Blue ox tow system question

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Blue ox tow system question

May 30, 2011, 08:51:40 am

I'm all set up to go with my new tow bar but have a question. Unless I'm lined up pretty straight, I can only get one side to latch. Do I have to do anything special to get the other side latched, or will it take care of itself when I drive off?

Re: Blue ox tow system question

Reply #1 – May 30, 2011, 09:00:05 am

The other handle will pup up once you pull your vehicle a couple of feet. But, just to be sure -- move a few feet and go check it out.

Re: Blue ox tow system question

Reply #2 – May 30, 2011, 09:11:18 am

It can occasionally be frustrating, but I've learned a couple of tricks. Sometimes backing up a little ("tugging" on the tow-bar) can lock the reluctant side. Turning the steering wheel on the tow'd full left and right also sometimes works on a fully extended tow-bar works; it shifts the front of the vehicle slightly left and right as the wheels move. Finally, leaving the wheel (steering unlocked) turned slightly into the reluctant side can work, as can a little S-turn (with the coach) as you begin towing. Good luck and Happy Memorial Day!

Re: Blue ox tow system question

Reply #3 – May 30, 2011, 10:00:49 am

Thanks. Leaving today in a sea of mud so hoping it's not a big problem and not a good time to have to experiment much.

Re: Blue ox tow system question

Reply #4 – May 30, 2011, 12:14:13 pm

After I hook up and one side is usually not locked I don't worry about it because as I drive off (after checking everything else) I turn the steering wheel left then right making small esses so I can see the front wheels turning, both around and from side to side, and it also locks the Blue Ox arm (or arms) if not all ready locked. Works for me.

Re: Blue ox tow system question

Reply #5 – May 30, 2011, 05:58:25 pm

If the handle is up, it is locked.

Have a good and safe trip. And keep the sunny side up and the dirty side down, you should be just find. Oh, don't forget to release the emergency brake on the toad!!! And don't even think of asking me how I knew that.

Re: Blue ox tow system question

Reply #6 – May 30, 2011, 10:02:51 pm

I have had a BlueOX aluminum tow bar for several years.
Unless the car is lined up perfectly with the motorhome, only one side locks before pulling away. I have never had the other side fail to lock.
When pulling away, I could hear the other side lock by turning up the sound on the rear view camera with my previous motorhome (no sound on the Foretravel).
To be sure the toad is free wheeling with no brake on, I connect the arms with the toad close to the motorhome, then push the toad away from the motorhome until one arm locks (sometimes they both lock). If I cannot move the toad, I know something is not right.

Re: Blue ox tow system question

Reply #7 – May 30, 2011, 10:24:08 pm

Interesting topic. Ours is a Roadmaster tow bar, so I'm not sure if the system works the same, but we have always backed up the tow car after hooking it up. If the arms don't both lock, Steve releases them, I move the car forward a little, and then back up again.

A few times we've pulled forward without an arm locked and I've walked/run alongside the tow until the arm locks (entertaining the neighborhood, I'm sure), but more times than not one side hasn't locked properly and we've had to start over.

Michelle

Re: Blue ox tow system question

Reply #8 – May 30, 2011, 10:34:15 pm

Quote from: Steve & Michelle – May 30, 2011, 10:24:08 pm

... Ours is a Roadmaster tow bar... one side hasn't locked properly and we've had to start over.

Michelle

We have Roadmaster as well. After hooking up, I usually put the toad in reverse and tug a bit. One of the pins will always lock. If the alignment is very straight, both pins may lock. If only one pin locks, I consider it not to be a problem and proceed. The second pin has never failed to lock during travel.

I have found it helps to lubricate the arms and pins with silicone spray. It makes it easier to operate the sliding arms and pins.

Re: Blue ox tow system question

Reply #9 – May 30, 2011, 11:07:01 pm

I probably have the same hitch as J.D. I use the same procedures, and get the same results.

And for those rare times when a pin doesn't want to release when disconnecting even when toad is level and straight, I carry a spray bottle of inexpensive all purpose Zoom RV Cleaner (biodegradable, no petroleum distillates). Shoot some down alongside the pin, and it loosens it right up. Once disconnected, you can also shoot some down along the sliding arms for a little redundant protection against it happening again.

Re: Blue ox tow system question

Reply #10 – May 31, 2011, 12:33:41 pm

How about this for entertaining the neighbours:
I watched a woman friend connect her car, then start engine and reverse slowly until one pin locked, then, are you ready for this, hard on the gas to spin the back tires. Both pins lock every time because the rear of the car slides sideways to align the car with motorhome. She is comfortable with this procedure, but I am not.
By the way, in late March when she was leaving the slabs this year, one arm on her tow bar had a missing pin and her car was swinging back and forth behind her motorhome (being pulled by just one arm). Another Slab friend signalled her to stop and replaced the missing pin with a bolt. She did get home.

Re: Blue ox tow system question

Reply #11 – May 31, 2011, 03:03:41 pm

This is a really good topic. While I have lubricated the rotating parts of our Blue Ox tow bar I had not thought of lubricating the telescoping arms because they are protected with a rubber sleeve. So I decided to take a closer look and could see that I could spray Corrosion X in the opening at the opposite end from where the connection is made. Voila!

Re: Blue ox tow system question

Reply #12 – May 31, 2011, 05:15:49 pm

We recently purchased and started using the Blue Ox Aventa II. Once conected, I ease my toad back to get at least one side to lock then turn the front wheel toward the locked side and ease back until the other side locks. I have not had any problems. I then straighten my wheels, check to make sure it is in neutral, brake off and steering column unlocked. That process works well for us. I'm sure it will lock on its' own, but I feel more comfortable with the process we use.

Re: Blue ox tow system question

Reply #13 – June 01, 2011, 12:16:36 am

Both of us are involved when hooking up our Jeep to our motorhome. One guides the Jeep driver to try to come in on center and when to stop. After putting the pins in, the Jeep is slowly reversed with guidance which way to turn steering to try to get both handles to pop up at the same time.

After hookup, one of us drives the motorhome slowly forward, while the other is on the side of the Jeep to observe steering wheel free movement, front wheel turning, tow bar latching and listen to any unusual sounds, while looking for loose baseplate / towbar problems.

We use the Tattle-Trail towing monitor to let us know if anything breaks or has a serious problem while towing. Tattle-Trail is a wireless vibration sensor signals the motorhome driver if there are any abnormal vibrations in vertical or horizontal directions. Sensitivity adjustment allows for short beeps when tow car goes over a bump or no sounds unless there is large movement, including tire tread, hitch pins, suspension problems.
Trailer Towing Monitoring System - Trailer Accessory - Home We also turn put Tattle-Trail in 'Park' mode every night, which signals us in our motorhome if anyone touches/bumps, etc our Jeep even if Jeep is 1,000 feet away.

We also were able to remove the steering wheel anti-theft locking pin, so we don't have to keep a key in the ignition turned off its lock position. Also our Jeep feels more secure now that someone can't pull towbar pins and drive off.
Barry

Re: Blue ox tow system question

Reply #14 – June 01, 2011, 07:05:02 am

Quote from: Barry & Cindy – June 01, 2011, 12:16:36 am

We also were able to remove the steering wheel anti-theft locking pin, so we don't have to keep a key in the ignition turned off its lock position. Also our Jeep feels more secure now that someone can't pull towbar pins and drive off.
Barry

There is another way to accomplish the same thing. We took the valet key and removed the chip inside the end of the key. Now we start the engine with a regular key and when the car it ready to tow we put the valet key into the ignition . Works fine.

Re: Blue ox tow system question

Reply #15 – June 01, 2011, 07:54:45 am

George, I was going to do the same thing but the jeep dealer service guy said not to. He has seen vehicles come in with fried computers from someone trying to start a car with an unchipped key.

Re: Blue ox tow system question

Reply #16 – June 01, 2011, 08:25:56 am

Because we use a regular key to start the engine, we have sidestepped that issue.

Re: Blue ox tow system question

Reply #17 – June 01, 2011, 10:56:45 am

Quote from: Gayland Baasch – May 30, 2011, 08:51:40 am

I'm all set up to go with my new tow bar but have a question. Unless I'm lined up pretty straight, I can only get one side to latch. Do I have to do anything special to get the other side latched, or will it take care of itself when I drive off?

I have a Roadmaster tow bar and sometimes one side fails to latch. Helps to spray some silicone lub on the bar and wipe it off. I can always tell when it doesn't latch as the car will be off to one side in the backup monitor after coming to a stop. One side is almost always unlatched after hookup as it is designed that way. You don't have to get it exactly centered for hookup, then when you drive away it centers and latches (most of the time).

I think what is more important for persons new to towing is to make a checklist of all the things that need to be done when hooking up the toad and use it. Stuff like parking brake off, steering unlocked, transmission in the proper gear (neutral) or cycled through the gears as some require, lights working, windows up, pins and cables installed, etc. Forgetting one of these items will cause you grief.

Re: Blue ox tow system question

Reply #18 – June 01, 2011, 01:17:01 pm

Can't be 100% sure, but be carefull using the link in Barry's post. I tried it and had to perform a hard shut down to prevent a virus infection...ran Anti-Malware Bytes...all is okay now.

Re: Blue ox tow system question

Reply #19 – June 01, 2011, 01:20:43 pm

Ditto on Peter and Beth's post. VIRUS warning.

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