Tow Bar Age

[FloridaRosebud]

I was given a Blue Ox 10,000lb tow bar by my neighbor. They full-timed for 7 years, then it sat in their garage for 6 or 7 years. Everything appears to be in working order. No binding, and the arms extend smoothly and lock. I emailed Blue Ox to see if they would refurb it for me (just to be on the safe side), and they said no, they recommend replacement after 8-10 years so I need to buy a new one. So who out there is using an older tow bar, and have you had any issues? Should I just buy a new one? Thoughts?

Al

[Bruce_Brown]

crawford wrote:
No it means if you are the original owner Demco just want's a copy of your bill off sale. Maybe if other company's do what you are saying that's them.

You missed the scarcaism. :W

[Hikerdogs]

We used our original RoadMaster Sterling (prior to the Sterling All Terrain) for over 14 years and 140,000 miles before it was destroyed in an accident. We would still be using it today if the Jeep we were towing hadn't been hit from behind.

[Bill_Diana]

I have a RoadMaster Sterling All-Terrain that is 17 years old. I tow a Honda CRV. Frankly, it never occured to me that a tow bar should be replaced every 7 or 8 years. Mine still looks and feels the same way it was new. I'm having a difficult time understanding why it should be replaced. JMHO

[FloridaRosebud]

OK, going to do it myself, however, any suggestions on the type of grease to use on the ball that connects the male receiver fitting to the rest of the tow bar? It's got a bit of corrosion on it from sitting in the garage for 7 years....

Al

[crawford]

No it means if you are the original owner Demco just want's a copy of your bill off sale. Maybe if other company's do what you are saying that's them.

[Bruce_Brown]

^^^ A "Lifetime Warranty" these days means as long as its working you're good. As soon as it dies its lifetime is over, and so is your warranty.

[Horsedoc]

crawford wrote:
my Demco came with a life time deal, I even sent if back they took it apart rebuilt it like new and send it back no charge now that's a company. They sent me a letter saying they were happy to do it and making me happy was there day.

Interesting. Glad a company stands behind their product. Hope they continue with that.
I am seeing more and more 'lifetime warranty' is defined by the selling company and not how long the buyer lives. Bought a GPS with 'lifetime' updates. Not the case, Garmin does not support that model anymore.
I will no longer support Garmin

[crawford]

my Demco came with a life time deal, I even sent if back they took it apart rebuilt it like new and send it back no charge now that's a company. They sent me a letter saying they were happy to do it and making me happy was there day.

[bjbear]

Over the last couple of years, there have been a few reports of Blue-Ox tow bars failing. It is always the connection to the car. Not sure if the failures where on a specific model. One thing you could do, is take your bar to a NDT company and have a die penetration test done on the connectors.

[irishtom29]

Over rigging is a waste of effort and money.

[luv2tup]

I have a Demco Aluminator and an Excalibar, both are close to 20 years old. I do my own maintenance every other year and replace all fasteners. I recently bought a new tabless base plate and Demco supplied the new adapters so I can continue using both tow bars. They stand behind their products no matter how old.

[Gjac]

I have the Demco Excalibur rated for 10,500 lbs made out of steel, it is heavy. It is 15 years old and towed about 100,000 miles. I bought the steel one because it was rated higher than the Al one. I removed the shafts to clean them and all the parts are original, just cleaned and lubed every 3 years or so. My tow car only weighs about 2500 lbs so it is over designed for the vehicle and has plenty of safety margin. I will use it until the parts wear out. Every company wants you to by new, Al is lighter and easier to remove but steel is a lot stronger. I choose the heavier weight for a higher safety margin.

[mfinnerty]

I rebuilt my 14 year old Blue OX tow bar before our trip to Alaska in 2017. I took it completely apart, checked all welds for cracking, had it sandblasted, repainted it, and replaces all fasteners, washers, and springs. Now it's good as new.

[mike_brez]

demco aluminator 20 years old