Towing help

[Krusty]

I have a 2016 Four Winds and am wanting to tow a 2017 Jeep Wrangler. Can anyone please advise me on what all I will need to obtain to make this happen.

Thanks,

[gmc]

Many threads here talk about towing and what is needed...
First question is 'four down' or 'dolly'?
Check your owners manual to be sure HOW it can be towed.

Assuming Wrangler is 4WD, it will likely need to be 'four down' - so I'll base the rest on that...

You will need:

• Base plates on the Jeep - attach to the frame and provide the connection points for the towbar. Roadmaster and Blue Ox are most common brands.
• Lighting for Jeep - can be add on lights or wiring to poer existing lights. Mopar makes an OEM solution that plugs in (at least on my 2010) and uses the normal Jeep lights providing the wire to hook up to the RV.
• Supplemental braking for Jeep - can be portable (Blue Ox Brake Buddy) or permanent (Roadmaster Invisibrake)
• Towbar to connect MH to Jeep - wide range of prices - some allow easier connect/disconnect even if vehicles not aligned/level.
• Wiring between MH and Jeep (assuming you have a properly wired 7 pin harness already on rear of motor home)
• Safety cables

Many different options to choose from...
I have Roadmaster Base Plates (I have older - but their new style eliminates the crossbar), Roadmaster Falcon All Terrain towbar, Roadmaster Invisibrake, OEM Jeep Wiring harness - towing a 2010 Wrangler behind a Hurricane 32A.

[tnedator]

Timely thread for me. About to put an order down on a Vegas and Jeep Wrangler Unlimited (four wheel down towing).

I like the idea of the invisibrake vs something that has to be installed on the floor board. I've read horror stories about CW installs. Are these usually done at car dealers or RV dealers (invsibrake and baseplate)?

Anybody know of a reliable installer in the Arkansas, southern MO, Western TN area?

[gmc]

Originally Posted by tnedator

Timely thread for me. About to put an order down on a Vegas and Jeep Wrangler Unlimited (four wheel down towing).

I like the idea of the invisibrake vs something that has to be installed on the floor board. I've read horror stories about CW installs. Are these usually done at car dealers or RV dealers (invsibrake and baseplate)?

Anybody know of a reliable installer in the Arkansas, southern MO, Western TN area?

I had CW do mine (Belleville, MI) including the base plates and Invisibrake - and have had no issues - and a great discount on install with Good Sams membership...

CW experiences seem to vary greatly by location - Perhaps someone on here closer to you can give some input on that area.

[tnedator]

Originally Posted by gmc

I had CW do mine (Belleville, MI) including the base plates and Invisibrake - and have had no issues - and a great discount on install with Good Sams membership...

CW experiences seem to vary greatly by location - Perhaps someone on here closer to you can give some input on that area.

Yea, from what I've read, CW experiences vary a lot. Reading Google/Facebook reviews, even the one in Little Rock vary from horror stories to people very happy. Last time I checked, with recent reviews, the good were outweighing the bad.

When searching for info on Invisbrake installs, I came across a number of threads (other forums) talking about issues with the Invisibrake, such as brake locks and such. If I was following it correctly, they were saying it was happening not when towing, but driving the toad. Have you seen anything on that?

[gmc]

Originally Posted by tnedator

...
When searching for info on Invisbrake installs, I came across a number of threads (other forums) talking about issues with the Invisibrake, such as brake locks and such. If I was following it correctly, they were saying it was happening not when towing, but driving the toad. Have you seen anything on that?

Check the dates on those threads.... A 2015 reply from Roadmaster from another forum indicating the problem was corrected in 2012:

If the towed car's wiring diodes are in a location that allows the input terminals to get wet, then it is possible for electricity to migrate through the water between the diode terminals thereby energizing the braking system.

Because the current has to flow through water, the voltage is low. So we solved this "wet diode" problem by changing the amount of voltage required to turn the braking system on. We did this in March of 2012 so this should not be a concern for anything produced after this date.

If anyone experiences this on an older model of braking system, an easy solution is to seal the diodes so water cannot conduct electricity between the input terminals of the diode. If there is no shorting between terminals, there is no current to energize the system.

--
David Robinson
Roadmaster, Inc.

Old problems never die on the internet... lol... also see reports of Brake Buddy locking up while towing, etc... Everything fails for someone.

If GMC had make a similar change to their vehicles - my 2008 Acadia wouldn't have been totaled by insurance after a water intrusion 2 weeks ago deployed airbags while the car was off, parked, and locked...
(no - my 'gmc' name on the forum has nothing to do with 'GMC' the automaker... just my initials.)

[tnedator]

Originally Posted by gmc

Check the dates on those threads.... A 2015 reply from Roadmaster from another forum indicating the problem was corrected in 2012:


Old problems never die on the internet... lol... also see reports of Brake Buddy locking up while towing, etc... Everything fails for someone.

If GMC had make a similar change to their vehicles - my 2008 Acadia wouldn't have been totaled by insurance after a water intrusion 2 weeks ago deployed airbags while the car was off, parked, and locked...
(no - my 'gmc' name on the forum has nothing to do with 'GMC' the automaker... just my initials.)

Thanks for posting. I had planned to do some more research on it this weekend to see how prevalent the issue was, whether it was bad installs, etc.

[JamJanTan]

Originally Posted by tnedator

Timely thread for me. About to put an order down on a Vegas and Jeep Wrangler Unlimited (four wheel down towing).



I like the idea of the invisibrake vs something that has to be installed on the floor board. I've read horror stories about CW installs. Are these usually done at car dealers or RV dealers (invsibrake and baseplate)?



Anybody know of a reliable installer in the Arkansas, southern MO, Western TN area?

Quick scroll through and don't see this option. Etrailer in St Louis will do free install if you buy components from them. Their prices on components are competitive in my research and free install is great. FYI the install takes three days because they want time to film install. We drove up on Sunday and camped at a great park. Dropped off the MH and Jeep on Monday. Had Enterprise pick us up and drove home in a rental car. Returned on Wednesday and the job was finished. Returned the rental car, drove back to etrailer in the Jeep, hooked up the Jeep and drove the rig home. Nothing bad to say about the experience.