Flat towing a Jeep Wrangler

[GeoBoy]

We are thinking about flat towing a 2018 Jeep Wrangler but I am concerned with the weight,4,000 lbs., being towed by my 2015 GMC 3500 HD gas powered dually carrying our 4,800 lb. AF 990.
We like to spend our time in the mountains, hiking and canoeing and want to know what to expect flat towing the Jeep. Is it going to be a struggle for my rig, should I look for a lighter vehicle to flat tow? I don’t want to drop $35k and be unhappy with the decision. What say my fellow TC’ers who flat tow? Thanks.

[work2much]

mike/kellie wrote:

work2much wrote:
Don't want to hijack the thread, but I see OP question was answered.

We are considering a wrangler as a towed behind our camper. I have read some pretty conflicting things on the web. I assume flat towing a Jeep with the Jeeps transfer case in Neutral is ok? Some say to remove drivelines. That's shouldn't be needed?

Looking at other forums Blue OX makes both a hitch and mechanical brake for the Jeep. Is this a good set-up?

The trucks hitch extension is another area I am curious about.

PM me if you want to hear what I am doing. I did take advantage of a discounted new tow bar and just finished putting the base plate on our 2017 2 door Rubicon. I have the break-away cable and surge brake cable routed through the engine bay coming out in front and towed it around the hill a few times Sunday without lights and cable hook ups. Yes, tranny in park, transfer case in neutral and away you go.

Awesome, thanks, when we get a little closer I wil pm you with questions that arise,

[mike_kellie]

work2much wrote:
Don't want to hijack the thread, but I see OP question was answered.

We are considering a wrangler as a towed behind our camper. I have read some pretty conflicting things on the web. I assume flat towing a Jeep with the Jeeps transfer case in Neutral is ok? Some say to remove drivelines. That's shouldn't be needed?

Looking at other forums Blue OX makes both a hitch and mechanical brake for the Jeep. Is this a good set-up?

The trucks hitch extension is another area I am curious about.

PM me if you want to hear what I am doing. I did take advantage of a discounted new tow bar and just finished putting the base plate on our 2017 2 door Rubicon. I have the break-away cable and surge brake cable routed through the engine bay coming out in front and towed it around the hill a few times Sunday without lights and cable hook ups. Yes, tranny in park, transfer case in neutral and away you go.

[Grit_dog]

No doubt 4dr jk’s Are friggin sweet, but they have the same track width as the 2 door ones right? So not tippy err side to side and I doubt many flat towed toads are gnarly enough to run trails where end over end is an issue.
Now if they had just put the 4.0 in the 4 door ones.......

[bighatnohorse]

RV.net has a dedicated forum to dingy towing. You might get a wider knowledge base access there: rv.net dingy towing

Most Jeeps can be flat towed - check your specific year to be sure.
Two door vs four door: The two door models have a tighter turn radius which can be advantageous in getting around trees, rocks, holes, etc when off road. The four door is a bit cumbersome for that kind of off-roading.
Four door has obvious increased passenger and material carrying capacity.

Follow the link above for additional specific equipment needed for auxiliary braking systems.

[work2much]

Don't want to hijack the thread, but I see OP question was answered.

We are considering a wrangler as a towed behind our camper. I have read some pretty conflicting things on the web. I assume flat towing a Jeep with the Jeeps transfer case in Neutral is ok? Some say to remove drivelines. That's shouldn't be needed?

Looking at other forums Blue OX makes both a hitch and mechanical brake for the Jeep. Is this a good set-up?

The trucks hitch extension is another area I am curious about.

[yblaw]

I recommend the 4 door Wrangler for rough off-road use because it has a longer wheelbase, which makes the vehicle less "tippy" going over rocks/very uneven terrain. In addition, there is a lot more interior room to carry stuff, like recovery gear (tow straps, come-longs, etc.) and emergency supplies if you break down in the boondocks.....

[realter]

yblaw wrote:
I've been flat towing Jeeps for 50+ years. Nowadays, it's much more user-friendly, with adjustable tow bars from Roadmaster, Blue Ox, etc.


By the way, having owned more than 20 Jeeps over the past 50 years, if you plan to do any off-roading in rough terrain, I recommend the 4 door model.....

Why do you recommend the 4 door? Thanks

[lincolnmatthews]

We tow our 015 Rubicon (2-door) with our old 99 Dodge 1-ton 4x4 with our heavy Lance 1181 with no problems. I'm thinking I will install a supplement braking system after I start towing it more.

My only concern is that it maybe hard on the front end of the Jeep. My Brother in law has beat out the front ends of 2 Ford pickups behind his 40ft motorhome. Because of the long distance behind the rear wheels of the motorhome to the trucks front end. I don't know, I don't think it would be as much of a problem behind a truck & camper set up. Have fun & good luck!

[towpro]

yblaw wrote:


I have towed all types of Jeeps, from flat fender WWII models, to off-road racing Jeeps to CJ's, YJ's, TJ's, LJ's, and our current JKU 4 door, with motorhomes and with truck camper rigs. Bottom line? You shouldn't even notice it with your setup.

I flat tow a KJ. It carries me out onto the OuterBanks of NC sand

[bighatnohorse]

I think that you'll be unhappy with the mountain towing parts of your trip. The gas engine has to spin really fast to handle that much load.
Even my diesel knows when the Jeep is back there. You'll see higher oil temps, maybe tranny temps in the mountains. Average mpg drops about 1.5 gallons per mile when towing.

Just slow down and be careful. . .you can do it, just not as fast.

(Edit: wait a minute. . .did i just describe myself?)

[mountainkowboy]

No issues........we also tow a Wrangler and a Honda CR-V

[yblaw]

I've been flat towing Jeeps for 50+ years. Nowadays, it's much more user-friendly, with adjustable tow bars from Roadmaster, Blue Ox, etc.
For example, check this out: https://www.etrailer.com/Tow-Bars/Roadmaster/RM-522.html#exp-productdetails=.all-description

I have towed all types of Jeeps, from flat fender WWII models, to off-road racing Jeeps to CJ's, YJ's, TJ's, LJ's, and our current JKU 4 door, with motorhomes and with truck camper rigs. Bottom line? You shouldn't even notice it with your setup. Several/most states require separate braking systems in the towed Jeep; these also are available at etrailer.com, amazon, etc.

We recently returned from a 2,000 mile trip flat towing our JKU model, with our 20,000 lb Ram 5500/triple slide camper. Our Jeep has about 1,000 lbs additional weight with our off-road gear. It was smooth sailing all the way. If you need any additional information, send me a PM. By the way, having owned more than 20 Jeeps over the past 50 years, if you plan to do any off-roading in rough terrain, I recommend the 4 door model.....

[Grit_dog]

You're not going to notice the difference between a stripped down 2 door weight and a loaded 4 door. And provided your comfortable with the power your truck has now, it won't be a lot different.
The biggest thing is the toad or trailer will not be providing and wind resistance to the equation because the camper is already doing that for the whole setup.
Just got back from a trip with the camper, towing an almost 7000lb 10' tall boat behind. I notice virtually zero difference if it's just the TC or TC and trailer. Granted I've got over double the torque as your GM, but it's all relative. I get the same mileage and drive it the same trailer or no trailer.
Comfort levels are different though and if you're questioning your choice of engine after loading a big camper on your truck, then towing virtually anything will dog you down.

For comparison, friends have a V10 Class A that they towed their Wrangler behind. Similar engine power and wind resistance. Different becasue the A is better setup for towing than your dually, way deeper gears, but same thing, said he drives the same, about the same mileage, toad or not.

[GeoBoy]

Brent, we are looking at a 2 door Sport model with automatic transmission, AC and hard top.

[TxGearhead]

Are you saying you haven't bought the Jeep yet?
If you haven't bought it yet I would be looking at what options you need vs. what they weigh. Unless it's needed, I would get a 2 door with only the options you need.
I pulled an old CJ5 all over the west with a Class C that had a under powered 460 cu in. Never knew it was back there.