HARBOR FREIGHT TOW BAR......

[BDRAG]

So as many of you know by now, Texas is being a dick about tagging the Roxor for street use. So for now, as my battle continues, I went and bought the $55.00 on sale Harbor Freight Tow bar. Its rated for 5000 lbs. I have the SE model with winch and winch bumper. The supplied attach brackets hole pattern is just about 1/16-1/8 inch to narrow to pick up the existing bumper mount bolts. Easy fix. I filed and ground the holes outside edges to form a slight slot. BADABING! they lined up perfect. Mounted and tightened everything up as specified.

So the next day I bought about 30 feet of chain and 4 hooks and 4 attach rings with the threaded opening area thingies. Cut the chains to the right lengths. Installed the hooks and hooked it up for a test run. All went well. Placed Transfer case in neutral as well as transmission. It pulled fantastic up to 50 mph.

So its good for short hauls to my buddies place where we then load it on his 16 foot trailer. Its a 15 mile drive. Diffs and transfer case were slightly warm. Nothing hot and smoking. LOL. Still waiting on Mahindra to post a thumbs up for the flat tow method of operation. Another member towed 90 miles with no issues. So fingers cross that for short hauls for now I'm good. Well worth the $100 invested with about 2 hours of labor.

Oh and I bought the $18.00 tow lights set. LOL. Works great. Magnetic bases.

BDRAG

 

[General]

Cheap but effective! Roxor VP said in a recorded interview a few weeks ago that flat towing is ok for unlimited distance as long as you disconnect the drive shafts. Alternatively, putting un-/locking hubs on all 4 corners would work, too.
Sorry about the dumb state laws. I got a dirt bike plated in Texas purely via mail, so it's a tragedy that they won't allow our "unsafe" Roxors on the road already.

 

[Rolandwanders]

I flat towed ours 400 miles with unlocked hubs in the front and everything in neutral, no problems and didn't detect any excessive heat or abnormal smells. If everything is in neutral and the front shaft isn't spinning i don't know why it would be any different than coasting down a hill, is that supposed to damage the drivetrain-differential in any other vehicle?

 

[BDRAG]

I flat towed ours 400 miles with unlocked hubs in the front and everything in neutral, no problems and didn't detect any excessive heat or abnormal smells. If everything is in neutral and the front shaft isn't spinning i don't know why it would be any different than coasting down a hill, is that supposed to damage the drivetrain-differential in any other vehicle?

I looked at the transfer case and where the front and rear drive shafts enter is in oil, below the oil fill port.. The low side of the case. The transmission enters higher on the case. The diffs all have oil. So I don't see any issues either. I noted in another post, the f 250 mid 70's 4x4 my buddy has, the front drive shaft is low on the transfer case and the rear is high. That would cause me some concern but not if like the roxor, its all in oil.

ANY manufacturer is gonna say disconnect drive shafts or go with unlocking hubs to be on the safe, no warranty issues. Lol.

BDRAG

 

[jddotson68]

I always flat towed my Jeeps with transmission in gear and transfer case in neutral as recommended by the manufacturer. You don’t want the transmission spinning with the transfer case as there can be lubrication issues. The transmission is locked to the engine via clutch and transfer case handles all the free wheeling just fine. Must have part time locking hubs on the front and in the unlocked position too.

 

[BDRAG]

I always flat towed my Jeeps with transmission in gear and transfer case in neutral as recommended by the manufacturer. You don’t want the transmission spinning with the transfer case as there can be lubrication issues. The transmission is locked to the engine via clutch and transfer case handles all the free wheeling just fine. Must have part time locking hubs on the front and in the unlocked position too.

Since my current towing is 10-15 miles at a spell I'm not real worried about anything. Since you explained WHY to put it in gear better than anyone else has explained it, I will try it in gear next time.

BDRAG

 

[TacoJon]

I am considering getting a tow bar too since my tow vehicle is a Toyota Tacoma. Pulling it on a flat bad would get me too darn close to the factory tow limit. I also live at high altitude and would be towing it over at least 1 mountain pass
Is there any way to use the Roxor's brakes? I thought anything over 2,000 was supposed to have some sort of trailer brakes. I know some states even mandate it.
Luckily here in Wyoming everything for the Roxor is fair game except for federal highways. The law actually dictates that if you do drive a side by side on a state highway, it has to be able to drive at least the posted speed limit, so I am thinking a tune might be in order, even though I do not like the idea of losing factory warranty. I also don't really like the idea of disconnecting the speed sensor to drive that fast.

 

[P Bleskey]

So as many of you know by now, Texas is being a dick about tagging the Roxor for street use. So for now, as my battle continues, I went and bought the $55.00 on sale Harbor Freight Tow bar. Its rated for 5000 lbs. I have the SE model with winch and winch bumper. The supplied attach brackets hole pattern is just about 1/16-1/8 inch to narrow to pick up the existing bumper mount bolts. Easy fix. I filed and ground the holes outside edges to form a slight slot. BADABING! they lined up perfect. Mounted and tightened everything up as specified.

So the next day I bought about 30 feet of chain and 4 hooks and 4 attach rings with the threaded opening area thingies. Cut the chains to the right lengths. Installed the hooks and hooked it up for a test run. All went well. Placed Transfer case in neutral as well as transmission. It pulled fantastic up to 50 mph.

So its good for short hauls to my buddies place where we then load it on his 16 foot trailer. Its a 15 mile drive. Diffs and transfer case were slightly warm. Nothing hot and smoking. LOL. Still waiting on Mahindra to post a thumbs up for the flat tow method of operation. Another member towed 90 miles with no issues. So fingers cross that for short hauls for now I'm good. Well worth the $100 invested with about 2 hours of labor.

Oh and I bought the $18.00 tow lights set. LOL. Works great. Magnetic bases.

BDRAG

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Just bought the same thing. It actually is well made, 38 years as a fabricator and Welding inspector and I bought it too! There is a recent Sales Bulletin out too in regards to towing your Roxor all four on the ground. SLB-005, just got it from my dealer. It is now approved by Mahindra. MUST HAVE WARN FRONT HUBS, transfer case neutral, trans in 1st gear, 55 mph for any distance. Done and done.

 

[P Bleskey]

So as many of you know by now, Texas is being a dick about tagging the Roxor for street use. So for now, as my battle continues, I went and bought the $55.00 on sale Harbor Freight Tow bar. Its rated for 5000 lbs. I have the SE model with winch and winch bumper. The supplied attach brackets hole pattern is just about 1/16-1/8 inch to narrow to pick up the existing bumper mount bolts. Easy fix. I filed and ground the holes outside edges to form a slight slot. BADABING! they lined up perfect. Mounted and tightened everything up as specified.

So the next day I bought about 30 feet of chain and 4 hooks and 4 attach rings with the threaded opening area thingies. Cut the chains to the right lengths. Installed the hooks and hooked it up for a test run. All went well. Placed Transfer case in neutral as well as transmission. It pulled fantastic up to 50 mph.

So its good for short hauls to my buddies place where we then load it on his 16 foot trailer. Its a 15 mile drive. Diffs and transfer case were slightly warm. Nothing hot and smoking. LOL. Still waiting on Mahindra to post a thumbs up for the flat tow method of operation. Another member towed 90 miles with no issues. So fingers cross that for short hauls for now I'm good. Well worth the $100 invested with about 2 hours of labor.

Oh and I bought the $18.00 tow lights set. LOL. Works great. Magnetic bases.

BDRAG

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BDRAG, I too just finished mounting the same tow bar on my ROXOR. I too have a Ford F-150. So how has it towed. Also I noticed you used the bolts from the bumper to secure your tow bar brackets, I did the same thing. Has that been good? Mahindra came out with a safety bulletin approving all four down towing, bulletin #005.

 

[BDRAG]

BDRAG, I too just finished mounting the same tow bar on my ROXOR. I too have a Ford F-150. So how has it towed. Also I noticed you used the bolts from the bumper to secure your tow bar brackets, I did the same thing. Has that been good? Mahindra came out with a safety bulletin approving all four down towing, bulletin #005.

Tows great! I bought the magnetic tow lights from HF as well. So you slotted the bracket holes 1/8 inch as well? Factory says use 4 mounting bolts per side. Brackets only have 2 holes. No brainier, used 2. LOL.

I made my own chains. I loop the safety hook from back of shackle sliding the hook above leaf spring from back side and let it hook on shackle. Stays put just just fine. Don,t forget the Warn hubs.

BDRAG

 

[P Bleskey]

BDRAG, thanks for the feed back! I should have re read your post as you did explain things thoroughly! Roger that on opening the bolt holes with the rotary file. I too, saw the DUH factor on the four bolt thing! I am however thinking of using a third bolt through the center of the bracket. I just have to take the time to pull the bumper again and weld a “ blind nut” in place, it would put it right in the center of the frame tube, that’s why welding it in place is needed. I guess I am a little insecure with just two bolts on each side,LOL! But I appreciate your input and will be doing a test run with the two bolt setup. HF magnetic lights and my own custom made chains too! Thanks again! P.S., Warn hubs came home with me when I picked up the ROXOR!!

 

[P Bleskey]

So as many of you know by now, Texas is being a dick about tagging the Roxor for street use. So for now, as my battle continues, I went and bought the $55.00 on sale Harbor Freight Tow bar. Its rated for 5000 lbs. I have the SE model with winch and winch bumper. The supplied attach brackets hole pattern is just about 1/16-1/8 inch to narrow to pick up the existing bumper mount bolts. Easy fix. I filed and ground the holes outside edges to form a slight slot. BADABING! they lined up perfect. Mounted and tightened everything up as specified.

So the next day I bought about 30 feet of chain and 4 hooks and 4 attach rings with the threaded opening area thingies. Cut the chains to the right lengths. Installed the hooks and hooked it up for a test run. All went well. Placed Transfer case in neutral as well as transmission. It pulled fantastic up to 50 mph.

So its good for short hauls to my buddies place where we then load it on his 16 foot trailer. Its a 15 mile drive. Diffs and transfer case were slightly warm. Nothing hot and smoking. LOL. Still waiting on Mahindra to post a thumbs up for the flat tow method of operation. Another member towed 90 miles with no issues. So fingers cross that for short hauls for now I'm good. Well worth the $100 invested with about 2 hours of labor.

Oh and I bought the $18.00 tow lights set. LOL. Works great. Magnetic bases.

BDRAG

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Well I finally got around to setting up my Harbor Freight tow bar. It has worked out very well. I took a different twist with the magnetic lights. I installed a four pin female light plug in the front and rear bumper, routed the wire under the ROXOR along the frame and connected both plugs. Now I just plug in a pig tail from my truck to my ROXOR and put the mag taillights in the bed of the ROXOR as you have done, run the wire with the corresponding male plug out under the tail gate to the rear plug installed in the rear bumper. Works great and I don’t have to string wire like Christmas lights when I want to tow my rig. This will save you paint to as no wires will be flapping in the wind against your paint.

 

[Rolandwanders]

Well I finally got around to setting up my Harbor Freight tow bar. It has worked out very well. I took a different twist with the magnetic lights. I installed a four pin female light plug in the front and rear bumper, routed the wire under the ROXOR along the frame and connected both plugs. Now I just plug in a pig tail from my truck to my ROXOR and put the mag taillights in the bed of the ROXOR as you have done, run the wire with the corresponding male plug out under the tail gate to the rear plug installed in the rear bumper. Works great and I don’t have to string wire like Christmas lights when I want to tow my rig. This will save you paint to as no wires will be flapping in the wind against your paint.

Great news! I towed ours about 200 miles up into the white mountains of Arizona from Phoenix, I have the same tow bar and warn locking hubs in the front. I pulled up to 65 with no problems but I don't think I can say the same once I put 4.56 gears in there. Until I get floating axles and locking hubs in the rear that is, that's the long term goal.

 

[P Bleskey]

Great news! I towed ours about 200 miles up into the white mountains of Arizona from Phoenix, I have the same tow bar and warn locking hubs in the front. I pulled up to 65 with no problems but I don't think I can say the same once I put 4.56 gears in there. Until I get floating axles and locking hubs in the rear that is, that's the long term goal.

Great to here!

 

[BDRAG]

Works great and I don’t have to string wire like Christmas lights when I want to tow my rig. This will save you paint to as no wires will be flapping in the wind against your paint.

Sounds like a smart move. I may just copy cat your ass and do that as well

BDRAG

 

[BDRAG]

Great to here!

Ok. So you got my fat ass up out of my chair at 9:00 o'clock at night to run to lowes and buy the crap I need to mod my magnetic tow lights tommarra. Damnit Jim! Lol.

I bought a 5 foot cord with plug on both ends. Bought a set of plugs that splice to ends of four wire wire. So I plan on cutting off magnetic lights wire and attach one of the splice plugs to each side of cut. So by adding the 5 foot at tow bar I should have plenty of wire left to come up to rear bumper and then have enough to to reach lights. Sound right?

BDRAG

 

[P Bleskey]

Sounds right, works great. I will post a pic of what I did. I will need a day or two to post that as our weather went to crap tonight. I think it will break Monday.

 

[BDRAG]

Cool. I'm just gonna have a short dangling plug as opposed to actually mounting a plug to bumpers.

BDRAG

 

[BDRAG]

Sounds right, works great. I will post a pic of what I did. I will need a day or two to post that as our weather went to crap tonight. I think it will break Monday.

OK. You caused me many hours of screaming, dirt in my eyes, busted knuckles and a few choice words with your damn tow wire harness idea. Its a damn good thing the Roxor is like a Jungle Jim. I was crawling all over and under, up and down, pulling my fat ass up from the floor and under the chassis using drive shafts, wheels, door openings and the roll bars to get this fat old man underneath to tie up the wires.

I ran it all in split tubing. I decided to run down the right frame rail. I thought my existing magnetic tow light wire harness was not long enough to run down the left and then back over to the right side where the lights are correctly positioned with the wire going to the right light first then running over to the left light. I made some Z clips for the tow bar harness to keep it tucked inside the U channel. I then ran the harness down through the winch wiring hole and back along the right frame picking up existing wires, frame holes and so on till I got to the rear bumper. I then ran it out the right side pocket in the bumper where the plug will also roll up nicely and stow when not used.

So I have a disconnect at the tow bar and at the rear so I can remove the tow bar and also I can disconnect the magnetic lights and stow them and the plug.

The POS plugs that splice right to wires were junk and took some re work but now work. All in all I am happy with it. Thank you for doing yours and bringing that great idea forward. Next time though you need to offer to do it too! LOL!

BDRAG

 

[Bister]

Looks good. Clean.

I wonder if Roxor is going to make one that works with the D-Rings. I could use one just to get the roxor around a bit and have a ride home when moving a vehicle. I wouldn’t need the tow lights etc where I would use it, but a bar would be super handy at times. And I already have the D-Rings.