tc-lance wrote:
I own a well built (big tires, lift, etc) 06 jeep TJ that I would like to tow behind my truck camper. My Lance 850 was picked out thinking I would want to tow my jeep.
I was hoping to flat tow. Most places I will take the jeep will be at most a few hour drive. A trailer would be convenient for towing, but it will be a bother here at home and in campgrounds.
Research so far tells me I better install a toad braking system, especially since I will be on Colorado mountain passes. That is an expensive chunk of work.
The question. Tow bar mounting plates I have seen do not work with modified front sway bars and bumpers. Any advice on towing well built jeeps?
PS: The angle from my jeep bumper to the rear of my F250 4x4 should be pretty close to flat. That wont be a problem.
Thanks in advance for your comments.
tc-Lance,
Well Sir, you're certainly not alone in your quest. We've towed 7 different Jeep models for over 25 years and, a few zillion miles. CJ-5s, CJ-7s, YJs and, two different TJs. The TJ will tow just fine. All of them came with the 231, chain driven transfer case that, you most likely know this but, has a small, thin, rotary vain oil pump in the rear output tail section. That allows for flat towing for as long as you like.
As for an auxiliary braking system, a good one for you would be the Ready Brute-Ready Brake system. That system, which incorporates both a nice, extra heavy duty tow bar and, a "Surge Brake" type braking system for your TJ. It hovers around $800-$900 for the complete setup, plus or minus.
I've used 1/2 that system for quite a few years now. I use the Ready Brake system with a Blue Ox tow bar. But, if you're doing it from the get-go, I'd recommend the one I stated. That way, it's all done in one shot and, it's a matched system. It's real easy to set up and, you don't have any of those "Robots" sitting in front of your drivers seat in the Jeep that you have to move and store.
As for setting up the tow brackets on your TJ, this depends on your outlook on how you feel about permanent brackets. I did it several times and, it worked flawless. This will be something you'll have to decide for yourself. If you've got fabrication skills or, know someone who does, you can fab up some nice brackets that will work for you very easily or, simply purchase some from e-trailer.com or, any one of ton of suppliers out there. Then, you can either weld or, bolt them on. PM me if you'd like to see custom setup on the Ready Brake system that's seriously nicer than what the factory instructs you to do. Good luck
Scott
P.S. Below are a couple of pics of us and our "TJ". It too had a 6" lift and, 35s. Sorry there's no close up of the tow brackets for you to get an idea from. I'll dig around and see if I can find closeup views of them.
