Forum Discussion

bayoubelle's avatar
bayoubelle
Explorer
Mar 10, 2017

What else do I need

We are getting a blue in tow bar and base plate setup and Stay n play braking system. Now we are wondering what extras we need, and is there a cheaper route. We looked at the tow bar cover and hitch pin locks. Both were very expensive through dealer, any suggestions for better pricing? Also is there anything else we need.

5 Replies

  • The only cheaper route for setting up a car for flat tow is to be able to install it all yourself.

    But I agree, don't purchase the items through a dealer. Some dealers will jack up the install price if you don't buy the products through them. But keep looking, you will find someone who will give you a better price. 2 RV dealers gave us prices that were about $1000 more than what we could buy them for ourselves through amazon. Shipping savings was about a 1/4 of that. Since we don't fulltime, we opted to go the tow dolly route. Still saved nearly $1000 off of what we could buy the parts for plus their labor fees. Plus if we change cars (which we are known to do), we won't have any additional cost.
  • Thanks, I thought about the vandal side of it. It is sad folks get their kicks this way. I definitely will get extra keys. I researched generic hitch locks and they are a minimum of 15 bucks a piece. So I guess I'll just put out the few extra $ and get the ones from Blue Ox. But I will definitely not buy them from the dealer unless they match my internet price.
  • j-d's avatar
    j-d
    Explorer II
    You need a very rugged lock to keep the coach-mounted towbar from being removed from the hitch receiver. Then, you may want some less robust ones to use in place of any clevis pins that your rig uses. This isn't as much anti-theft as it is anti-vandal. There's a class of degenerate that thinks it's fun to remove a pin here and there just to see what happens.

    If you don't use locks (and I don't, at least yet, except to secure the towbar itself), have a couple spare pins, and check the rig over after you've left it unattended awhile.

    If you DO use locks, spread your spare keys out, within the coach, so you can disconnect the car quickly if you suddenly need to.
  • Don't forget the lighting setup!
    Tweety's has good prices. Adventurerv.net also
    Stay away from dealers!
  • Highly recommend the cover and the hitch pin locks. You will be towing for many miles and the one thing you don't want to do is scrimp on any part of the system.
    We have used a Stow Master hidden hitch for over 10 years and towed over 150,000 miles with no issues.