Jeep Liberty, M&G Engineering Brake System, Blue Ox Alexus Tow Bar. Information

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Dean & Linda Stock

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Joined
Mar 30, 2006
Posts
1,195
Location
Cypress, California
I am new to RVing and have just purchased a 37' Airstream motor home.  For the Toad we bought a Jeep Liberty.  I have tentatively chosen the M&G Engineering Car Braking Systems for coaches with air brakes and the Alexus tow bar from Blue Ox.  Does anyone have any experience with this combination or the with the individual parts?  I would like as much information as I can get prior to purchase.
    I already have Terry brewer's recommendation on the brake system.

Dean
 
Dean

I have the M&G brake and Aventa II Blue Ox tow bar. I am extremely pleased with both. The Alexus is an upgrade from the Aventa and should perform very well.
 
I do not have the Alexus, but I have the Blue Ox Aladdin and I LOVE it.  I love the company too.  They were out at the Pomona rally and were great people to deal with. 

As for braking, I use the Brake Buddy and am very pleased with it.  But our forum moderator, Tom Jones, has the M&G and he swears by it.  The only reason I did not get it is that I have a Spartan chassis, and Spartan requires a modification kit from Spartan to insure the warranty.  M&G feels the kit is not only unnecessary, but can introduce unwanted complexities.  If I had a Freightliner chassis, I would have gone the M&G route.
 
For a comparison of several different toad braking systems, click the Library button above, select Towing and towables, then click Auxiliary (toad) braking systems.

I have the M&G system and just love it because it's hassle-free. Nothing to move in and out of the car.
 
We have a Jeep Liberty, Blue Ox Aladdin, and a Bake Buddy brake sysem. We like this combination, especially the Brake Buddy, since this is the fourth toad we have used it on. The fact that it can easily be moved from car to car is important for us.

Chet18013
 
Chet18013 said:
The fact that it can easily be moved from car to car is important for us.
Click to expand...

Chet, that's a significant plus for the Brake Buddy. Every BB owner I've talked with is very happy with it.
 
Hi Dean,

Welcome to the forum. I have the M&G and the Blue Ox Aventa tow bar. I wouldn't change either one except maybe to upgrade to tow bar to another Blue Ox. Both work very well.
 
I have always questioned the strength of the Blue Oz and that is why we have Roadmaster.  I am very happy with my decision especially after having seeing two different BLUE OXs that had broken.  I posted photos of one of them some time back.  Have heard of others cases but have only really seen two in person.  Have never seen or heard of a Roadmaster breaking.  I know a lot of folks here use the Blue OX and have a different opinion but you got to go with what you feel comfortable with.  For us we will stick with the Roadmaster Falcon.
 
Ron:

Which model Blue Ox's have you seen broken?  Are they recent vintage?  Ours is the lightweight aluminum Aladdin, and it is literally as strong as an OX.  We had a problem recently, of poor spring adjustment (user lack of knowledge) and even when one arm stayed in the extended position, our heavy Ford Taurus station wagon continued to track well behind us, until we got to Pomona and the Blue Ox team readjusted it (and showed me what to do in the future).  I could not be more impressed with a 23 pound hitch that safely tows a heavy station wagon.

I also know of several Roadmaster folks who have had breakdowns.  IMO, either company does a great job manufacturing and servicing their hitches.

I went with Blue OX, only because the dealer who sold me the motorhome also is a Blue OX dealer.  Either company would be fine I think.

However the Roadmaster tow brake has been known for problems compared to the Brake Buddy.  I did see at Pomona that Roadmaster has some kind of new tow brake out and I have not heard reports one way or the other about their new brake.  I believe I read it has proportional braking, and if that is true, then it would be a great thing to have.  It was not on the market when I purchased my motorhome.
 
We managed to break an Aladdin but only by putting extreme sideward stresses on it that it was never designed to handle.  We also totaled our toad at the same time.  The safety chains held everything together.  Blue Ox replaced the entire tow bar at no cost to us, even though the failure was definitely not the fault of the tow bar.

Then I have seen several RoadMaster tow bars that required multiple hammer blows to release the arms.  Our Aladdin never needs more than a tap with one hand :)
 
Ned said:
Then I have seen several RoadMaster tow bars that required multiple hammer blows to release the arms.
Click to expand...

The Roadmaster all-terrain models merely require lifting a cam lever. On our non-all-terrain model, Roadmaster provided a separate lever that does the same thing as the all-terrain cams if the coach and toad are on very uneven terrain, although it's rarely needed. No need for a hammer either way. Sounds like the folks you saw hammering either never received the lever or didn't know what to do with it  ???

Although I've never owned a Blue Ox, I believe that they and Roadmaster are on a par when it comes to their respective tow bars.

Roadmaster auxiliary brakes - that's a different story. I have no experience with their latest and greatest, but the one I bought two years ago was the biggest piece of junk I've seen or owned and was the subject of a prior topic.
 
You have one of the newer models, the older RoadMasters had a button that needed to be pushed and sometimes needed "persuasion".? Others needed a button lifted and they supplied a pry bar to apply the needed leverage.? Neither seemed like a good design to me.

Both companies as well as others make good towing products these days.  It's a matter of personal choice.  Basing a purchase on anectodal evidence is always bad, IMO.
 
My Roadmaster has the button on each arm to release them from the locked position. The additional lever I mentioned applies downward pressure on the buttons if they won't move with finger/hand pressure. It's probably the same thing you're calling a pry bar, but it pushes down rather than lifts up.

OTOH the first time we pulled into QZ Jerry said "this is the way to do it" and proceeded to stomp on them with his foot. I figured I'd save my shoes and either press the button or pull out the lever/bar.
 
If he stomped on my Blue Ox, he'd get stomped :D
 
Ned said:
If he stomped on my Blue Ox, he'd get stomped :D
Click to expand...

Ned,

I agree!!! ;D ;D ;D

The original Blue Ox I had was difficult to release under certain circumstances. I found a way around it by turning the toad wheels to counteract the bind. My current version, Aventa, is very easy to disconnect under most circumstances. I think Blue Ox is a company that stands above most. They have been very good about replacing worn items, mostly at no cost to me. Others may do the same but I'll stick with Blue Ox!
 
We have never had an occasion to use a hammer on our Roadmaster,  Sam usually hooks up and disconnects the hitch.  Occasionally we will turn the front wheels from side to side to release when unlevel or at an angle.  We have the lever to help push release buttons and may have used it once but that would have been some time ago.

The Blu Ox hitches I seen that were broken one was Alumnimum and one was steel both broke in the same area.  Photos of the Alumnimum one were posted here in the past.

 
Ron,

I'm sure Blue Ox is not the only hitch that has broken. I have over 112,000 miles with a Blue Ox hitch without any problems.
 
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