Flat towing 2017 Jeep Wrangler

[Boptop]

I'm in the process of setting up a 2017 Jeep Wrangler to tow behind my 2005 Winnebago 29R Class A with Ford V10. I will be towing from Florida to Wyoming and back this Aug/Sept. I have decided on the Blue Ox base plate BX1126 but have not decided on a tow bar. After exhausted studying I've narrowed it down to two. The Blue Ox Aventa LX BX7445 and ReadyBrute Elite. I'm leaning towards the ReadyBrute because of the cable braking system. I really want to get feed back as this is my first time flat towing. Also, is the Winnebago 29R more the adequate to tow the Wrangler or will it be a struggle. Thank you!

[Kevin Means]

Hi Boptop. The "Trim curb weight" of a 2017 Jeep Wrangler is listed at 4291 lbs, but some are heavier, depending on how they're equipped. I believe your receiver-hitch is rated at 5000 lbs, but you should confirm that. The 2005 29R spec-sheet says actual towing capacity will be dependant on the coach's actual weight, so if yours is on the heavy side (like most are) you may not be able to tow 5000 lbs and be within limits. Only you know how much "stuff" you're carrying. In any case, you're definitely near the limit. I'm glad you're looking at supplimental braking systems. They should be mandatory for towing IMO.

Kev

[Becks]

Kevin is correct with his advice, however if you are able to tow you can also consider an after market front bumper with tow points.

[Boptop]

Thank you for the advise. I didn't think the actual towing weight was going to be a issue. I was more concerned about the power of the Ford V10 and how much drag towing the jeep would put on it. Sounds like I'll need to do some research on towing capacity.

[kdbgoat]

Go to the "search" button above, and type in "ready brute elite". There's a decent amount of info there. Pay particular attention to SargeW's comments, as he has towed their Jeep many miles using that tow bar.

[SargeW]

Go to the "search" button above, and type in "ready brute elite". There's a decent amount of info there. Pay particular attention to SargeW's comments, as he has towed their Jeep many miles using that tow bar.

Quite true. I am about to use the Ready Brute on my 4th motor home. Easy system to hook up and use. The amount of braking is equivalent to the amount of pressure you put on the rigs brake pedal. Also no electronics to fail and cause the brakes to work too well, or not at all.  It has worked flawlessly for over 100K miles of towing.

Pulling your Jeep with the gasser won't have quite the torque as a pusher, but I hear good things about the V-10 motor, so it should be completely doable. Kev is right, pay attention to your weights, and you should have no issues.

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Towing any vehicle is not a major load factor because it rolls and is immediately behind the coach in its wind shadow. The extra weight is a factor on hills (both up & down), but on the flats it's just the rolling resistance of the tires on the toad. Big, soft off-road tires may have noticeably more rolling resistance than highway tires, and some vehicles may catch more wind resistance than others, but generally a toad has small effect except for hill climbing.  You may notice as much as 0.5 mpg difference in fuel economy when towing.
The Ford v10 has plenty of power to move a 29 ft coach - it handily moves much larger ones than that.  I'm guessing that '05 is the 310 hp (single valve) version of the V10 and the coach is a Sightseer 29R. That's a relatively light coach, so even with the Wrangler the combined weight probably doesn't exceed 22,500 lbs. That's well within the performance envelope, though you may be revving the V10 up somewhat to get access to the full 310 hp.

[Boptop]

Thank you all for the excellent information.

[Boptop]

I have the base plate installed and the tow bar hooked up. Does it matter that the bar is higher where it attached to the RV than to the Jeep?

[Boptop]

The Jeep side is 5" lower than the RV side.

[kdbgoat]

It should be no more than 2" higher or lower.

http://www.readybrake.com/uploads/3/9/4/0/39400577/ready_brute_tow_bar_9025.pdf

Page three, top left corner.

[Kevin Means]

When I set our 2006 Jeep up to tow about three months ago, the jeep-end of the tow-bar was almost three inches higher than the motorhome-end, even with a 6-inch riser. While towing it, I noticed that the Jeep would "wobble" a bit from left to right - nothing violent, but it was a bit unnerving since our other towed vehicle is rock-steady with the same tow-bar.

The Jeep's suspension had been modified for off-roading and it's got 35" tires, so I'm pretty sure those things played some role in causing the wobble. My biggest concern, however, was the height difference between both ends of the tow-bar, so I installed an 8-inch riser and some hitch clamps, on both sides of the riser. Problem solved!

The danger is having the Jeep submarine the rear of the coach during a panic stop if the tow-bar is too low, or having it climb on top of the tow-bar if it's too high. In either case, the auxiliary brakes probably won't be very effective, because all four wheels may not be in contact with the ground.

Kev

[taoshum]

When I set our 2006 Jeep up to tow about three months ago, the jeep-end of the tow-bar was almost three inches higher than the motorhome-end, even with a 6-inch riser. While towing it, I noticed that the Jeep would "wobble" a bit from left to right - nothing violent, but it was a bit unnerving since our other towed vehicle is rock-steady with the same tow-bar.

The Jeep's suspension had been modified for off-roading and it's got 35" tires, so I'm pretty sure those things played some role in causing the wobble. My biggest concern, however, was the height difference between both ends of the tow-bar, so I installed an 8-inch riser and some hitch clamps, on both sides of the riser. Problem solved!

The danger is having the Jeep submarine the rear of the coach during a panic stop if the tow-bar is too low, or having it climb on top of the tow-bar if it's too high. In either case, the auxiliary brakes probably won't be very effective, because all four wheels may not be in contact with the ground.

Kev

You make a GREAT point here!!!!  I've never read this before.  THANKS.  I went to great lengths to level the tow bar so it would not tend to rise or dive but I never thought about the brakes.

[Boptop]

Going with the Roadmaster High-Low Adapter for Tow Bars - 4" Rise/Drop - 6K GTW, 200 lbs TW.

[JoelP]

...Pulling your Jeep with the gasser won't have quite the torque as a pusher, but I hear good things about the V-10 motor, so it should be completely doable. Kev is right, pay attention to your weights, and you should have no issues.

After considering the weight limits, if you find that your coach is having trouble pulling the Wrangler up hills you might want to consider a Banks System.  Banks says that it can add 30% to the torque of a typical gasser RV.  I found a noticeable difference after adding the Banks to my Chevy Workhorse when I pulled my dinghy over the passes I have since travelled. They have a similar system and claim for the Ford V-10.

Joel

[Boptop]

Very interesting system. I was wondering though, I bought my rig used and it does have headers on it. Did it come stock with headers?

[JoelP]

Very interesting system. I was wondering though, I bought my rig used and it does have headers on it. Did it come stock with headers?

If you are referring to the Banks system I have heard that it is sold in more than one configuration, but the full system has components to increase air supply to the engine, an electronics package that they source elsewhere that dynamically tunes the engine to whatever it is set for, e.g. improved torque, and lastly a tuned exhaust that replaces everything that is stock from the headers out to the end of the exhaust pipe.  In my case I bought the full Power Pack and had it installed right at the factory in Azusa, CA.  I camped out front the night before and plugged into their 30AMP plug and they took the rig at 7AM the following morning, completing the job by 4PM.  Other people I know have had this installed by their local RV Service shop or even installed this themselves (more than I was inclined to try).