Our test platform for the new aluminum Aladdin Tow Bar from Automatic Equipment Mfg. Co., was a Beaver motorhome and a 1997 Saturn.

Automatic Equipment's Aladdin Tow Bar

It is a fact of life, these days, that things change at an ever increasing pace. Manufacturers have reduced their new product concept to production times considerably the past few years and the rate at which new products are appearing on the market confirms these claims. Recreational vehicle aftermarket products have followed that trend.

Tow bars have gone through a rapid transformation in the past two years. Two years ago the "top of the line" system was a self-aligning tow bar permanently bolted to a baseplate on the front of the tow car. The tow bar and baseplate were solidly attached and gave no options to remove the tow bar or baseplate when not in use. Since then we have evolved to removable tow bars and then to motorhome mounted tow bars while baseplates have become hidden or removable.

Getting on the Road is a breeze with the Aladdin. It attaches easily and after securing the safety cable you’re ready to hit the road.

Automatic Equipment has pushed the evolution along with the introduction of the Blue Ox Aladdin tow bar. The Aladdin is a motorhome mounted, self-aligning, Class III (5000 pound) rated tow bar. These features are not evolutionary, as there are already several tow bars making the same claims. It is the Aladdin's all aluminum construction that makes it unique and gives it two features that no other tow bar on the market can claim.

These two features are both due to its all aluminum construction. The Aladdin weighs in at a feather light 17.5 pounds (7.9 kg). This is less than half of the weight of Aladdin's predecessor the Aventa. The tow bar can easily be carried with one hand and the effort to operate the tow bar while hitching is minimal.

Linda Briggs, executive assistant at RV Wholesale, Mesa, AZ, demonstrates for RV News the ease of handling the Aladdin Tow Bar. The Aladdin weighs in at a feather light 17.5 pounds (7.9 kg). This is less than half the weight of Aladdin’s predecessor, the Aventa.

The other feature that the Aladdin gains from its aluminum construction is corrosion resistance. There is no paint to chip or steel that will rust and spoil the appearance or integrity of the tow bar after it has been used. The Aladdin has a clear anodized finish that lets the natural color of the aluminum show through. The black protective boots on the legs and the black grips on the leg release handles provide attractive accents.

The Aladdin's telescoping legs are totally enclosed and protected from the elements. Releasing the telescoping legs is accomplished by pushing down on a lever located on the top of the leg. The lever is easy to use and does not require a strong grip.

The Aladdin folds neatly up on the motorhome when the car is not in tow.

The motorhome mount design in tow bars has really taken much of the worry out of installing the tow bar. The motorhome mount tow bar does not use a conventional ball and coupler, instead it uses a swivel joint. The swivel gives 180 of up and down movement compared to approximately 45 degrees with a ball and coupler.

The baseplate used on the Saturn tow car was a new design for Blue Ox. The tow bar attachment points are designed to be removed when the Saturn is not in tow. All you need to do is pull a release pin, rotate the attachment point a quarter turn, and then pull the attachment point out of the car. This leaves the car with a completely unchanged appearance when not being towed. If your customers are unhappy with seeing baseplate parts on their Saturn while they are driving it, you may want to check out this new baseplate from Blue Ox. The company expects the new baseplate to be available in early 1997. The only requirement for the baseplate is that you can only use it with a motorhome mount style tow bar. (Aventa, Aladdin, Karbar). The attachment points have a wider spacing than the standard Blue Ox baseplates.

The car used in the tow test was a 1997 Saturn SL2 supplied by Saturn Corporation. It displayed the good towing manners that many Saturn owners who tow have come to appreciate. The car also handles crisply and accelerated smoothly while driving. The towable automatic transmission, just put it in neutral and go, makes it a very popular towable car. Saturn promotes their vehicles as towable and towing does not affect the car's warranty.

We would like to acknowledge RV Wholesale, in Mesa, AZ for installing the baseplate on the Saturn and loaning us the Beaver motorhome to use for this article.

RVN

For more information on the Aladdin tow bar, contact
Automatic Equipment Mfg. Co.,
1 Mill Road, Industrial Park,
Pender, NE 68047
(402) 385-3051.