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• Donotbackupthemotorhomewiththetowedve-
hicle attached.
Backing up with the towed vehicle attached will
causethetowedvehicleto“jackknife,”whichwilldam-
age the tow bar, the mounting bracket, the receiver
hitch, the towed vehicle’s front end, and/or the rear
ofthemotorhome.Backingupwiththetowedvehicle
attached is the primary cause of tow bar damage and
will void the warranty.
• Besurethevehiclecanbetowedbeforetakingiton
theroad.Somevehiclesmustbeequippedwithatransmis-
sionlubepump,anaxledisconnect,drivelinedisconnect
orfree-wheelinghubsbeforetheycanbetowed.Failure
to properly equip the vehicle will cause severe damage
tothetransmission.
Checkthevehicle manufacturer’s instructionsforthe
properprocedure(s)topreparethevehiclefortowing.
• The tow bar must be within the ‘Safe Zone’ — no
morethanthreeinchesaboveorbelowlevel.Towingwith
anout-of-leveltowbarwillcausesignificantwearandtear
onthetowbarandmountingbrackets,andonthetowed
vehicle’s suspension and frame. (See the section titled
“Staywithinthe‘SafeZone’”forfurtherinformation.)
• Thesteeringwheelmustbe unlocked and free to
turn when towing. Failure to do so can cause severe
tire and equipment damage. Check the manufacturer’s
instructionsforthepropertowingprocedure(s).
• Thetowedvehicleandallitscontentscannotex-
ceed 6,000 pounds. The Sterling All Terrain tow bar is
rated at a maximum of 6,000 pounds carrying capacity;
therefore the towed vehicle and all its contents cannot
exceed6,000pounds.
Inaddition,the receiverhitch,thesafetycables,and
allsupplementarytowingequipmentmustberatedatno
lessthantheweightofthetowedvehicleandallitscon-
tents.
• The tow bar must be secured with linch pins (or
optional padlocks) before towing. Unless the tow bar
is secured to both vehicles with all appropriate pins (or
padlocks),thetowedvehiclewilldetach.
• Inspectthesystembeforetowing—checkthemounts,
brackets,fasteners,bolts,wiring,thesafetycablesandall
othercomponentseachtimebeforetowing.
Additionally, check the tow bar bracket every 3,000
miles—inspectforanyfracturesorcracksinthesteel,or
anyvisibledamage.Donottowifthetowbarbracketis
damaged.
Additionally, check the torque on all bolts. (To find
thetorqueratings,refertotheinstallationinstructionsfor
themountingbracketandthetowbar.)
• Never tow a vehicle with one of a comparable
weight. Thetowedvehicle’sweightshouldneverexceed
40percentofthetowingvehicle’sweight.
Towingavehiclewithoneofsimilarweightwillcause
the towed vehicle to override the towing vehicle, result-
SAFE TOWING PRACTICES
ingin“jackknifing,”“leapfrogging”or“fishtailing.”Serious
damage to both vehicles, as well as the towing system,
couldresult.
• Alwaysstandtoonesideandasclosetothemotor-
homeaspossiblewhenreleasingthetowbarlocking
mechanisms.Neverstandbetweentheadjustablearms,
orputanypartofyourbodybetweentheadjustablearms,
whenreleasing the towbar —always stand toone side.
Because the towed vehicle may jerk forward when the
lockingmechanismsarereleased,facethetowedvehicle
andstandasclosetothebackofthemotorhomeaspos-
sible before releasing the locking mechanisms, to keep
frombeinghitbythetowedvehicle.
• Alwaysusesafetycableswhentowing.Thesafety
cables, which are provided with the Sterling All Terrain,
mustconnectthetowedvehicletothetowingvehicleframe
toframe.
Ifthesafetycablesareeverreplaced,useonly6,000
poundorheavierratedsafetycables.
Additionally,checktoensurethatthesafetycablesare
theproperlength.Refertothesectionstitled“Howtouse
safety cables” and “Proper installation of safety cables”
forfurtherinformation.
• Checkthemotorhometurningradius.Somemotor-
home chassis have such a tight turning radius that you
candamageyourmotorhome,towed vehicle, or towbar
whileturningtoosharply.Beforegettingontheroadwith
yourtowedvehicle,youshouldtestyourturningradiusin
anemptyparkinglot.
Withthetowedvehicleattached,havesomeonewatch
asyouslowly turnsharplytoseewhetheryouhavethis
potentialproblem.Ifyoudo,notehowfaryoucansafely
turn the motorhome’s steering wheel, and be sure not
toturn it further when towing.Damage that results from
turningtoosharplyisnotcoveredbywarranty.
• Neverusethetowbartotowmorethanonevehicle.
Insomestatesitislegaltohaveonevehicletowingmore
thanjustonevehicle(forexample,atruckwhichistowing
atrailerwhichistowingaboat).However,whenusinga
towbar,nevertowmorethanonevehicle,ornon-warranty
damageorinjurymayresult.
• Thetowbarstingerfitsmotorhomehitchreceivers
with two-inch inner diameters. If the motorhome hitch
receiverisalargersize,attachatwo-inchadaptorsleeve
(notsupplied)tothehitchreceiver.
Damagetothetowbarstingerorothercomponentsof
thetowbar,abnormalwearpatternsonthetowedvehicle’s
tires,aswellasother,consequentialdamagemayresult
ifanadaptorsleeveisnotused.
• Keep the tow bar clean and well-lubricated. As is
thecasewithmostprecision equipment, frequentclean-
ingandcareresultsinbetterperformanceandlongevity.
Refertothesectiontitled“Careandcleaning”forfurther
information.
Failure to follow these instructions may cause prop-
erty damage, personal injury or even death.
