Leaving tow bars attached to motorhome for flat towing

[et2]

We are fairly new to the motorhome crowd. Do most of you who flat tow leave the tow bars attached to your MH? I see many in the storage yard who do, minus the wires and cables. Of course most are probably locked.

Our Blue Ox were over $700. I have been removing them, but they take up space and a little heavy. Anyone have them stolen? I suppose if locked a thief will probably pass on them. I don't know how easy it would be to pry the locking end cap off.

[Toot_Mc]

I keep mine locked on

[RayChez]

I also leave my Aventa II on, but I do have a locking pin. Not easy to steal it.

Removing it every time you put the coach on storage is just too much of a hassle.

[doxiemom11]

Unless you are camping in a remote area without others around, another thing to know is that most campers in a campground will get to know each other and will watch out for each other and their stuff. Even if you stopped her for just a day or two, we wouldn't just watch while someone stole your stuff.

[DSDP_Don]

I think it depends on what type of camping you do and your physical abilities. We use our tow bar about every third trip and we're not full timers, so I take mine off and store it in the garage. I think it's better for the tow bar to keep it out of the elements.

Physical ability is also a big issue. The tow bars are heavy and can be awkward to lift and install in the receiver. I cut down a cheap Harbor Freight dolly and made it into a dolly for the tow bar. Everything stores on the dolly and I roll it into my garage.

[powderman426]

JimM68 wrote:
my deductible is bigger thn the tow bar's cost.

You may want to check your insurance. Mine has no deductible on fire, theft, and vandalism.

[CA_Traveler]

With 65K miles mine was deforming at the pin holes and hard to remove. I filed it smooth and installed Roadmasters Quiet Hitch (U bolt device). Need more miles to evaluate the Quiet Hitch.

This is an recent additional item to remove/reinstall and needs a torque wrench for proper installation. I have no plans to remove the tow bar except for service.

[jurzbill]

I leave mine on most of the time, but, I once experienced the bar rusting in the receiver and could not get it out. I now make sure I clean and lubricate it every month so this does not happen again.

[willald]

Like several others have said, mine stays on the MH, locked on with an appropriate locking pin.

To do otherwise IMO defeats one of the main advantages of this type of tow bar - the convenience of keeping it on the MH and not having to take it on and off and stowing it somewhere.

We do have to take it off every once in a while, when:

1. Entering a campground I know has steep inclines or other hazards that could cause the tow bar to scrape.
2. The very rare occasion where I need the MH hitch receiver for a bike rack and will not be towing a vehicle that normally carries the bikes.

Yes, a determined thief could cut the locking pin and get it. Of course, they could also easily break open any of your storage bays and get the tow bar or anything else they want there. If they want to rob something from you bad enough to cut a locking pin or any kind of lock...Welllllll, they're going to get it or something else valuable from you, regardless what you do.

If the rare 'determined' thief is going to hit my RV, I'd much rather they take outside stuff like that and stay OUT of the MH, rather than them break the door lock, come in and ransack the inside and steal stuff inside!

This is also one of the advantages of keeping the MH at home in our driveway instead of storing it. You're much, much less likely to have theft issues of any kind, than you are when it is in storage lots.

[wa8yxm]

I full time so it's padlocked to the motor home full time.

If I go for an extended period without towing.. It gets put out of sight.

[rvis2005]

Mine only comes off when I'm towing a boat or something else. Way too much of a pain to put on and take off each time.
Tommy

[Bumpyroad]

I always left mine on and of course used a locking hitch pin. actually it "semi-froze" in and to remove it I had to pull the pin, hook it to my truck, and gave the motorhome a quick jerk forward. :s
bumpy

[Mr_Mark1]

Like most everyone here, our Blue Ox tow bar is locked on 24/7/365 unless I have it serviced. For the last 5 yrs. or so I've had it serviced while in Quartzsite but it looks like I won't be able to make it this coming year (2014).

The coach is locked in a secured RV Storage facility (individual garages) so it's safe and sound.

MM.

[Two_Jayhawks]

Mine will only come out if/when it needs to be serviced. Even then I hope it comes out easier than my old Demco. Forget the hitch pin lock that sucker was frozen in the receiver. Stealing one of these things seems very unlikely.

[BigRabbitMan]

hershey wrote:
A lock on a towbar in a remote or secure area like a storage area can be compromised by an accomplished thief in about 30 seconds. A battery operated disc grinder will make it a duck soup removal.

This is not necessary true. Nor is the statement about prying the cap off. It depends on the type of locking pin. My locking pin has a tongue that comes up in the middle of the pin inside the hitch so that would have to be lowered in order to get the pin out. Both ends of the pin could be cut off and it still would need effort to get it out and the tow bar removed.