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This versatile tow bar is easy to use, with arms that support their own weight while you hook up and swing to either side for storage. Integrated safety cables keep your setup streamlined and organized. Built-in rise/drop keeps the tow bar level.
Features:
Specs:
Note: If you use this tow bar in the rise or drop position you may need to add safety cable extensions (sold separately) to reach your tow vehicle's hitch.
If you already have a Blue Ox or Curt base plate or are planning on getting one, this kit includes the needed brackets to make this tow bar compatible. Simply unbolt the existing brackets and bolt on the new ones in their place. All the hardware is included.
The etrailer SD has a lot of smart features that give you the flexibility to hook up your toad (towed vehicle) to your RV, without the need for your vehicle to be perfectly level or in the exact right spot.
First of all, the arms are self-supporting, meaning that they hold themselves up without your help and won't fall to the ground when you let them go. They also move independently of each other, so you can focus on getting just one arm connected at a time. You'll never be stuck wrestling with a heavy tow bar.
Just slide the tow bar into your hitch and pin it in place. The telescoping arms will extend, pivot, and tilt to the needed length and angle to reach the tabs on your base plate. You can get hooked up and on with your adventure.
Once the tow bar's connected, slowly pull forward and the self-aligning arms will fully extend and lock into the towing position. Double check that the arms are properly latched and you'll be ready to hit the road!
Important: The arms need to be set up so that the storage rod is on the outside of the arm. Otherwise, the tow bar could be damaged when taking turns.
The SD's arms are longer than average, giving you an above-average turning radius. You're going to be able to get around obstacles and make sharp turns with no worry of clipping the corner of your RV. Maneuver through gas stations and the campsite no problem.
It's important that your tow bar is as level as possible while you're flat towing, with no more than a 3" difference between where the tow bar sits in the hitch receiver and where the arms meet the base plate. It's fairly common for the hitch on an RV to sit too high in comparison to the toad, making it necessary to buy a high-low adapter.
With etrailer tow bars, the rise/drop is built right in, so it's less likely that you'll need an extra adapter. The head joint is also able to tilt up and down so you can make the tow bar level for your particular setup.
Uneven ground and sharp angles can put the arms of the tow bar in a bind and make them stiff and immoveable. Once you get to your destination, the last thing you need is to spend several minutes wrestling, yanking, and kicking at them to get your car disconnected.
Instead, get out of a bind in one easy step. Simply give the trigger on the arm of the SD a squeeze to disengage the internal latch. This releases the pent-up pressure so you can unhook and get on with your adventure.
Each trigger release latch is positioned on the side of the tow bar arm. This allows for a comfortable yet firm grip, unlike latches that are positioned on the tops of tow bar arms, which can be difficult to grab. This out-of-the-way placement also creates a clean look for the tow bar.
Two straight, vinyl-coated safety cables are integrated right into this tow bar, keeping them from dragging on the ground and getting damaged. They won't get lost or tangled either; your whole setup will be streamlined and organized.
These cables, required by law, will keep your toad behind your RV if there's ever an accidental disconnect while you're towing. The steel S-hooks on each end of the cables connect to the toad's base plate and the RV's trailer hitch, with spring-loaded latches to ensure that they stay connected.
The etrailer safety cables are rated at 14,000 lbs, regardless of the rating of the tow bar. While it's not necessary to have such a high rating, it's nice to know that in the event of an emergency disconnect, these heavy-duty cables will be more than capable of catching your vehicle. If all else fails, these safety cables won't.
The tow bar also offers a convenient storage rod for securing your coiled electrical cord (sold separately). The rod holds your power cord neatly out of the way and up off the ground.
The etrailer SD is incredibly easy to store on the back of your RV. Most RV-mounted tow bars require you to lift the heavy arms all the way up; they have to be fully vertical before you can secure them in the stowed position. With etrailer tow bars, all you have to do is raise the arms an inch or two - which you probably would do anyway while unhooking - and swing them to either side. When you lower them down again, the locking pin will automatically slide into the built-in tab. They can store to the left, right, or with one arm each way, however is convenient for you.
At etrailer, we're committed to the products we sell, and to helping our neighbors journey. We don't just sell it; we've installed it, we've wired it, and we've towed with it, so you're getting your answers straight from the experts. Our etrailer technicians perform flat tow installations on a daily basis, so they know all about your tow bar firsthand. For the life of your tow bar, our experienced and knowledgeable staff are available via phone, email, and chat to help you with any questions or concerns.
Flat towing can be a much more convenient way to take your car RVing with you than using a trailer or a tow dolly. It'll save you storage space both at home and at the campsite, and it takes less time and hassle to hook up.
To flat tow your vehicle, there are 5 basic components you're going to need: a tow bar, a base plate kit, a safety cable set, tow bar wiring, and a flat tow braking system.
| For the RV | Between the RV and Towed Car | For the Towed Car |
|---|---|---|
| Hitch | Tow bar | Base plate |
| Wiring plug | Safety cables | Braking system |
| Wiring adapter cord | Wiring kit/diodes |
The custom-fit base plate installs on the frame of your toad so you can connect the car to your RV with a tow bar. Hook up safety cables between the vehicles to ensure that the toad does not separate from the motorhome if the tow bar becomes detached. Tow bar wiring syncs your vehicle's signal lights with your motorhome's tail lights, as required by law in most states. Finally, the flat tow braking system - also required in most states - activates the brakes in the toad when you hit the brakes in the RV, making for smoother, safer braking, and preventing wear on your motorhome.
Average Customer Rating: 4.7 out of 5 stars (194 Customer Reviews)
This versatile tow bar is easy to use, with arms that support their own weight while you hook up and swing to either side for storage. Integrated safety cables keep your setup streamlined and organized. Built-in rise/drop keeps the tow bar level.Good design but poorly manufactured. Used on a single, multi-week trip: Bar stayed on the RV. Removed when we got home and the powder-coating has cracked and bar is showing rust inside and out. Chrome on extending arms is pitted and beginning to rust. Emailed etrailer but Cody informed me that I would have to ship it back at my expense without any commitment to replace! Disappointed with etrailer after years of previous purchases
We love our etrailer SD tow bar. Much lighter than our previous Blue Ox. The non binding feature along with the integral safety cables and multiple storage options are great features. We use it in conjunction with a NSA Ready Brake. Great combination. Our current coach is a 2017 Jayco Seneca 37HJ. Toad is a Ford C-Max Hybrid. Easiest to use tow bar we have ever owned.
Loved this tow bar at first fit the Blue Ox base plate perfectly. Definately the easiest to use of all I have used in the past. But after less than 1 year the telescoping arms are rusting terribly even though we remove it and store inside the garage when not in use also the yellow "clips" to hold it in place for storage have bent. They are not very strong.
Katrina B.
5/9/2023
Well that is not good! We definitely do not want it rusting that bad, that soon. It looks like it could be a surface metal issue, where there is a blast media sitting on top of the powder coat. If that is the case, then that stuff will rust immediately. Its super unfortunate that you received one like this, and this item has a lifetime warranty. It looks like Blue Ox prefers to handle all warranties on their own. I will send you their information via email.
Ordering and shipping was fast and easy. Products arrived in good condition. I haven't installed them yet, but it all looks as advertised. Not my first order with etrailer and the customer service was outstanding as always. Why anyone would order from any place other then etrailer I cannot fathom.
Tim
11/7/2023
After one year, I couldnt be happier. etrailer never disappoints!
Unit is heavy duty and well made. Hook up is very easy. There is still some binding during disconnect if not on perfectly level, but much less than my previous setup. I like how the arms stow when not in use. Overall I’m very pleased.
Rob
12/14/2023
Still working good??
2005 Country Coach Intrigue/ 2021 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon Unlimited
This tow bar works as advertised. We have towed with the unit several times over the last year. Very easy to hook up to the tow vehicle and haven’t had any trouble with binding when disconnecting. The articulation is nice which aids in hooking up and stowing. My only wish is that the telescoping bars would lock in position when stowed. I just run the safety cable through the ends and insert the pins to keep them from telescoping out when in the stowed position.
Self disclosure: We had a little incident. This was 100% our fault. We missed inserting one of the safety pins into the arm that goes into the base plate. While driving I noticed the Jeep wasn’t tracking correctly in the rear view camera. We just happened to be right at an exit of a rest area so I immediately exited and started slowing. While slowing the one arm that was still attached bent absorbing the energy of the Jeep. I believe this saved the Jeep and the RV from any damage whatsoever. The safety cables did their job very well! So, I whole heartily recommend this product for quality and safety!!! So much so we ordered this same unit as a replacement. I tried to upload photos of the bent arm, but keep getting upload unsuccessful.
I love this townar is is so quick and simple to hook up..
I would highly recommend this product
Ordered this tow bar for blue Ox Plates and it was missing the 1/2" attaching pins to connect to the toad. Called customer support and they insisted the pins should have been there, but finally, said they would send 2 replacements. Waited for 10 days and they sent the wrong item. I'll just have to get the pins myself as etrailer were not able to fix their issue and I really don't want to spend another hour on the phone trying to get them to understand such a simple thing.
1st, the package with “Blue Ox” plates did not include the 3/8-16 nuts ??. [I have doubled nutted the bolt].
The install was straight forward.
Jenny N.
7/7/2022
The tow bar comes with all the hardware needed to install. I will have our customer service team reach out to you so we can have any hardware missing replaced for you.
Matthew
7/4/2023
Flawlessly. Joints are still just stiff enough not to fall to the ground when working them to and froe your vehicle. Also these release the bar tension much easier then my old tow bars. 1 yr in and I’d buy them again.
This purchase was based on my trust with etrailer and their products. I was looking at one of the market leaders and went with this base on trust and pricing. I have not been disappointed at all, this tow bar has worked really well and so far we have about 6000 miles on it with no issues. Solid design and all the power coding is holding up really well. I can recommend this item, we tow a 2016 Ford Expedition with no issues including when it is time to unhook.
Instructions for the adapter were incomplete, with no instructions on whether to torque the bolts or leave with some play. Haven't used the tow bar yet, but easy to assemble.
Great products. Installation videos extremely helpful.installation went as expected and perform great.
Upon close inspection, the tow bar appears to be extremely well made. The powder coating is evenly applied without any thick, thin, or bare spots and the baseplate adapter hardware seems to be of comparable high quality. As soon as I work out a couple of fascia clearance issues with my Blue Ox baseplate installation, I'm looking forward to trying it out.
Jim S.
7/25/2022
Im still very pleased with our etrailer SD Non-Binding Tow Bar. It worked flawlessly in a trip up and down the East Coast earlier this year and were soon to give it an extended workout in a two-month Tour of America we have planned for September and October. I have no reason to expect anything but continued great performance from it.
Great service and support
e trailer has great customer service and good prices..
When I returned the damaged Tow Bar (which cost me $[XX] shipping) I included all the hardware that came with it. When I received the replacement it did not include the hardware.
You guys are absolutely the best. I experience outstanding customer service right from the start. Selecting the right towbar and hitch was critical to me and my family being able to enjoy our vacation. I tried to reach 8 other companies who would not answer the phone or give me the run around. Then I took a chance on etrailer since I had order a similar part and I was glad I did. I reciecev excellent help in getting the right hitch without over spending and then William help to change the shipping at the last minite to ensure I recieved the part at my new location. Jennifer B even did a followup to let me know that the part had arrived a day early. This outstanding service is what is needed in every business but right now is so lacking except at etrailer.
Works great. You can adjust the tension during setup so that the arms do not drop to the ground. Most times it is easy to unhook. Occasionally, it takes a little effort but still better than the better known brand.
Michael
3/17/2023
Used more than 75 times in the last year. It still requires a straight RV-towed vehicle alignment and effort to release. Would purchase again as it is still better than the competition.
Excellent product easy to use.
Delivered quickly
So far so good
First tow bar so as far as I'm concerned it met all of my requirements. Needed a drop-adapter for my '16 Smart ForTwo to tow safely behind my '14 Class C.
The tow bar is made very well and works great
Quality, well designed and manufactured product
Our of the box fit right in and hooked up. No issues what so every
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Simon C.
2/16/2024
Pleased that eTrailer decided to replace the faulty towbar.. Will see how the replacement does on our next trips!