Tow bars, couple hundred vs 1I, whats the difference?

[Cdash]

Thinking about moving from a 5th wheel to a class C and looking at tow bars as part of research. I see cheap fixed ones that cost a couple hundred dollars at most, then Road Master/Blue Ox that are over $1k. I know this is a beginner question, but what is the benefit on the expensive ones? From what I gather, hook up seems to be a big part of it, but is the difference in towing performance?

I'd be looking for one to put on the front of a Jeep Wrangler.

[tatest]

The hook-up is all of it. Extensible arms with 2-way freedom of motion at one end, one or two way at the other, makes hook-up a one person job, and you can be pretty sloppy about locating the two vehicles, it still works when centering error is on the order of a foot.

Solid bar is almost always a two-person job, because someone has to hold the coupling above the ball, and direct the driver of whichever vehicle is being moved. Allowable error can't be much more than an inch if you want to get the coupling on the ball.

But a solid bar is a whole lot less expensive to fabricate, I've seen bars under $100 for lightweight tows, $200 can get you a really sturdy one.

There are some in-betweens, at in-between prices. The Stowmaster stays on the towed vehicle, and hooks over a ball, but because it has telescoping arms there is some more room for error, what you have changing length of two sides of a triangle. Someone really good at it can position alone, get out and lift the coupling over the ball.

I had a home-made on my Ranger, A-frame made of bar stock (a lot heavier than it needed to be) with a movable tongue, could move about two inches front and back, 3-4 inches side to side at the coupling. Once hooked up the rig had to be moved to latch it into position, then a bolt run through the movable part of the tongue to tie it all together safely. Enough trouble that I paid $400 for a used "almost new" Blue Ox Aladdin to replace it. Aladdin because there's enough aluminum in it to make it about 20 pounds lighter when I have to put it on or take it off the motorhome for winter storage.

[jsmart]

For what its worth, we towed our jeep wrangler with a reese fixed arm tow bar that I bought on line for $50.00. Replaced the original bumper with a steel bumper that had the "d" ring set up already on the bumper. The real issue for me was hooking up, the DW would drive the jeep (manual) while I stood between the MH and the jeep holding the tow bar up and slowly walking forward until the tow bar was in proximity to the hitch and viola!, hook up. Now, DW says she loves me very much, but standing between a rock (MH) and a hard spot (jeep) was very uncomfortable at times. We now have a blue ox aventis bar that I can hook up the toad by myself while DW finishes up her packing inside the MH. I feel much more loved.

[Healeyman]

mowermech wrote:
It worked for me.

Mower,

I'm glad it did.

On the sleek-nosed Miata, I had no place to anchor the cables in order to get the hitch higher than the ball.



My wife got pretty good at driving-to-a-spot.

As they say, "Your Results May Vary".

Tim

[mowermech]

"It is nearly impossible to hold the tow bar hitch up in the air while you move the two vehicles together with enough precision to drop the hitch onto the ball."

I must respectfully disagree. I did it many times. I simply used the safety chains to hold the towbar at the right height, then using the GOAL method (Get Out And Look), drove the Jeep to the proper position and dropped the hitch onto the ball.
It worked for me.

[Healeyman]

Cdash wrote:
From what I gather, hook up seems to be a big part of it

I towed for 4 years with a stiff arm tow bar and baseplate that I designed and built for a Miata.



I have now towed for 4 years using a Roadmaster adjustable arm tow bar and baseplate also for a Miata.



To me, the biggest difference between the two tow bars is that with the stiff arm type, making the connection between the tow bar and the hitch ball on the rear of the towing vehicle is almost ALWAYS a 2 person job.

It is nearly impossible to hold the tow bar hitch up in the air while you move the two vehicles together with enough precision to drop the hitch onto the ball.

I did it a couple of times while on flat, smooth, ground while pulling the 2,000 pound Miata forward to hook up. Never did it on the first try!!!

I can't imagine trying it with a 3,500 pound Jeep (in the rain?)...

It almost always requires someone to drive the towed up to the towing.

I'll never go back to a stiff arm type!!!!!

Check out craigslist, etc., for tow bars. I bought the Roadmaster in the above picture for $100 and recently bought a brand new, in the box, Roadmaster All-Terrain for $200.

Tim

[Bumpyroad]

MaverickBBD wrote:
Hooking and unhooking is part of it. If you ever have to make an emergency panic stop you will know the difference (even with a good aux. brake system).

exactly what is the difference in braking between an old fashioned A frame type and a newer better type?

bumpy

[Big_Katuna]

The locking arms are the biggest difference. Also mostly aluminum vs steel. Lighter.

If you need braking the Ready Brute has a built in surge brake for about the same price as the Roadmaster. Demco usually has the cheapest base plates.

[MaverickBBD]

Hooking and unhooking is part of it. If you ever have to make an emergency panic stop you will know the difference (even with a good aux. brake system).

[mowermech]

I towed various Jeeps for many years with an adjustable width fixed arm towbar by Reese that I bought at Walmart for $145 (a similar towbar at Walmart was $165 the last time I looked). I used the attaching brackets that came with the bar, bolted to the front bumper. It worked just fine, no problems at all.
I had it attached to the stock bumpers on some of the Jeeps, and on custom bumpers on others. Regardless, I used back up plates made from 1/4 inch steel flat bar to reinforce the bumpers. It didn't seem to make much difference. Nothing bent, and nothing broke.
I used 5/16 chain from Tractor Supply for safety chains. They never got used for their intended purpose, but they satisfied the legal requirements.
Yes, it certainly IS possible to hook up a fixed arm towbar by yourself. I did it often. Some will say that such a towbar is "too inconvenient". I did not find that to be true.
Now, I am using a Roadmaster Stowmaster telescoping bar to tow my Dodge truck. I don't like it. It is heavy and awkward to use. The ONLY advantages over the fixed arm bar I used to have are the capacity (6000 lbs. instead of 5000), and it folds up on the front of the truck instead of sticking up in the air.
But, I need the 6000 lb. capacity, so I'm stuck with it. I found it used, on craigslist, for $250.

As far as towing performance, they both work exactly like the one I built back in 1968 to tow a '63 Corvair. I used the "wishbone" from the front end of a Ford Model A, a couple of bumper clamp ball mounts, and a 2 inch hitch, welded the whole thing together with an oxy/acetylene torch, and it worked great from Montana to Seattle, where I sold it for more than I had in it!

Ennyhoo, yes, the fixed arm towbar will work just fine on your Jeep. In fact, you can get one from Harbor Freight for about $60 that will probably do the job!

[Bumpyroad]

get a tow bar that stays on the rear of the motorhome, not a V that always hangs on the front of your toad. they are also easier to hook up and unhook as minor movement is possible when the bars are unlocked. I used a blue ox aventa II.
bumpy

[enblethen]

One thing you must consider is the tow bar brackets for your exact vehicle you are looking at. They can be$200 up.
Then a tow bar can be considered. Most tow bars can be adapted to different brands of tow bars. Only takes money.
Some vehicles should have tow bar mounted to MH like the Roadmaster Falcon.
Later model tow bars such as Roadmaster All-terrain can make it easier to connect and disconnect. The levers work better in most cases then the earlier bars with the buttons you must push, which can be difficult if bar is in a bind.
I would not hesitate on buying a used tow bar such as the Roadmaster Stowmaster or Falcon.