HOW TO USE SAFETY CABLES
Safety cables are an integral part of your towing system.
They are a secondary safety device, required by law in
many states. This section and the following section will
acquaint you with how to use them properly.
• The safety cables must connect the towing vehicle to
the towed vehicle, frame to frame.
• Choose safety cables based on the weight of the towed
vehicle. The weight capacity of the safety cables must
meet or exceed the towed weight, or the safety cables
will fail.
• Pull the safety cables so that all the slack is at the
motorhome. Make sure there is enough slack in the
cables to allow for sharp turns — if there is not enough
slack, the towing system will be severely damaged when
the motorhome turns a sharp corner.
• Make sure the cables are not too short — if you use a re-
ceiver hitch extension or other equipment that extends the
distance between the towed vehicle and the motorhome,
the standard cables may be too short. If the
cables are too short, the towing system will be severely
damaged when the motorhome turns a sharp corner.
(Safety cable extensions in a wide variety of lengths
are available from ROADMASTER.)
• Make sure the cables are not too long — the cables
should not hang down to the extent they may catch on
obstructions or drag on the ground. This much slack could
cause damage to the towing system, the towed vehicle
or the motorhome.
If the cables are too long, wrap the excess cable around
the tow bar to take up the slack. Make sure there is
enough slack in the cables at the motorhome to allow
for sharp turns.
Damage caused by using safety cables of an incorrect
length is not covered under warranty.
• Always cross the cables under the hitch receiver, as
shown in Figure 6 under “Proper installation of safety
cables.” In the unlikely event the tow bar separates from
the motorhome, crossing the cables will help prevent the
tow bar from dragging on the ground, which can cause
continued on next page
DISCONNECTING THE TOW BAR
1. Disconnecting the tow bar is essentially the reverse
of connecting it. First, always try to park on level ground,
with the towed vehicle in line with the motorhome. This
will eliminate most of the tension between the vehicles,
allowing for an easier disconnect.
2. Disconnect the electrical wiring harness, safety cables
and any other towing system accessories.
3. Lift the release handles on each tow bar
arm (Figure 6 — next page) to release the locking mecha-
nisms.
(Usually, one of the handles will require more pressure
to release. This is the arm that has the majority of the
tension between the two vehicles.)
Always put the towed vehicle in gear (park), set
the emergency brake and chock one of the wheels
after lifting the release handles, and before removing
the base pins. Failure to do so may result in a ‘run-
away’ vehicle or may crush you between the towed
vehicle and the motorhome, causing property damage,
personal injury or even death.
4. Put the towed vehicle in gear (park), set the
emergency brake and chock one of the wheels.
5. Remove the base pins and store the tow bar on the
motorhome by reversing the connection procedure (under
“Connecting the tow bar”).
Note: if you must park on an uphill incline, you may
find that you cannot remove the base pins even with the
tow bar arms released. The weight of the towed vehicle
trying to roll back (Figure 5) is binding the pins in place.
Allow the towed vehicle to idle forward just enough to
take the tension of this weight off the pins. Then hold the
vehicle in position by first applying the emergency brake,
then shifting into park.
Once the tension is off, lift the release handles again
and the pins will slide out easily.
ROADMASTER recommends replacing at least one
of the linch pins with a padlock (part number 301, 302 or
308) to prevent accidental release or theft.
CAUTION
The tow bar can be stored on the motorhome with
the arms rotated to the left or the right. To avoid the
possibility of damage to the bushings, rotate the arms
away from the engine exhaust.
The bushings at the end of the tow bar arms can be
warped by heat from the exhaust. If the bushings are
warped, the tow bar arms will not slide easily, or they
may not slide at all — it may be difficult to connect or
disconnect the tow bar until the bushings are replaced.
Figure 5
5
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