Jeep Wranger flat tow plan, thoughts?

Good thinking. That is exactly what I would do.
However, I towed my '06 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon Unlimited. with a simple Reese adjustable width fixed arm towbar ($165 at Walmart), with the brackets bolted to a custom after-market bumper. In fact, I used the same towbar on earlier Jeeps with the brackets bolted to the stock bumper (with strong back-up plates, of course).

As far as wiring, I have used a 6 pole double throw switch wired in to select between the towing wiring and the vehicle wiring, and I have used a 4 pin trailer connector next to the driver's seat, to switch between the towing wiring and the vehicle wiring. I have never used any of the specialty wire harness adapters, so I have no opinion about them. I hear they do the job just fine.

I think you have the situation handled quite well.

mowermech thanks for the feedback! I had debated about a fixed arm tow bar but still needing some type of breaks it seems the Ready Brute is the simplest option out there.

We use the CoolTech harness just the way it came, and wired just as the directions said, has worked great for 7 years.

You could do as well with a much cheaper tow bar. Our Falcon II works great on our jeep.

Jeeps only weigh 4500# you really don't need a 10k tow bar.

Tom/Barb wrote:
You could do as well with a much cheaper tow bar. Our Falcon II works great on our jeep.

Jeeps only weigh 4500# you really don't need a 10k tow bar.

Good points. I wish ReadyBrute made a lighter weight one. Reason for going with it is that the braking is built in so I don't need to purchase a brake box or something else. At least that has been my rational.

Y-Guy wrote:
mowermech thanks for the feedback! I had debated about a fixed arm tow bar but still needing some type of breaks it seems the Ready Brute is the simplest option out there.

The simplest brake system is one that is built in such as M&G if you have air brakes or SMI Stay and Play if you have a gasser. I have had both and was happy with both.

I tried the SMI Stay and Play on my new Diesel Pusher with Air Brakes and found that because my exhaust brake also activated my brake lights, on long grades I was over heating the brakes on my Jeep Wrangler. I had an M&G System installed and I have been very happy with the whole operation.

Also, I have changed my tow bar to the Blue Ox. I had a Falcon III that did the job, but I found the Blue Ox simpler and a lot less heavy metal to clank around. JH

Y-Guy wrote:
mowermech thanks for the feedback! I had debated about a fixed arm tow bar but still needing some type of breaks it seems the Ready Brute is the simplest option out there.

I agree! If I ever buy another Jeep, that is exactly the way I plan to go. Simple, purely mechanical, (except for the indicator light, if installed), and it works! I have read very few trouble reports on the system.

Y-Guy wrote:

Tom/Barb wrote:
You could do as well with a much cheaper tow bar. Our Falcon II works great on our jeep.

Jeeps only weigh 4500# you really don't need a 10k tow bar.

Good points. I wish ReadyBrute made a lighter weight one. Reason for going with it is that the braking is built in so I don't need to purchase a brake box or something else. At least that has been my rational.

One bad experience we had, when the tow bar broke, I heard it and hit the airbrakes on the coach and the jeep stopped prior to hitting the coach. thanks to a separate brake system.

Be very careful of making sharp corners with the jeep in tow.
With a long overhang behind the rear Axel of the motorhome, it will swing left as you turn right. That leaves the jeep at a 90 degree angle to the coach, so when you drive out of the corner you will drag the jeep sideways.
We tore the front cross member out of the jeep doing that. and the jeep stopped again prior to hitting the jeep.
Our friends had an older CJ, with an after market bumper which had a ridged tow bar, no brakes. bumper came loose and launched the jeep into the ditch and over a bank. totaled it.

lessons we learned the hard way.
separate brakes system
safety chains
rest stop safety inspections

I went with the same Ready Brute set up as you to tow our 2dr Jeep TJ. The hardest part was drilling the bumper for the bolt on brackets. For lights, I am using a set of Haul Master magnetic tow lights. I use a ball bungee to help secure the lights to the bumper. Just run the wire over the tailgate,up the passenger side, out the door and under the hood to the front. Only takes a couple of minutes to setup and take down. Have only used on a couple of trips, but no problems.

We're using a Hopkins lighting kit from etrailer. It's easy to install and works as described. The only mod we did was to cut off the connector and wire it to our 7pin unit on the base plate.
The bar is a Roadmaster Sterling along with the base plate. For brakes we are currently using the newer Brake Buddy. We're looking at moving to the Stay n Play just to further simplify the hookup/unhook process.
Gary

I appreciate all the comments. I have a couple questions;

1) For those that have a Jeep and use Magnetic lights where and how did you attach them? I still have the factory bumper so it's mostly plastic.

2) Another user elsewhere stated this, "be aware that, if you use a cable system like Ready Brake (aka Ready Brute) or, any other system that pulls or pushes on the Jeeps brake pedal/arm, you will activate the Jeeps brake lights, with its own brake switch, located at the brake arm." While this makes some sense I would have thought the CoolTech or Mopar wiring harness wouldn't allow this to become an issue.