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08-13-2020, 03:08 PM
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#1
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Member
Join Date: Jun 2020
Posts: 61
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Blue Ox Failure
[ATTACH]297012[/ATTACH Attachment 297013] Attachment 297012
In the last mile of a Motorhome trip, the tow bar broke. It happened while exiting an interstate highway. I engaged the PAC engine brake to slow the Motorhome and felt the truck colliding into the back. Fortunately I didn’t have to stop at the exit and continued on to next street. The truck would tracked way to the right on the remaining arm. The air line separated to the truck, so no air brakes. The last two stops were “up hill” and I managed to stop both vehicles without any further damage.
This tow bar is rated at 7500 lbs and had no issues. Last year I lubricated the sliders and used it 3 times previously this year. This failure surprised me. I hope this is a rare event for Motorhome’s owners.
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08-13-2020, 03:12 PM
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#2
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Member
Join Date: Jun 2020
Posts: 61
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08-13-2020, 03:14 PM
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#3
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Member
Join Date: Jun 2020
Posts: 61
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08-13-2020, 03:40 PM
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#4
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Senior Member
Newmar Owners Club Spartan Chassis
Join Date: Mar 2012
Posts: 871
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That's horrible!
Just rebuilt my Blue Ox with new washers, but it looks like yours actually broke at the end of a rod.
Just curious, did your breakaway cable actuate your toad brake?
Also, how old is your hitch?
__________________
Craig and Susan
Morgan Hill, CA 2007 Newmar Kountry Star 3910 towing a 1998 Ford Explorer. RVing since gas was 58 cents a gallon. Amateur Radio Operator (W6ADV) since 1962.
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08-13-2020, 03:40 PM
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#5
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Senior Member
Join Date: May 2018
Posts: 823
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How old is the tow bar and how many towing miles on it?
__________________
John, Sharon & (Luna)-Blk.Tri.Australian Sheppard
2022 Newmar LA 4551, 2019 DS4018 Sold
21' Tahoe Z71, Demco base, Avail bar, Air Force 1.
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08-13-2020, 03:57 PM
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#6
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Member
Join Date: Jun 2020
Posts: 61
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Craig36
That's horrible!
Just rebuilt my Blue Ox with new washers, but it looks like yours actually broke at the end of a rod.
Just curious, did your breakaway cable actuate your toad brake?
Also, how old is your hitch?
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No, the safety pin didn't pull out. One arm and both safety cables kept the truck from breaking away. I brought the Motorhome in 2012 and the tow bar was included.
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08-13-2020, 04:02 PM
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#7
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Member
Join Date: Jun 2020
Posts: 61
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Granite17
How old is the tow bar and how many towing miles on it?
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Probably at least 15,000 miles. I'm the second owner of the Motorhome and I don't know when the tow bar was put in service.
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08-13-2020, 04:11 PM
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#8
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Senior Member
Newmar Owners Club Spartan Chassis
Join Date: Mar 2012
Posts: 871
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Blue Ox says tow bars have a usable life of (I think) 10 or 11 years. Then they want you to buy a new one. In talking with the customer service guy, he admitted it was more about how much it is used, and how rough the usage was.
I pull a full size 1998 SUV, with the Aladdin 4325 that the date code says was from 2011 so I guess I need to replace in a couple more years.
If you are curious, you can call Blue OX with the serial number off your hitch, they will tell you the year it was made. In light of the failure, they might also give you a deal on a replacement bar.
__________________
Craig and Susan
Morgan Hill, CA 2007 Newmar Kountry Star 3910 towing a 1998 Ford Explorer. RVing since gas was 58 cents a gallon. Amateur Radio Operator (W6ADV) since 1962.
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08-13-2020, 04:35 PM
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#9
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Member
Join Date: Jun 2020
Posts: 61
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Craig36
Blue Ox says tow bars have a usable life of (I think) 10 or 11 years. Then they want you to buy a new one. In talking with the customer service guy, he admitted it was more about how much it is used, and how rough the usage was.
I pull a full size 1998 SUV, with the Aladdin 4325 that the date code says was from 2011 so I guess I need to replace in a couple more years.
If you are curious, you can call Blue OX with the serial number off your hitch, they will tell you the year it was made. In light of the failure, they might also give you a deal on a replacement bar.
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Knowledge is King. There's no warning on the tow bar about when to "take out of service". So, I didn't know about a time limitation.
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08-13-2020, 04:40 PM
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#10
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Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2019
Location: Lansing MI
Posts: 2,821
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Have you figured out what went wrong yet. It would be interesting to see a close-up picture of both of the ends that separated.
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08-13-2020, 04:51 PM
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#11
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Member
Join Date: Jun 2020
Posts: 61
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Quote:
Originally Posted by arcaguy
Have you figured out what went wrong yet. It would be interesting to see a close-up picture of both of the ends that separated.
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Separated at the lock mechanism.
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08-13-2020, 04:55 PM
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#12
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: Sacramento CA.
Posts: 536
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Towin that big ol ford might want to look at 10,000 lb. tow bar.
__________________
2005 Itasca meridian
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08-13-2020, 05:04 PM
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#13
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Registered User
Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 3,607
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Whatever you do, make sure you file a report with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/VehicleComplaint/
Work with Blue Ox, but don't hold your breath there. My experience is that BO will blow you off and try to blame you. Anything but them. The NHTSA report puts pressure on BO and may not show immediate action, but will document a known deficiency. Reports like these begin the process that many times end up in product recalls.
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08-13-2020, 05:55 PM
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#14
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Member
Join Date: Jun 2020
Posts: 61
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cataska
Towin that big ol ford might want to look at 10,000 lb. tow bar.
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The truck weighs less than 6800 lbs with me in it. Weigh in and out at the landfill. The tow bar was rated for load. Regardless, it failed.
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