Roadmaster vs Blue ox

[JohnJill]

Looking at upgrading tow hitch undecided on Roadmaster or Blue Ox. Would like to hear pros and cons.

[BillAdams]

I have had both and the Blue Ox tow bar is substantially better. Pick the base plate from either provider that fits your toad but use BO as the tow bar. That is, of course, my personal opinion based upon towing with both units over the course of the last 13 years and 210,000 miles.

[elkhartjim]

Like Bill, I've used Blue Ox trouble free for 5 years and over 40,000 miles. Its the years and miles that separate me from Bill. lol

I'm sure Roadmaster users will be along to talk about their success.

[deenad]

I went with RoadMaster because of my engineering background. I like the extra bracing the crossbar the RoadMaster has as it adds to the strength. Over the years I've seen several BlueOx bars that broke either at the frame or the bar itself broke. I did see one RoadMaster that broke, but it was apparent from the pictures that the bolts were not tightened to specs or not checked enough.

Plus, they were only about 20 miles from home and, now that they've moved they're even closer.

[medico]

I do not know if this is true of BlueOx or not, but Roadmaster is 100% made in the USA. Nuff' said in my mind. Roadmaster from stem to stern including Brakemaster and wiring harness. Won't have it any other way.

[bizsmith@yahoo.com]

We have used RoadMaster 11 years. No matter which you choose it is advisable to replace the linking bars after about 5 years.

[BillAdams]

I first made the move from Roadmaster to Blue Ox when the arm of my Roadmaster pulled apart while we were driving. Luckily, we were not on the Interstate at the time and I could see the van starting to wag behind the coach. I was able to get safely stopped and we were on our way to a rally where Roadmaster repaired (replaced) the unit but I never felt comfortable with the device afterward.

[JohnJill]

If your looking at used units what is the most important piece to look at, that show wear?

[BillAdams]

I believe the most important parts are internal so you would not be able to see anything. If you can get a good deal and you are going to be near one of the major RV rallies, Blue Ox and Roadmaster have service available there so they could do an overhaul if necessary.

[Landyachters]

What sort of maintenance do you recommend? We are new to this landyachting world and have much to learn. We have Roadmaster setup on our 40' Monaco Dynasty. It came with this setup and we've not had any issues with it as yet but would like to know what to look out for.

Gayle

[BillAdams]

I had not noticed any visible issues prior to my Roadmaster coming apart but thinking back after it happened I do recall that the unit did not operate as smoothly as it had in the past. Sometimes it was a bit harder to get the arms to move in or out and I guess that should have been a clue. To clean, I get access to the arms and clean well with WD-40. However, you don't want to leave WD-40 here as it will attract and hold dirt and grime. Once it's all clean and operating well I then use a dry silicone spray to clean the WD-40 off leaving just the silicone behind. With the Blue Ox, I then re-secure the rubber accordion cover with wire ties and I am good for another year or so. If I am lucky, I will be at a rally with my RV and Blue Ox will do the necessary maintenance for $25.