what is best tow equipment?
We are new to motorhome travel. We would like any suggestions on what is the best tow equipment for a regular size car. We have priced one place and they are quite expensive so we want to get what oth...
Forum Discussion
Daveinet wrote:
Oh, there is a "correct" answer. A few years back Blue Ox had several (4) base plate failures - pictures posed on RVnet. There are some systems that are proportional, and some that are not. There are some systems that change the rate of braking based on time, but the amount of braking is fixed. There are some systems that notoriously run the battery dead, and require a separate charge wire.
BTW: While mentioning the base plate failures, make sure that when your safety chains are installed, they are attached to the frame, rather than just the base plate. If the safety chain is only attached to the base plate, it is a joke, not a safety chain. One of the easiest ways to do this is to take a second chain and loop it around the frame of the car and bring it to the front, so it can be attached to the chain that hooks to the tow bar. Use the tow bar attachment points just to hold the chain off the ground.
My baseplate (Blue OX) is secured to the frame with 8 bolts that were installed with Loc-Tite. The bolts are installed on two different planes, one parallel to the direction of force, the other perpendicular to the direction of force. The baseplate is also secured to my frame with two different safety cables, per Blue Ox's instructions, provided by Blue Ox.
So no...hooking my safety chains from my rig to my baseplate is not a joke. I remember reading threads on here about the baseplate failures. At least one of them was due to the frame of the vehicle itself having rotted through. It had nothing to do with the baseplate, and was not a baseplate failure.
And many companies make different towing equipment, all of it good. so yes, there is no best answer for which one is "best".
Jim
