Ever tried to hook up on sloped pavement or a gravel site, with one end higher than the other? The self-supporting, telescoping arms on the etrailer XHD tow bar hold their own weight so you’re not fighting gravity while lining things up. Each arm moves independently, extending from 39-1/4" to 51-3/4" to reach the base plate easily. Once connected, a smooth pull forward locks the arms automatically, and when it’s time to unhook, non-binding triggers let you release tension with a simple squeeze. Even on rough or angled ground, you can disconnect without the wrestling match.
Keeping your tow bar level helps prevent drivetrain stress and uneven wear. This tow bar has a built-in 1-1/2" rise/drop and a head that tilts an additional 3" up or down, so you can fine-tune alignment without adding a separate adapter. That built-in adjustment means fewer parts to track, faster setup, and a safer, smoother ride behind your RV.
Gas stations and campground loops can be tight, and short bars make it worse. The XHD’s extra-long arms give you a wider turning radius, helping your setup track smoothly around corners without cutting in too close. It’s one of those day-to-day differences you feel every time you pull through a junction or back into a site.
There’s no jumble of cords or cables dragging the ground here. Two straight, vinyl-coated safety cables rated at 14,000 lbs are integrated right into the bar, staying up where they belong and keeping the setup neat. A built-in storage rod holds your coiled electrical cord (sold separately) off the ground too. It’s a clean, organized system that’s ready to go every time you hitch up.
When you’re done towing, the arms swing to either side and lock themselves in place with just a small lift. No need to wrestle heavy arms into a vertical position. At only 46 lbs, the steel-built XHD stows easily on your RV and stays put until the next trip.
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 | 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.
Videos are provided as a guide only. Refer to manufacturer installation instructions and specs for complete information.
Jeff: Hello everybody. This is Jeff at etrailer.com. Today we're going to take a look at this etrailer XHD two-inch RV Mount non-binding tow bar for the Duncan base plates has a 10,500 pound gross towing weight capacity. Now this tow bar will let you tow your vehicle safely and securely behind your motor home. The shank right here, it'll slide into your two inch trailer hitch receiver on your RV, and there's no bow mount necessary. If you notice on the shank also, they have two hitch pin holes are about two inches apart.
This allow you to position this tow bar, either closer to or further from your RV, depending on your application, without sacrificing any load capacity. You can see the pin and clip here this is included to attach this to your hitch receiver. Also there's no need for a high low adapter on most setups because this adjustable head on this tow bar will tilt up or down three inches to keep your tow bar parallel with the road during towing.And the shank if you notice back here, has this built in one and a half inch drop, or if you flip it over one and a half inch rise for additional height adjustability, the arms on these are telescopic self-supporting arms make for a fast, easy hookup. The main feature is the self-supporting of the arm. Basically these arms will fall to the ground when they're unfolded.
Some of your tow bar systems require to you try and balance both arms at the same time while trying to hook them up, this you could put the arm in whatever position you want and it'll stay right there. And just to show you, if we lift up on this arm and you get right there, you can let it go, hold this down it'll stay in that position. If you move it down a little bit, it'll stay just there. And again, if you want to raise it up some more, pick it up to the side you can see that it'll stay just like that.So they are, self-supporting very nice feature to have. They also offer full articulation, which means these arms could actually could be moved all the way out this way.
This one, all the way, this way. So you'd have 180 degrees of articulation, which allows for a nice unlimited spread to fit your application when you're hooking these arms up.It is a self-aligning design, basically you just hook up and then you drive your RV forward. And then what happens when you do that It'll pull the stainless steel inner arms out. They'll extend into a nice rigid tow-ready position. And then when you get far enough, you can hear that they'll automatically lock into place.
And you're all set up to ready to tow. They are a non-binding design, which allows for you to easily release your vehicle. Even if it's on unlevel ground, they have these trigger releases right here, one on each arm, that when you push down on that trigger release, it'll raise the arm and you can move the arm even if they're under pressure, just push that release down and then release the arm, very nice feature.Also, if you look on each arm, here's these integrated cable mounting clips. These will keep your included safety cables off the ground, prevent any dragging. And if you notice the cables, the whole length of the safety cable has a nice vinyl coating on it to protect it. And also on each end, they'll have these steel S hooks with the spring loaded latches here for added security. On this arm, you might notice this storage rod right here. This is a built-in storage rod, this will keep your coil, the electrical cord in place and off the ground. Now the electrical cord is not included. You would have to supply that, but when you do plug in your electrical cord and you have the coil there and it stretches out, you don't want to drag hanging down and possibly dragging. So you can take the extra coils, pull this clip, put the extra coils up on this rod, put the clip and it'll hold it up in place out and off the ground.Now this also offers a simple, secure storage alongside your motor home. These arms can be folded together, and then they both swing to the left and lock into place on these holes right here, swing to the right either way are, as I mentioned, you could swing one out this way. It locks in this one all the way out here. So there's multiple ways of storing them. Does have an E-coat finish on it provides a nice corrosion resistance. This part is made in the USA. This part number here is compatibility it works with the Duncan base plates. As you can see, it will include these Duncan adapters and the hardware to install them. Application it slides into a two inch by two inch trailer hitch receiver, weight capacity on this is 10,500 pounds. Now, one note I do want to mention is we also sell a tow bar that's a SD version.And when you look at both of them, they almost look identical, but the main differences, the SD is a lower tow bar. It's about 6,000 pound capacity this one is a 10,500 pounds. And the reason they get the higher capacity is if you look at that stainless steel arm, it is going to be a larger diameter on this XHD compared to the SD version. So that's how they'll get the higher capacity.Now, the weight on this whole tow bar is about 46 pounds, a few measurements if we push these arms together so that they're straight ahead. And we measure from the hitch pin hole here at the end of the shank to the base plate, pin hole center to center. When they're straight ahead, when they're retracted, like they are now is going to measure 39 and a quarter inches. If we extend those arms out all the way and they lock into place and then measure from that hitch pin hole back here to that, it's going to be 51 and three quarter inches. The distance from this hitch pin holes to where the shank starts to drop or rise right about here is going to be five and a half inches. And then from that hitch pin hole at the end of the shank to this vertical bolt in the head is about 12 and a half inches.It does come with this nice operator's manual. That'll describe how all these parts go together and how it operates. But that should do it for the review on the etrailer XHD two inch RV mount non-binding tow bar for the Duncan base plates has a 10,500 pound gross towing weight capacity.
Ratings & Reviews
There were some marks in the finish do to shipping and the operator manual was damaged to the point that i could not read some parts.
seems very well made and is what i expe cted.
I like it so far but haven't left yet.
We've found the tow bar to be excellent. It works well towing our F150 and has adjustments everywhere we need them. Very solid and functional.
Perhaps more importantly, the service and support we get from etrailer means they are our first pick for anything they sell. Whether we have a question about installation or use, or a need for warranty support, they are fast, accurate, and helpful. In this era of having to reason with automated obstacles when you contact most places, they are a breath of very fresh air.
Ashley E. deserves a specific callout for being so helpful and timely.
This towbar worked perfectly and was easy to install. It is better quality than the one I had, which had a lower weight rating. ETrailer has great customer service. Definitely a good place for your RV/Trailer/Towing needs.
Very easy to install on towed vehicle.
This is a heavy piece but it works well and has been easy to use. Overall I like it but it is pretty heavy if you are removing/installing it on a regular basis.
Only used it once seems pretty easy to use, on and off, the real test going on a 7 hour one way adventure this weekend ,
Works great. Doesn’t bind up. Easy to hook up and disconnect
I upgraded to this tow bar. I had 6000lb SD that was borderline acceptable for my new Gladiator. Just for safety sake I increased the rating buty purchasing the XHD version of the etrailer telescopic tow bar. It was a direct swap. Very heavy duty. No worries now. Nice product. I had used the SD version for many many years towing my 2 dr wrangler. Never had any issues.
Fast and free shipping.
This is a very heavy duty and reliable hitch. Highly recommended.
I have only made 2 tows so far with my new XHD tow bar and am very pleased with it's quality, features and operation. The only criticism I have is that the telescoping arms do not latch in the retracted position, making stowing them without a cover impractical. My solution is to use a lightweight cargo strap to secure them when I don't want or it is inconvenient to use my tow bar cover. So, only 4.99 stars for this one. :-)
Very satisfied, definitely need the non -binding.
First, this bar is extremely heavy, which makes transporting and maneuvering cumbersome and difficult. Secondly, I had issues with this unit from the get-go. I did not receive the correct bolts to attach the Roadmaster clevis to the arm ends. The instructions clearly state that a clevis bolt was to be installed with the XHD unit, but it was not in the hardware bag. I had to call customer service (which was so/so, almost like the person didn't believe me) and had the bolts sent to me. I received the bolts but long story short, they were too short. They did not come out of the bottom of the locknut and any attempt to torque them to the point they did protrude, caused the forks of the clevis to bend, which is too much stress on such an important piece. I did not feel it was safe to either have the bolts not protrude, or force them to protrude. Then came the days-long process of trying to rectify the situation. I called customer service and attempted to explain the problem to the rep. She didn't really want to hear my problem and I was quickly rushed off the phone and directed to call Roadmaster for support, which I did. Roadmaster, of course, has nothing to do with this bar, or problem (pictures were sent to RM) and I was directed to call eTrailer back. I spoke to another person and she was a little more helpful. However, during our "conversation," I could hardly get a word in (I was spoken over and interrupted constantly.) I was told that #1.) the first person I talked to had no idea what she was talking about #2.) Demco manufactures these parts, not Roadmaster, #3.) Essentially the correct length bolts don't exist in the parts catalog. At this point I am starting to get upset with my experience and just wanted a tow bar that worked. I was convinced to but a Roadmaster branded tow bar to avoid any more issues (Blackhawk All Terrain) which I found to be strange, I figured the margin on the eTrailer branded products would be higher, but I digress. Since there is no exchange program with eTrailer, I had to purchase the Blackhawk outright. I was given a UPS label to send the XHD back, but I had to wait to receive the Blackhawk to reuse the box, which is not a huge deal, a minor inconvenience at this point. As of today (4/26/24) I am still waiting for a refund on this unit which I was assured it would be on it's way once the tracking number showed that it was picked up by UPS, but this is not the case. In conclusion, the XHD seemed like it would be a decent product if they can get the hardware right (at least for the Roadmaster system) it's just heavier than most tow bars I have had experience with. eTrailer.com customer service can also use some work, I was not happy with the service after the sale I received. Oh, and the final kick in the tail, the Blackhawk does not come with safety cables. If this were my company, I would have thrown those in for the inconvenience, but I was offered nothing for the trouble this has caused, no discount on the Blackhawk, cables or anything. I will do all I can to avoid buying from etrailer again and will direct others to the same.
Very hard to install the vehicle (baseplate) connectors.
etrailer has been just what I need it as a first time tower of a Rv tow car there experience and courtesy of helping someone with no experience has been a huge relief with something so important there help was invaluable all the way through Thank you so much
Have not used it yet,but looks well made and e-trailer was easy to deal with. Answered all my questions and got me the parts I needed. Will definitely use them in the future again.
Easy setup. Starting the first road trip this weekend.
Big improvement over the Blue Ox tow bar. The safety chains are integral to the tow bar so you don’t have to deal with them or store them separately. Also the arms stay up and don’t fall to the ground when disconnected. After one year no rust on the bars.
The hitch works great. It’s easy to use. I had a small problem where the C clip came off the storage pin and it was loose. Not a performance issue on the hitch, and it totally could’ve been user error, but I called E trailer and they sent me a new one no questions asked. I was beyond impressed. Thanks E trailer.
AS has been mentioned in previous reviews, the powder coat on the portion that goes into the receiver prevents inserting the tow bar into the receiver due to its thickness. It's not rust in the receiver tube preventing this as it wouldn't go into a brand new receiver. Now I have to grind off the powder coat on the 2" tube and figure out a way to keep it from rusting. etrailer should have the steel machined a few thousandths smaller to compensate for the finish thickness or just paint that 6 or so inches and powder coat the rest.
This tow bar replaced a 10k Blue Ox that was older and lots of miles towing heavy pickup. I wanted to replace with new tow bar for piece of mind. It was important that I had a non-binding tow bar because I have a 43’ MH and tow a full size crew cab pickup and more than not at rv parks and my driveway is pickup not completely straight and 100% level behind MH. If that’s the case I struggle to release arms. Sometimes both or just one depending on angle. Even if vehicle is slightly angled I have to fight it. Description states quick disconnect even on rough terrain. If that means uneven terrain I disagree. Also, the tabs that hold arms in when not in use are a joke they are not designed for a HD tow bar. Those came loose after just a few uses. Strut boots would have been nice but not a biggie. I like that the safety cables are integrated in to arms and has an electrical cord holder. Tow bar is EZ to hookup to my pickup and tows perfect. I don’t want to be negative (to late) but I would not buy or recommend because of disconnecting issue.
I've bought from e-trailer several times and I'm always happy with my purchase. The base plate and tow bar are of excellent quality and a good price. Installation was as not too bad; I watched the installation video for my truck even though it was for a different base plate. It gave me enough information to get the job done.
Candra help out tremendously
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