Flat towing

[Gary3]

Thinking about a new jeep wrangler with automatic tranny can they be flat towed behind the camper and how much to set it up.

[Bumpyroad]

languiduck wrote:

True that I had a fixed tow bar, but that really wasn't my dislike. I disliked dealing with the brake buddy and plugging it in, and having the transponder in the 12v plug in the truck. The dolly is much easier, I drive up on it, put on two wheel straps and off I go. It's a more stable feeling to me too.

I plugged the 12 v transponder in the TV and that ended the "work" . what big issue did you have with it? if it is the number of 12 v items to plug in, since my highlander has plugs for the GPS, dash cam, sirius radio, radar detector, and CB one more in the TV didn't phase me. 🙂
bumpy

[tonymull]

bighatnohorse wrote:

tonymull wrote:
The cost of an open car hauler and a flat tow setup is roughly equal. If you have a little payload to spare, why put whatever wear and tear is involved on your $20000 vehicle rather than a $2500 trailer? And you can use the trailer for other things. You can not back up a flat tow setup.

Good question and there are at least two answers.
One, we can disconnect the toad and follow the truck camper to places that we cannot haul a trailer.
Second is that the car hauler requires licensing, tires, etc.
There are more reasons but the first one is our principle objection.

Good answer. I can see why it would be better for some people/situations. In our case we are traveling with a Prius C and an ATV on the trailer. We mosey up through BC, where the ATV is critical to fish some lakes, then spend 2 months in Alaska, where the DW has lots of family and friends and uses the Prius so we can go our separate ways at times, then we mosey back through BC. Wear and tear flat towing that route, and we do it every year, can be considerable.

[bighatnohorse]

tonymull wrote:
The cost of an open car hauler and a flat tow setup is roughly equal. If you have a little payload to spare, why put whatever wear and tear is involved on your $20000 vehicle rather than a $2500 trailer? And you can use the trailer for other things. You can not back up a flat tow setup.

Good question and there are at least two answers.
One, we can disconnect the toad and follow the truck camper to places that we cannot haul a trailer.
Second is that the car hauler requires licensing, tires, etc.
There are more reasons but the first one is our principle objection.

[languiduck]

Sometimes the rear axle weight is maxed out and there's no room for any more tongue weight. Besides, maintenance and tire replacement is just as real on a trailer as on a vehicle. Agreed that a trailer is ideal if you have room to haul it.

[tonymull]

The cost of an open car hauler and a flat tow setup is roughly equal. If you have a little payload to spare, why put whatever wear and tear is involved on your $20000 vehicle rather than a $2500 trailer? And you can use the trailer for other things. You can not back up a flat tow setup.

[languiduck]

bjbear wrote:

languiduck wrote:
Yes, all 4WD Wranglers can be flat towed. Transmission in gear or park, transfer case in neutral. I don't know about 2WD Wranglers, there are a few late models out there.
Having done both flat towing and using a car dolly, I prefer the dolly with electric brakes. Much easier to hook up, more stable, and I can back up a few feet if needed. I'll never go back to a tow bar.

Interesting comment. I was using a dolly when I towed my Mini, but when I traded it in for a GMC Terrain, I discovered that you cannot tow the AWD version on a dolly and it must be either flat towed or trailered. So I invested in a tow bar and brake system. Between the 2, I like flat towing better and found that it was easier to disconnect if I had to back up. Although I could back up the dolly for 20 - 50 feet if I was careful and made corrections every time it got out of line, I find it much easier to just disconnect and turn around. Of course, it has only happened a couple of times and always in the campground so I would be disconnecting anyway.

I wonder if the difference in our assessment of the two is due to the type of dolly vs. the type of tow bar. I am using Roadmaster Falcon 2 which has the independent arms that can be shortened when hooking up and a Brake Buddy which is very easy to set up and remove.

And to answer the OP's question, I also have a Wrangler and it is definitely tow-able 4 down.

True that I had a fixed tow bar, but that really wasn't my dislike. I disliked dealing with the brake buddy and plugging it in, and having the transponder in the 12v plug in the truck. The dolly is much easier, I drive up on it, put on two wheel straps and off I go. It's a more stable feeling to me too.

[Kayteg1]

There is parallel dispute about towing in ClassA section.
When some things can be personal preference and parking a dolly or trailer at campground sometimes takes effort, flat towing can set you quite few thousands $$ in brake system and bars, when that kind of money buys you new trailer.
When you change the car, you can still use the trailer with it, or resell the trailer for minimal loss.
Tow bars are mostly unsaleable on used market.

[bjbear]

languiduck wrote:
Yes, all 4WD Wranglers can be flat towed. Transmission in gear or park, transfer case in neutral. I don't know about 2WD Wranglers, there are a few late models out there.
Having done both flat towing and using a car dolly, I prefer the dolly with electric brakes. Much easier to hook up, more stable, and I can back up a few feet if needed. I'll never go back to a tow bar.

Interesting comment. I was using a dolly when I towed my Mini, but when I traded it in for a GMC Terrain, I discovered that you cannot tow the AWD version on a dolly and it must be either flat towed or trailered. So I invested in a tow bar and brake system. Between the 2, I like flat towing better and found that it was easier to disconnect if I had to back up. Although I could back up the dolly for 20 - 50 feet if I was careful and made corrections every time it got out of line, I find it much easier to just disconnect and turn around. Of course, it has only happened a couple of times and always in the campground so I would be disconnecting anyway.

I wonder if the difference in our assessment of the two is due to the type of dolly vs. the type of tow bar. I am using Roadmaster Falcon 2 which has the independent arms that can be shortened when hooking up and a Brake Buddy which is very easy to set up and remove.

And to answer the OP's question, I also have a Wrangler and it is definitely tow-able 4 down.

[languiduck]

Yes, all 4WD Wranglers can be flat towed. Transmission in gear or park, transfer case in neutral. I don't know about 2WD Wranglers, there are a few late models out there.
Having done both flat towing and using a car dolly, I prefer the dolly with electric brakes. Much easier to hook up, more stable, and I can back up a few feet if needed. I'll never go back to a tow bar.

[bighatnohorse]

There's a complete section on RV.net where your question has probably been answered many times over.
http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/listings/forum/31.cfm
Costs run anywhere from several hundred (buying used gear) to several thousand.
Some people find it too challenging to do the work themselves and others pay to have it done.

[portscanner]

I have a 2015 Jeep Wrangler w/ an automatic and I flat tow it.

I have a readybrake/readybrute tow bar which ties to the brake pedal to provide braking. I also have the wiring connected back to the factory connection (which is behind the glovebox) to operate the factory brake lights and tail lights, rather than diodes or auxiliary bulbs for the lights.

Baseplate, wiring harness, readybrake cabling (including emergency disconnect) and all parts and labor set me back $1360. I could have saved money and did it myself, but events at that time made it impossible.

The readybrute elite system set me back around $900

So the total cost was about $2260

As far as the process - put the transfer case into neutral, put the transmission in park (see owners manual for procedure) take out the ignition key, hitch up, and roll.

[LinkedXJ]

Yes they can.

I set these up for flat towing at work every now and then.

You'll need a brake buddy, a tow bar and a wiring kit.

[Bumpyroad]

check the owner's manual under either towing behind a motorhome or recreational towing. that is the only valid source.
bumpy