Trying to pick the perfect Tow Bar to purchase for your application can get pretty confusing. At RVupgrades.com we want to help you sort things out with this in-depth comparison of each tow bar, along with its advantages and disadvantages. What you will find below are motorhome mounted tow bars grouped into 3 different weight ratings. These are all fitted with the 2" x 2" shank found on nearly all motorhomes. We can tell you up front that all of the manufacturers (Blue Ox, Demco,
NSA Products & Roadmaster) provide excellent products with no real
quality issues. That wasn't always the case. You can see that in the warranties manufacturers offer, going from 30 to 90 days in the past, to manufacturers such as Demco & NSA providing lifetime warranties now. At one time, the base plate or bracket dictated which manufacturer you had to go with, but that is no longer the case. With adapters available for any of the different tow bar to baseplate combinations, your options for the perfect towing setup just got better. Features will play a big role in your decision process, as will the price.
Please Note: Specifications & prices are
subject to change without notice, please use these charts as a reference only.
Blue Ox Alpha Tow Bar - This tow bar was a surprise when it was
introduced after the hugely successful Aventa LX. We imagined we would see
Blue Ox adopt the ball and socket pivot point design for all of its tow bars
going forward, but this was not the case. The Alpha went back to the tried
and true 3 axis pivot point, and it reminds us a lot of the long lasting Aventa II that made
Blue Ox a leader in the towed vehicle towing sector. I'm not sure the non
binding latch is really accurate. If you are on level ground and the vehicle is
inline with the motorhome, sure, but any other instance and it can be a
challenge to release the arms to disconnect. By the way, there is a trick. Turn the
steering wheel on the toad one way or the other (depending on which arm is bound up) and it will release the
tension. Even so, with its 6500 lb tow
rating and excellent price point, the Alpha tow bar has quickly become the go to
tow bar for customers looking to tow smaller vehicles.
Demco Commander Tow Bar - The Commader, like the other Demco tow bars, has some really cool features that a seasoned tower will really enjoy.
The first being the supported tow bar arms. I love this because I'm
always connecting our Jeep by myself and having those arms at the level of
the baseplate pins is a nice feature. Also, while hooking up one side, you are not supporting the full weight of both arms as you're bent over.
That is a lower back saver. Folding this tow bar up on the back of the
motorhome is as simple as swinging one or both legs to either side.
Throw in the safety cable supports and coiled cable holder and you have a very well thought out tow bar. Demco also has figured out
the truly non binding latch design which we have found to work even under
the pressure of an unaligned tow vehicle.
Roadmaster Falcon 2 Tow Bar - There is no doubt that Roadmaster makes
very reliable towing products and the Falcon 2 is no exception. If
you're looking for a no-nonsense, built-to-last tow bar, you won't go wrong
with the Falcon 2. But as other manufacturers have begun to build very
innovative features into their tow bars making them easier to use, the
Falcon 2 seems to be falling behind in this department. The large
cross member that needs to be removed and stored if you don't want your car
to look like it has a push bar is a pretty big issue. This is due to the Roadmaster bracket, which requires that cross member, and is something Blue Ox has figured out how to hide in their design. Those awkward
tow bar release buttons, which may require a release tool from time to time, is another item to lose along the way. While those issues don't diminish its capabilities, it would be hard to pass up the Demco Commander or Blue Ox Alpha unless you already had a Roadmaster bracket installed on your tow vehicle.
Roadmaster Falcon All Terrain Tow Bar - As mentioned above, the Falcon
series tow bar is a very reliable and capable product, with the All Terrain
receiving a few much needed upgrades over the Falcon 2. In this tow bar you will find a
freedom latch arm release system which allows for easy release of the tow
bar arms without the use of a release tool. The self lubricating
bushings keep everything moving freely even after years of service. This is a good tow bar and we got to see this in action over a 4 year period with zero problems. But there is still the issue with the storage of the cross member and the shortest warranty of all the manufacturers, at just 1 year, making this tow bar less desirable.
Blue Ox Aladdin Tow Bar - If you're just comparing specifications with
other tow bars, the Aladdin doesn't stand out, other than it is partially
manufactured using aluminium. It's pretty pricey, especially when matched
against the Aventa LX. Even the overall weight is only slightly better
than the Aventa LX or the Alpha for that matter. But where this tow bar shines
is its tow bar arm weight and that can be a big consideration for users that
have bad backs or lack arm strength. So hooking up and disconnecting at
the campground is made a little easier with the lighter weight aluminium arms.
Ready Brute RV Tow Bar With Blue Ox Clevis - The Ready Brute is one
of the lightest tow bars on the market at just over 30 lbs, but don't let
that light weight fool you, this thing is definitely a brute! Unfortunately,
this tow bar gets over looked for it's big brother the
Ready Brute Elite, which is the same tow
bar, but with an integrated surge braking system. One of the nice features
of this tow bar is the non binding release handles, which are low profile
and in-line with the tow bar arm, and less likely to get hung up with
taillight wiring or your shorts (which has happened to me a time or two). Also, the stow away latch is a much better design than the Blue Ox system
found on the Alpha, Aventa LX and Aladdin. In those tow bars there is a pin
that is positioned into a bracket on the shank, but if you do not get it all
the way locked (which can be an issue as the tow bar gets older) it can
drop. If you're backing up when this happens, you are very likely going to
bend a tow bar arm. The Ready Brute uses a ring that is latched over a post on the
shank and it is not accidentally coming undone. We have listed the Ready
Brute with the Blue Ox triple lug clevis, but this is also available for
Roadmaster and Demco baseplates.
Ready Brute Elite RV Tow Bar With Blue Ox Clevis - The Ready Brute
Elite is the Ready Brute tow bar we talk about above, with the addition of
a braking system. I wasn't a big fan of these cable operated braking systems
when I first learned about them, I mean how good could a simple system like
this actually be? Well I must admit I was wrong, while this is not the
most innovative braking system (I would have to say the
SMI Braking Systems would get my vote
here), it is a very reliable and effective setup. So what is a cable operated braking system you ask? It is a system that uses a cable run from the towed vehicle's brake pedal to a surge style hitch shank. So as the brakes are applied on the motorhome, the shank slides forward pulling the cable, which in-turn applies the brakes on the towed vehicle. NSA, the manufacturer of the system, incorporates a 250 lb spring & strut setup in that shank so that the cable is only pulled during braking situations, and not when, say, an exhaust brake is engaged or the transmission downshifts when descending hills. We got a chance to monitor the use on a 2015 Chevy Colorado over the past RV'ing season and we are impressed with ease of installation and flawless operation. There are many customers that would benefit from this setup and we feel this is a setup that cannot be
overlooked.
Demco Dominator Tow Bar - The Dominator, like the Demco Commander, tow bar
has features you don't see in the other tow bars, which a seasoned tower will really
appreciate.
The first being the supported tow bar arms. I love this because I'm
always connecting our Jeep by myself and having those arms at the level of
the baseplate pins is a nice feature. Also, while hooking up one side
you are not supporting the full weight of both arms as you're bent over.
That is a back saver. The Dominator is also 10 + pounds lighter than the
Commander, which makes things easier on your back as you're hooking the
tow vehicle to the baseplate. Folding this tow bar up on the back of the motorhome is as simple as swinging one or both legs to either side.
The safety cable supports and coiled cable holder are also really nice
touches Demco builds into their tow bars. They have figured out
the truly non binding latch design which we have found to work even under
the pressure of an unaligned tow vehicle.
Blue Ox Aventa LX Tow Bar - It's hard to find fault in the Aventa LX
tow bar, but there are a few minor issues that keep it from being perfect.
First is the so called non binding release system. While the current system of
unlocking the tow bar arms has greatly improved over the years, it's still may not be accurate 100% of the time. This is the same system found on all of the
adjustable tow bars for Blue Ox except the new Avail. These arms tend to
bind if you stop with the towed vehicle in an incomplete turn (with the RV straight
and the car still at an angle, which is even worse on uneven ground). Now there
is a pretty easy way to get those arms to release without the use of your foot, or dare I say a hammer, and that is to simply turn the steering wheel of the towed
vehicle one direction or the other to release that tension. The other minor issue is getting the tow
bar in the stored position. Since the ball and socket moves in all
directions, it can be a challenge to fold it up and get the pin to line up into the storage slot on the shank. But those little issues are far over shadowed by the extreme durability of this
tow bar and that near maintenance-free ball and socket pivot design. It's probably what makes this one of the top selling tow bars.
Blue Ox Avail Tow Bar - This is the newest tow bar by Blue Ox and
it's packed with some much improved features. But curiously, they did not
adopt the ball and socket pivot point which is such a great feature on the Aventa
LX. Even so, the new arm release system seems to be a hit with owners and
most have stated that they have not had any issues releasing the tow bar
arms in any condition. The
other big difference are the 2" longer arms, which moves larger vehicles with
wide baseplate tabs back away from the motorhome. This limits the chance of the towed vehicle hitting the back of the RV during very sharp turns.
Other new features are the improved storage tabs making it faster and easier to
fold over, and a metallic paint finish that gives the tow bar a unique look.
Which after a good long run in the rain will pretty much fix that :-)
Demco Excali-Bar II Tow Bar - The Excali-Bar II boasts the highest
tow rating of any of the 2" receiver mounted tow bars on the market at
10,500lbs. But this doesn't mean you can just slide it into your
hitch on your RV and tug around a monster truck. Most RV'ers don't
even realize that their hitch on their RV has a tow rating limit and many
times it is as low as 5,000 lbs, even on some of the bigger motorhomes.
So be sure to verify this before buying that big towed vehicle. Demco
stays consistent with their motorhome mounted tow bars, offering the same
great features no matter what rating the tow bar has and the Excali-Bar II
is no different. The tow arms are supported for easy hook-up,
multiple storage options, a 1-1/2" drop or rise built into the shank for
easy height adjustments, non binding legs, and cable and electrical cord
supports so they never drag. Once again, great features a seasoned veteran of towing will certainly enjoy.