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Tow Bar Failure

Yahoo Message Number: 20790
While at Quartzsite last week, we ran into a fellow CCI couple who we had met on the way to the Homecoming Rally last year. Seems that as they were pulling into Quartzsite on the off-ramp, their tow car decided to come alongside the coach and say hello. Turns out the u- joint connection on their older all aluminium tow bar failed. They hnad some damage to the rear of the coach aand the front of the car.
Luckily it happened at 10MPH rather than 60MPH and no one was hurt.
They have the Blue Ox aluminium tow bar and have switched back to an all steel. We have the same tow bar but only the arms are aluminium on ours. If you have one the older ones you may want to have it checked out. Someone has since told me that Blue Ox will update the old ones. Don't know if that is true or not. Be safe and check it out.

John and Merilee Flynn
05 Allure 31143
02 Grand Cherokee

Re: Tow Bar Failure

Reply #1 –
Yahoo Message Number: 20794
Re: [Country-Coach-Owners] Tow Bar Failure The same thing happened to me on I-70 just out of Grand Junction, Colorado. I saw my Dodge Dakota in the passenger side mirror attempting to pass my coach. Sadly, I was doing 70 mph at the time. I got it stopped after pretty extensive damage to the rear of the coach and the front of the Dakota. One safety cable had already come apart and the other was badly damaged. Called Blue Ox on the cell and they had me go back to Grand Junction, had a new steel tow bar waiting for me along with a mechanic to install it. The broken bar was the same aluminum one sold around 1999-2000 and subsequently modified by Blue Ox after a rash of these incidents. All aluminum is nice and light, nice and weak also.

On Monday morning at 8 a.m. my cell phone rang and it was the adjustor for Blue Ox. I took the coach and the Dakota to my shop of choice and the $6000 invoices were paid directly by Blue Ox. If you have this tow bar and are pulling anything over about 4000 lbs, you should get rid of it before somebody dies.

Dick B

04 Intrigue 11830

Tow Bar Failure

Reply #2 –
Yahoo Message Number: 20811
While at Quartzsite last week, we ran into a fellow CCI couple who we had met on the way to the Homecoming Rally last year. Seems that as they were pulling into Quartzsite on the off-ramp, their tow car decided to come alongside the coach and say hello. Turns out the u- joint connection on their older all aluminium tow bar failed. They hnad some damage to the rear of the coach aand the front of the car.
Luckily it happened at 10MPH rather than 60MPH and no one was hurt.
They have the Blue Ox aluminium tow bar and have switched back to an all steel. We have the same tow bar but only the arms are aluminium on ours. If you have one the older ones you may want to have it checked out. Someone has since told me that Blue Ox will update the old ones. Don't know if that is true or not. Be safe and check it out.

John and Merilee Flynn
05 Allure 31143
02 Grand Cherokee

Re: Tow Bar Failure

Reply #3 –
Yahoo Message Number: 20817
John,

What was the guy towing? the aluminum Blue Ox tow bar is only rated at 5000 pounds, the steel is rated at 10,000. When we traded our Jeep GC for a GMC Envoy we had to get rid of our aluminum bar. Blue Ox traded it for $200 at the FMCA rally in Brooksville, florida.

Bill G. 2005 Magna #6425

Re: Tow Bar Failure

Reply #4 –
Yahoo Message Number: 20819
John

Just what part of the tow bar failed? There are lots of pivots on the tow bar, Was it the at the tow car pivots/ forks where the pins go, or up by the coach reciever?

I have the same tow bar with a tow car of 3500 pounds, so any info you have on the specific failure point would be be a help.
Thanks

Marvin Swenson

01 Intrigue #11314
 

Re: Tow Bar Failure

Reply #6 –
Yahoo Message Number: 20949
I Have one of the older Blue OX tow bars and followed your advice.
Called them two days ago and gave the the S/N # and yes they are sending me an upgraded U joint and hitch assembly free. The new one is steel and will retrofit the aluminium arms.

Thanks for the great post
Marv Swenson

Intriuge #11314 01