Troubleshooting Roadmaster NightHawk Tow Bar Arms That Won't Lock Into Place

Question:

We were told the levers that lift up to allow the tow bars to slide in or out, were supposed to snap into locked position when tow vehicle begins to tow the car. For our tow bar, it is hit or miss for both or one of them to lock into place. Weve tried pulling RV to right and then left, but sometimes one will not lock down. Is this a problem? We noticed locking levers down was not mentioned in your videos.

asked by: Mary A

Expert Reply:

Roadmaster Nighthawk All Terrain, Non-Binding Tow Bar w/ LED Lights # RM-676 has a self aligning design which means that once you hook up the to bar to your vehicle and your RV and drive forward the arms will extend and lock into place automatically. If it is not automatically locking into place then you most likely just need to lube it. You have to use a silicone spray to lube your tow bar as other lubes like WD-40 will cause the internal bearings to swell or will collect dirt/debris that could harm your tow bar. I recommend using the Roadmaster LubeMaster Dry Silicone Spray # RM-747. You'll want to really spray it on there and work the arms back and forth pretty hard to ensure the lube fully penetrates into the arm housing.

If after lubing the arms you're still experiencing this issue then please reply back and we can keep troubleshooting.

expert reply by: Kevin C

Tow Bar Cleaning Guide
(click to enlarge)

Towbar U.

12/21/2024

I was towing an SUV with the Falcon All Terrain Non Binding Towbar. I hooked up the SUV and drove 40-50 feet. The towbars left sliding arm did not extend and lock while the right towbar arm did extend and lock. I made a right turn. The towbar "chassis" (the heavy steel square part that the arm slides into) crumpled and bent upward. Did I do something wrong? Prior to this, i had noticed the towbar arms were not releasing as easily as they had been. Did they need lubricating?

Kevin C.

12/21/2024

@TowbarU You should always make sure both arms fully lock into place before fully taking off for your trip. If the latches were giving you issues releasing then they did most likely need to be cleaned and lubricated. You can use Roadmaster's Voom cleaning spray # RM-9911 to clean and then their dry lube # RM-747 to lubricate. I've attached a snippet from the manual that goes over cleaning above. If your tow bar is sitting out regularly in the motorhome's hitch I would recommend more frequent lubrication and use of a cover. Most manufacturers will recommend at least once a year but Roadmaster recommends before every long trip. I don't know what they consider "long" but 6,000 miles seems to be a frequent checkpoint for a lot of towing components. You're technically supposed to check the torque of your baseplate mounting bolts as well to ensure that road vibration hasn't loosened them. I'd also take into account the climate you're in. As an example, if you're in a super dry dusty area there's a good chance dirt build up on the arms could prevent them from easily sliding in and out. Depending on the severity of the damage you might be able to just replace some components. If it's just that arm that's damaged we offer the driver's side # 910021-12 and passenger's side # 910021-22. If you need anything else just let me know and I'd be happy to help.