old 08-13-2007, 04:04 AM   #13
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Thanks for the clarification Bob.
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