Last Updated on January 16, 2024 by Chris and Lindsay
Wondering whether the Roadmaster tow bar is best for your towing needs? We share 13 reasons why we believe Roadmaster offers the finest tow bar for your vehicle!
If you’re considering towing a vehicle behind your Class A, B or C motorhome the process can be a little overwhelming. Yet, it’s likely that you’ve seen many RVs on the highway towing vehicles of all sorts.
If you’re reading this post, you might feel like we did at the beginning of our research process and you feel completely overwhelmed by the options that are out there for pulling a towed vehicle behind your motorhome.
Deciding what type of tow setup you want is the first and most important step. You can read more about that in this post, and we’ll briefly touch on the topic below.
But if you’re considering Roadmaster tow bars, then you likely already know that you want to flat tow your vehicle and you’re trying to figure out whether Roadmaster, particularly the Roadmaster Nighthawk tow bar, is the best option for you.
We know it is! We’ll cover all of the reasons why we love our Roadmaster Nighthawk tow bar and think you will too!
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Roadmaster has been in business for over 50 years and leads its competitors in innovation and testing, with many patents in place protecting unique, proprietary features you won’t find on other tow bars.
- Features such as internally routed safety cables and electrical connections, solid stainless steel inner arms and embedded LED lights are unique features of the Roadmaster Nighthawk tow bar that you won’t find with other brands
- A commitment to using only the highest quality raw steel for its components manufactured 100% in the United States after undergoing thousands of computerized testing and physical fatigue testing ensures that this will be the last tow bar you purchase because it is not likely to fail.
Affiliate Disclaimer: This post contains some affiliate links to products and components that we mention because we love our Roadmaster Nighthawk tow bars and think you will too! Although we receive a small commission if you purchase through these links, it costs you nothing extra and your support is appreciated!
Why the Roadmaster Night Hawk Tow Bars Is A Superior Choice
Roadmaster has been in business for over 50 years leading the industry in designing and manufacturing every state-of-the-art component required to effectively, efficiently and safely tow vehicles behind motorhomes.
If that isn’t enough reason in itself to trust the name and quality behind each Roadmaster tow bar, then here are all of the reasons why we believe you can’t go wrong by investing in Roadmaster equipment.
1. Easy to Determine the Right Setup For Your Towed Vehicle
Not all vehicles can be flat towed using Roadmaster tow bars. Because of the complex transmissions of different vehicles, you may have to use a tow dolly or even a trailer/car hauler if you want to tow your existing car.
So how do you know if your current vehicle that you’d like to tow is compatible with flat towing? And what equipment will you need to purchase?
The customer service team at Roadmaster is top-notch!
This is our number one reason for recommending Roadmaster for any of your towing needs.
Because we didn’t have a tow car yet, it seemed like the choices were infinite for what combination of tow vehicles and equipment we might need. So we picked up the phone and gave Roadmaster a call hoping to find out what they’d recommend.
In doing so, we learned lots of information, including the fact that our desired tow car, a Honda CRV, would be flat towable as long as it was older than the 2015 model. While the customer support team couldn’t find us a car to purchase, they could at least point us in the right direction to know what equipment we would need once we found it.
We shopped for, and eventually purchased, a 2010 Honda CRV specifically because we knew that it could be flat towed and would be compatible with Roadmaster tow equipment.
From there, using their “Fitmaster” menu item, we were able to enter the year, make and model of the towed vehicle (which at the time were unknown) as well as the type of motorhome to select the type of baseplate we preferred: either the newer “Direct Connect” or older “Crossbar-Style” baseplates.
Selecting the Direct Connect option led to another page that listed every part and component we would need to install to safely tow our new-to-us Honda CRV. Without the amazing customer service representatives and the incredibly helpful Fitmaster feature of the website, we would have been entirely lost before we even really began shopping for our first town bar.
2. One-Stop Shop for Everything You Need
In piggybacking on our first reason we love Roadmaster, the resources they provide are truly a one-stop shop for everything you need to know and purchase. Roadmaster has thought of everything over the past 50+ years and they make it convenient to come to them to find what you need.
While key components are available through other retailers, you can do all of the research and find everything you need to match your motorhome with your tow car.
Roadmaster also offers a variety of options/products, including tow dollies and equipment for truck campers and fifth-wheels. So even if your current vehicle is not able to be flat towed using the Roadmaster Nighthawk tow bar, you can still count on the quality of the company for a tow dolly or other necessary tow equipment.
3. Super Easy to Connect and Disconnect
We absolutely love our Roadmaster Nighthawk tow bar because it is a tow bar designed for anyone to be able to easily connect or disconnect it. Thanks to features such as the stainless steel inner arms that are corrosion-free, the internally routed safety cables that are integrated into the tow bars themselves and the release handles that make the non-binding tow bar release with ease, anyone can connect or disconnect Roadmaster’s top-end product without much difficulty.
When shopping for a tow bar system for our motorhome our first thought was that it had to be so simple and easy to do that Lindsay could connect/disconnect it herself in the event of an urgent situation or emergency.
This turned out to be exactly what you get with the Nighthawk tow bar. In just a few tries, we can now connect and disconnect in a matter of 2-3 minutes regardless of whether we’re in a hurry or just taking our time.
4. Illuminated Tow Bar Using Embedded LED Lights.
Nighthawk is the ONLY tow bar that has embedded LED lights in the tow bars themselves. This is a patented feature that makes the safety of the tow equipment stand out among the rest of the competition.
While it may not seem like having these embedded LED lights is necessary, the reality is that when you add the length of the tow bars plus that of your tow vehicle, it can be difficult for other drivers to see the true length of your rig at night. Not only does this allow other drivers to see that your vehicle is towed before they make turns, but also it allows for the tow bars and the tow car itself to be visible when changing lanes and/or turning.
Whenever you turn on your motor home headlights, the Nighthawk tow bar LED lights automatically turn on, increasing the visibility of your tow bars and vehicle.
5. Easiest Non-Binding Tow Bar to Use
This tow bar designed by Roadmaster is a top-of-the-line non-binding product. Roadmaster designed their tow bars to be non-binding, that is they can easily have the force/weight of the car removed by a simple latch that releases the pressure on the tow bars.
All load-bearing components in the tow bar release pressure when, with the car in park, you simply pull a small handle and the pressure is released, allowing you to very easily pull the safety pin and disconnect the tow bar from the base plate. You don’t have to park in any particular orientation and there are no tips or tricks you have to follow. Simply park and pull on the handles and allow the non-binding components to do their job.
6. Longest Radius Arm in a Tow Bar
The Roadmaster Nighthawk tow bar extends further than other products on the market and can be maneuvered in such a way that you do not necessarily have to park in the perfect position each time you want to connect your tow vehicle. This allows lots of flexibility and saves loads of time when it comes to connecting and disconnecting the tow bar.
While you still need to pull your vehicle within range of the tow bar, the tow bar and each component on it move in such a way that you can orient the tow bar to the car rather than the car to the tow bar!
We’re confident you’ll appreciate the value their products offer and, as a thank you, if you call them directly at 800-669-9690 and reference our code “CALL2WANDER” you can receive A kit that contains a tow bar cover, tow bar lubricant and tow bar cleaner and a Car In Tow sign.
7. Includes Heavy-Duty Safety Cables and a 7-pin Power Cord Pre-Wired Into the Tow Bar.
Roadmaster provides safety cables that hook into the base plate on the car to ensure that the car remains securely attached in the event the tow bars malfunction (which would likely only be due to human error!). There is no doubt that these safety cables will hold up in the event they must be engaged (which is a last resort, but great for peace of mind!).
Further, these are internally routed safety cables, so they do not dangle but instead run through the tow bar itself. This means that you do not have to wrap them around the tow bar or fasten them out of the way when not in use.
Additionally, the 7-pin electrical connection ensures everything, including the embedded LED lights, operates in sync with the motor home. Turn on your motorhome lights and the Nighthawk LED lights illuminate. Then, as expected, the electrical connections between the brake light and the turn signals operate the lights through the same internally-routed wiring. Don’t worry about tucking cables and wiring harnesses out of the way when using Roadmaster tow bars.
8. Great Aesthetics Combined With Functionality
Roadmaster has a specific shape of aluminum extruded for the Nighthawk’s outer arm. Not only does this create a sleek and easy-to-collapse set of arms, but also it allows for multiple important functions.
This shape was chosen as it is engineered for strength. But it is also stylish. Internally, the extrusion has additional channels where one channel is to route the safety cables, another to route the power cord and a third channel to route the embedded LED light strips.
On the other hand, other tow bars have round tubes for their arms where there is no routing or support for the cables or wires that need to run through them. Thus when you disconnect the tow bars you have to wrap the cables and wiring around the tow bar to keep them from dragging.
9. Quality of Material Creates the Finest Tow Bar
Roadmaster uses solid stainless steel for their inner arms and locking mechanisms. This means less rust and less corrosion over time which, unlike the competitors, allows the non-binding tow bar to continue to work as intended many years down the road.
More importantly, this means things slide, lock and move more freely as there is no rust or corrosion to bind them up. Competitors just use mild steel that will rust over time, which is particularly harmful if you are like us and want to spend any amount of time in Baja enjoying the sunshine and saltwater (and the salty air that comes with it).
Further, Roadmaster also uses T6061 aircraft-grade aluminum for the Nighthawk’s outer arm, which is the same grade of aluminum that’s used to build fighter jets.
Another reason why the quality of Roadmaster tow bar equipment stands out from its competitors is that the Roadmaster Nighthawk tow bars have SOLID stainless steel inner arms (as opposed to aluminum or other alloys). While this adds a little weight, it creates a far superior product to other options on the market that use only steel tubes.
10. Roadmaster Includes Hybrid Cables and Wiring Cords.
When you’re trying to connect and disconnect your tow vehicle, having strong, yet flexible cables and wiring cords is important. Roadmaster is the only company that uses hybrid cables that allow for part of the cable to be straight and part of it to be coiled while maintaining the strength and integrity of the cable itself.
This is important as it provides a straight portion for internally routed safety cables through the tow bar and a coiled portion that extends for drop hitches or hitch extensions. When you put your hands on the cables that come with your Roadmaster Nighthawk tow bar you will have absolute confidence in their quality and performance over time.
Competitor products are not able to run wiring through the tow bars and thus you have dangling cables and wiring cords that can easily be ensnared and broken.
Why Roadmaster, as a Company, Produces The Finest Tow Bar
Aside from the features of the tow bar itself, there are several reasons why Roadmaster as a company remains the leader in creating the highest-quality tow bars on the market. Here are 3 things we think you will appreciate about Roadmaster when it comes to all of their products and components.
1. Roadmaster is the Leader in Constant Innovation.
In general, Roadmaster is the innovator of tow equipment. They invented the world’s first folding collapsible tow bars. And they were the first to use solid stainless steel.
Roadmaster also created the first non-binding tow bar and was the first to computer design and fatigue test, use baked-on powder coat, removable base plate arms and essentially every other innovation that has taken place in the tow bar industry.
While other companies are manufacturing similar products, they aren’t leading the innovation that creates the highest-quality, easiest-to-use tow bar equipment. Rather, they are trying to reverse-engineer what Roadmaster has already achieved.
2. A Commitment to Being American Made.
If having 100% American-made products is important to you, rest easy knowing that all components for every Roadmaster product, including the Nighthawk tow bar, are manufactured in the US.
Other companies offering tow bar equipment will source many of their components outside of the US and may only assemble them in the US. Roadmaster is committed to supporting the American worker and the quality this entails and it’s another reason why we think they provide the best RV tow bars on the market.
3. Superior Testing Ensures Excellent Quality.
The Roadmaster Nighthawk tow bar is the strongest, most durable tow bar for full-time RVers (thanks to innovative computerized testing and physical fatigue testing.)
Competitor tow bars may show that they are rated to tow 10,000 pounds when in reality there is no such governmental oversight or standard by which this rating is verified.
Roadmaster knows the importance of manufacturing and selling quality equipment so not only do they use the same computerized testing (Finite Elemental Analysis, or FEA) that large automobile and aerospace manufacturers such as GM, Boeing and NASA use in their design before manufacturing, but also they apply stringent physical fatigue testing to their tow bar designs.
This means they essentially try to break the tow bars to determine true strength and evaluate any weaknesses that might send the entire design back to the drawing board. If you are only RVing a few thousand miles during part of the year, you may be able to get away with an inferior tow bar.
However, as full-time RVers, this extra attention to quality and durability during the design process, combined with many other features described above, means that you get the absolute best value (and safest equipment) that is truly rated to tow your vehicle for many years down the road.
The Downside of a Roadmaster Tow Bar System
The only downside to the Roadmaster Nighthawk is the price point of their products, which will vary between 10% to 25% more than competitors, depending on the product. This is due to several important factors that make the overall value of Roadmaster tow bars worth the additional expense in exchange for the higher quality.
As mentioned above, Roadmaster uses the highest quality material, including solid stainless steel inner arms with all parts manufactured and assembled in the United States. Using heavy-duty solid stainless steel inner arms and internally routed safety cables requires a commitment to innovation and quality over price.
Further, geographically, there are higher labor costs involved with Roadmaster equipment because they are headquartered in the Pacific Northwest where there is a higher average labor cost than other regions of the US. Thus, because all components are manufactured in the United States, there is additional labor required in the process.
But if you are looking for a non-binding tow bar that you only have to purchase once, instead of having to replace somewhere down the road, the Roadmaster Nighthawk tow bar is the only tow bar designed to be your first and last tow bar. Once you connect your tow vehicle
Important Components To Consider in Your Purchase
If you trust us and are confident that you want to purchase your Nighthawk Tow Bar from Roadmaster, be sure to check out the “Fitmaster” feature of their website to find out exactly which parts you need to purchase.
Here is a quick overview of the components that are either required or supplemental for your Nighthawk Tow Bar to operate safely when installed.
- Tow Hitch on Motorhome – The tow bars will integrate into the tow hitch of your motorhome. So you will need to have a tow hitch installed before adding the Nighthawk tow bars.
- Mounting Bracket/Base Plate Kit (on towed vehicle) – The base plate will be connected to your car to ensure that there is a secure mount between the motorhome and the vehicle.
- Tow Bars – The tow bars themselves will be integrated into the tow hitch and are the components that will be connected to the car. Shop the Nighthawk Tow Bars now.
- Wiring Kit – This allows for the electrical connections between the motorhome and towed vehicle to operate.
- Supplemental Braking System (Invisibrake Hidden Braking System) – Although not covered in this post, a supplemental braking system is recommended to ensure your safety as you drive and brake. Roadmaster offers their Invisibrake power braking system that uses the same power braking system of your motorhome to brake the towed car.
Supplemental Components
While not necessary, these are some additional components that Roadmaster offers to integrate into their tow bar kits that are worth consideration.
- Night lights (on the Nighthawk Tow Bar) – The Nighthawk tow bar is the only illuminated tow bar of its kind on the market thanks to Roadmaster’s patented technology. An illuminated tow bar ensures safety when driving so other drivers can see that you are towing a vehicle and make safe decisions when turning or changing lanes.
- Fusemaster – This is a switch that can be installed on the dash so you can very easily turn the power on/off of your radio system. Because your car will remain in the auxiliary key position, you either need to manually pull a fuse or install the Fusemaster to prevent the battery from draining while you tow it.
- Tow Defender/Guardian Rock Shield – To prevent rocks from kicking up and damaging the windshield of your tow car, Roadmaster offers both the Tow Defender and the Guardian Rock Shield as products to protect your tow car.
A Final Note on Whether Roadmaster Flat Towing Products Such as the Nighthawk Tow Bars Are Perfect for You
Remember, not all vehicles can be flat towed. So you will need to determine whether your current vehicle can be flat towed and then choose the proper towing solution. If you are not certain, you can call Roadmaster and they will talk you through the decision-making process.
There are 3 options for towing any vehicle. Roadmaster assists both the Flat Tow and the Dolly Tow options with the products it offers. However, these are the 3 choices you have:
- Trailer – Car Hauler (No wheels down) – This means that you drive the car onto a trailer where all 4 wheels are on the trailer and not on the highway. This may be necessary for many newer cars and particularly those whose transmissions are not designed for either dolly tow or flat tow options.
- Dolly Tow (2 wheels down) – This method of towing includes bracing the front tires of your tow vehicle in a dolly while the rear tires remain on the highway. Some vehicles require this type of towing and Roadmaster offers a dolly tow solution if you are interested.
- Flat Tow (4 wheels down) – This method of towing is described in this post, where all 4 tires are on the highway and the entire car is being towed behind the motorhome.
READ THIS POST TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE PROS AND CONS OF EACH TYPE OF TOW OPTION
Wrapping Up
Our friends at Roadmaster shared with us that they are fully aware that the price point of their products does not make them competitive with other tow bar competitors for a variety of reasons (described above). However, they also let us know that they have more customers who come to them AFTER their first set of tow bars have broken due to poor quality and design.
If you are looking to invest in the highest quality and finest tow bar on the market, one that you will purchase once and never worry about replacing again, then look no further than the Roadmaster Nighthawk tow bar system. While Roadmaster offers several other models of tow bars, you can’t go wrong with any – but will especially appreciate the features of the Nighthawk tow bars.
From the well-thought-out design and state-of-the-art testing to the high-quality materials used that are manufactured AND assembled in the United States, to the innovative and patented features such as embedded LED lights, solid stainless steel inner arms and internally routed safety cables, Roadmaster leads the way in innovative and functional towing solutions.
We’re confident you’ll appreciate the value their products offer and, as a thank you, if you call them directly at 800-669-9690 and reference our code “CALL2WANDER” you can receive A kit that contains a tow bar cover, tow bar lubricant and tow bar cleaner and a Car In Tow sign.
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