Choosing A Tow Package

[boisenurse]

I just bought a 2006 Forest River class A 34' motorhome and will be towing a 2010 Honda CRV behind it.

Figure I'll go with Blue Ox but don't know what type - motor home vs car mounted?

Know there is a big price difference but is it worth it to have motor home mounted?

What specifically do I need?

Kathy

[tbutler]

We went with a tow bar that mounts on the motor home. It is easy to work with, you never have to lift the whole thing, just raise it and lock it in place. Once it is there, it is out of the way. The car is clean, nothing hanging on the front. With our coach the tow bar on the back doesn't block the engine access and we've never had to remove it for oil changes, etc. I consider mounting on the motor home to be much more convenient.

[wolfe10]

Like Tom, we have the on-coach hitch. Much easier and lighter to use as most of the weight stays on the coach and you are only lifting individual arms.

Also, the toad doesn't have to be burdened with the hitch on the front (which can be damaged by parallel parking, etc) when driving solo.

We have a Roadmaster tow bar and brackets, but both brands are excellent.

Brett

[jackarea]

Kathy, I too just went thru the shopping process for tow bar and baseplate for my Ford Fusion. I settled on the Blue Ox Aventa LX motorhome mounted tow bar with removable tabs and Blue Ox baseplate. With the tabs removed you can hardly see the base plate. It has a real clean look.

The tow bar is a little over kill for my Fusion. It is rated at 10,000 lbs. but if I change to a heaver tow car, I am covered. The Aventa is heavier than the aluminum ones, but you should not need to remove in very often. It folds up out of the way when not towing. I paid $600 and am very happy with it . Some sell for more, some cheaper.

It has self aligning arms which means it will still be easy to hook up even on uneven ground. All you have to do is get close, and pull the arms out to connect. I agree with Tom and Brett, the coach mounted tow bar is the way to go. Also you will need a brake system for your tow car. There are many of these to choose from also. I went with the RVI brake. It is very light and easy to install, and works well. Don't forget the lights on the tow car. Good luck.

[rhuffhines]

I have a Blue Ox coach mounted. Easy for a one man connection and disconnect. I went with the 10000 lbs- overkill for what I drag- but I don't worry about it.

[Xplorer]

Partial/additional info added in bold

In 2008, I settled on the Blue Ox Aventa LX motorhome mounted tow bar with removable tabs and Blue Ox baseplate. With the tabs removed you can hardly see the base plate. It has a real clean look.

The tow bar is a little over kill for my Jeep Liberty. It is rated at 10,000 lbs. but if I change to a heaver tow car, I am covered. The Aventa is heavier than the aluminum ones, but you should not need to remove it. It folds up out of the way when not towing.

It has self aligning arms which means it will still be easy to hook up even on uneven ground. All you have to do is get close, and pull the arms out to connect. I agree with Tom and Brett, the coach mounted tow bar is the way to go. Also you will need a brake system for your tow car. There are many of these to choose from also. I use Brake Buddy Classis, as I wanted portability for different vehicles, it has worked well for 3 years. It is very light and easy to install, and works well. Don't forget the lights on the tow car. Good luck. I had lights installed in the tailights, with a direct line from the Motorhome to the tailights. I did not want problems with splicing into the Liberty wires. Lights have been problem free for 3 years.