When we purchased our new Intrigue, we knew we weren't quite ready for travel until we could find the best system possible for taking our tow car, a 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee, along for the ride. Our only prior experience with a towbar was many years back, when we towed a Suzuki Samuri behind our 27' Winnebago Elandon. That tow bar was "the old fashioned kind" -- the one which is in the shape of a rigid triangle, and sits up well above the hood of the car when you're driving it. When it's being used, it get lowered onto the ball of the towing vehicle. But it's always a challenge to get "hooked up", because you need to maneuver the towed vehicle to the exact point where the rigid "bar" will come down precisely on top of the ball of the towing vehicle.
But these are modern times -- and we looked forward to a much more modern solution. We wanted a product which would be quick and easy to attach; which would not be mounted on the toad, but rather the motorhome; which would have a rated capacity far in excess of the 4300 pounds of the Jeep; which could be locked in place, so the toad (its key already in the ignition) would be driven away by someone else when we stopped somewhere to stock up at a Wal Mart; and which was both attractive and reliable.
There are many competing products on the market, with the Blue Ox (Automated Equipment System) brand being among the more popular. When we compared prices, we found there were other options somewhat less expensive. But when we matched the Blue Ox Aladdin model against what we were really looking for, we concluded the slight premium for this product would be well worth it.
We waited until we'd gone past the 10,000 mile mark before expressing any conclusions about the Blue Ox towbar. But we've past that milestone now, and we believe we can now say with confidence that this is an outstanding product. It is exceedingly easy to "hitch up" when we leave an RV park. And the disconnect is equally speedy. Usually Stephanie is doing one side as I do the other, and with this team approach the connection -- or disconnection -- takes less than a minute. The unit has performed flawlessly or us, and shows no sign of stress or wear. It still has that "brand new" look. And with the corrugated rubber sleeve, we think it is far better looking than other brands.
Perhaps the most unexpected benefit is that it leaves our Jeep with no evidence of being a toad when we're disconnected. It's usually pretty easy to spot a toad. Often they have the towbar mounted on the front of the toad. But even when the bar is mounted on the back of the motorhome, the toad usually has some fairly large black metal fittings protruding out well in front of the toad's grill -- easily inviting a bump from the car parked in front. But the Blue Ox baseplate can be made virtually invisible, completely preserving the cosmetic appearance of the Grand Cherokee.
And our concerns about leaving a tow car attached, with the key in the ignition, when we were parked for shopping or lunch, is completely addressed. For a small added cost we were able to get "locking pins", which secure the toad to the motorhome and make the toad extremely theft-resistant.
In the process of reviewing our towbar options, we learned something about "shopping for towing accessories". We'd been generally aware of a website called "Towing World", because it contains a ton of good information for anyone with towing (motorhome, trailer, fifth wheel, etc) needs. Although a commercial site, because it has such good consumer information we've had a link to it for some time. When it came time to make a purchase, we called their toll free number (800-566-9869) and spoke with Bill -- and in doing so learned that if we'd been blessed with a modicum of mechanical ability, I could likely have purchased this product at a very favorable price and installed it myself. However, lacking even the most rudimentary of mechanical and electrical skills, my only opton was to deal through a professional installer, to my price disadvantage as it turned out.
I did use the toll free number to add a couple of accessories to the original installation, most notably locking pins and a cover for the towbar which we use when we're staying somewhere for a few days.
The bottom line here is that we've found the Blue Ox system an ideal solution for our towing needs. We know there are lots of good options out there, and each comes with its own price tag and set of features. For our purposes, however, we think we made the right choice.