Is this right for you? Product Expert Kristina F says:
Hitch-mounted tow bar lets you safely flat tow your mid-sized truck or SUV on your next excursion. Non-binding latches make it easy to disconnect no matter the angle or terrain. Folds up neatly against your RV for easy storage.
Features:
Specs:
| For the RV | For the Towed Car | To Link the Towed Car and RV |
|---|---|---|
| Hitch | Base plates | Tow bar |
| Wiring plug | Braking system | Safety cables |
| Wiring kit/diodes | Wiring adapter cord |
The Alpha 2's convenient, self-centering arms help to make hookup a snap. Older and more economical tow bars have rigid arms that are essentially locked in place so you have to drive your towed vehicle into the exact position necessary for hookup. But with the Alpha 2, you can connect from the approximate towing position quickly and easily. Once you have connected the tow bar to your vehicle's base plates, simply drive your RV forward until the tow bar arms fully extend and lock in place. Before hitting the road, be sure to check that the arms are properly latched to avoid damage to your towing setup.
The Alpha 2's arms are also longer than the arms on the average tow bar. As a result, they provide an improved turning radius, making it easy to maneuver around obstacles and execute sharp turns.
Being unable to unhook your car because of a bind in the tow bar is really frustrating. And the tight spots and uneven terrain at some campsites can put your tow bar into a bind, even if you're careful.
Fortunately, Blue Ox has defeated the age-old problem of binding by creating a tow bar that is just as easy to release as it is to hook up. Simply press down the handles on the tow bar arms until the internal latch disengages. By releasing some of the static pressure from the tow bar, you can move the arms just enough to make disconnecting your car a snap, even if it's not perfectly lined up with your RV.
The Blue Ox base plates on your vehicle are equipped with two tabs each that connect to the brackets on the ends of these tow bar arms. The triple-lug design of the Alpha 2 tow bar creates a tight, stable connection by surrounding both base plate lugs. The result is a sturdy, reinforced connection that is strong and rigid for a safe, dependable towing experience.
Hooking up the Alpha 2 to your base plates is as simple as it is secure. Just line up the triple-lug end of the tow bar arm with the base plate so that the center lug is positioned between the two tabs of the base plate. Then insert the 1/2" keeper pin through all of the lugs and secure it with the included quick pin.
The vinyl-coated safety cables, which have a 6,500-lb weight rating, provide added protection should the tow bar ever disconnect during towing. Steel hooks connect each cable to your towed vehicle's base plates and to your motorhome's trailer hitch.
The Alpha 2 can be easily stored on your RV when it's not in use. Once the arms are disconnected from the base plate, just fold them together so they are side by side. Then swing the arms toward your RV, sliding the integrated pin into the bracket located on the shank of the tow bar to secure it in place. Finally, push the arms down so they are parallel with your RV's bumper.
Flat towing your vehicle is much more convenient than using a trailer or a tow dolly. These other options take up much more storage space, leaving you less room both at home and at the campsite. In addition, securing your vehicle to a trailer or tow dolly can be a hassle and more time consuming than hooking up with a tow bar.
There are 5 basic components needed when flat towing a vehicle: a tow bar, a base plate kit, a safety cable set, tow bar wiring, and a supplemental braking system.
The tow bar links your towed car to your motorhome. It attaches to the custom-fit base plates that install on the frame of your towed car. Safety cables ensure that your towed car does not separate from your motorhome in the event that your tow bar becomes detached. Tow bar wiring allows your towed vehicle's signal lights to sync up with your motorhome's tail lights, which is required by law in most states. Finally, the supplemental braking system - also required in most states - brakes your towed car when the brakes in your motorhome are activated, preventing wear on the motorhome and decreasing braking distance for your entire setup.
Average Customer Rating: 4.9 out of 5 stars (158 Customer Reviews)
Hitch-mounted tow bar lets you safely flat tow your mid-sized truck or SUV on your next excursion. Non-binding latches make it easy to disconnect no matter the angle or terrain. Folds up neatly against your RV for easy storage.
Best choice for a tow bar. Safe, reliable, easy to use. If you're thinking about touring in a motorhome without a tow vehicle you might want to think again. We believe the Blue Ox is the best investment we've made in our RV setup. Can't imagine not having our CR-v with us. The Blue Ox makes it super easy to connect and disconnect the towed vehicle. I also like that it doesn't alter the appearance of the tow vehicle when disconnected.
This is a really solid base plate. Installation for the Pontiac Vibe was is definitely more involved that installing the alternative (Road Master). The Road Master base plate just bolts through existing bumper holes and an engine mount. This base plate is bolted directly to the frame just behind the bumper, with four 3/8" grade 5 bolts in holes you have to drill after clamping the base plate in place. I found it easy to get the required height (3/4" below bumper) but simply using a 1x3 piece of lumber. You also have drill a 1.25"hole in the frame to gain access to the inside of the frame. Tricky part of this install is getting the nuts, which are welded to a 1" plate and a ~14" steel rods, into place to be line up with the holes. It is a little hard to see. I also recommend making sure the bolts actually thread easily on to the nuts before putting the nuts in the the frame. I had the misfortune of one of the either cross threading or jamming, and I ended up having to cut the bolt head off with a sawsall using a metal blade. The bolt had not gone very far into the nut before it jammed so I was just able to get the sawsall blade behind the head, and cut it off, holding the head with a pair of vice grips. If that hadn't worked I would have had to take the car to a shop with oxy-acetaline torch to have it cut off. I was able to fish the cut of bolt out for the frame with a bent coat hanger. The first photo is of the base plate after I cut off the bolt. Blue Ox support was GREAT! I sent them and email explaining that I needed new nuts and bolts, and they sent the needed parts (at no charge!). I just had to put my install on hold for several days. The second problem I had was in attaching the electrical harness recepticle to the tubes on the to bar. One of the self tapping screws twisted off as I was tighting it. I ended up cutting of 1/2" of the tubes (with the sawsall) and then tapping the tubes with 1/4x20 threads, and regaining the length cut off with the bolt. My recommendation to blue ox, is that they tap these tubes with to 1/4x20, and provide regular bolts to attach the recepticle. The second picture showes the result. When I showed the 3rd and 4th pictures to my mechanic, he was impressed and said, "That looks really solid!" The last picture shows the front of the car after I have started to assemble it (with the styrofoam padding on the bumper, and the draw bars in place. The solidity of the Blue Ox engineering and the FABULOUS customer support has totally turned my into a Blue Ox fan. I'm glad my RV dealer suggested that I go with Blue Ox instead of the slightly cheaper solution, that would have been much less solid.
I purchased this tow system to replace a 15 year old or more Blue Ox system. I trust Blue Ox and had flawless service and use from the older tow bar. I had purchased a faceplate for my 2016 Colorado 4 years ago from etrailer. Pricing was better than a couple of local suppliers, and this with free shipping. I also like the "How To" videos. I installed my wiring on the Colorado from your video.
Purchased this tow bar as a replacement for our Aventa II towbar that Blue Ox would not service (won't touch anything over 8 yrs old). Fits great and supports our Jeep Cherokee.
I ordered a Blue Ox Alpha 2 Tow Bar Friday afternoon, and it arrived Wed morning - very quick for a large, heavy object and free shipping! As usual, great, knowledgable service from etrailer.com!
Haven't had the pleasure of using the tow bar yet but upon initial inspection it looks like a really nice tow bar. Sure wish Blue Ox would have included a cover for it like they do their higher end tow bars though.
Jim H - 01/02/2021I have purchased major items from e.trailer because they have excellent service and provide very helpful installation videos. My previous Blue Ox tow bar has taken a lot of use and it was time to upgrade to the Alpha 2 tow bar. I will it use to tow my 2015 Jeep Wrangler that has the tow plate and accessories that I purchased and installed from e.trailer about 5 years ago.
My Roadmaster Falcon II finally failed for good after one rebuild decided to go with Blue Ox and I could not be more pleased with the quality and what I believe to be a superior design. etrailer has always performed beyond my expectations and I will be sure to return for any future needs.
We haven't gotten it installed yet, but it is exactly what we ordered to go along with our Blue Ox Base Plate, which was easy to install on our 2011 Chevy HHR.
Great tow bar. I tow a Jeep Rubicon (JLU) with this and paired it with the Blue Ox baseplate since I have the stock steel bumper. I have towed the jeep almost 10K miles to date with no issues. The tow bar hooks up and disconnects easily and is solidly built.
Got everything hooked up. Working great. Thanks for the support Heading to Florida from Minnesota.
Great service, great product. Replacing a 20 yr old Blue Ox that has served us well. Still works fine but didn't want to have a problem in the middle of a trip. 20 years was more than we expected.
Wow!!! So very impressed with this company!!’ Haley helped me by phone make sure everything I ordered was right for my RV and Smartcar (tow bar, base plate, battery shutoff and wiring). It came quick and the quality of the products (Blue Ox) are outstanding. Highly recommend this company!! Thank you for helping me!!
Fast delivery on in stock items. High quality tow bar. Very satisfied with entire flat tow setup. As always, everything I purchased from etrailer was top quality.
Perfect . Just what I wanted. Always a pleasure working with eTrailer
Very easy to hook up our RV to the Jeep we are towing.
Great tow bar that stows nicely on your motor home when not in use!
Robert. C - 12/14/2020Pulls my 2020 Civic like a dream. So easy to hookup or disconnect. Simple stowage too.
This tow bar has made hooking and unhooking our jeep a breeze. Worth the price!
I have now installed the following on my 2017 Wrangler: Brake light relay kit . Hopkins Towed vehicle Tail Light wiring kit. Blue Ox base plate. Blue Ox Patriot Portable RF Braking System. All of this has taken about 3 days of work spread out over a week or so. Overall it went well. Not too many surprises. Crawling around under a car at 71 is a bit of a strain but I'll get over it. I must say that Donna P. has been a wonderful source of great information and has stayed right on top of the process. etrailer has been a great source for this project. I would recommend you all with no hesitation.
John M - 06/15/2018I've ordered before from etrailer and their service is excellent. Always efficient and helpful. The towbar I ordered arrived early. Very pleased with the equipment, haven't fitted it yet but the reputation of Blue Ox goes before it. Thanks again etrailer!
Works great. Easy to hook up with Jeep Wrangler
Others have reviewed this Tow Bar and it is a great product/fit for my situation. For me, it's an upgrade from a tow bar where car has to be perfectly lined up to attach/remove. What is even better is the outstanding pre-sales information/videos/live humans that etrailer provides. When there is a question or issue, they are very proactive, with follow up to make the customer satisfied. When they shipped a replacement for an order, they followed up less than an hour after UPS dropped it off. This is the customer service that some other companies give lip service to, but inevitably fail to deliver. Thank you etrailer.
The Blue Ox BX7365 works perfectly with my Jeep Wrangler Unlimited. Very easy to install, setup, connect and disconnect. I did need install a 6" drop receiver to level the tow bar between my (Georgetown) RV and the towed vehicle. Just completed a 700 mile round-trip with absolutely no problems. I had no issues with the pins binding, nor getting the telescoping arms to lock in place while using.
Drew G - 03/05/2018Ordered everything needed to flat tow a Cherokee. All arrived within a few days. When time to order towbar, I placed a call on a Monday morning and it was sitting on my doorstep Tuesday afternoon,wow.
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