Forum Discussion

dw1gator's avatar
dw1gator
Explorer
Aug 12, 2016

Blue Ox Alpha 6,500 lb Tow Bar With Autostop Brake

Anybody use this? Going to be towing a HHR with a Four Winds 31E. Thinking of this as opposed to buying the tow bar and brake assembly separate.
  • Yep. Have @ 10,000 miles towing on mine. Works as advertised - great.
  • I use the same setup as well, pulling a dodge dakota. I had some issues with it working inconsistently, sometimes it seemed to work well and other times not so well (I have the light on the dash of my motor home to tell me if the dakota brakes are being applied or not). But, it might not be the autostop's fault. The instructions clearly say to keep the tow bar level within three inches up or down, and mine is at least six inches angling down toward the dakota. I got the tow bar setup right before we left for our last trip and didn't have time to order a drop down receiver to help level out the tow bar, so it's possible that the excessive angle was keeping the autostop from working properly. It needs a fairly straight push to work properly, the angle I'm sure is impeding the push on the receiver. I will have everything level before our next trip, and withhold judgement until then. If everything works like it is supposed to, I think it will be a great alternative to all the expensive electric/pneumatic "brake in a box" deals.