Cargo trailers

[Smoky1]

Now that I have pretty much settled on modifying my 2003 Taurus wagon so it can be towed with a blue ox aluminum all terrain and brake buddy, I am dealing with the issue of auxiliary storage.

Initially I was thinking of constructing a 10x10 wood shed at my son's house and storing all the things my Admiral wants to hang on to.  But I worried that over the years, my son might move, or for some reason we would want these things elsewhere.

Last week I was watching snowbird motorhomes trekking north up route 301 and I saw several towing storage trailers instead of a car.  It suddenly hit me, why not a cargo trailer?

The advantage of the cargo trailer is that I could load it up here at my Maryland home, and tow it south with everything already packed to my son;s house using my Dodge Ram trailer puller before I sell the Dodge.  Then in the future if we need to move it, the MH could do the job, even if the Admiral has to follow along in the Taurus.

I'd like some opinions on the use of cargo trailers.  I am looking right now at a Cargo Pro 6x10 that has a side door and double rear doors.  A ceiling vent and a 12 v dome light.  Even a liner over the wood floor.  It sells for 3100, though I see on the Internet I might get it for 2500.  It will cary 3500 pounds of cargo.

Anyone have experience with cargo trailers about this size?  Is this a viable option?  Which brands are the best?

I can find plenty of cargo trailer dealers on the Internet, but cannot find any manufacturers on the Internet.

 

[BernieD1]

Smoky

Instead of the Blue Ox aluminum tow bar, let me suggest the Blue Ox Adventa II model. It is all steel, it is stronger and has a higher tow capacity as well as saving you $1-200. Since the tow bar sits on the back of the coach nearly all the time, you don't gain very much by the weight savings, but you do gain strength, towing capacity and a few bucks   A friend of mine is a Blue Ox factory rep and switched me over to the Adventa II.

 

[Ron3]

The secon Blue Ox I mentioned I had seen that failed similar to the one in the photo I posted looked like steel to me.  THat is what made it even more interesting as to possible causes.

 

[Smoky1]

Bernie:

Not sure if I have that option.  The dealer tells me that aluminum is the only one they will install.  It has a capacity of 6000 pounds which should easily handle my 3800 pound car or 3500 pound loaded trailer.  It also has all terrain capability for hitching and unhitching.  I am open to rebuttal from you, of course, if you still think I am going the wrong way.

 

[BernieD1]

Bernie:

Not sure if I have that option.  The dealer tells me that aluminum is the only one they will install.  It has a capacity of 6000 pounds which should easily handle my 3800 pound car or 3500 pound loaded trailer.  It also has all terrain capability for hitching and unhitching.  I am open to rebuttal from you, of course, if you still think I am going the wrong way.

They may tell you that because they make more money on the aluminum one. The Adventa II model's extra load capacity just gives you more leeway. The Adventa II has the same release system as the aluminum and I have never had a problem unhooking with ours. I'm going on the recommendation of a trusted friend who works for Blue Ox. Save the money. You don't have to buy the tow bar from the dealer if he won't sell it to you. Just have him install the receiver on the Taurus and get the tow bar elsewhere. There is no installation on the tow bar itself. Just what you would do every time you hook up.

 

[Smoky1]

Ahhh!  The tow bar is not installed?  Just something I attach myself between the motorhome and Taurus?

Where is a good web site to get towbar prices?  I think my dealer was discounting the retail price so I need to do some comparisons.

 

[Ron3]

Bernie:

Not sure if I have that option.? The dealer tells me that aluminum is the only one they will install.? It has a capacity of 6000 pounds which should easily handle my 3800 pound car or 3500 pound loaded trailer.? It also has all terrain capability for hitching and unhitching.? I am open to rebuttal from you, of course, if you still think I am going the wrong way.

PMFJI but I would highly recommend you steer away from the Blue Ox Aluminum Tow bar.  Fact is I am begining to question if your dealer even knows what he is tlking about regarding towbars.  Just my opinion.  I recommend you do a little more towbar research.

 

[Tom]

Ahhh! The tow bar is not installed? Just something I attach myself between the motorhome and Taurus?

Smoky

I've attached a couple of photos of Jim Dick's Blue Ox tow bar attached to his toad. The second photo is a closeup showing the clevis pin (aka locking pin) that is first removed, allowing the large towing pin to be removed. Repeat the procedure on the other side. Then fold the tow bar and stow on the coach's tow hitch.

 

[Smoky1]

Ron:

If you open the door you need to walk through it.  Why should I avoid the aluminum?  How could they get away selling it if it is rated almost double the weight I am pulling and it won't work?  Not arguing.  Just want to know what to discuss with my dealer.  This is the largest Newmar dealer around and they have sold hundreds of these towbars.  It is very convenient having them do the work, and if I am going to tell them how to do their business, I need to know what to tell them.

Tom :

Jim's tow rig looks very nice.  Which Blue ox does he have?  The one my dealer wants to install is the aluminum rated at 6000 lbs and also folds up.

 

[Ned]

We have had the Blue Ox Apollo tow bar (aluminum) for over 8 years and the only problem was when we broke it in our accident.? No fault of the tow bar and Blue Ox replaced it for us at no cost.? I see no reason to avoid the aluminum tow bars as long as they are rated to tow your toad weight.

I also have never had a problem releasing the tension on the arms at any angle.? At most, a sharp rap with my hand is all that is ever needed.? I have seen other tow bars that needed a hammer to release if they were at an angle to the motor home when stopped.

I believe Jim's model is the Apollo, same as ours.? The tow bar itself needs no installation, but the base plate for the toad does.  This is true of any tow bar.

 

[Tom]

Jim's tow rig looks very nice. Which Blue ox does he have? The one my dealer wants to install is the aluminum rated at 6000 lbs and also folds up.

Smoky

I have no idea which model Jim has. Maybe Jim will see your message and jump in.

The point of my photos was to show you that the tow bar itself has no installation; The user attaches and unattaches it at the beginning/end of each trip. It's the small brackets attached to the toad that need to be "installed". FWIW I installed the ones on our Suburban myself. See thiis article for illustration.

IIRC all the tow bars we're talking about "fold up". Actually, they typically telescope to reduce length, the two arms come together, and they both hinge up to latch onto something at the coach end.

 

[Ron3]

Ron:

If you open the door you need to walk through it.? Why should I avoid the aluminum?? How could they get away selling it if it is rated almost double the weight I am pulling and it won't work?? Not arguing.? Just want to know what to discuss with my dealer.? This is the largest Newmar dealer around and they have sold hundreds of these towbars.? It is very convenient having them do the work, and if I am going to tell them how to do their business, I need to know what to tell them.

Tom :

Jim's tow rig looks very nice.? Which Blue ox does he have?? The one my dealer wants to install is the aluminum rated at 6000 lbs and also folds up.

Did you see the photo of the broken Blue Ox Aluminum towbar?  According to the owner the only possible abuse it received was a panic stop in a straight line.  IMHO I wouldn't think a panic stop should be considered abuse.  The car being towed was a Saturn.  I would suspect the saturn weight is about 1/2 of the towbar rating.  Personally I see no advantage of having an aluminum towbar unless you just want to pay more.  If it was me I would insist on a steel towbar and if they can't provide that I would check the yellow pages for another towbar dealer. 

One other point no matter what towbar you end up getting make sure it is pretty much level when connected to the MH and the car.

 

[BernieD1]

One other point no matter what towbar you end up getting make sure it is pretty much level when connected to the MH and the car.

Ron

I think you hit the nail on the head regarding a lot of these "failures". I've seen too many tow setups where the angle of the tow bar is 10, 20, even 30 degrees off flat. You step hard on the brakes and the tow bar will crack. It isn't the fault of the tow bar or the manufacturer, it is the owner that caused the break.

As long as we don't know what the installation looked like, regardless of the brand or tow vehicle involved, it is presumptuous to speculate.

 

[Ron3]

One other point no matter what towbar you end up getting make sure it is pretty much level when connected to the MH and the car.

Ron

I think you hit the nail on the head regarding a lot of these "failures". I've seen too many tow setups where the angle of the tow bar is 10, 20, even 30 degrees off flat. You step hard on the brakes and the tow bar will crack. It isn't the fault of the tow bar or the manufacturer, it is the owner that caused the break.

As long as we don't know what the installation looked like, regardless of the brand or tow vehicle involved, it is presumptuous to speculate.

I seen two failures and did not notice the towbar being too far from level. I do not believe the failures were a result of the towbar being too far from level.

I just brought that up because like you mentioned I have seen many setups that either the MH side was way to high compared to the toad or visa versa. 

 

[Smoky1]

Ned:

Thanks for the encouragement.  Much appreciated.  I really see no problems with aluminum and for sure I have to watch every pound.

Tom:

I understand the Taurus is a little tricky for the baseplate installation and I am happy to have the dealer handle it.

Ron:

What about the all terrain towbars?  They are supposed to be easy to hitch and unhitch with either horizontal or vertical angles.

Bernie:

Are you talking about being off level when hitching, or when underway and braking?
The whole point of the all terrain versions is to be able to hitch and unhitch off angle.

 

[Ned]

If the tow bar is not close to level with the toad end low, when braking hard, the toad will pitch down and cause excessive loads on the tow bar that it was not designed to handle.  That is what causes many tow bar failures, no matter what the bar is made of.  They are not designed for such abuse.  A good toad brake will help in such a case by turning the compression load to a tension load and the tow bar is designed for that.

 

[Tom]

What about the all terrain towbars? They are supposed to be easy to hitch and unhitch with either horizontal or vertical angles.

Smoky, I can't speak for the Blue Ox, but Roadmaster sells two verions of their 8,000 lbs Black Hawk that we use. The all-terrain has those cam levers, similar to what you saw in the photos of Jim's Blue Ox. In the event that you stop on uneven ground, or just happen to stop on a slight grade which results in the toad either pushing against the coach or pulling away from it, it's next to impossible to pull those tow pins. The cam levers release the mechanical locks that lock the telescoping arms out when you drive off.

In the case of our non-all-terrain version, Roadmaster provides a separate tool that does the same thing. It just takes a few seconds to walk to the back of the toad (or trunk of the car) to get it. Alternatively, as Jerry Fitzgerald demonstrated when we pulled up at Quartzsite, you can step on the locks, although I suspect you'd eventually wear holes in your shoes.

 

[Smoky1]

Tom and Ned, thanks for the explanations.

Ned, I guess what you and Bernie are describing is an installation mistake.  I will be sure to emphasize level heights between coach end and toad end at dealer.  Another good reason for toad brakes also!

 

[BernieD1]

Bernie:

Are you talking about being off level when hitching, or when underway and braking?
The whole point of the all terrain versions is to be able to hitch and unhitch off angle.

Smoky

None of the tow bars are designed to unhitch easily when underway, much safer to stop first ;D ;D ;D

I am talking about hitching and unhitching my towbar under all conditions; slants, angles, etc. Have always been able to hookup or unhook with the Adventa II. With all tow bars, if the bar isn't straight, like in the middle of a turn, you may have to turn the steering wheel from one lock to the other to relieve pressure on the bar and that is the only extra that I've had to do in extreme cases.

 

[Ron3]

Bernie:

Are you talking about being off level when hitching, or when underway and braking?
The whole point of the all terrain versions is to be able to hitch and unhitch off angle.

Smoky

None of the tow bars are designed to unhitch easily when underway, much safer to stop first ;D ;D ;D

I am talking about hitching and unhitching my towbar under all conditions; slants, angles, etc. Have always been able to hookup or unhook with the Adventa II. With all tow bars, if the bar isn't straight, like in the middle of a turn, you may have to turn the steering wheel from one lock to the other to relieve pressure on the bar and that is the only extra that I've had to do in extreme cases.

The same is true of the Roadmaster all terrain towbars.