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Old 03-22-2019, 01:17 PM   #1
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Towing a Jeep ?

Can anyone who uses a Jeep as a tow vehicle tell me what you had to do to prepare it for towing. Ive been told many things that conflict. Transmission coolers, nothing at all, must be a manual transmission etc.

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Old 03-22-2019, 02:02 PM   #2
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Save yourself some time and hit the search feature up top...tons of threads on towing a Jeep. As many opinions as there is rice in China. Fail Safe Mode is to reference your Owner's Manual regarding towing. Call manufacturer's Customer Service number as well. Only you will be to blame if parts start flying down the road at 70MPH. You didn't mention year/make/model. That would help others with same advise what they do.
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Old 03-22-2019, 02:05 PM   #3
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Jeeps are pretty easy to tow: throw the transfer case in neutral, and yo're more than halfway there!

... Assuming that you've got a REAL Jeep!

http://www.thorforums.com/forums/att...1&d=1553263545
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Old 03-22-2019, 02:25 PM   #4
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Originally Posted by The Gritz Carlton View Post
Save yourself some time and hit the search feature up top...tons of threads on towing a Jeep. As many opinions as there is rice in China. Fail Safe Mode is to reference your Owner's Manual regarding towing. Call manufacturer's Customer Service number as well. Only you will be to blame if parts start flying down the road at 70MPH. You didn't mention year/make/model. That would help others with same advise what they do.


I have not purchased the Jeep as of yet.
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Old 03-22-2019, 02:37 PM   #5
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With that said, I think most of them can be towed...how depends on the Owner's Manual Guidelines. Lots of Jeeps following lots of MH's around this country.
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Old 03-22-2019, 02:39 PM   #6
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I don't know how to post the link to the Thread here but here's the title you can search for.


Pics of your Jeep Toad/Dinghy setup please
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Old 03-22-2019, 04:20 PM   #7
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What style jeep are you interested in?

Wrangler very towable.
Grand Cherokee, Cherokee have to be ADII (2 speed transfer case), front wheel drive and ADI can not be flat towed.
The Goodsam 2018 and 19 dinghy towing guide does not list the Compass or Renegade as being flat towable.
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Old 03-22-2019, 05:28 PM   #8
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What style jeep are you interested in?



Wrangler very towable.

Grand Cherokee, Cherokee have to be ADII (2 speed transfer case), front wheel drive and ADI can not be flat towed.

The Goodsam 2018 and 19 dinghy towing guide does not list the Compass or Renegade as being flat towable.


I’m thinking 4 door wrangler. Ive been told if i purchase a manual transmission all I do is put it neutral.
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Old 03-22-2019, 06:37 PM   #9
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I’m thinking 4 door wrangler. Ive been told if i purchase a manual transmission all I do is put it neutral.
Not necessarily.
Check owner's manual.
Check Motorhome Magazine, FMCA Towing guides and then Blogs for information.
Not all manual transmission Jeeps can be flat towed unless they are 4 wheel drive with transfer case.

This is from 2019 Family RVing magazine for 2019 models.

We flat tow a 2012 Jeep Liberty 4x4.
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Old 03-22-2019, 06:43 PM   #10
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I tow a jeep JK 2dr wrangler with ACE 27.3

very easy to set up, PLEASE read the owners manual - it gives VERY specific instructions on how to tow, simple if you follow the checklist. I Use a Blue Ox tow bar system, and mounted the baseplate on the jeep myself - no problems. I also actually use portable tow lights so i dint have to modify the electrical system, and added a RVI-3 brake system. Going to set you back nearly 2k to fully set up a tow - but all is a one time purchase.
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Old 03-22-2019, 07:32 PM   #11
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We tow a 2018 Jeep Wrangler JK with auto trans using a Roadmaster towbar and a RVI3 braking system.
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Old 03-22-2019, 08:21 PM   #12
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I have a 2016 Wrangler 4 door. Transfer case in neutral, tranny in park, and the key isnt needed. The steering wheel doesnt lock

I use the Ready Brute Elite tow bar/brake system with a roadmaster base plate and Hopkins light harness. Very simple to hook up.

4x4 jeeps do not need anything extra but like others have said do your research with jeep and read the owners manual. Never take anyones word on the internet.


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Old 03-22-2019, 09:50 PM   #13
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I’m thinking 4 door wrangler. Ive been told if i purchase a manual transmission all I do is put it neutral.
If it was a salesman that told you manual transmission in neutral he was just trying to make a sale.

As mentioned in this thread auto in park, manual in gear NOT neutral, both must have the transfer case in NEUTRAL.

But don't take our word, check the owners manual, you can download them.
If you have to register (I can't remember) wait till you get the Jeep you want.

https://www.mopar.com/jeep/en-us/my-...t-vehicle.html
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Old 03-23-2019, 03:35 AM   #14
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The owner’s manual is the key. I was surprised it told exactly what to do. I tow a 2016 Wrangler with Auto transmission. Put the 4x4 in neutral, take the keys out and lock the door then drive away. I use a Brake Buddy and the cigarette lighter plug in Console works with key off. Very easy and takes 10 minutes to hook up. I will say I get a couple more miles / gallon in the RV with <1/2 tank in the Jeep.
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Old 03-23-2019, 01:25 PM   #15
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We tow a 2017 Cherokee Trailhawk. Has the Active Drive II which includes the Power Transfer Unit that can go to fully neutral. Most Cherokees don’t have the Active Drive II. It’s standard in Trailhawks and optional in other models. If a Cherokee doesn’t have Active Drive II, it has to be trailer towed.

We have a Roadmaster baseplate and a Roadmaster Falcon All Terrain tow bar. We had the shop that installed the base plates to also wire up tail lights and install the 6 pin connector at the front of the Jeep.

We decided to go with a portable RViBrake 3 braking unit. Simple to set up. We also had the RVi battery charger installed to keep the battery charged while towing. This is needed because of the power steering being on.

The 2014-2018 Trailhawks require an additional “Flat Tow Kit” which is a cable that powers the power steering while towing and has a console switch to tell the Jeep’s computer to ignore that the power steering is powered up. In 2019 they figured out how to do it without the added cable.
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Old 03-23-2019, 03:02 PM   #16
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We tow a 2017 Cherokee Trailhawk. Has the Active Drive II which includes the Power Transfer Unit that can go to fully neutral. Most Cherokees don’t have the Active Drive II. It’s standard in Trailhawks and optional in other models. If a Cherokee doesn’t have Active Drive II, it has to be trailer towed.

We have a Roadmaster baseplate and a Roadmaster Falcon All Terrain tow bar. We had the shop that installed the base plates to also wire up tail lights and install the 6 pin connector at the front of the Jeep.

We decided to go with a portable RViBrake 3 braking unit. Simple to set up. We also had the RVi battery charger installed to keep the battery charged while towing. This is needed because of the power steering being on.

The 2014-2018 Trailhawks require an additional “Flat Tow Kit” which is a cable that powers the power steering while towing and has a console switch to tell the Jeep’s computer to ignore that the power steering is powered up. In 2019 they figured out how to do it without the added cable.


Don’t mean to poke my nose in...but it looks in your photo like your Jeep baseplate may be higher than your motorhome hitch.
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Old 03-23-2019, 03:17 PM   #17
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Don’t mean to poke my nose in...but it looks in your photo like your Jeep baseplate may be higher than your motorhome hitch.
Yes it is. Since then I added a 2” riser to the receiver on the motor home. Roadmaster allows a 3” difference in height, and without the riser I’m at about 2”. The baseplate kit came with Roadmaster’s “quick disconnect” cross bar. I’m thinking about getting a set of tow arms that direct connect to the tow bar (which will also lower the connection point). I’d then cut off the old ones and have welding shop weld on the original recovery hooks so the Trailhawk can get it’s fangs back when we aren’t towing.
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Old 03-23-2019, 03:32 PM   #18
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Yes it is. Since then I added a 2” riser to the receiver on the motor home. Roadmaster allows a 3” difference in height, and without the riser I’m at about 2”. The baseplate kit came with Roadmaster’s “quick disconnect” cross bar. I’m thinking about getting a set of tow arms that direct connect to the tow bar (which will also lower the connection point). I’d then cut off the old ones and have welding shop weld on the original recovery hooks so the Trailhawk can get it’s fangs back when we aren’t towing.


Cool. I’m envious of your two inch difference. My Focus is about 10 inches lower than my hitch. Eight or ten inch drops are easy enough to come by but seem like a poor design.
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Old 03-23-2019, 11:01 PM   #19
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Cool. I’m envious of your two inch difference. My Focus is about 10 inches lower than my hitch. Eight or ten inch drops are easy enough to come by but seem like a poor design.
I'm looking at about a twelve inch drop; for towing my utility trailer (with the golf cart on board)...
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Old 03-24-2019, 01:22 AM   #20
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I'm looking at about a twelve inch drop; for towing my utility trailer (with the golf cart on board)...


I’m told it’ll all work fine but it seems like “the industry” would do well to standardize a bit more on things like hitch height....Post photos of your new stuff!
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