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Get a budget-friendly tow bar that's also user-friendly. Arms pivot easily for hookup, and the non-binding levers ensure you can disconnect quickly on any terrain. Mounts and stores on the front of your car while you drive around town.
Features:
Specs:
| Base Plate | Adapter |
|---|---|
| etrailer | Invisible: e98986 Classic: None available |
| Roadmaster | Standard: RM-033 Crossbar-Style: RM-032 or BX88178 Direct-Connect: BX88185 |
| Demco | Tabless: DM9523127 Classic: None available |
While car-mounted is an older style of tow bar, the Acclaim can get you a lot of the same benefits and features of a modern tow bar at a more affordable price. This is a solid option if you are only flat towing occasionally or looking to stay on-budget.
The arms on the Acclaim are designed to make hooking up super easy. They give you a lot of flexibility for getting your toad (towed vehicle) connected to your RV, without the need for your vehicle to be perfectly level or in the exact right spot. The telescoping arms extend to the needed length and angle to reach the ball mount.
The Acclaim in particular can be really easy to use because of how you hook it up. You start with only one arm attached to the base plate, then get the coupler connected to the ball mount. Having only one arm attached gives you a lot more freedom to maneuver, and with the coupler secured, the tow bar will hold itself up as you work on getting the other arm attached. You won't strain your back wrestling with a heavy tow bar.
Once you're all hooked up, slowly pull forward and the Acclaim's self-aligning arms will fully extend and lock into the towing position. Double check that the arms are properly latched and you'll be ready to hit the road!
Uneven ground and sharp angles can put the arms of the tow bar in a bind and make them stiff and immoveable. Once you get to your destination, the last thing you need is to spend several minutes wrestling, yanking, and kicking at them to get your car disconnected.
Instead, get out of a bind in one easy step. Simply press down on the Acclaim's non-binding levers to disengage the internal latches in the arms. This releases the pent-up pressure so you can unhook and get on with your adventure.
Blue Ox tow bars have triple-lug brackets to create an extra-secure connection to the base plate. It's a small detail with big benefits, as this crucial component of your flat tow setup is guaranteed to be tight and sturdy.
When you're not towing, the Blue Ox Acclaim stays mounted on the front of your car. It takes a couple of steps to secure it in place, but once you get the hang of it, it will be quick and easy to do.
To store the tow bar, disconnect the arm on the driver's side and then uncouple from the ball mount. The tow bar folds up against the front of your car, with the arms stacked on top of each other. Secure it with the included pins and you'll be set to drive around on your adventure; just be careful pulling into a parking spot as you'll need several inches of extra clearance.
Of course, you can always detach the tow bar from the base plate completely and store it elsewhere - but keep in mind, while this is one of the lighter tow bars out there, if you are flat towing frequently, you probably won't want to remount it for each trip. You can keep the Acclaim perched on the front of your car, ready to go, and you won't have to find a place in your car or RV to store it.
For added protection, slip on the Blue Ox tow bar cover (BX88156 - sold separately) to keep the Acclaim clean and dry.
Included with this tow bar are 2 coiled safety cables rated at 5,000 lbs. These cables, required by law, will keep your toad behind your RV if there's ever an accidental disconnect while towing. The steel S-hooks on each end of the cables connect to the toad's base plate and the RV's trailer hitch. The rubber tabs will help the hooks stay connected.
The coiled design of these cables prevents them from dragging on the ground and getting damaged, and the vinyl coating keeps them safe from the elements so that they last you the life of the tow bar.
Flat towing can be a much more convenient way to take your car RVing with you than using a trailer or a tow dolly. It'll save you storage space both at home and at the campsite, and it takes less time and hassle to hook up.
To flat tow your vehicle, there are 5 basic components you're going to need: a tow bar, a base plate kit, a safety cable set, tow bar wiring, and a flat tow braking system.
| For the RV | Between the RV and Towed Car | For the Towed Car |
|---|---|---|
| Hitch with ball mount and ball | Tow bar | Base plate |
| Wiring plug | Safety cables | Braking system |
| Wiring adapter cord | Wiring kit/diodes |
The custom-fit base plate installs on the frame of your toad so you can connect the car to your RV with a tow bar. Hook up safety cables between the vehicles to ensure that the toad does not separate from the motorhome if the tow bar becomes detached. Tow bar wiring syncs your vehicle's signal lights with your motorhome's tail lights, as required by law in most states. Finally, the flat tow braking system - also required in most states - activates the brakes in the toad when you hit the brakes in the RV, making for smoother, safer braking, and preventing wear on your motorhome.
California residents: click here
Average Customer Rating: 4.8 out of 5 stars (204 Customer Reviews)
Get a budget-friendly tow bar that's also user-friendly. Arms pivot easily for hookup, and the non-binding levers ensure you can disconnect quickly on any terrain. Mounts and stores on the front of your car while you drive around town.Great Tow Bar
Easy to connect and disconnect. Great product.
I received theBlue Ox tow bar, Base plate and Wire Kit 5/3/12.. I did not have time to start assembling it yet. I was well pleased with Judy who did the ordering and shipping arrangement.I would not hesitate recomending your products. Will send pictures when it is complete. Thanks again. Clair
Towed a 4 door Rubicon with Dodge 2500 truck. The tow bar did great on the 2000+ mile trip. The bar is very easy to couple and uncouple.
The Blue Ox is perfect for my needs. I use it to tow my 2004 Tacoma, with after market Warn locking hubs, behind my truck camper. The tow bar is easy to hook up and remove and tows like a dream. I would recommend for this purpose highly.
While the quality of this units seems excellent, and it is a good price, I was unable to use it in my setup. I Bought it to go with the Blue Ox base plate for a 2014 Chevy Spark. That base plate sets the tow bar connections 23" above the ground. This tow bar requires a 7" rise from the base plate connection to the hitch. Meaning 30" above the ground at the hitch. In my rig, this would require a hitch riser of over 12". I have no complaints about the tow bar, however, it is not a good option with the 2014 Spark Blue Ox base plate.
Jenny N.
4/13/2023
You are on the right track with wanting the tow bar and base plate to be as level as possible. The tow bar does need to be the safe zone with no more than three inches above or below level. You had it a bit reversed with the measurements. If your hitch is 30 inches from the ground to the receiver and with the base plate connection point being 23 inches from the ground to the connection point, then the best solution would be to use a ball mount with a seven-inch d r o p . I see that you opted to change the tow bar and go with Roadmaster tow bar, part # RM-525. To make that tow bar level you are also going to need a high low adapter to lower the tow bar. You can use part # RM-070 for a 4-inch d r o p or part # RM-076 for a six-inch d r o p. Both are rated at 6,000 pounds.
Dale
4/17/2024
This tow bar works great for our needs. We hauled our Spark on a 5,407 mile trip out west last summer with no problems. We did learn some dos and donts about hook up and how to get the bars to lock. We also learned to have someone in the towed vehicle with foot on brakes when hooking up and locking bars if pointed down hill.
The mechanism used to control the hitch has been changed, and the physical size interferes with the ability for the hitch to fold so it can be stored on the towed vehicle.
The older mechanism doesn't have this problem.
I found an older used version of the tow bar, and I would like to return the new version of the bar.
What a great piece of equipment. This saves alot of time with both hook-up and unhooking. Its now a one person job and an easy one. The Road Master adapter fit just right, and the whole process was a breeze. Thanks
Everything as advertised. Followed the videos and instructions for installing the base plates and tow bar and all were good. Did a test pull today and it towed great, straight as a dye. I only have 2 suggestions. There was no mention in the video of the space plate, which was included. Figured it out. Second suggestion, Install a 2" ball on your work bench and adjust the receiver to it. The instructions tell you what socket to adjust it with but that could have been done on the bench before shipping. Great product, so excited. We are off on a few hundred mile trip with the Fit behind the motorhome Wednesday. So excited. No more tow dolly.
Rrr
3/6/2024
Still great. Lost one pin clip but they are readily available at hardwares.Great product
Jerred H.
3/6/2024
very nice tow bar, very happy with the quality and finish. shipping was pretty quick
Great information, informative videos delivered quickly, great price-saved $xxx over local vendor
William
12/1/2024
It is a great product... connection to the base plate is a snap.
Was impressed by how easy it was to install. Easy to follow instructions.
Extremely strong and sturdy. Altho heavy, I feel towing confidence in it's strength
A very high quality product- great fit and very robust. Works perfectly.
Richard
10/7/2024
Very high quality unit that has not degraded one bit since new.
Had to do some grinding to stow the hitch.as much as you charge you should add a cover to keep it pretty.Great product would highly recommend and would buy again.Same with the base plate I bought from you earlier.Id give you a 4 7/8 star .very fast free shipping
This item is exactly what I wanted. I could not find it anywhere else. When I found it on your site it took an amazingly fast time for me to order and receive it. Thank you and hope you have a great day.
I have used this model of Blue Ox hitch for years without problems. This is my third as I sell the old ones with the towed vehicles each time. The speed of delivery and price from etrailer can't be beat. Great service. Great price. Thank you.
Very easy to install, I use it to tow a jeep wrangler over 300 miles. I made several stops along the way to inspect all the connections, but I never had to make any adjustments to it. very well made, couldn't be happier. It worked perfect right out of the box, no adjustments had to be made.
I can only speak for myself but this model Tow Bar came along just at the right time. Recently I had some minor hand surgery that went bad and left my right hand total useless and unable to lift or hold anything in it. I had been using a regular Blue Ox tow bar, which work great but was very difficult for me to handle and hold up while connecting to toad and motor home. The Acclaim stays hooked up to the toad all the time so I only have to disconnect the one arm and swing it around to the other side and connect the one pin. With it staying connected I don't have to support all the weight of the tow bar and hooking it to the motor home with the ball hitch is a piece of cake. Before I had to support the bars with my leg and I ruined countless pairs of pants with grease spots from the ends of the tow arms. So if you are handicapped in any way this bar makes it much easier to hook up.
Neil-ned
5/14/2023
Still think this is one of the easiest tow bars to use. Connecting and disconnecting has never been easier. my physical condition has not changed, if anything it has gotten worse but im still able to hook up out toad by myself which helps my attitude tremendously. Thanks for making such a great tow bar!!
Quick to ship and item received in perfect condition.
It works well very easy to install I did have one near miss one of the snap pins that goes on the actual towing pin came off not sure how but I have been RVing for a long time and have been in the habit of walking around my rig at stops. Maybe a better style of safety pin is needed as this would have been catastrophic.
You need to forewarn customers that their base plate cannot be wider than 37" or this tow bar won't sork on your vehicle! I had to have an attachement piece welded onto the tow bar to resolve this issue, and it still doesn't hold on the car like it is supposed to.
Looks great
Works great.
The tow bar works great! The pressure release handles are very convenient and the bar stores quite well when not in use. (you do have to keep it in mind when parking the car nose in)
Cam L.
9/6/2023
Great! Love how easy it is to attach and disconnect. Toes nice and smooth.
Mike L.
10/26/2023
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Mark S.
1/27/2025
Absolutely great. It performs exactly as I need it to. No issues at all.