One of the current posts brought up tow bar handle release and it jogged my memory.... I should pass along a couple of things that I learned at an FMCA rally in VT this week. I stopped by the Blue Ox booth and started a conversation about handle release and that depending on the slope, angle, forces in general, the handles can be jammed. The Blue Ox rep indicated that if you are alone take a pair of small Bungie cords (loop type with the balls on them) and go around the tow bar and handles to maintain a downward force on them. Then start the vehicle up and turn the steering wheel lock to lock and back to center. During that process he indicated that the stresses would shift side to side and each of the handles at some point would release . You could do the same thing if you had two people involved by just holding down on both handles during the turning process.
I told him that I had never read that in the instructions and he said the info was not there, just something he had learned over the years. For those of us who have had occasion to use more pressure than we would like, this should be a big help. I have not tried this technique but it makes sense that shifting the front end using the steering would likely work. I'm guessing that you would not want the brakes on while doing this to allow the toad movement to be maximized. If anyone tries this let the forum folks know if it is helpful. We are in a campsite for most of the summer and won't be towing for awhile. It may be a little hard on the power steering pump while on pavement but on balance less of an issue than trying to force a handle down. On gravel probably no issue at all.
The other Blue Ox offering was that for $25 they took your Blue Ox tow bar and unbolted all of the swivel points, cleaned all the mating surfaces, replaced all the nylon washers, pulled the boots, cleaned and greased the shafts, adjusted the handle tension, checked for wear, reassembled it with all new lock nuts, tensioning all the swivel points properly. It took about 45 minutes and I thought it was well worth the piece of mind given they know the weak and wear points to check beyond the general maintenance. I was a happy camper....
Later Ed
