Maximus-3 Tow Loops - Which Tow Bars are you using?

[Maximus-3]

Just as a reminder! These items are for Flat Towing ONLY!
These are not designed to be used on off-road application for towing!

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[Captain Skip]

I'm running a Readybrute Elite II on my JL with a Rockjock towplate. The connectors between the towbar and the towplate are Blue Ox size/style clevis connectors. If you check with Readybrute (NSA) you can order any clevis style you want.

 

[Captain Skip]

Just thinking of the long grades where I've had to use the engine brakes extensively on the coach to control speed, invented in part to keep you from burning up the truck/coach service brakes. How do you avoid destroying your toad brakes under these conditions?

Surge brakes might make sense for small trailers towed short distances, I say MIGHT. I'd not want to rely on them when towing something weighing 4500 lbs or more.

Bite the bullet, invest either in one of the portables (which I gave up years ago for various reasons) or one of the integrated air or electric systems. I think long term you'll save wear & tear, or possibly worse, on the Jeep and be safer.

More directly to your question, most tow bar manufacturers sell replacement ends/connectors that can be used with the Maximus tow loops. I use a Blue Ox towbar with the tow loops.

I've towed mine all over Maine and New Hampshire which have a lot of hills. The surge brake is adjusted so it doesn't come on right away but rather takes some decent force from the toad to activate it. I have a light on the dash of my RV that shows when the brakes are applied, it's tied into the brake light circuit on the JL, so I can monitor when the brakes on the JL are applied. If I'm going down a long steep grade and apply the brakes really hard on the RV the light will come on momentarily until the JL slows to the speed of the RV. Haven't burned up any brakes yet.

 

[TomPfender]

I just picked up my 2020 Rubicon and I need to get it ready for flat towing. I REALLY like the look of the Maximus-3 tow loops, but they have a disclaimer that they only work with Blue Ox tow bars. I'd like to use the Ready Brute Elite 2 tow bars with integrated surge brakes as it eliminates the need for a separate braking device (at a cost of nearly $1k).

Is anyone using the Maximus-3 tow loops with Ready Brute or Roadmaster tow bars?

Along the same lines, is anyone using the Ready Brute Elite? If so, how do you like it?

I'm doing what you ask. I'm using the surge brake from readybrake.com on the JL tow closed tow loops. I've only been out on the road a couple times with my JLUR. When we got home today, the JL loops have twisted.

I have used the ready brute elite 2 tow bar on my 97 Wrangler without any problems. I really like the ready brute elite tow bar. Solid construction, and simple hook up. Getting the cable run can be tedious, depending how OCD you are in how you want to route the cable. If I had to do it over again, I would pull the driver side fender which opens the easiest route for the brake cable. I also use the brake away safety cable.

 

[Maximus-3]

I'm doing what you ask. I'm using the surge brake from readybrake.com on the JL tow closed tow loops. I've only been out on the road a couple times with my JLUR. When we got home today, the JL loops have twisted.

I have used the ready brute elite 2 tow bar on my 97 Wrangler without any problems. I really like the ready brute elite tow bar. Solid construction, and simple hook up. Getting the cable run can be tedious, depending how OCD you are in how you want to route the cable. If I had to do it over again, I would pull the driver side fender which opens the easiest route for the brake cable. I also use the brake away safety cable.

Hello,

Make sure to send us an email ([email protected]) so we can get this corrected for you!

Something to check is the settings on the ready brute brake system to make sure the Jeep brakes are not responding slower than your RV brakes.

 

[Captain Skip]

I'm running the Readybrute Elite II on my JL. Had it on my JK previously. Great system with the built in surge brake. Makes the whole toad braking system a piece of cake.

 

[TomPfender]

Ouch. How did that happened? You must have made really crazy sharp turn I suspect. I had mine for a year and towed my 2020 JL Rubicon U. diesel for at least 4,000 miles. Beside some serious wear on sides and loosening mount bolts they worked well.
!!! I want to warn everyone using them to check mounting bolts frequently. I freaked out when I found out first time that bolts were less then finger tight after about 1,000 miles of towing. Now I have ratchet with 18mm socket on articulating driver ready in my RV and I check bolts at every diesel fueling stop. They keep getting loose. I put locktite on them when I got back from the last trip and will have tack weld nuts to stop that from happening. Towing setup must be kept under close scrutiny otherwise it can get you in serious trouble.

It was an easy and uneventful ride home. I contacted Maximus and they told me my surge brake wasn’t setup correctly and that I could bend (Beat) them back into shape. I punted on this product and ate the cost. Installed a roadmaster baseplate instead. And no the the driver and passenger were bent outwards just as I thought they might. The geometry just seems suspect. They sit very wide compared to blue ox and roadmaster baseplate. There is no structure (maybe some gussets would correct this) to keep the inside angle from collapsing.

 

[TomPfender]

Ouch. How did that happened? You must have made really crazy sharp turn I suspect. I had mine for a year and towed my 2020 JL Rubicon U. diesel for at least 4,000 miles. Beside some serious wear on sides and loosening mount bolts they worked well.
!!! I want to warn everyone using them to check mounting bolts frequently. I freaked out when I found out first time that bolts were less then finger tight after about 1,000 miles of towing. Now I have ratchet with 18mm socket on articulating driver ready in my RV and I check bolts at every diesel fueling stop. They keep getting loose. I put locktite on them when I got back from the last trip and will have tack weld nuts to stop that from happening. Towing setup must be kept under close scrutiny otherwise it can get you in serious trouble.

Here is the reply from Maximus...
“
Good afternoon, So per our discussion we have had here at the shop. I have a few details to relay to you, So the surge brake we believe was not exactly set correctly for the weight of your JL. The bending of the tow-loops means the jeep was stopping after the vehicle you were towing it with. You can also bend these loops back by placing a block of wood beside it and hitting it with a hammer to bend it back to straighten it out. If you have any further questions or concerns feel free to call us at 248-821-6654.



Vincent Kitchen

Maximus-3 Sales Manager”

 

[TomPfender]

There is one thing that could put extreme load on the towing loops. If your RV hitch is substantially lower than loop level. That will cause jeep to ride up when you apply RV brakes. is your RV hitch and loops at the same level? I have 6” hitch adapter to bring loops and my RV hitch to level since my jeep is lifted. Each RV hitch hight is diferent but usualy lower than loops mounted on jeep wrangler.

I’m using a 4” drop. Hitch, tow bar, and connection points are level. My RV is at 24” and Jeep is 20” with a 4” drop I’m spot on in-line.

 

[dgreen1069]

It was an easy and uneventful ride home. I contacted Maximus and they told me my surge brake wasn’t setup correctly and that I could bend (Beat) them back into shape. I punted on this product and ate the cost. Installed a roadmaster baseplate instead. And no the the driver and passenger were bent outwards just as I thought they might. The geometry just seems suspect. They sit very wide compared to blue ox and roadmaster baseplate. There is no structure (maybe some gussets would correct this) to keep the inside angle from collapsing.

There is no reason the Maximus plates should bend regardless of how the Ready Brake is set up. I wouldn't expect any baseplate to bend like that even if there was no braking system at all. I have a little over 10k miles towing my JL Rubicon now any haven't had any issues. I use a Brake Buddy most of the time, but I don't think it adds much braking capacity.

I suspect the bending occurred due to incorrect clevises being used which caused a strange angle or something happened during a turn. Do you happen to have a photo of the clevises you used? Ready Brake did not have anything available when I tried using them.

 

[slapshot12]

I‘m using a Blue Ox Ascent with the Maximus Blue Ox adapters.

 

[Whaler27]

I‘m using a Blue Ox Ascent with the Maximus Blue Ox adapters.

I’m using Roadmaster tow bar. I just swap out the ends for the brackets that fit the loops.

The Maximus 3 stuff is great. The paint on the tow loops lasted about 300 miles, but that’s my only complaint.

 

[Gaffer]

The tow loops will definitely work with the Roadmaster towbar.



Saw one at an RV park last month. They loved it. It is what I will use.

 

[slapshot12]

I’m using Roadmaster tow bar. I just swap out the ends for the brackets that fit the loops.

The Maximus 3 stuff is great. The paint on the tow loops lasted about 300 miles, but that’s my only complaint.

Yeah, I was thinking the paint won't stay pretty for long, but the clean install is worth it.

 

[Whaler27]

Yeah, I was thinking the paint won't stay pretty for long, but the clean install is worth it.

I agree. It’s a much cleaner look than the alternatives, and it’s strong.

If you go this route make sure to use plenty of thread-locker and check the loops regularly to make sure they are secure. I torqued mine down, and I used thread-locker, and one of them still worked loose — enough to wiggle and rattle — after about 2000 miles.

The new ends for the Roadmaster tow bars come in two sizes. Make sure you order the right size (3/4”). The others will provide too much slop.

I wish Maximus used the same painting process Roadmaster uses. The paint was damaged and falling off of my Maximus tow loops the first day of travel. Two years and 10,000+ miles later the Roadmaster bar ends that work against the Maximus loops still look great.

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