Towing question, tow dolly or flat tow?

[LazyJL]

Another flat towing vote. I have towed our three Jeeps over 150,000 miles during the last 20+ years without issues.
On all three, I have used Roadmaster towbars and base plates, along with Demco tow brake units, successfully.
Tow dollies and trailers have the problem of what to do with them when camping in established campgrounds. Dollies accomplish little and are usually used with cars that can not be flat towed without damaging the transmission.
The Demco brake control box is mounted on the firewall, under the vacuum brake booster, and is out of the way.
Wranglers have got to be one of the easiest vehicles to flat tow.

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[VKSheridan]

Similar to others, we flat tow. I started out with an NSA Ready Brute II towbar which has a brake actuator built in that physically pulls your brake pedal proportionately to apply your Jeep’s brakes. It works good for slowing down and stopping but wasn’t reactive enough when trying to hold back the speed on long inclines so I replaced the actuator in the tow bar with a standard receiver and use a Brake Buddy Select 3 that I can apply the brakes from the cab on long declines with the wireless controller.

Instead of a “Drive/Tow” switch, I installed a 12 pole relay that is powered by the 7th pin in my pigtail. Un-energized the Jeep’s stop/brake/park lights are powered by the Jeep like a stock rig. When connected to my coach, the relay gets voltage from the 7th pin and changes the source from the Jeep to the coach and my coach powers the lights, not the Jeep. I started with a switch but quickly realized I’m too much of an airhead to remember to throw the switch every time so I made it automatic. I also have a DC to DC charger powered off the 7th pin to keep my battery from discharging under tow.

One of the things to consider when considering a dolly is where to put it when not towing. You have to disconnect it to get into a back-in site and then drag it to get it out of the way. Flat tow is quick and painless

Jeeps aren't supposed to be dollied. Read your manual for info.

IMHO, flat-towing is the way to go. No trailers to store, quickest to go from toad to driver compared to pulling a full trailer, or a dolly for that matter.

My set-up is:

• Blue OX non-binding towbar on the motorhome
• Maximus-3 tow loops on the Jeep (basically invisible when not in use- see pic)
• Cool Tech towing harness for the lights (Flip a switch, and your lights are good to go.)
• RVi towed battery charger (No dead battery when you get where you're going.)
• Patriot Brake system (It's a good choice, but wasn't what I wanted. However, since it came free with the motorhome, it's what I use. It works well, and I'm not spending $1500 to replace something that works!)

I installed everything on the Jeep myself, and while none of it is "Plug-n-play easy", it's not really hard if you like working on your vehicle yourself. You might even use it as an excuse to buy a couple new tools!

Also, if you are going to attach the towbar to your bumper, MAKE SURE IT'S RATED for that. Many are NOT. The nice thing about baseplates and the tow loops is that they are mounted DIRECTLY to the frame.

I did the switch set up like you and then I realized I’m too forgetful to have a switch that I need to flip between tows so I took it out and in its place, I installed a relay. When the relay is not energized, it’s akin to the switch being in “Jeep“ position. When energized, it’s in “Tow” position. To energize the switch, I use power from the 7th pin on my pigtail that also powers my DC to DC charger. It wires the exact same as you have your switch but with a power and ground wire to energize the relay coil. It works like a champ.

 

[au176]

Similar to others, we flat tow. I started out with an NSA Ready Brute II towbar which has a brake actuator built in that physically pulls your brake pedal proportionately to apply your Jeep’s brakes. It works good for slowing down and stopping but wasn’t reactive enough when trying to hold back the speed on long inclines so I replaced the actuator in the tow bar with a standard receiver and use a Brake Buddy Select 3 that I can apply the brakes from the cab on long declines with the wireless controller.

Instead of a “Drive/Tow” switch, I installed a 12 pole relay that is powered by the 7th pin in my pigtail. Un-energized the Jeep’s stop/brake/park lights are powered by the Jeep like a stock rig. When connected to my coach, the relay gets voltage from the 7th pin and changes the source from the Jeep to the coach and my coach powers the lights, not the Jeep. I started with a switch but quickly realized I’m too much of an airhead to remember to throw the switch every time so I made it automatic. I also have a DC to DC charger powered off the 7th pin to keep my battery from discharging under tow.

One of the things to consider when considering a dolly is where to put it when not towing. You have to disconnect it to get into a back-in site and then drag it to get it out of the way. Flat tow is quick and painless


I did the switch set up like you and then I realized I’m too forgetful to have a switch that I need to flip between tows so I took it out and in its place, I installed a relay. When the relay is not energized, it’s akin to the switch being in “Jeep“ position. When energized, it’s in “Tow” position. To energize the switch, I use power from the 7th pin on my pigtail that also powers my DC to DC charger. It wires the exact same as you have your switch but with a power and ground wire to energize the relay coil. It works like a champ.

A relay? That's a great solution. Why didn't I think of that??? I guess that when I retired, all that knowledge went out the window!

 

[VKSheridan]

A relay? That's a great solution. Why didn't I think of that??? I guess that when I retired, all that knowledge went out the window!

It’s been bullet proof and it fits under the passenger door runner where the tail light harnesses run. No need for diodes since the circuits are fully isolated. Here’s a relay comparable to the one I’m running: Tow Relay

 

[kickingaz]

I tow my Jeeps (several Wranglers and two Gladiators) with a RoadMaster towbar and adapters to go to the d-ring through the bumper to the frame. Because we rock crawl, I did not like to mounts being the lowest point on the Jeep and possibly getting damaged when we are off-road. I also have a Brake Buddy that is decades old but still works, and bluetooth magnetic lights/brake lights/turn signals that plug into the 7-way on the RV.

 

[LukeDagny]

I love my JL and it flat tows easily, but the equipment needed to flat tow is definitely more complicated than my LJ. I used these simple universal brackets bolted to the bumper;

https://www.etrailer.com/dept-pg-Ac...f-Tow_Bar-pt-Adapters-pc-Bumper_Brackets.aspx

 

[DWR.]

I mean, if you remove your driveshaft, I don’t see any reason why there would be an issue.

 

[kickingaz]

I used these HK Shackle Tabs and found them to be very well built. I had the cover plates and tabs powder coated black to match the bumper.
https://www.hkoffroad.com/collectio...-jt-shackle-tab-kit-for-stock-rubicon-bumpers

 

[West_Coaster]

I was looking at some Youtube videos today and saw a lot of interesting tow setups.
One guy had a 10" rise hitch and went to his D rings, the Blue Ox had at least a foot of drop from his bumper to the hitch.
My D rings are 27" high, and my motorhome hitch is about 14" high, but thats with a straight receiver, no drop or rise. Gonna call Etrailer and see what they recommend. My buddy has a similar setup and he uses a raised hitch and a Blue Ox to his d rings, he says it works but tows wonky.

 

[VKSheridan]

I was looking at some Youtube videos today and saw a lot of interesting tow setups.
One guy had a 10" rise hitch and went to his D rings, the Blue Ox had at least a foot of drop from his bumper to the hitch.
My D rings are 27" high, and my motorhome hitch is about 14" high, but thats with a straight receiver, no drop or rise. Gonna call Etrailer and see what they recommend. My buddy has a similar setup and he uses a raised hitch and a Blue Ox to his d rings, he says it works but tows wonky.

You want your towbar as level as possible. I think the number is “no more than 3” difference in height at the attachment points”. Like many others, I don’t use a base plate but rather, use the D rings in my bumper. I’ve logged almost 30K miles on that set up with zero issues.

 

[au176]

I was looking at some Youtube videos today and saw a lot of interesting tow setups.
One guy had a 10" rise hitch and went to his D rings, the Blue Ox had at least a foot of drop from his bumper to the hitch.
My D rings are 27" high, and my motorhome hitch is about 14" high, but thats with a straight receiver, no drop or rise. Gonna call Etrailer and see what they recommend. My buddy has a similar setup and he uses a raised hitch and a Blue Ox to his d rings, he says it works but tows wonky.

Definitely want the towbar itself as level as possible. Get the advice from Etrailer, or one of the towbar manufacturers' websites.

 

[kickingaz]

You want your towbar as level as possible. I think the number is “no more than 3” difference in height at the attachment points”. Like many others, I don’t use a base plate but rather, use the D rings in my bumper. I’ve logged almost 30K miles on that set up with zero issues.

I agree 100% with keeping the towbar as level as possible. In my case, I bought a drop hitch receiver and flipped it as my Jeep had a lift. This put the towbar very close to level with the d-ring mounts on my Wranglers and Gladiators I flat towed.

 

[RedRubiSled]

Another vote for flat tow. Recently installed all mods needed to tow my JLUR with my Class A. After about 2500 tow miles, all working good!
My tow equipment:
Smitty Blit Atlas bumper (one of few that mfg explicitly rates for directly connecting to tow bar)
Road master Black Hawk tow bar & cables (old)
Roadmaster Invisibrake (includes battery charge wire)
Roadmaster Brake light switch (shows on MoHo dash)
Roadmaster wiring kit w/smart diodes (for LED lights)
Kurt 2" drop hitch adapter

I did the work myself with help on the bumper. Nothing too difficult wiring is most time consuming.
Good luck!

 

[LukeDagny]

You want your towbar as level as possible. I think the number is “no more than 3” difference in height at the attachment points”. Like many others, I don’t use a base plate but rather, use the D rings in my bumper. I’ve logged almost 30K miles on that set up with zero issues.

+/- 3" is the number for Blue Ox. Attached is a copy of Blue Ox's manual

https://manuals.plus/blue-ox/bx4370-ascent-tow-bar-manual

 

[West_Coaster]

Well I had a good day, was able to pull the motorhome out and park it on level ground, my hitch is actually 18.5" high from the ground, not 12". My driveway slopes and faked me out.
So with a 27" tall bumper, I have a difference between the 2 mounting surfaces of 8.5", much smaller than what I was worried about.
I will get a 10K rated 6 or 7" rise receiver hitch and that will put me within the +/-3" recommended height tow bar. Very relieved about this.
Next will be figuring out the braking system, sucks that are so expensive.

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