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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 (263 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.
My Blue Ox Tow bar and Break Buddy System perform as advertised. I tow my Buick Enclave behind my 30’ class C with confidence.
Spent over $3k for parts and was missing 4 whiz nuts to complete installation. When I contracted etrailer for support, it seemed Blue Ox wanted to question my integrity over the missing $5 in whiz nuts after I spent over $3k. Had to buy my own nuts to complete install.
Jenny N - 04/06/2022The Blue Ox Alpha 2 tow bar works great and is easy to connect, disconnect and stowe. I'm very happy with this purchase. I have towed my SRX with this tow bar for about 8 months on our trips and gone approx 5k miles. I really like this tow bar.
Ashley E. Was super helpful. Very knowledgeable. Helped me get on the right track with the parts I needed. I wish I would’ve talked to her weeks earlier. Order was shipped right away and received in a few days. I’m sure I’ll use Etrailer again
We have traveled a several thousand miles with this Blue Ox tow bar towing our Jeep behind our motorhome. This Year we moved from Pennsylvania to North Carolina and the Blue Ox came in handy towing behind the UHaul truck we rented.
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.
Fastest and easiest tow assembly on the market. Hooks up in less than two minutes and pulls like a dream. The only thing better is the eTrailer team's customer service and product experts.
This tow bar met and exceeded all my expectations. It helped to do research beforehand and then ask other RVers what they used to tow their cars/vehicles behind their RV. Almost without exception, they recommended Blue OX non-binding. As a novice at towing, I found it very easy to hitch and unhitch my 2021 Jeep and with over 3K miles now towing my Jeep behind my RV, I never experienced any problems. I highly recommend it!
Great tow bar, easy setup and safely gets our toad to each vacation spot. Only thing and it’s minor but would like to have the safety cables not get jammed between the road and the bar but that is something we are going to have to adjust the drop hitch to resolve.
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.
The Blue Ox tow bar is definitely easy to install and hookup to your tow vehicle once you roll your it into place. The non-binding feature is nice once your need to unhook. Just flip the latch, pressure is released, and then proceed to unhook the bar from your vehicle.
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.
Wow, it came so quick. I got the best price for this item at eTrailer.
Everything arrived on time and in perfect shape as promised.I have always been completely satisfied every time I have made a purchase from etrailer.
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 - 01/02/2021Have towed about 8,000 miles with it so far. No problems at all. Very easy to use
Kenneth - 05/23/2022I 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!
Love the Blue Ox tow bar, very easy to hook up and to disconnect. Highly recommend this product.
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 - 06/15/2018Ordered Blue ox towbar for my rv. It was delivered quickly. Very satisfied with the product.
The tow bar is probably the industry Cadillac and etrailer website is easy to use showing all your towing equipment options avaiable.
This is our second Blue Ox Alpha. Great towbar, easy set up and SUPER fast shipping!!
This is the second Blue Ox I've had and they are still the best. I even tried another brand that only lasted a year then I came back to Blue Ox. The quality is superior! etrailer had the best price I could find anywhere.
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