Best Setup for RV Flat Tow

[JeepinJason33]

For the type of off-roading we do, a trailer is going to be the best long term option as I go to 42" tires. You can't beat the Maximus for clearance and that is the only reason it is still on my Wrangler. We have the Roadmaster on my wife's Grand Cherokee L and we had it on my Grand Cherokee SRT before that and never had a problem.

My neighbor had Roadmaster on his wrangler and he complained about the old setup, they sent him a brand new setup for free. Maximus would not do the same, even though I bought it directly from them.

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[Lakelife]

New to the JL forum, 2018 JL with a factory lift and 35"tires. Not much talk about the angle up and down of your tow bar, my Blue Ox says no more then 3" up or down from flat or center line of the receiver. The D Rings mounted on the bumpers are pretty high. Is this a concern to lift the tow bar that high to hook up?

 

[JeepinJason33]

New to the JL forum, 2018 JL with a factory lift and 35"tires. Not much talk about the angle up and down of your tow bar, my Blue Ox says no more then 3" up or down from flat or center line of the receiver. The D Rings mounted on the bumpers are pretty high. Is this a concern to lift the tow bar that high to hook up?

I would not run it if it was more than 3" of angle, even that seems like a lot. Pretty easy fix, just find a hitch with a riser that is rated for 6.000 pounds or more and use that to get it level.

The reason you do not want much of angle is because of the force it puts on the bar when braking.

 

[lightsout]

New to the JL forum, 2018 JL with a factory lift and 35"tires. Not much talk about the angle up and down of your tow bar, my Blue Ox says no more then 3" up or down from flat or center line of the receiver. The D Rings mounted on the bumpers are pretty high. Is this a concern to lift the tow bar that high to hook up?

`
You shouold never use Bumper D-rings for towing as JL-bumpers are not tied direct.ly to the frame. yes many use them but some also have catestrophic failures while towing. The bumper plate is only held to the end of the bumper by 4 small welds, thats it, and you cannot even inspect those weldws without removing the bumper every time. The bigger issue with bumper D-rings especially if they are welded D-rings is the tow connection is only as good as the thin sheet metal the Dring is welded to, again no way to periodicly inspect inside welds on the bumper without removal. The bumper connectuion is part of the crumple zone of the wrangler and it is designed to fail on impact. Any hard braking while towing can act like a forward impact to your tow connection, which is why you should always be frame tied to tow. This is why Jeep says not to two from the bumper plate connection.

 

[Lakelife]

I would not run it if it was more than 3" of angle, even that seems like a lot. Pretty easy fix, just find a hitch with a riser that is rated for 6.000 pounds or more and use that to get it level.

The reason you do not want much of angle is because of the force it puts on the bar when braking.

I would not run it if it was more than 3" of angle, even that seems like a lot. Pretty easy fix, just find a hitch with a riser that is rated for 6.000 pounds or more and use that to get it level.

The reason you do not want much of angle is because of the force it puts on the bar when braking.

I aggree, i

`
You shouold never use Bumper D-rings for towing as JL-bumpers are not tied direct.ly to the frame. yes many use them but some also have catestrophic failures while towing. The bumper plate is only held to the end of the bumper by 4 small welds, thats it, and you cannot even inspect those weldws without removing the bumper every time. The bigger issue with bumper D-rings especially if they are welded D-rings is the tow connection is only as good as the thin sheet metal the Dring is welded to, again no way to periodicly inspect inside welds on the bumper without removal. The bumper connectuion is part of the crumple zone of the wrangler and it is designed to fail on impact. Any hard braking while towing can act like a forward impact to your tow connection, which is why you should always be frame tied to tow. This is why Jeep says not to two from the bumper plate connection.

I agree, i have a plate on the way. They mount below the bumper and helps with the angle a bunch! Thx

 

[zb39]

Heres my setup. I have flat towed 4 diff vehicles over 200K miles in the last 33 years, never even come close to having an issue. 30K miles towing on current setup. On my 3rd tow bar also. They do start to wear at around 80K miles of towing.

 

[lightsout]

Heres my setup. I have flat towed 4 diff vehicles over 200K miles in the last 33 years, never even come close to having an issue. 30K miles towing on current setup. On my 3rd tow bar also. They do start to wear at around 80K miles of towing.

That is about the lamest endorsemtn I have ever heard. So if someone drinks and drives for 10-20 years without having an accident, that makes it by default safe operation of the vehicle???

Jeep says you should never tow from the bumper plate connection (which Rockhard LOD and others ignore) becasue it is part of the crumple zone and designed to fail on impact, but because you have not had an incident everyone should do it, and just say screw those Stallantis/Jeep engineers what do they know???

The fact that your Rockhard tow connection which is only held by tow bolts too the bumper plate (thin 3/16th sheet metal) which is then only connected to the frame by 4 very small welds that you cannot even inspect without removing your bumper. How do you know you do not have a cracked or broken weld just waiting to fail? you don't. (That Bumper is not even ties directlt o the frame). People should always inspect thier tow connection before every tow. becasue you cannot properly inspect, you are rolling the dice with every pull and or stop.

There is also a reason that the bumper connects to the plate (again not the frame) using 4 bolts (one at each corner) which then provides balance to the plate when there are forces on the bumper. Whereas the crackerjack engineers at Rockhard create a tow connection that only ties to the bottom tow bolts on the bumper plate which is not balanced and also creates a rocking motion on that plate and welds with every stop and start.

Tow connection to the Wrangler should ALWAYS be bolted thru the linear tube frame... Also note Vehicles manufactured 15-30 tears ago are not buuilt like they are today, you should not should not compare towing with vintage vehicles expecially Wranglers as they are not as rubust today as they were back ing the day...

 

[zb39]

Sorry, I wasn't seeking your approval.

 

[lightsout]

Sorry, I wasn't seeking your approval.

No you wern't, but you were providing potentially dangerous advice. This thread was "best Setup for towing" not best potentially compromised setup.

 

[RubiJR]

That is about the lamest endorsemtn I have ever heard. So if someone drinks and drives for 10-20 years without having an accident, that makes it by default safe operation of the vehicle???

Jeep says you should never tow from the bumper plate connection (which Rockhard LOD and others ignore) becasue it is part of the crumple zone and designed to fail on impact, but because you have not had an incident everyone should do it, and just say screw those Stallantis/Jeep engineers what do they know???

The fact that your Rockhard tow connection which is only held by tow bolts too the bumper plate (thin 3/16th sheet metal) which is then only connected to the frame by 4 very small welds that you cannot even inspect without removing your bumper. How do you know you do not have a cracked or broken weld just waiting to fail? you don't. (That Bumper is not even ties directlt o the frame). People should always inspect thier tow connection before every tow. becasue you cannot properly inspect, you are rolling the dice with every pull and or stop.

There is also a reason that the bumper connects to the plate (again not the frame) using 4 bolts (one at each corner) which then provides balance to the plate when there are forces on the bumper. Whereas the crackerjack engineers at Rockhard create a tow connection that only ties to the bottom tow bolts on the bumper plate which is not balanced and also creates a rocking motion on that plate and welds with every stop and start.

Tow connection to the Wrangler should ALWAYS be bolted thru the linear tube frame... Also note Vehicles manufactured 15-30 tears ago are not buuilt like they are today, you should not should not compare towing with vintage vehicles expecially Wranglers as they are not as rubust today as they were back ing the day...

Are you saying aftermarket engineers are not as smart or diligent as Stellantis Engineers? Unfortunately, life is full of trust, and I get you are trying to limit it in the flat towing arena. In this example we are speaking strictly about a stock Jeep as I haven't seen anything from Stellantis engineers recommending too much when any mods are done.

Has anyone tested strength with frame bracket ties ins and where they mount to the front bumper?

Or do we trust the welds and engineering from one company over another?

I like to hear others have no problems and failures happen from all engineers and companies.

I suspect that is why the old saying don't buy anything made on a Monday or Friday

From LoD website
" Do you tow your Jeep behind and RV? Do you constantly find yourself winching large objects or other vehicles on the trail? If so we recommend installing front bumper Frame Tie-In Brackets! These Frame Tie-In Brackets reinforce the connection between the welded face plate of your Jeep frame and the frame itself, and coupled with our Tow Bar Adapters and our Front Bumpers create a super strong and reliable connection to your RV! These brackets come in black powder coat finish and are fully welded and made from high strength 3/16” thick steel for maximum strength. They also contain an integrated safety chain attachment point and are completely bolt on and work with all LOD front bumpers. "

 

[lightsout]

Are you saying aftermarket engineers are not as smart or diligent as Stellantis Engineers? Unfortunately, life is full of trust, and I get you are trying to limit it in the flat towing arena. In this example we are speaking strictly about a stock Jeep as I haven't seen anything from Stellantis engineers recommending too much when any mods are done.

Has anyone tested strength with frame bracket ties ins and where they mount to the front bumper?

Or do we trust the welds and engineering from one company over another?

I like to hear others have no problems and failures happen from all engineers and companies.

I suspect that is why the old saying don't buy anything made on a Monday or Friday

From LoD website
" Do you tow your Jeep behind and RV? Do you constantly find yourself winching large objects or other vehicles on the trail? If so we recommend installing front bumper Frame Tie-In Brackets! These Frame Tie-In Brackets reinforce the connection between the welded face plate of your Jeep frame and the frame itself, and coupled with our Tow Bar Adapters and our Front Bumpers create a super strong and reliable connection to your RV! These brackets come in black powder coat finish and are fully welded and made from high strength 3/16” thick steel for maximum strength. They also contain an integrated safety chain attachment point and are completely bolt on and work with all LOD front bumpers. "

Folks really should nopt respond to technical discussion when they do not have the techical chops. It does not matter what the aftrermarket engineer thinks when the OEM manufacture says itr IS NOT engineered for the forces of flat towing. Sencondly the entire bumper assembly is designed as part of the CRUMPLE ZONE hence designed to fail upon impact to reduce impact forces. Why this is important is a hard stop while towing your Wrangler can activate the CRUMPLE zone. I can tell you 1st Hand as I had damage from this extact event. A 5mph Hard stop broke my frame horns (Before I had frame tied towing.

LOD is a JOKE, IMO some of the worst engineering I have seen.
1. Ther so called "Frame Tie in Bracket" does not even attach to the frame it bolts to the bumper plate and the frame horn which is NOT the frame, in fact Maximus 3 had a similar bracket up unitl last year connected to the exact same location as the LOD bracket causeing many broken frame horns, like below (never tow from the frame horn like the LOD bracket). Frame horns cannot handle any stress. Call LOD yorself and ask them if that bracket actually bolts tothe FRAME (not the frame horn) they will tell you NO (I have had that conversation with them both on the phone and on JL Forum...

Here is the Close up of the LOD Bracket. LOD as even admitted on the JL Foriums that thier bracket does not even touch or connect to the frame, again a total joke.

below is the installation of that bracket, see for your self it only bolts to the frame horn and the bumper plate (not the frame itself). The only reason the frame horn exist is to support the plastic water and mud guard that comes stock with the wrangler it is not structural

Now if you use a LOD Bumper he is the potential and no frame tie in would save you from this. As I have menetioned the weakest link of any tow system is the welds, this is a LOD bumper where the wrangler disconnected going down the road as the welds could not handle it.

Now i think this demonstrates the the lack of expertise these aftermarket bumper engineers posses.

Soerry but you called out the wrong person, I am an engineer myself and have had two failed towing system, I have done a deep dive over this subject. For what it is worth this is what I use now Maximus 3 with Frame Tie in Kit. This system has NO welds to rely on

The Only way you should every bumpoer tow is to use a frame chop bumper like the Tomohawk where you cut the end off the frame slip the bumper sleves over the frame and thu bolt but note you still have welded D-rings to worry about

https://motobilt.com/products/tomahawk-frame-chop-front-bumper-for-jeep-jk-jl-jt

 

[longfiredragon]

I have been flat towing my jeep for almost a year now. My first experience flat towing.

I did a lot of research before hand. Considered a steel front bumper because it looks better. There were some mfgs claiming that their bumper would work. But as I dug deeper they had some kind of disclaimer or whatever saying you should also do this or add this.

Plus as stated the new JL bumper is actually better than any wrangler bumper of the past as it pertains to a crash. Crumple zones work, we have known this for fact for many years.

I'm not trying to convince anyone, one way or another, do what makes you happy as long as no one else ends up hurt.

Personal, I really like my wrangler and wanted to do what I could to protect it. As well as others on the road.

After much research I went with the blue ox flat tow bar that bolts directly to the frame, and came with safety chains that blue ox recommended you install, also around the frame. (Not talking about the safety chains that go from the bar to the RV) Then I got the ready brute elite tow bar with 8K max tow weight. I also got the TL-1000 brake lights witch sit on the back bumper and wire up to the front and then go directly to the RV via the cord. Zero power from the JL and mechanical braking. I hate the flat plate looks wise, but I feel pretty good when towing.

We have most likely all seen what happens to steel on impact of 65 or 70ish mph.

So far I am happy with the blue ox and NSA bar. Almost 6K so far and a crap load of different road conditions. If you travel around this country you find a lot of crap ass roads, and I don't think I have been in a state yet that's no doing road construction. This would bother me a lot more if I knew my tow bar wasn't bolted directly to the frame.

The jeep sits back there and does it's thing, no problem. I check everything best I can visually each time I stop and each time I hook up, all good.

 

[lightsout]

I have been flat towing my jeep for almost a year now. My first experience flat towing.

I did a lot of research before hand. Considered a steel front bumper because it looks better. There were some mfgs claiming that their bumper would work. But as I dug deeper they had some kind of disclaimer or whatever saying you should also do this or add this.

Plus as stated the new JL bumper is actually better than any wrangler bumper of the past as it pertains to a crash. Crumple zones work, we have known this for fact for many years.

I'm not trying to convince anyone, one way or another, do what makes you happy as long as no one else ends up hurt.

Personal, I really like my wrangler and wanted to do what I could to protect it. As well as others on the road.

After much research I went with the blue ox flat tow bar that bolts directly to the frame, and came with safety chains that blue ox recommended you install, also around the frame. (Not talking about the safety chains that go from the bar to the RV) Then I got the ready brute elite tow bar with 8K max tow weight. I also got the TL-1000 brake lights witch sit on the back bumper and wire up to the front and then go directly to the RV via the cord. Zero power from the JL and mechanical braking. I hate the flat plate looks wise, but I feel pretty good when towing.

We have most likely all seen what happens to steel on impact of 65 or 70ish mph.

So far I am happy with the blue ox and NSA bar. Almost 6K so far and a crap load of different road conditions. If you travel around this country you find a lot of crap ass roads, and I don't think I have been in a state yet that's no doing road construction. This would bother me a lot more if I knew my tow bar wasn't bolted directly to the frame.

The jeep sits back there and does it's thing, no problem. I check everything best I can visually each time I stop and each time I hook up, all good.

Look not trying to point out issues with everyone but here is some advice. If you read my above comments I said I had two tow systems that have failed one of those was the same Blu Ox base plate you have, I had broken welds but I casught it on inspection. I am not alone on that many have had the same. Fortunately the Blue Ox has good inspection visibility, while it does connect to the frame it still has welds between the frame and the tow bar.

I also have the NSA Ready Brute Elite, I have two Wranglers and in 2018 JL and 2021 4xe, when I set up my JL to tow originally I used the Ready Brute brake, 2nd time out coming down a long steep pass my brakes on my 1 year old Class A were failing, smoking like you would not believe, I was able to pull over and crawl under to see they were red hot still smoking out the stretche f hiway. Here is what I learned from that and the shop at the bottom of the pass who replaced my brakes (Note RV was 1 year old under 10K miles) the Ready Brute brakes is a 100% inertia system it takes reasonable braking forces (inertia) to activate that system, however the Ready Brake system requires too much inertia to activate the brakes in soft braking events (like slowing down hill) becasue of this you are not getting any TOAD braking which adds stress to the RV brakes. I called NSA who confirmed this, Living in the PNW we cross mountain passes on every outing multiple times and sometimes 2-4 passes. I had the brake shop verify the Readybrute set up (as I did prior to towing) it was set to NSA specs, but the Brake Tire shop said they have seen this issue numerous times with the Ready Brute tow bar setup. We used the ready brute Elite braking two more trips and each time significant smell from the brakes coming down passes. After that we abandoned the ready brake. We have since sold that Class A gasser for a Tiffin Diesel with engine braking we also have a 4XE at 6000lbs and now use Airforce One Brake system

I still use the ready brute tow bar but would never use the brake system again.

Look the Ready Brake is nothuing more than a serge brake whereas serge brakes have been used since the 1950's, you have to ask why this old technology is not used by any other tow bar manufacture, the answer it is outdated and limited. The other major downside is you have no manual override of the ready brake so in emergncy situation no way to activate braking manually.

Today you want proportionate braking a system that mirrors the RV braking (inertial braking while variable is not propoprtionate and does not kick in until significant inertia detected). That require hard wiring (Demco stay and play) or or air system for Diesel Pushers like Airforce one. Note even the wirless systems like RVI3 and Blue Ox Patriot use some inertia activation those still have manual overides. Any of these will be leaps and bounds safer and better for both RV and TOAD then the NSA system.

I will say had we not driven mountain roads with the Ready Brake I probably wold not have found this out, for the flats it is probably OK, but when you have a 20-35000lb RV and another 5-6K towing this is serious business as RV accidents are never pretty and often look like a plane crash. I receommend spend the $1500 for a good system and have the peace of mind your family is safer because of it. Also stay with the Blue Ox just keep an eye on the welds..

 

[dragoneggs]

Apologies if I have posted here before but here is my set up for my JLR 2dr behind my Class C Sprinter. I like the simplicity of the hookup (no brake or aux lights to place) and the lightweight set up overall.

RockHard4x4 aluminum Patriot mid width bumper
Demo Stay n Play Duo braking system w/Coach link
Blue Ox Ascent Tow bar

 

[longfiredragon]

Look not trying to point out issues with everyone but here is some advice. If you read my above comments I said I had two tow systems that have failed one of those was the same Blu Ox base plate you have, I had broken welds but I casught it on inspection. I am not alone on that many have had the same. Fortunately the Blue Ox has good inspection visibility, while it does connect to the frame it still has welds between the frame and the tow bar.

I also have the NSA Ready Brute Elite, I have two Wranglers and in 2018 JL and 2021 4xe, when I set up my JL to tow originally I used the Ready Brute brake, 2nd time out coming down a long steep pass my brakes on my 1 year old Class A were failing, smoking like you would not believe, I was able to pull over and crawl under to see they were red hot still smoking out the stretche f hiway. Here is what I learned from that and the shop at the bottom of the pass who replaced my brakes (Note RV was 1 year old under 10K miles) the Ready Brute brakes is a 100% inertia system it takes reasonable braking forces (inertia) to activate that system, however the Ready Brake system requires too much inertia to activate the brakes in soft braking events (like slowing down hill) becasue of this you are not getting any TOAD braking which adds stress to the RV brakes. I called NSA who confirmed this, Living in the PNW we cross mountain passes on every outing multiple times and sometimes 2-4 passes. I had the brake shop verify the Readybrute set up (as I did prior to towing) it was set to NSA specs, but the Brake Tire shop said they have seen this issue numerous times with the Ready Brute tow bar setup. We used the ready brute Elite braking two more trips and each time significant smell from the brakes coming down passes. After that we abandoned the ready brake. We have since sold that Class A gasser for a Tiffin Diesel with engine braking we also have a 4XE at 6000lbs and now use Airforce One Brake system

I still use the ready brute tow bar but would never use the brake system again.

Look the Ready Brake is nothuing more than a serge brake whereas serge brakes have been used since the 1950's, you have to ask why this old technology is not used by any other tow bar manufacture, the answer it is outdated and limited. The other major downside is you have no manual override of the ready brake so in emergncy situation no way to activate braking manually.

Today you want proportionate braking a system that mirrors the RV braking (inertial braking while variable is not propoprtionate and does not kick in until significant inertia detected). That require hard wiring (Demco stay and play) or or air system for Diesel Pushers like Airforce one. Note even the wirless systems like RVI3 and Blue Ox Patriot use some inertia activation those still have manual overides. Any of these will be leaps and bounds safer and better for both RV and TOAD then the NSA system.

I will say had we not driven mountain roads with the Ready Brake I probably wold not have found this out, for the flats it is probably OK, but when you have a 20-35000lb RV and another 5-6K towing this is serious business as RV accidents are never pretty and often look like a plane crash. I receommend spend the $1500 for a good system and have the peace of mind your family is safer because of it. Also stay with the Blue Ox just keep an eye on the welds..

I appreciate your experience. I will keep a close eye on the blue ox bar.

So far I have had no issues with the toad/jeep braking. I set it up the way NSA suggested and had someone check it visually multiple times.

The jeeps weight is only 4650, no where near 6000. I have 2021 class A gas powered RV 38 feet in length We are well under the max weight for the RV and tow vehicle.

I have driven all the western states, Montana, Wyoming, Washington State, Oregon, California, as well as Tennessee, north Carolina, south Carolina, Indiana, South Dakota, North Dakota., Nevada, and now Arizona. Also inside multiple parks. Etc. Pretty much the biggest mountains in America.

I have never once smoked or overheated the brakes. I am not tooting my own horn here. Just sharing my experience with you.

I won't going into the driving part of it.

Again thanks for the experience, I will keep an eye on things.

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