Mystery Tool

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So am I now going to have to worry about the Jeep coming around the side of the coach during a hard brake? 

Dang it, I thought I was done spending money at least for a while....
 
If you got a Brake Buddy your just fine.  M&G and some of the others are good systems too. However, I am not impressed with surge brakes but that is just me.
 
Ron said:
We have the what I believe they call the MX series hidden brakets that has just the brakets that attach to the frame and the two inserts that fit into those brakets whcih the tow bar attaches to.   Have attached photo of what we have on the GC.  The MX series brackets are shown HERE.
Click to expand...
We have the exact same bracket on the Honda and it too has an external crossbar
 
The cross bar is not required for vehicles with a pair of rails (e.g. large trucks & SUVs). I originally installed one on our Suburban, because that's what was in the box I bought from Camping World. I later learned from Roadmaster the cross bar was not needed, and haven't used it since.
 
As far as the crossbar goes, it was part of the Roadmaster setup for the '06 Grand Cherokee.  If I removed it, there would be no way to attach the arms of the tow bar.  Maybe smaller rigs require it I dunno.
 
We have the same vehicles our is also a 2006 Grand Cherokee.  Attached is a photo of the hitch insert installed.
 

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  • Insert installed.JPG
    Insert installed.JPG
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Maybe smaller rigs require it I dunno.
Click to expand...

Might be but, FWIW, the parts that my towbar attaches to (can't recall the correct name, so I'll call them 'inserts') slide into the receivers, and are not part of the baseplate. The baseplate is unique to a model/frame, whereas the tow bar is generic. My original inserts looked like this, and have the connections (vertical pins) for the crossbar to sit on. The crossbar has the connections for the tow bar - see here.

When I talked with Roadmaster about it, they told me I could buy a different set of inserts that didn't have the crossbar connections, but did have the tow bar connections. Shortly after that, I was given a pair of those inserts by a forum member who had used them on his prior Tahoe.

None of the above was mentioned by Camping World when I bought the tow bar from them.

Edit: I see that Ron has the shorter inserts that I now have.
 
Ron said:
We have the same vehicles our is also a 2006 Grand Cherokee.  Attached is a photo of the hitch insert installed.
Click to expand...

Well isn't that odd.... I wonder why we had to go with the added expense (and weight) of that cross bar....  Your installation looks a lot simpler.
 
Tom said:
When I talked with Roadmaster about it, they told me I could buy a different set of inserts that didn't have the crossbar connections, but did have the tow bar connections. Shortly after that, I was given a pair of those inserts by a forum member who had used them on his prior Tahoe.

Edit: I see that Ron has the shorter inserts that I now have.
Click to expand...

Did Roadmaster mention why they have two applications?  Seems a waste of material to me to have a crossbar when you only need the inserts.
 
[quote author=RetiredLE]Did Roadmaster mention why they have two applications?  Seems a waste of material to me to have a crossbar when you only need the inserts.[/quote]

I wasn't clear in my earlier message. The crossbar is needed if you don't have a vehicle with a pair of rails, such as a large truck or SUV. Normal car chassis can't take the sideways forces involved, and therefore need the crossbar.
 
Tom said:
I wasn't clear in my earlier message. The crossbar is needed if you don't have a vehicle with a pair of rails, such as a large truck or SUV. Normal car chassis can't take the sideways forces involved, and therefore need the crossbar.
Click to expand...

I checked the web site again and they offer both bracket styles for an '06 Grand Cherokee - one that requires the crossbar (XL) and one that doesn't (MX).  I sent them an email requesting an explanation.

Mike
 
We had the same type as Tom mentioned on the Volvo and used them a short time on the 99 GC until I found out the simpler ones, as shown in the last photo,  were available and could be used on the GC. 
 
I tell you what... this is becoming more complicated by the minute. 

Thankfully our GC (Grand Cherokee - I pick up on these short cuts rather quickly) does not have a locking steering column or I would have to disconnect the battery to prevent battery drain when the key is turned to the accessory position while towing.  I THEN realized I couldn't do that because the brake unit needs 12 volt power to operate...... But the lack of locking steering solves this particular issue and eliminates the need to leave the ignition key in at all.  Now, on to the next hurdle....
 
You are correct since 2005 the GC has not had a locking steering wheel but the earlier C=GC did have.  Even with the earlier models with the locking steering wheel it was not a problem since there is a off/unlock position where one would turn the ignition to for towing.  We always got an extra key made that did not have the program chip and never worried about leaving the key in the ignition since the engine would not run if somebody thought they wanted more than us.

 
Speaking of which, we only got one electronic key and one standard (non chip) key with the rig.  Is there a way to get another electronic key without going thru the dealer?
 
RetiredLE said:
Speaking of which, we only got one electronic key and one standard (non chip) key with the rig.  Is there a way to get another electronic key without going thru the dealer?
Click to expand...

We have never tried.  the only keys we had made for the GC/s are the non chip key.  Maybe somebody here has done it though.
 
Our local Ace Hardware store sells "electronic keys" or "chipped keys".
 
Isn't this thread a really good example of why this Forum is so great - because of the great people that are part of it.

It started with a question about a mystery part and in the process of learning what it was we have also learned much more about different types of tow fittings and why one might be different to another. Soon we will have direct info from a manufacturer to add to the knowledge base on towing kits.

We also learnt about different kinds of car keys so that the car could be towed but not move under its own power, something that I had no idea was even possible.

Thanks to RetiredLE  for the original post and everybody else for the sensible and supportive posts.
 
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