Community Forums

RVThere · 03-31-2013, 06:50 PM

Marc,

I admit, I have not done any lubrication on the unit. But it has been stored inside so I don't think lubrication would have prevented anything from cracking.

We're driving back from FL to NJ starting Thursday so we see how the new Aladdin works.

62_inrightlane · 04-01-2013, 01:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RVThere

Marc,

I admit, I have not done any lubrication on the unit. But it has been stored inside so I don't think lubrication would have prevented anything from cracking.

We're driving back from FL to NJ starting Thursday so we see how the new Aladdin works.

Thanks Tom. I've not done the maintenance on mine either and it's stored inside too.

I've only towed about 7,000 miles with mine and I don't drive in rain so I don't expect mine to be in to bad of shape, but I'll do the recommended maintenance for that little extra feeling of confidence while towing.

topdownman · 04-01-2013, 01:18 PM

Here's a YouTube video of another tow bar failure:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rID1nWUvUjU

**CLIFFTALL** · 04-01-2013, 01:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by topdownman

Here's a YouTube video of another tow bar failure:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rID1nWUvUjU

Didn't appear to be a Blue Ox.

corvettec3 · 04-01-2013, 01:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by topdownman

Here's a YouTube video of another tow bar failure:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rID1nWUvUjU

I think that is a 'Blue Ass' setup, not 'Blue Ox'.

RVThere · 04-08-2013, 03:50 PM

Just an update.

New Blue Ox Aladdin worked flawlessly on ride home from FL to NJ. Will be shipping the old one back this week.

**JohnRR** · 04-08-2013, 04:18 PM

Thank you for the update.

wigginsjsr · 07-24-2016, 10:41 AM

I've seen a large number of stories about broken Blue Ox tow bars. I have a Roadmaster Sterling with 40,000 miles on it, looks like new. But I do keep it clean and lubed per owners manual. I haven't seen stories about Roadmaster tow bar failure. Just saying.

1ciderdog · 07-24-2016, 11:16 PM

Just returned from an around the USA trip and when unhooking tow bar I noticed a lot of play in the ball/swivel connecter of the Blue Ox tow bar I have. I've probably towed over 100K miles using that tow bar without problem. Maybe could have done more miles but the sloppiness of that joint bothered me. I went online and ordered parts to rebuild the tow bar. I'm posting this to kind of suggest you guys check out your tow bars every now and then - I did service mine before this trip but did not notice any slack in the ball/swivel.

Dutch Star Don · 07-25-2016, 11:54 AM

Question.....What is the dirtiest thing you deal with when RVing, other than dumping your tanks? It's the tow bar, it's located where ALL the road grime accumulates on any RV. I know some maintenance is extended or forgotten, but a tow bar needs to be cleaned and lubed more than any other item just because of where it's located.

I know tow bars are expensive, but I don't think I would brag about getting 75K or 100K out of one. I think I would spend the money and buy another at some point, or at a minimum send it back to be rebuilt. They do wear out!

My Roadmaster Falcon is about 5 years old and I felt it was getting a little loose. At a rally in Oregon, I had Roadmaster take a look at it, especially where I felt there was some slop. They checked it out and said it was fine.

Personally, I remove my tow bar after each trip when I get home and store it in my shed. Before I use it again, I wipe it down and lube it, just so that it isn't so nasty to handle. I know for many they are heavy and are too much to remove and just leave them on the coach, but then they should be covered. I've seen some that are so nasty, it looks like a hammer would be needed to connect them each time. If you can't afford a cover, use a trash bag. I can of Pledge works well to clean them up between trips and use a can of the spray lube recommended by the manufacturer to lube them after cleaning.

Pirate · 07-31-2016, 05:44 PM

I try to replace my tow bars every ten years or so. When I purchase a new one, I put the old one in the basement for an emergency spare.

alan1 · 10-22-2020, 08:42 AM

I didn't follow this section of the forum, but came across it now. I had the same thing happen to my Aladdin. I was told by Blue ox that the aluminum fatigues differently especially when aluminum and steel meet. The aluminum inner leg and the steel nut at the end. They were very matter of fact, it just happens, no warranty, but did tell me not to replace the leg as the other leg would be in the same condition. I replaced it with a 10,000lb steel tow bar. I also saw the car in my camera and came to a very slow stop, so no damage was done. I have talked to every Aladdin owner I see about the tow bar and found 2 that had the same fatigue issues.

tim myers · 01-13-2021, 05:32 AM

They may have been referring to dissimilar metals corrosion or galvanic corrosion. This can happen anytime two different types of metal come in contact and is especially bad when you introduce moisture. Anytime this happens a dielectric material should be place between the two different metals. Seems that there is no way to really separate the aluminum from the ferrous material in the aluminum tow bars. This makes the idea of an all steel tow bar sound more practical. They just need some TLC to fight off any normal corrosion of the ferrous material.

Fiesta48 · 01-14-2021, 02:01 PM

Tow bars need inspection frequently.
Tow bars must be lubricated every trip.
How bars must be covered when not in use or stored inside.
Base plates must be checked for looseness. I had one come loose.
Lights must be checked every trip.
Your pulling your emergency back up family car/truck worth tens of thousands of dollars with the potential to cause harm and death!
Take it very seriously.