Third Major Blue Ox Casualty

If you really want to be biased you can blame Blue Ox. Or you can really search the web and see there are failure on others as well. Personally I would never buy a factory refurbished anything much less a tow bar. Another thing comes to mind is if you don't personally inspect your equipment ( at least visually and try to tighten anything loose ) every year your trusting someone else to do it right, which doesn't always happen.

There are others issues as some here have indicated. Blaming Blue Ox for your failures seems like the easiest excuse. I'd be considering a new tow bar at that point anyway. But I tend to lean on the safe side.