Question Towbar Maintenance

[MapNerd]

Doing some basic tow bar maintenance to my Roadmaster Nighthawk, just cleaning the cables and connections, removing rus lubricating the tow bar arms and inspecting for cracks.

i noticed my electrical cable’s plug is starting to corrode a bit where it plugs into the front of the road - the female plug itself that is. A shame that I can’t find a dust cover of some sort for it, but want to clean it up. Normally I would disconnect it and stow it but on the night hawk towbar all cables are routed through the towbar arms.

anyway, planing to hit the plug with some CRC QD Contact cleaner, then take a can of compressed air and follow up with a dab dielectric grease. Anyone see any problems with that?

many other tow bar maintenance tips?

i did. just get a towbar cover for it to try and help protect it from the elements going forward but I need to get it cleaned up before that will do any good.

 

[Neal]

Not sure what yours looks like but the Air Force 1 (Demco) setup has a cover. I wonder if you could wire one of those in with yours?

https://www.etrailer.com/Accessories-and-Parts/Demco/DM9523054.html

 

[MapNerd]

Not that part, this part

 

[JRW-NAW]

I don't think hitting it with contact cleaner will hurt. I've used contact cleaner on the pins and sockets when I had an intermittent contact issue...issue resolved.

Safe Travels.

 

[Mike1931]

Wire brush it, then use a small fitting from a Dremal ti go down inside each if the sockets. Then apply dielectric grease. This works for me. But keep up 0n your maintenance!

 

[TJ&LadyDi]

Do you use a cover on your tow bar when it isn’t being used? That helps keep the moisture our of the female socket.

Once you get the female socket contacts cleaned up (contact cleaner is good, followed by a Q-Tip scrub), use conductive grease inside each contact. Finally, find a plastic cap that will fit snugly over the face of the plug.

But, you ain’t done yet! You need to weatherproof the cord end of the socket housing with an application of silicone sealer too and, if possible, a wrap of tape.

Water is not the friend of such electrical fittings!

TJ

 

[MapNerd]

Do you use a cover on your tow bar when it isn’t being used? That helps keep the moisture our of the female socket.

Once you get the female socket contacts cleaned up (contact cleaner is good, followed by a Q-Tip scrub), use conductive grease inside each contact. Finally, find a plastic cap that will fit snugly over the face of the plug.

But, you ain’t done yet! You need to weatherproof the cord end of the socket housing with an application of silicone sealer too and, if possible, a wrap of tape.

Water is not the friend of such electrical fittings!

TJ

I wasn’t using a towbar cover but I do now.

I was planning to make a silicone cover for it out of sugru.

 

[TJ&LadyDi]

I wasn’t using a towbar cover but I do now.

I was planning to make a silicone cover for it out of sugru.

That could work. You might find a cap at the hardware store as well that would work.

TJ