Blue Ox Tow Bar Recommendation To Pull a 2005 Ford F-150

Expert Reply:

I have a tow bar that will work for your 2005 Ford F-150, however, I would caution against using the Blue Ox Acclaim Tow Bar, # BX4330. Your vehicle has a curb, or dry, weight around 4,600 lbs and a gross vehicle weight around 6,500 lbs. The weight capacity of this tow bar is only 5,000 lbs. If you plan on carrying any cargo in the truck, then you could easily exceed the weight capacity of the tow bar.

Instead, I would recommend the Blue Ox Aventa LX Tow Bar, # BX7445. This tow bar is similar to the Acclaim tow bar, but will install directly into the trailer hitch receiver on your motor home and has a higher weight capacity that can handle your truck.

I have attached a review video of this tow bar for you to check out.

If you have not flat towed your truck before, we have everything you will need to complete your towing set up. I have attached an article on flat towing that you may find useful. The five basic components that you need to flat tow your truck are a tow bar, safety cables, base plate kit, wiring kit and a supplemental braking system.

We have covered the tow bar and this tow bar also includes safety cables. The next part you will need are base plates that will provide an attachment point on your vehicle for the tow bar. For your truck, I would recommend the Blue Ox Base Plate Kit, # BX2169. This it is specifically designed to fit your truck and will work with the Aventa tow bar.

The next item you will need is a wiring kit. You have a few different options to choose from. You could use a removable light kit like part # RM-2100. These lights simply attach to your vehicle using magnets and can be removed once you are reach your destination.

The other two options are a diode kit, # RM-154, or a bulb kit, # RM-155. Personally I prefer the bulb kit because it does not require you to splice into your vehicle wiring and once you have the bulb installed you do not have to remove or reattach the lights each time you want to tow. I have attached an article covering the different types of wiring kits for you to review.

Finally, you just need a supplemental braking system. I would recommend the Blue Ox Patriot Braking System, # BRK2012. This is one of our easiest braking systems to install and use. It uses a proportional braking system that applies the same pressure to the vehicle brakes as is applied to the brakes in your motor home. It also comes with a wireless remote controller that allows you to manually override the towed vehicles brakes and will alert you to any potential problems with the system.

Be sure you check your owners manual for any limitations or additional steps required to flat tow your truck.

expert reply by: John H