Hello, fellow RVers. We have a 2013 Sunseeker 3170 and a 2012 Jeep Rubicon.Just came off a trip where we had a medical emergency but no Jeep! Please help us determine what we need to buy to tow it.We had an estimate from Camping World for $3,700, installed. It includes a Falcon All-Terrain tow bar, Roadmaster InvisiBrake, wiring kit, tow bar bracket and Sterling all-terrain tow bar accessory kit.Hopeful we can find another cheaper option (read: used) on Craigslist but I don't know what to look for. Several searches on RV.net suggest Blue Ox, but what exactly should I look for?Many thanks for your suggestions!

I would recommend a tow bar that stays on the rear of the motorhome and has levers to release it, not slip rings. I used a blue ox aventa II myself with a brake buddy system. that price seems a little high to me. does it have a breakaway system on it?bumpy

For everything noted that they are installing, $3700 isnt too awful bad. However, there are a few things you can do different, that will drop that cost drastically. Without necessarily having to look for used equipment on Craigs list (although that works, too).First off, forget the Falcon tow bar and Invisibrake system they suggested. Order Readybrake's Readybrute Elite tow bar with integrated/included braking system from hitchsource with free shipping for $1175. That alone will save you well over $1000 from what CW was going to charge you, since you don't have to buy a separate braking system.Other things you'll need is the base plates for another aprx. $440 (you can get that from hitchsource with free shipping, too), Readybrake's Readystop break-away unit for another $100 or so, and a taillight wiring kit for maybe another $70. Then, of course, installation for all this if you don't want to install it yourself.I'm betting, you can order all I mentioned, and get it installed, for MUCH less than $3700. I'm going to guess somewhere around 2000 or 2500.Thats what I'd recommend.

You can save on the braking system cost by using a surge brake like ReadyBrake, which can be combined with a good tow bar as the ReadyBrute.You can save on the tow bar by using an A-frame, which I've seen as cheap as $50 though good ones tend to be about $150-300. But then you are back to needing a separate braking system. A-frames are more work to hook up than the more expensive extensible tow bars, but no more work than hooking up a trailer to a ball. You can't usually get around the cost of towing brackets (Roadmaster) or a baseplate (BlueOx or Demco) for the Jeep. Cheap A-frame tow bars sometimes come with tabs to bolt or weld to a metal bumper, but that sometimes also needs a special bumper. Not many bumpers today are made to handle towing stresses.Picking the right pieces, making some compromises on ease of use, doing all the installation yourself (a big part of the $3700 is labor at shop rates) you might get the price down to $800 to $1500 with a braking solution. What CW is trying to sell you is what is most popular for towing, convenient to use. They are selling the Roadmaster version because that is what they sell, but the BlueOx version of the same thing will be about the same price.

CW if you a re member has a $39 install on items THEY SELL. A falcon Towbar runs just under $800 is all terrain and works well. Dont buy the tow shields as they are not worth the $500 IMO, only saw 1 or 2 with them in 4000 miles plus. The light kit they sold me was $100 ($29 install). Make sure you have them if you have them install add a charge line to the system (they didn't on mine, dead battery on towd 1st day out).But I would recommend that you go the craigs list route, can find good stuff cheap if you know what to look for. We bought out RV and it came with the tow bar, the brake system for the car. CW did the install on the base plate and light wire kit. Their price for the baseplate was about $100 more than I could get off internet but then you need to install yourself or pay a shop to do. I took the lazy way and spent the $100 extra. So base plate install wire kit etc came to about $700. Like wise the add a brake systems are on CL all the time eally dont know that they are worth the 1000's they cost since most can be found for a couple of hundered and have minimal install requirements. I added the one we got and it took about 2 hours total install. It is one tht runs about $1000, but CW was not familiar with brand (surprise) but it was easy to hook up and it stays in place on the vehicle no need to put in take out.Too many folks go the new only route, but there are good items needing to be 'recycled' as they say for much less. Another thing would be to add a sirius radio system, about $10 a month $70 initial outlay. Used ours extensively this summer and its one that can be transferred between vehicles by plug and play. Just a thought for ya.

follow this THREAD - i just answered a bunch of question about flat towing a jeep, including part numbers & pictures LINK HERE

Help choosing towing system Sunseeker Class C | Good Sam Community

reinita
Explorer
Jul 26, 2014
Just used the system from Michigan to Pennsylvania. Loved it! Worked as planned. Easy to set up and use. Thanks again!
reinita
Explorer
Jul 18, 2014
After tons of research, decided on the Blue Ox with the Patriot braking system. Got everything but the Patriot online and are having it all installed at a locals hope we've worked with before. Saved >$600 from original quote. Would have been more if I'd ordered the Patriot online, too.
Couldn't find what we wanted used and opted for this system for ease of use, reputation and ability to use it for many more years. (We are getting a Class A "someday").
Thanks again for all of the suggestions and for reminding me of the towing limitations (we were not going to exceed them regardless).
Happy camping!
sassydad
Explorer
Jul 15, 2014
Try using youtube for helpful vids on different towbars and base plate installation. Gives you a good idea whats out there. I found a falcon 2 towbar new in box on craigslist for $250. You just have to be patient.
reinita
Explorer
Jul 15, 2014
And I appreciated learning about that option, too. Thanks again.
willald
Explorer II
Jul 14, 2014
Bumpyroad wrote:
with that logic I can only assume that it is not a good idea to over engineer something?

No, over-engineering definitely has its merits.

However, in this case, when that 'over-engineering' means spending $1k more to get a tow bar with 10k capacity vs 8k, when you have a much 'weaker link' in the chain limited to 5k (hitch receiver)....No, sorry, I'm not sure I'd call that over-engineering a good idea. Thats just MHO, though.

(...And, thats without even getting into how much better and easier to use a brake system the Readybrake would be over an 'electronics box' type system like the Patriot.)

But, its the Original poster's decision, not ours. I just thought that since the initial post initially asked for ways to do this without spending as much $$, that saving a bunch by going with an integrated tow bar and brake system that'd cost $1k or more less, would be a good idea.
cwit
Explorer
Jul 14, 2014
They are trying to .steer you to the best system. I have the ready brute elite and think it is the best. There is.
reinita
Explorer
Jul 13, 2014
Off Pavement wrote:
Not that it will change your mind reinita, but your Sunseeker's hitch is only rated to 5000 lbs. While there isn't anything wrong with over engineering on the tow bar, don't overlook how much your RV can tow.

You're right! Doh! Forgot about that. Thanks.
Bumpyroad
Explorer
Jul 13, 2014
willald wrote:
Off Pavement wrote:
Not that it will change your mind reinita, but your Sunseeker's hitch is only rated to 5000 lbs. While there isn't anything wrong with over engineering on the tow bar, don't overlook how much your RV can tow.

Thats a really good point, and yet another reason why the Blue Ox tow bar's 10k capacity vs 8k of the Readybrake really is insignificant; You'll exceed the hitch receiver's limit looong before you come close to the 8k limit of the Readybrake towbar.

Will

with that logic I can only assume that it is not a good idea to over engineer something?
bumpy
willald
Explorer II
Jul 13, 2014
Off Pavement wrote:
Not that it will change your mind reinita, but your Sunseeker's hitch is only rated to 5000 lbs. While there isn't anything wrong with over engineering on the tow bar, don't overlook how much your RV can tow.

Thats a really good point, and yet another reason why the Blue Ox tow bar's 10k capacity vs 8k of the Readybrake really is insignificant; You'll exceed the hitch receiver's limit looong before you come close to the 8k limit of the Readybrake towbar.

Will
Off_Pavement
Explorer II
Jul 13, 2014
Not that it will change your mind reinita, but your Sunseeker's hitch is only rated to 5000 lbs. While there isn't anything wrong with over engineering on the tow bar, don't overlook how much your RV can tow.