Roadmaster Sterling Owner's Manual And Installation Instructions

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® 2007-2018 ROADMASTER, Inc. All rights reserved. 853326-24 01-18

WELCOME TO THE ROADMASTER FAMILY!

This manual has been prepared to acquaint you with the installation, operation, care and maintenance of your tow bar and
to provide you with important safety information.
Read your owner’s manual cover to cover. Understand how to install and operate your tow bar, and carefully follow
the instructions and safety precautions.
Your tow bar has a one-year limited warranty. To qualify for your warranty, register online at www.roadmasterinc.com/
wreg, or fill out and return the enclosed product registration card. As a bonus, we'll extend your warranty to a total

of two years at no additional cost, if we receive your registration (either online or mailed) within 30 days of pur­chase.

We thank you for your patronage and greatly appreciate your discerning taste.

Table of Contents

Safety definitions .................................. inside front cover

Safe towing practices ..................................................1-2

Installing the ‘quick-disconnect’ system .......................3-4

Connecting and disconnecting

Connecting the tow bar ...........................................4-5

Disconnecting the tow bar ..........................................6

Wiring instructions ..........................................................7

Safety cables

How to use safety cables ...........................................8

Proper installation of safety cables ............................9

Stay within the ‘Safe Zone’ ...........................................10

Care and cleaning ...................................................10-11

Limited warranty ........................................................... 11

Tow bar components ...................................... back cover

Your tow bar serial number…

…is located on a label on the inside of the driver’s side
tow bar arm. You will need this number when you fill out
your product registration card.
Write down the serial number in the space below and
retain for future reference.

Serial number:

Save this manual

Save this manual for future reference. It contains impor­tant sections relative to safety, use, maintenance, parts
replacement and other information. Therefore, make sure
this manual is always with you when you’re towing. You
may download or print a copy of the most current manual
at www.roadmasterinc.com (under ‘Support').

Read all instructions before installing
the tow bar or before towing a vehicle.
Failure to understand how to properly in­stall or operate the tow bar could result
in property damage, personal injury or
even death.

All illustrations and specifications contained herein are based on the latest
information available at the time of publication. ROADMASTER, Inc. reserves
the right to make changes, at any time, without notice, in material, specifica­tions and models, or to discontinue models.

This manual contains information that is very important to know and understand. This information is provided for

safety and to prevent equipment problems. To help recognize this information, observe the following symbols:

WARNING indicates a potentially hazardous situ­ation which, if not avoided, could result in property
damage, serious personal injury or even death.

CAUTION indicates a potentially hazardous situation
which, if not avoided, may result in property damage,
or minor or moderate personal injury.

IMPORTANT NOTICE!

Safety Definitions

CAUTION

CAUTION used without the safety alert symbol in­dicates a potentially hazardous situation which, if not
avoided, may result in property damage.

NOTE
Refers to important information and is placed in italic
type. It is recommended that you take special notice of
these items.

SAFE TOWING PRACTICES

• Do not back up the motorhome with the towed ve­hicle attached.
Backing up with the towed vehicle attached will
cause the towed vehicle to “jackknife,” which will dam­age the tow bar, the baseplate, the receiver hitch, the
towed vehicle’s front end, and/or the rear of the mo­torhome. Backing up with the towed vehicle attached
is the primary cause of tow bar damage and will void
the warranty.

• Be sure the vehicle can be towed before taking it on

the road. Some vehicles must be equipped with a transmis­sion lube pump, an axle disconnect, driveline disconnect
or free-wheeling hubs before they can be towed. Failure
to properly equip the vehicle will cause severe damage
to the transmission.
Check the vehicle manufacturer’s instructions for the
proper procedure(s) to prepare the vehicle for towing.

• The tow bar must be within the ‘Safe Zone’ — no
more than three inches above or below level. Towing with
an out-of-level tow bar will cause significant wear and tear
on the tow bar and baseplate, and on the towed vehicle’s
suspension and frame. (See the section titled “Stay within
the ‘Safe Zone’” for further information.)

• The steering wheel must be unlocked and free to
turn when towing. Failure to do so can cause severe

tire and equipment damage. Check the manufacturer’s
instructions for the proper towing procedure(s).

• The towed vehicle and all its contents cannot ex­ceed 8,000 pounds. The Sterling All Terrain tow bar is
rated at a maximum of 8,000 pounds carrying capacity;
therefore the towed vehicle and all its contents cannot
exceed 8,000 pounds.
In addition, the receiver hitch, the safety cables and
all supplementary towing equipment must be rated at no
less than the weight of the towed vehicle and all its con­tents.

• 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), the towed vehicle will detach.

• Inspect the system before towing — check the mounts,
brackets, fasteners, bolts, wiring, the safety cables and all
other components each time before towing.
Additionally, check the tow bar baseplate every 3,000
miles — inspect for any fractures or cracks in the steel, or
any visible damage. Do not tow if the baseplate is dam­aged.
Additionally, check the torque on all bolts. (To find
the torque ratings, refer to the installation instructions for
the baseplate and the tow bar.)

• This tow bar is designed for use on paved roads
only. ROADMASTER does not recommend off-road tow­ing, nor does ROADMASTER warrant the tow bar for off­road use.

• Never tow a vehicle with one of a comparable

weight. The towed vehicle’s weight should never exceed

40 percent of the towing vehicle’s weight.
Towing a vehicle with one of similar weight will cause
the towed vehicle to override the towing vehicle, result­ing in “jackknifing,” “leapfrogging” or “fishtailing.” Serious
damage to both vehicles, as well as the towing system,
could result.

• Do not drill a second hole in the shank of any tow
bar or hitch accessory. If the hole in the shank does

not align to the
hole in the hitch
receiver: 1) pur­chase a hitch
accessory of
the appropriate
length; or 2) call
ROADMASTER
technical sup­port.
Drilling a
second hole will
weaken the steel. The shank may break during towing,
which will cause the towed vehicle to separate.

• Always stand to one side and as close to the motor-

home as possible when releasing the tow bar locking
mechanisms. Never stand between the adjustable arms,

or put any part of your body between the adjustable arms,
when releasing the tow bar — always stand to one side.
Because the towed vehicle may jerk forward when the
locking mechanisms are released, face the towed vehicle
and stand as close to the back of the motorhome as pos­sible before releasing the locking mechanisms, to keep
from being hit by the towed vehicle.

• Always use safety cables when towing. The safety
cables, which are provided with the Sterling All Terrain,
must connect the towed vehicle to the towing vehicle frame
to frame.
If the safety cables are ever replaced, use only 8,000
pound or heavier rated safety cables.
Additionally, check to ensure that the safety cables are
the proper length. Refer to the sections titled “How to use
safety cables” and “Proper installation of safety cables”
for further information.

• Check the motorhome turning radius. Some motor­home chassis have such a tight turning radius that you
can damage your motorhome, towed vehicle or tow bar
while turning too sharply. Before getting on the road with
your towed vehicle, you should test your turning radius in
an empty parking lot.
With the towed vehicle attached, have someone watch
as you slowly turn sharply to see whether you have this
potential problem. If you do, note how far you can safely
turn the motorhome’s steering wheel and be sure not to
turn it further when towing. Damage that results from turn­ing too sharply is not covered by warranty.

• Never use the tow bar to tow more than one ve­hicle. In some states it is legal to have one vehicle towing

continued on next page

1

Safe towing practices

continued from preceding page

more than just one vehicle (for example, a truck which is
towing a trailer which is towing a boat). However, when
using a tow bar never tow more than one vehicle, or non­warranty damage or injury may result.

• The tow bar stinger fits motorhome hitch receivers
with two-inch inner diameters. If the motorhome hitch

receiver is a larger size, attach a two-inch adaptor sleeve
(not supplied) to the hitch receiver.
Damage to the tow bar stinger or other components of
the tow bar, abnormal wear patterns on the towed vehicle’s
tires, as well as other, consequential damage may result
if an adaptor sleeve is not used.

• Keep the tow bar clean and well-lubricated. As is
the case with most precision equipment, frequent clean­ing and care results in better performance and longevity.
Refer to the section titled “Care and cleaning” for further
information.

Failure to follow these instructions may cause prop­erty damage, personal injury or even death.

2

INSTALLING THE ‘QUICK-DISCONNECT' SYSTEM

This ROADMASTER tow bar is equipped with an exclu­sive “quick-disconnect” (or, “QD”) system. Before connect­ing the tow bar to the vehicle, first install the components
of the QD system to the baseplate.
Note: the quick-disconnect system is not used with

ROADMASTER ‘MS,’ ‘MX’ or ‘EZ5' series baseplates. If
the towed vehicle has MS, MX or EZ5 baseplates, proceed
to the next section — “Connecting the tow bar.” The quick­disconnect system should be reserved, however, for sub­sequent vehicles which may not have these baseplates.

1. First, attach the quick-disconnects (“QDs,” parts “A”
and “B” in Figure 1) to the tow bar baseplate. Attach the
QDs so that the vertical pin on each is pointing up, as
shown in Figure 1.
Attach part “A” on the passenger side and part “B” on
the driver’s side. Use the supplied ½" x 1¾" bolts, the
two safety plates (parts “C”), and the flat washers, lock
washers and nuts, as shown in Figure 1.
Both QDs have cable anchors — parts “D” and “E” in
Figure 1 — designed for safety cable attachment. Bolt cable
anchor “D” to part “A,” and cable anchor “E” to part “B,”
using the supplied ½" bolts, washers and nuts.
Do not tighten any of the bolts — leave them loose for
now — they will be tightened later.

the quick-disconnects, the quick-disconnect bases or
other components may vibrate loose, which may cause
property damage, personal injury or even death.

2. Now, test-fit the crossbar — lower the crossbar (Fig-

ure 2) over the quick-disconnects. The vertical pins at
the top of both QDs should fit through the top holes
at the ends of the crossbar (Figure 2), and the verti­cal pins at the bottom of the crossbar should fit through

continued on next page

Figure 2

Use all mounting hardware, the safety plates and the
cable anchors. If all supplied materials are not used,

Quick-disconnect parts list:

(2) quick-disconnects
(parts “A” and “B”)
(2) safety plates (“C”)
(2) safety cable anchors
(parts “D” and “E”)
All mounting hardware

Figure 1

3