EVERYTHING you need to know about Flat Towing a Jeep Wrangler
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- Опубліковано 31 бер 2020
- In this video you will learn all about how to flat tow (four-down towing or dinghy towing) your Jeep Wrangler or other vehicle (transfer case subject to change) behind your motorhome or RV. This is an affordable towing option that has worked great for us. We will tell you all you need to know about Flat Towing (Four Down Towing, Dinghy Towing) specifically using the Blue Ox Aladdin Tow Bar and the Break Buddy Braking System. You can see links to all these heavy duty towing supplies here. Flat towing is an essential part of RV living for us, and we are happy to pass on all our tips as well as the flat tow mistakes you want to avoid!
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/ @benandbrandi
Products Used in This Video:
Universal Tow Brackets: amzn.to/3Nw0hGx
Tow Light Kit for Jeep JK: amzn.to/3ONdYCg
Tow Cables: amzn.to/3QLSM18
Tow Bar: amzn.to/3HX2ycM
Brake Buddy: amzn.to/3nkYQjF
Trailer Light Cable: amzn.to/3nmwSnH
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Best video ever. I was about to purchase a whole new tow system for the Wrangler I just purchased until I heard you say Blue Ox universal bracket! I also just bought the same brake buddy and needed a good tutorial. Thanks man!
Thank you! Hope you subscribe to our channel and check out some of our newer episodes! Safe travels!
New to towing behind an RV. This was really helpful! Thanks
Very well explained!
I can’t thank you enough for this video! It help me figure out everything I needed to know!!!
Glad to hear it! You CAN subscribe and follow our content! We film a new episode every week! Also we did make an updated flat tow video you should check out.
-Ben
Ben, thanks man, my wife and I have been towing our 2015 Rubicon all WRONG! I have been leaving the key in the accessory position this entire time. GREAT to know about the 12 volt adapter in the center console is always on. I am towing the Jeep later today and this was GREAT information. THANK YOU!
No problem Ken! Hope you will subscribe to our channel and follow our content!
-Ben
Loved the vid! Great info to know
Thank you! Glad we could help! Thanks, for watching!
Thank you for teaching me that keep it up you lit. I liked the video.👍
Thank you for watching!
Thank you. Video was very informative and well done.
Thank you for the kind words! I hope you subscribe and check out some of our other episodes!
Nicely done. Short and to the point!
Thank you! That was my intent! Thanks for watching!
Everything I needed to know!
Thank you! Please subscribe and check out our full episodes!
Perfect lesson you gave! I was trying to see if I need to leave the key in aux like the manual said! Guess not!
Thanks
Thank you! Glad you watched our video. Please subscribe and check out some of our full episodes!
How does the brake buddy know how much pressure to apply to the pedal? Is there gain adjustments that are made?
can you flat tow a jeep cherokee xj like this? also has aftermarket front bumper with shackle points.
So im planning on flat towing a 2012 jeep wrangler stick shift. My question is how can i put the key ignition into the unlocked position so the jeep can turn wheels when I go to make a turn with the towing vehicle.
Thank you so much for posting this. We just bought a new RV and a new to us 2018 JK and today will be the first day we practice hooking things up and trying out the blue ox version of the brake buddy. I am most concerned to make sure we do the jeeps neutral transfer case and Park properly and of course I’ll read the manual to see how we put it back to driving once we get to our destination.
Your welcome!! Thanks for watching! Just do everything in reverse. Putting it back in Park is very easy! 😉
Nice video :)
Thank you!
Thanks, new to this and interesting to actually see this stuff connected. I have the same tail lights on my 2d wrangler. Question: Does the pump on the brake buddy run all the time?
Only when you hit the brake. It is very efficient. Please subscribe to our channel! We make full episodes of off-road trips.
Just wanted to say hello and great how to video! My question is on your break controller in the Jeep does the compressor run all the time?
Thank you!
No the compressor only runs if it uses the brakes several times, it is used to re-air the compression system. Very low power consumption. Please subscribe to our channel!
Thank you very much for this video. Just drove across 3 states to pick up a right hand drive Jeep to take with us when moving to Kenya. I'm glad I watched this before taking off. I would've killed the transmission.
No problem! Please subscribe and continuing to watch our videos! Would be awesome to have a viewer in Kenya!
@@BenandBrandi Yep. Just subscribed and will definitely be watching more. I'm an American who is married to a Kenyan. We're building a rescue center for orphans, widows and battered women and will be taking our new Jeep deep in the African bush, off road to use as a rescue vehicle.
That is so awesome!! You should send me some more info on our website and maybe we can work together at some point!
@@BenandBrandi That would be absolutely awesome! I will for sure do that.
Like hitting the easy button. Thanks
Thank you! Hope you will subscribe to our channel!
Hi Quick Question. I have a 08JK Stick Shift Do both TK and Trans have to be on Nutral? when flat tow? thx for the video great info
Yes the transfer case is most important!
Please subscribe to our channel.
Thank you, this video was EXACTLY what I was looking for to understand how to flat tow another vehicle ... the only thing is I'm planning on doing this with a unique vehicle that doesn't originally come with a transfer case to allow the driveshaft and the transmission to be disconnected from each other; I'm going to need to get a transfer case installed to do this, and then I need to look into finding a ???blue ox??? -like tow coupler that is beefy enough to tow my vehicle loaded / unloaded. Thank you again!
Please subscribe to our channel and check out some of our full episodes!
As you stumbling along to put your Jeep transfer case in neutral, due to not yet in 4x4 mode, it is confusing as you only show the shifters and not what your Jeep shows at the dashboard.
What year jeep
dumb q: I have a 2016 Rubicon with power brakes. Do the breaks work if the engine is off (per your comment in the video about taking your key out).
Yep. Are you using a brake Buddy?
What size lift kit do you have in the Jeep and what size tires? I have 4.5" lift kit with 37" tires. Do you worry about the mounts to the bumper getting taken out by a rock when off roading?
3.5 and 37” and no, the mounts are super strong.
Thanks for the video man! What happens if you just put the Jeep’s transmission in neutral and the transfer remains in 2H? Will it damage something while you’re pulling the Jeep?
It will wear on everything, you would NOT want to do that.
Please subscribe to our channel!
@@BenandBrandi got it! Thank you man! 🙏
Hello we did a straight 7 hr drive and when we arrived the 21 jeep jl wouldn't start. I use the blue ox patriot brake system and our installer installed a drive and tow switch that I believe transfers the control of the turn signals and braking to the rv. What I noticed that event though I have confirmed power going too my battery from the rv when I hit the brake it puts my ignition in ready to start mode while driving. Last tow I started the jeep each time I got fuel and that seems to work. Driving to Montana from San Diego so a lil nervous has this happened to you?
It has not. It sounds like your key is on the on position… make sure it is off.
How many times have you had to jump start the Jeep when using the brake assist?
Never.
This is a great video. I have a Jeep Wrangler that I flat tow also. I noticed that your tail lights are LED on your Wrangler. I purchased some LED tail lights last week and they would not work with my motorhome lights, i.e. turn signal lights, brake lights and running lights. I called Blue Ox and they said their wiring harness was not designed to work with LED lights. How did you get yours to work when connected to your mortorhome and do I need to purchase a specifit LED taillight? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks! We use the Hopkins kit, however I believe if you install resistors on your led lights they will register more voltage and correctly. Good luck!
Thanks!!
So will the brakes still work well with out the key in the ignition ?
Yes. You just have to have a 12v plug that is hot all the time.
I’m towing my 2017 Jeep Wrangler from Montana to California. Do you recommend flat towing behind the uhaul?
Should be fine. Depending on the towing capacity of the truck…
My 2008 Wrangler has a stearing wheel lock. Locks after 1/2 turn of stearing wheel . I have to leave key on.
From the manual:
STEERING WHEEL LOCK
Your vehicle may be equipped with a passive steering
wheel lock. This lock prevents steering the vehicle without
the ignition key. If the steering wheel is moved
approximately a half turn in either direction, and the key
is not in the ignition, the steering wheel will lock.
To Manually Lock the Steering Wheel
With the engine running, rotate the steering wheel one-
half revolution from the straight ahead position, turn off
the engine, and remove the key. Rotate the steering wheel
slightly in both directions until the lock engages.
To Release the Steering Wheel Lock
Insert the key in the ignition, and turn the wheel slightly
to the left or right, to disengage the lock.
NOTE: If you turned the wheel to the right to engage
the lock, you must turn the wheel slightly to the right to
disengage it. If you turned the wheel to the left to engage
the lock, turn the wheel slightly to the left to disengage it.
Reply
Thanks for the video. Is you Class A diesel or gas? looking to buy a class A but thought I need a diesel to pull my JKU with 37's? If gas what engine and tow rating? thanks again
Gas v10, 5000 lb towing capacity I believe.
@@BenandBrandi Perfect, thanks
You bet! I hope you subscribe to our channel and check out some of our Moab and over landing videos!
Not sure how long you have been running it exactly as shown but I have a few important tips.
1. The mounts installed to the bumper have very little structural support. A lot of states require mounts to be fastened to the frame (as a baseplate would) you can get around that by placing mounts on the bumper where it bolts to the frame. Hard rock offroad sells the adapters for that.
2. That jeep stock weight 4,600 lbs. Yours looks fully loaded and most likely is pushing 6000lbs. Most rigs come with a 3500lb or 5000lb receiver. I recommend upping to a class IV receiving capable of towing handing 6000lbs. This will be a weld on reciever most likely
3. Especially since your towing out of your max weight limit, you want that tow bar as perfectly in line as possible. This will reduce strain on your mounts and connections. Rule of thumb is no more than 3-4" inch difference in most cases.
Other than that good work!
Very good tips! Thanks! Hoping to slim down on some weight soon... more on that coming soon.
@@BenandBrandi no problem man. Ya my father had the same setup with the brackets mounted to the thin bumper meta towed behind is 32 ft rambler, long story short, his jeep went onto the shoulder after one of them broke off. Here's a link to the brackets that bolt up straight to the frame through the bumper. Also, you may need the 6" rise blue ox hitch extender to level it all out after doing that 👌www.rockhard4x4.com/Jeep_Tow_Bar_Adapters_Brackets_s/416.htm
www.blueoxtowbars.com/products/6_inch_Drop_Receiver,BX88130
👍🏾
Thanks I just bought a Motorhome and bought a jeep to flat tow today and this helps!
Your welcome! If you happened to buy. 2018 or later we made an updated version for the newer Jeeps!
-Ben
@@BenandBrandi I bought a 2012
Looks like those brackets on the bumper would get destroyed on the rocks. Have any issues ?
I thought the same thing! Have not had a single issue. They seem super tough. I have ran them into rocks in Moab. You can see in our Moab videos!
My 2008 Wrangler has steering wheel lock after 1/2 turn. Lot of people have ruined tires thinking they did not have a SW lock. Be sure to turn more than 1/2 turn to test.
Good info! Thanks for the tip!
My 07 locks at half turn
2008 2009 have locking steering. This is something you all have to verify!!
2016 wrangler 2 door...wouldn't the power brakes work better with the key in on position ?
The idea of towing a vehicle in park seems counter intuitive. That's how all vehicles are parked with an automatic transmission. It locks the transmission. Or does having the transfer case disable the parking locking mechanism on a jeep? So does that mean you can't drive a jeep with the transfer case in neutral?
You cannot.
As this is not legal in Germany I was really curious how such a tow bar setup works and how the car is turning. Initially I thought this bar is somehow connected to the steering arm/rod.
Now I've seen that you just let the wheels turn like they want to. So I wondered if this always works but at 9:55 you can see the wheels trying to drive to the left but it's been pulled to the right. I guess if the ground is not that soft it will work better, but what about big potholes. Can it happen, if you hit a deep pothole with one wheel that the towed car tries to escape to the side?
PS: Great video I've learned a lot! :)
Thank you!
Never had an issue with it turning the wrong way. For the most part the pulling force keeps them in the proper direction.
Ben, I belong to a RV/Jeep Facebook group. And recently there was a post “don’t be this guy” with a photo that looks like you. The photo was your Jeep with the front bumper removed or torn off.
I questioned the poster asking what happened. He posted a link to this video, which clearly shows your Jeep. After further discussion he suggested because you mounted your Blue Ox baseplate adapters low and on skid plate is what caused damage.
I’m asking because I use a similar setup. Except I use the LoD tow bar adapter which replaces the ends of the tow bar with 1” pins and you can put those right into the lugs where you attach d-rings.
If you had some damage to your frame or Jeep please let me know. I’ve been safely towing my Jeep for 3 years behind my RV which I full time out of. I am about to embark on a 2-month cross country trip with my RV/Jeep. If I should do something like get the bumper welded to the frame let me know THANKS!.
Wow. Word travels fast. This happened yesterday…. Yes the welds broke on the frame. Thankfully we took it to a local welding shop and beefed the welds up. Been holding up well now. I have been checking it at each stop.
Can I ask you where this post is?
I would recommend having that weld beefed up. We also have been towing ours this way for 3 years. If you follow us on Facebook I will be posting all the pictures
Yesterday? Really? That is fast. Well I’m not going to throw anyone under the “RV” or another “Jeeper” who suggested you were stupid for flat towing not using a baseplate.
I did defend the practice, and posted photos of my setup. And there were others posting the same thing with photos of their setups too. But if it happened yesterday, it has to be someone you know.
If you don’t mind…. Please send any photos you have of where the welds failed, where they reinforced, anything really to my Gmail. Nashvillecouple69@gmail.com
I leave in a week on a cross country trip to a bunch of trails (and family). We will be traveling thousands of miles flat towing the Jeep without a baseplate (was the plan).
I need to, at a basic minimum, inspect my welds where yours failed. Perhaps preventatively weld reinforcements.
Is this the same as a Wrangler JL?
Everything I am seeing shows the same procedures.
@@BenandBrandi thank you.
Ofcourse! Hope you subscribe to our channel!
the main problem w/this is if u thrashed your jeep it can't just b put on the trailer.
nor any1 elses jeep either.
Saw you at a gas station
gas RV?
Yep V10
I think some people are pissed off at you. Didn't work for them.
You are "WRONG" about taking the key out of the ignition....
No I am NOT. Been flat towing for years. Perhaps someone installed a locking ignition on your jeep?
If I didn't already know how to do this I'd be confused as hell. Tow bar needs to be level not straight, 12 V plug is not a cigarette lighter. All Jeeps are not the same and a standard needs to be in gear, I use 2nd just in case it would vibrate out of first. Seems like you were in a hurry.
Warning!!!! Do not listen to this guy. You cannot take the key out of the ignition! The steering wheel will lock! This video should be pulled down. So misleading.
You are wrong. Sounds like someone installed an ignition lock on your rig. Notice the views and comments? Don’t you find it odd you are the only one with that issue? Sheesh. 🤦♂️