How To Set Up A Jeep Wrangler For Towing
Ane of the great things about owning a truck camper is the ability to tow things similar boats, trailers, and Jeeps. With several trips planned for the winter and spring, getting our 2004 Jeep Wrangler rigged for towing was a high priority for us. These preparations included the installation of electric wiring for the Jeep's tail lights, purchasing a Class 3 adaptable tow bar, mounting the tow bar brackets and safety hooks to the Jeep'south OEM front bumper, and purchasing an xviii-inch-long hitch box extension for my Ford F-250.
Afterwards researching this topic, I decided to flat tow the Jeep or tow it "four-down." It wasn't a hard decision, really. The Jeep Wrangler is built to be towed four-down and is ane of the few vehicles built to exist able to do this (I considered buying a small trailer to tow the Jeep, but I didn't want to deal with the additional tongue weight as I'm 200 pounds over my GVWR already with a fully loaded truck camper). A tow bar is the main piece of hardware that you demand to tow iv-down. After looking at numerous tow confined, I decided to buy a simple Reese Class III adjustable tow bar
for around $110. I could've spent $700 for a fancy Blueish Ox, but why? My Reese tow bar is rated to tow 5,000 pounds, which is more than stout enough to tow my 3,450 pound TJ.
1. Tow Bar: Installing the tow bar brackets on my Jeep's OEM bumper was pretty unproblematic. Starting time, the bumper had to be unbolted from the Jeep using a T-55 torx fitting. Before installing the brackets you lot'll showtime need to remove the two bumper pads from the bumper (if you're lucky, like me, you'll be able to apply the existing bumper pad holes for the tow bar brackets). The installation instructions state that the tow bar brackets should exist mounted between 24 and 41 inches apart on the bumper and mine are centered about 35 inches apart–perfect! Some TJ owners question the strength of the i/viii-inch-thick bumper and its power to support bolted tow brackets and withstand the forces that will be exerted against them. That's a valid question and ane I had, too. No, the bumper metal isn't very stout, simply if you reinforce the backside of the bumper with support plates, such as the ones that were included in my tow bar kit, you'll be fine. Many TJ owners who have gone this route over the years have towed for thousands of miles with zero issues.
ii. Condom Bondage: Having merely a tow bar isn't enough when flat towing–condom chains are also needed as an emergency fill-in in the event that the tow bar or hitch fails while in-motion. In gild to use condom chains, I needed two attachment points on the Jeep. These tin either be tow hooks or D-rings. Unfortunately, my Jeep had neither, so I had to notice something that was suitable that bolted to the Jeep'southward frame. Fortunately, a pair of Curt tow hooks tin be purchased for $7.99 at Harbor Freight that mountain directly to the tiptop of the bumper (see motion-picture show beneath). Rated for x,000 pounds, these hooks are pretty beefy and also include a servant clip. Y'all tin can as well purchase Curt Tow Hooks on Amazon.com. In addition to towing, these hooks can besides be used for recovery in the consequence that you ever become stuck while off-roading. Getting stuck is something that happens to every Jeeper, eventually, so having a practiced set of tow hooks provides extra peace of mind.
iii. Towing Lights: You can become two ways to meet this legal requirement: buy a set up of removable tail lights–the quickest and cheapest option–or permanently tap into the Jeep'south tail light wiring using a hard-wire diode kit. I chose to become with the latter as I wanted a more permanent, "hidden" solution. What's the purpose of the diodes? They preclude the truck's electric impulses from being back-fed and causing damage to the Jeep's electrical components. I do have one recommendation when difficult-wiring: make sure that the wire run through the Jeep'south engine compartment is protected with flex tubing as this area can get pretty hot during vehicle operation. I should also point out that the common 4-wire system is used for towing lights. As for the length of my umbilical (the cord that connects the Jeep to the truck), mine is 80 inches long and is protected with flex tubing wrapped in insulating tape.
4. Supplemental Brakes: Since Arizona constabulary doesn't require a supplemental braking organization (click hither to see if your state requires one), I've decided to forgo the purchase of a Brake Buddy
or similar braking system for my Jeep. No doubtfulness, a few volition question this decision. But my F-250 has a towing capacity of 12,400 pounds and is equipped with bulky, Super Duty brakes and a transmission braking system that is second to none. Nigh of my towing will occur here in the desert Southwest where the terrain is relatively apartment, so I feel pretty expert going this route (I've been able to confirm this decision on a couple trips already. Well-nigh of the time I didn't even know the Jeep was behind me and this included during quick stops).
5. Hitch Box Extension: This piece of towing hardware isn't needed in all cases, but it was for me as I usually tow with a truck camper which extends 2 feet beyond the rear bumper. In order to get this added clearance, I decided on an Reese 18 inch long hitch box extension
. With both the hitch and extension installed, the total length from the rear bumper to the hitch brawl is 26 inches. Along with the tow bar'south length of 41 inches, this provides me with the required amount of clearance between the Jeep and camper even on sharp turns. Here are a couple tips when choosing your hitch box extension and hitch. Offset, if you need an extension with a length greater than 40 inches, you'll want to make sure that the extension has support chains to prevent side-to-side movement (this may require that a special plate be welded to the extension to accomplish this). For the hitch itself, y'all'll want to brand certain that the hitch ball is the correct size and that the shank is large plenty to back up the weight of your Jeep. Yous'll also want to ensure that your tow bar is fairly level when hitched up, especially if a supplemental braking arrangement isn't being used. Doing so volition improve treatment and stopping.
half dozen. Jeep Wrangler Flat Towing: The Jeep Wrangler is ane of the few vehicles built specifically to be flat towed and it does terrific in that part. Flat towing a TJ Jeep Wrangler is fairly simple, just information technology's critical that you lot have everything gear up properly before you whorl. Note that the transfer instance must be shifted into Neutral (North) and that the transmission MUST be placed in gear (I like to place mine in second gear) and so that the transmission can be lubricated while the Jeep is existence towed (your transmission volition burn up if you don't). Co-ordinate to the owner's manual, hither are the steps for apartment towing a TJ Jeep Wrangler with a transmission transmission:
- Depress the brake pedal
- Depress the clutch pedal
- Shift the transfer case into N (Neutral)
- Starting time engine
- Identify transmission manual into gear (second or third gear are the almost popular. Don't make the mistake of putting it into Neutral as this will prevent the transmission from being lubricated and it will burn upwards while being towed.)
- Release brake pedal to ensure no motion
- Shut engine off and place the ignition key into the unlocked OFF position (this allows the steering wheel to turn while existence towed).
- Apply parking brake
- Adhere Jeep to tow vehicle
- Release parking brake
Annotation: Tow confined have no speed limitations. They tin be used at any speed (but are subject area to local highway speed towing laws, of course).
Source: https://www.truckcamperadventure.com/my-jeep-wrangler-towing-syste/
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