Tow Bar

[RVsteve]

Has anyone ever had a Blue Ox tow bar fail? I tow a Yukon with a tow bar rated at 10,000 lbs. I think the Yukon weighs about 6000 lbs. It has roughly 60,000 miles on it. If you did have a failure, where did it break? I'm getting ready to do a long trip, and don't want to have any surprises. I had a pin come loose once, but have not had any other trouble with the tow bar.

Thanks,
RVSteve

[sgt1577]

I just went with the Blue Ox Avail tow bar. https://www.blueox.com/tow-bars/bx7420/ Rated at 10,000 lbs. Have a little over 7,000 miles on it with no issues!

[Mr_D]

Yes, there are several reports of BlueOx towbars failing over the years.
I've always used RoadMaster though.

[RVsteve]

I just talked to Blue OX . They recommend replacing the tow bar at 6-8 years, and will not service the device after that time. She said they have had failures, but could/would not tell what they were. Now, I have to make the decision to gamble on another 3-4 thousand miles, or spend $1000 on a replacement.

I would appreciate any other input.

RVsteve

[NXR]

Originally Posted by RVsteve

I just talked to Blue OX . They recommend replacing the tow bar at 6-8 years, and will not service the device after that time. She said they have had failures, but could/would not tell what they were. Now, I have to make the decision to gamble on another 3-4 thousand miles, or spend $1000 on a replacement.

I would appreciate any other input.

If it wasn't raining, I'd get you some pictures of the motorhome across the street and their SUV toad. Their old tow bar, not a Blue Ox but that's irrelevant, had a fitting break on one arm for some reason.

The car came up against their driver's side while held by the remaining arm and caused a lot of damage to the toad and the motorhome. The car's front end is bashed in, the hood is partially buckled, and the fenders are only a few inches from the tires. While both were still drivable, both have thousands of dollars in damage and the SUV now pulls to one side. A little more damage and neither would be drivable.

Any tow bar can fail. Those with more market share will have more people complaining about failures.

The thing with a failure is that the details matter. Was the tow bar overstressed at some point in its life by too tight a turn? Was it ever overloaded by weight? Was the required maintenance performed on time and properly? Was it a used tow bar that failed and thus the current owner has no idea how it really was (ab)used?

Or was it a "Use it until you lose it" situation?

Ray

[MSHappyCampers]

I don't trust the Blu Ox since they have had the failures! I would go with the NSA ReadyBrute Hercules rated at 12,000 lbs with lifetime warranty!

[Gary RVRoamer]

My Blue Ox Aventa bent when we were in an accident. We ran into another vehicle and the coach stopped quickly enough that the 5000 lb GMC Acadia bent the 10,000 lb Aventa enough that it would no longer telescope. Blue Ox rebuilt it for free, agreeing that a 10,000 lb bar should not have bent. That was some years ago; they may not be so accommodating now.

[Dutch Star Don]

I've never liked the design of the Demco or the Blue Ox. They just looked like afterthoughts. I've always been a Roadmaster fan/owner. I'm had two Roadmasters, the Sterling All Terrain and the 10K Falcon All Terrain. I like how they design the cables so they're incorporated into the tow bar arms, with sturdy arm releases. I always use Roadmaster base plates with the tow bars.

With that said, I hit a drop off on the road at about 20 mph and bottomed out the rear of my motor home. I stopped to look and found the tow bar bent like a pretzel, but still securely attached....this was an 8 year old well maintained bar.

After speaking with Roadmaster, it was theorized that my 6500 pound Ford Raptor with 13" of front end travel, whipped up and down when I bottomed out and bent the arm. I replaced the tow bar with a new Falcon All Terrain for the trip home. When I got home, the arms were available for the old one and I replaced both. The tow bar was like new again.

[KenZ71]

This is a bit like a Ford vs Chevy vs Dodge debate

Or maybe Gas vs Diesel

My coach came to me a few months ago with a Blue Ox. That bar worked quite well for a few 1500 mile trips. The I got foolish and decided to do maintenance on it. Checked with prior owner & found out he bought the Blue Ox used 10+ years ago. Further he mentioned "while backing up a chunk of aluminum broke off. Did some brazing to fill the void & towed another 30,000 miles"

So, interpret above how you will. Some might say a Blue Ox can be abused going against recommended practices and it will still function.

I chose to replace the old gear with new. Went with Roadmaster mostly because it was in stock with delivery in time for my next trip.

[RVsteve]

Is the Falcon 2 made of steel or aluminum? Does it fit with the Blue OX base plate. Is it rated for 10,000 lbs?

I'm just a little leary of the new Blue Ox aluminum tow bar. My steel bar has held up well, but is just old and worn out.

Thanks,
RVSteve

[awol50]

Originally Posted by RVsteve

Has anyone ever had a Blue Ox tow bar fail? I tow a Yukon with a tow bar rated at 10,000 lbs. I think the Yukon weighs about 6000 lbs. It has roughly 60,000 miles on it. If you did have a failure, where did it break? I'm getting ready to do a long trip, and don't want to have any surprises. I had a pin come loose once, but have not had any other trouble with the tow bar.

Thanks,
RVSteve

All i can say is logic should tell you that the heavier your toad, the more likely a towbar failure and the worse your rv drives, accelerates, breaks or performs.

[KenZ71]

Originally Posted by RVsteve

Is the Falcon 2 made of steel or aluminum? Does it fit with the Blue OX base plate. Is it rated for 10,000 lbs?

I believe Falcon 2 is Stainless steel. Many grades of stainless so take it with a grain of salt.

The ends can be swapped to fit almost anyone. Or order to fit from etrailer.com

Rated for 6,000 lbs

[Gary RVRoamer]

They all use stainless for the extendable arms, but the casing and frame are plain steel and powder-coated (except for the aluminum models, of course).


All the better (max convenience) models have multiple articulating joints to better handle uneven terrain, but that makes them more susceptible to wear and stress. If long term reliability is your paramount concern, get a traditional A-frame type tow bar (e.g.Roadmaster Tracker) rather than one of the motorhome mounted, articulated types.

[armullis]

I have the BX7420 towing a 2018 Ford Explorer. No issues over the last 2 years since it was installed. I serviced the tow bar myself to include cleaning and lubing the arms. Always keep your cover on the tow bar when not in use.