Help me out here....tow bars

[CyberVet65]

Roadmaster's super whiz bang 10K tow bar is around $600 or $700 plus base plate. Blue Ox super whiz bang 10K tow bar is $580 plus base plate.
One may purchase a "straight A frame" tow bar for around $250.
What makes one want to spend triple the price to tow your vehicle? Safety? Durability? Tow bar rating?
Need help. Have tow vehicle want to tow said vehicle.
Chet

[Flagelpater]

FWIW It has everything to do with the ease of hooking up and unhooking the tow vehicle. The variable length of the arms is a great help. If you are not perfectly aligned, especially by yourself it can be a major problem. Storing the tow bar on the back of the tow vehicle is also a nice feature, especially if you get into a fender bender with the tow vehicle.

[Always-RVing]

Many prefer to get a 10k tow bar package for future consideration and extra durability. A 5k aluminum tow bar can run close to the same as a steel 10k bar. I would go with the 10k steel for toughness, and you never know what you may tow someday. I sure would hate to buy it twice for a small cost upfront. Also, I want the peace of mind or self assurance when towing a couple tons around @ 70 mph. Some things are worth the extra and not go cheap.

[DriVer]

Originally Posted by CyberVet65

Need help. Have tow vehicle want to tow said vehicle.

Chet, I chose the Blue Ox towbar because of the twist & lock removable tabs on the base plate. The tabs are the devices that integrate with the towbar and they are quickly removable from the face of the vehicle. I stow all my tow gear in a small bag and it fits in a small cubby hole in the back of my Vue. Not so easy with a Roadmaster setup.

I also like Blue Ox Service because they support many RV Clubs and Rallies that occur across the country including iRV2 when we have asked them.

I personally know Jay Hesse from Blue Ox and he is committed to customer service and producing a product that more than does the job.

About aluminum tow bars - those will run considerably more money than a steel 10K towbar. If you have a lightweight vehicle under 4,000 lbs. for example and you remove your tow bar frequently the aluminum tow bar is a lot lighter and a definite option for you to consider. A 10K bar on a 3700 car for example is great but not necessary. If you are towing a 1/2 ton truck or large SUV I'd say go for it.

[ernieh]

On most vehicles, the Blue Ox is a cleaner looking installation. Also, not as much "junk" to remove from the toad.

[hardy1000]

Blue Ox

Discounted RV Parts, RV Camper Accessories, Camping Supplies

[DriVer]

For all your Blue Ox Products, consider if you will our sponsor www.rvupgrades.com who has supported our website for the past 10 years.

[hardy1000]

Originally Posted by DriVer

For all your Blue Ox Products, consider if you will our sponsor www.rvupgrades.com who has supported our website for the past 10 years.

Yes I will be glad to support our sponser now that I know.

[SSteve]

Chet,

I agree with all of the above. And, whether you want it or not, here's my two cents.

Past experience has taught me that 90% of the time the $100+/hr I pay to get things done to my rig, results in questionable quality. That means 90% of the time, I can do as well, or better. Then, if I screw up, at least I'll know that its not right and get it resolved properly.

I like to know how things work and I like to save a buck where I can, so I decided early on that I wanted to do the installation myself. Since the install shouldn't be more than nuts and bolts and loctite and a bit of drilling, I shouldn't need to be a rocket surgeon to figure it out. So, the decision boiled down to the base plate.

I had no bias towards one manufacturer or another, I just wanted the easiest and most common sense approach. For my toad, that was Blue Ox.

I don't regret my decision for a second. With the tow bar off (takes a minute) and the adapter pins removed (takes 5 sec each, if its dark and you're drunk and someone is distracting you), the adapter all but disappears.

I'm very happy with the performance of the product and the response from the Blue Ox folks while I was installing the adapter.

Steve

[Flagelpater]

FWIW I agree 100% with SSteve. I have had 2 base plates, they installed the first one, without the required locTight! The second one, CR-V, I installed, with the help of my son, in half the time, and it has been perfect over 3 years. The first one, Tracker, is still working perfectly also after we redid all the bolts with locTight. Exactly what SSteve was talking about happened. The installation should be straight forward. I know you can preview the install with Blue OX, not sure about others. Blue Ox has done a superb job for me. I chose the first installer not Blue Ox!

[BigRedLancer]

I have used the Roadmaster Sterling All Terrain Tow Bar and base plate for several years. The tow bar is rated at 6000lbs. I have been happy with the performance of this tow bar. I guess the Blue OX is ok too.

[Gary RVRoamer]

The more expensive, motorhome mounted, tow bars are simply much more convenient to hook and unhook. Whether that is worth the extra price is something only you can decide, but I love my Blue Ox Aventa LX. And was happy with the Roadmaster Falcon we had before that.

You can get the top end tow bars at some pretty good discounts, cutting the price premium substantially.

[RB3]

As a novice I chose the Night Shift aluminum tow bar with the surge brake. It works well but too bulky and not as easy to handle as my friends Blue Ox. Next time I'll use the Blue Ox. The surge brake has to be adjusted all the time? Maybe due to cable streching, I just don't know.

RB3
2005 Itasca 33V
Workhorse Chassis
Nissan Frontier Toad

[Triker56]

Roadmaster Falcon 2 6,000 lb. pulls my 08 HHR great.

Roadmaster Base Plate

BrakeMaster Connects directly to the motorhome’s air brake system for rock-solid, reliable braking — brake line pressure in the motorhome controls the brakes in the towed vehicle. Weighs in less then 4 lb.