My Blue Ox tow bar January 24, 2021, 12:12:41 pm It's getting a bit dated. Are there certified Blue Ox places that can inspect it for me in the San Diego County area?Thanks
Re: My Blue Ox tow bar Reply #1 – January 24, 2021, 01:13:00 pm Quote from: tedeboy - January 24, 2021, 12:12:41 pmIt's getting a bit dated. Are there certified Blue Ox places that can inspect it for me in the San Diego County area?No idea about inspections, a good RV shop should be able to give you an assessment. Looks for cracked or bent welds and for loose parts and bushings. Parts for most towbars are available through E-trailer.I'm running an old, high-mileage Roadmaster Sterling on our Wrangler that was recently rebuilt for a quarter of what a new Sterling cost, it's as tight as it was when new. The whole job only took a couple of hours.Larry 1 Likes
Re: My Blue Ox tow bar Reply #2 – January 24, 2021, 01:58:00 pm Dealer Locator | Tow Bars | Sway Control | Blue Ox
Re: My Blue Ox tow bar Reply #3 – January 24, 2021, 10:08:46 pm Blue Ox sells a re-build kit for their tow bars. I spoke with them and they said that baring physical damage, the only service required is to clean, replace nylon washers and dust covers and tighten fasteners. As Larry said, it’s a fairly straight forward job. Warren 1 Likes
Re: My Blue Ox tow bar Reply #4 – January 25, 2021, 11:01:24 am I purchased a used Blue Ox Avail tow bar from the previous owner of my LD. Probably has around 30K miles towing on it. I should probably do an inspection on it. I did receive the manual for it as well.
Re: My Blue Ox tow bar Reply #5 – January 25, 2021, 04:07:25 pm "I should probably do an inspection on it."I had an unfortunate experience in this regard. I was traveling in Wapiti with the Blue Ox Tow Bar folded and covered when a truck driver pulled along side me and motioned that something was wrong. I looked at my rear-view camera and noticed that my one year old tow bar had tilted down and was dragging on the road surface. I pulled over and noticed that the knuckles were damaged beyond repair. Blue Ox advised me that one should not drive with the tow bar in stowed position. They also said that most likely, the bar fell down because the fasteners were not tight and, or the washers were worn. I know this to be true because I had observed that the joints had become progressively looser over time. I did not anticipate that the bar could escape its retaining device and fall to the ground.My lesson: inspect, clean and tighten all tow bar fasteners at least annually. When washers and dust covers are worn, replace them. A Blue Ox maintenance kit costs about $15 and replacement dust boots cost another $15. Much cheaper than the hundreds of dollars it cost me to replace damaged componants!Tow Bar Washer Kit | Blue Ox | Blue Ox84-0102, Kit, Tow Bar Rubber Boots Avail/Alpha2 | Blue Ox 2 Likes
Re: My Blue Ox tow bar Reply #6 – January 25, 2021, 04:10:39 pm Good to know, Warren. I think the previous owner drove around with it stowed on the back. So did I when I drove back from Florida to California. I finally removed it towards the end of the trip.
Re: My Blue Ox tow bar Reply #7 – January 25, 2021, 05:08:35 pm "Blue Ox advised me that one should not drive with the tow bar in stowed position."WarrenInteresting situation! My Roadmaster Sterling has been riding in the stowed position for 16 years, except during use, with no issues such as yours. While I'm not familiar with the Blue Ox brand I can only assume it to be a difference in design. One issue that I do/did have was the umbilical cable loosening at the connector, dragging on the ground and self destructing. Happened once in Montana, near Hardin, and again coming home from Morro Bay.
Re: My Blue Ox tow bar Reply #8 – January 26, 2021, 11:06:43 am I also have the Roadmaster Sterling which the safety cables are routed through the tow arms. I loop the cables through the rear ladder support which keeps the tow bar secured in stowed place. (see photo) This has worked well for some time. Also the toad end of the umbilical cable I plug locked into a dead 7-pin socket I mounted above the hitch receiver. That keeps it from coming loose.
Re: My Blue Ox tow bar Reply #9 – January 26, 2021, 01:26:16 pm "One issue that I do/did have was the umbilical cable loosening at the connector..."Perhaps my above statement was somewhat unclear! I was talking about the umbilical cord coming loose from it's connecter on the toad vehicle while underway. First, this will immediately deprive you of any toad lighting, turn signals, running lights, etc. Secondly, if there is nothing to prevent it the umbilical will be free to contact the road surface and thereby drag itself to perdition!
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Topic: My Blue Ox tow bar (Read 412 times)
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