How to properly tow your Jeep Wrangler TJ

Probably not the cylinder. The way to tell is get a key cut off the VIN at the dealer and try it. I'd put money on the key being worn.

Good point. One rarely thinks (myself included) about the key wearing out over time! I'm sure a lot of of us with the original keys are probably due for a replacement.
 
Probably not the cylinder. The way to tell is get a key cut off the VIN at the dealer and try it. I'd put money on the key being worn.

This ^^
My key kept walking its way out of the cylinder while driving. Had a key cut recently for when I'm flat towing, and new key is nice and snug.
 
20180405_085626.jpg
I use a non-chipped key for towing. Also ran a separate trailer wire kit with light bulb to rear tail lights. There's enough room for another 1157 bulk in housing. Jumper wire between MH and plug in jeep grill. Had some tow shackles fabricated that wrap OEM bumper and bolt directly to frame. Much safer towing behind MH. I like it better than the big aftermarket bumper I was using.
20180404_173031.jpg
 
Last edited:
Great info here from everyone. As I've been looking at options to set my TJ up for flat towing, one of the shops I talked to said they'll set up JK's and JL's but not a TJ due to the 'chronic problems' they see with at least one TJ transmission destroyed per year from doing so.

Seems like this could only come as a result of not following the instructions in the owner's manual, which I pointed out and they insisted that in every case, the owners had followed the manufacturer's instructions, and that the TJ's design is such that transmission damage is 'almost guaranteed' towed any way other than on a flatbed.

If this were an issue, I would think I'd have seen something about it here or elsewhere in other related threads I've researched on this forum, and none of the other 4 shops I've talked to about installing the set-up mentioned anything about it.

Anything I'm missing here, or would I be correct to assume these guys are generalizing, misinformed or both?
 
Jeeps are flat towed behind RV's all the time. My guess is something else caused the transmission issue. The reason I decided to trailer mine vs flat tow it was
1. I could store the trailer without paying a monthly storage fee.
2. I like the idea of putting miles on trailer tires vs the jeeps tires.
3. Kind of piggy backing on 2. I would rather catch a nail in a trailer tire than a jeep tire.
 
Great info here from everyone. As I've been looking at options to set my TJ up for flat towing, one of the shops I talked to said they'll set up JK's and JL's but not a TJ due to the 'chronic problems' they see with at least one TJ transmission destroyed per year from doing so.

Seems like this could only come as a result of not following the instructions in the owner's manual, which I pointed out and they insisted that in every case, the owners had followed the manufacturer's instructions, and that the TJ's design is such that transmission damage is 'almost guaranteed' towed any way other than on a flatbed.

If this were an issue, I would think I'd have seen something about it here or elsewhere in other related threads I've researched on this forum, and none of the other 4 shops I've talked to about installing the set-up mentioned anything about it.

Anything I'm missing here, or would I be correct to assume these guys are generalizing, misinformed or both?
Nothing that I can think of, we’ve been flat towing for about 3 years now and no issues at all. I am thinking about a trailer just for the tire abuse issue and the other moving parts. And it’s nice to be able to back up when needed
 
Great info here from everyone. As I've been looking at options to set my TJ up for flat towing, one of the shops I talked to said they'll set up JK's and JL's but not a TJ due to the 'chronic problems' they see with at least one TJ transmission destroyed per year from doing so.

Seems like this could only come as a result of not following the instructions in the owner's manual, which I pointed out and they insisted that in every case, the owners had followed the manufacturer's instructions, and that the TJ's design is such that transmission damage is 'almost guaranteed' towed any way other than on a flatbed.

If this were an issue, I would think I'd have seen something about it here or elsewhere in other related threads I've researched on this forum, and none of the other 4 shops I've talked to about installing the set-up mentioned anything about it.

Anything I'm missing here, or would I be correct to assume these guys are generalizing, misinformed or both?
Ask them if they understand that the 231 and 241 cases both have true neutrals and are designed to be flat towed? Trans in park, t-case in neutral does not and can not turn the transmissions so if it isn't turning, it can't be hurt. It doesn't get any more basic than that.
 
I'm glad I read this. The first time I towed the Jeep I left it in neutral on the manual transmission and neutral transfer. I didn't go to far so hopefully I didn't screw anything up. I did read the owners manual but I didn't remember seeing anything about what to do with the manual trans.
I'll have to re-read it and will be using 2nd or third on the future.
 
I've had a Ready Brute with the cable brake for several years. Towed a 2008 GMC Acadia behind the RV. Worked fine - HOWEVER- at some point the cable started pulling on the brake pedal slightly when NOT BEING TOWED. Overheated the brakes and caused them to lock up. They would cool off and then appear to function normally. This happened randomly a few time before I figured out what was going on. It had been many months since I had towed it and the cable didn't even enter my mind as a potential problem. Spent over a grand fixing the damage to the brake system. I strongly recommend using a quick disconnect at the brake pedal to avoid this potential issue. Simple solution & I'm planning on using the same setup on my new 97 Sahara.

Question: Leaving the key in the "on" position so the steering isn't locked will drain the battery? I had to pull a main 50A fuse in the Acadia.
 
I purchased the Blue Ox Patriot 3. I am a little surprised no one mentioned this system. Hopefully it works well with my Jeep.

Also I purchased the a brake light system that taps into the brake light wiring. I find I hard to believe this won’t work it is working on my JT now.
 
For less than 75 you can get a direct plug in from Reese or one of the others that just intercepts the wires behind the tail lights then you don’t have to cut factory wiring, I’ve done this to 5 Jeep’s. You can take the steering wheel lock out so you don’t have to leave the key in. I tow a tj and xj this way

for what it’s worth I have a full road master tj toadbsetup with breaking system. I went with a newer noncrossbar setup
 
One of the great things about owning a truck camper is the ability to tow things like 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 electrical wiring for the Jeep’s tail lights, purchasing a Class III adjustable tow bar, mounting the tow bar brackets and safety hooks to the Jeep’s OEM front bumper, and purchasing an 18-inch-long hitch box extension for my Ford F-250.

After researching this topic, I decided to tow the Jeep flat or “four down.” It wasn’t a hard decision, actually. The Jeep Wrangler is built to be towed four down and is one of the few vehicles built to be 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 need to tow four down. After looking at numerous tow bars, I decided to buy a simple Reese Class III adjustable tow barView attachment 7109 for around $110. I could’ve spent $700 for a fancy Blue 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 simple. First, the bumper had to be unbolted from the Jeep using a T-55 torx fitting. Before installing the brackets you’ll first need to remove the two bumper pads from the bumper (if you’re lucky, like me, you’ll be able to use the existing bumper pad holes for the tow bar brackets). The installation instructions state that the tow bar brackets should be 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 1/8 inch thick bumper and its ability to support bolted tow brackets and withstand the forces that will be exerted against them. That’s a valid question and one I had, too. No, the bumper metal isn’t very stout, but 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 problems.

View attachment 7110
Backside of bumper showing the backing plates.
View attachment 7111
Bumper mount with bumper removed.
View attachment 7112
Close up of an installed tow bar bracket.


Safety Chains
Having just a tow bar isn’t enough when flat towing–safety chains are also needed as an emergency backup in the event that the tow bar or hitch fails while in-motion. In order to use safety chains, I needed two attachment points on the Jeep. These can either be tow hooks or D-rings. Unfortunately, my Jeep had neither, so I had to find something that was suitable that bolted to the Jeep’s frame. Fortunately, a pair of Curt tow hooks can be purchased for $7.99 at Harbor Freight that mount directly to the top of the bumper (see pic below). Rated for 10,000 pounds these hooks are pretty beefy and also include a retainer clip. You can also purchase Curt Tow Hooks on Amazon.com. In addition to towing, these hooks can also be used for recovery in the event that you ever get stuck while off-roading. Getting stuck is something that happens to every Jeeper, eventually, so having a good set of tow hooks provides extra peace of mind.

View attachment 7113
The Curt tow hook installed on OEM bumper.
View attachment 7114
Tow bar and safety chains hooked up.


Towing Lights
You can go two ways to meet this legal requirement: buy a set of removable tail lights–the quickest and cheapest option–or permanently tap into the Jeep’s tail light wiring using a hard-wire diode kit. I chose to go with the latter as I wanted a more permanent, “hidden” solution. What’s the purpose of the diodes? They prevent the truck’s electrical impulses from being back-fed and causing damage to the Jeep’s electrical components. I do have one recommendation when hard-wiring: make sure that the wire run through the Jeep’s 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 four-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.

View attachment 7115
The mounted 4-wire electrical interface plug.


Supplemental Brakes
Since Arizona law doesn’t require a supplemental braking system (click here to see if your state requires one), I’ve decided to forgo the purchase of a Brake BuddyView attachment 7116 or similar braking system for my Jeep. No doubt, a few will question this decision. But my F-250 has a towing capacity of 12,400 pounds and is equipped with beefy, superduty brakes and a transmission braking system that is second to none. Most of my towing will occur here in the desert Southwest where the terrain is relatively flat, so I feel pretty good going this route (I’ve been able to confirm this decision on a couple trips already. Most of the time I didn’t even know the Jeep was behind me and this included during quick stops).

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 two feet beyond the rear bumper. I decided on an Reese 18 inch long hitch box extensionView attachment 7117. With both the hitch and extension installed, the total length from the rear bumper to the hitch ball is 26 inches. Along with the tow bar’s 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. First, 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, you’ll want to make sure that the hitch ball is the correct size and that the shank is large enough to support the weight of your Jeep. You’ll also want to ensure that your tow bar is fairly level when hitched up, especially if a supplemental braking system isn’t being used. Doing so will improve handling and stopping.

View attachment 7118
The Reese Hitch Box Extension and Hitch.
View attachment 7119
Close-up view of the Jeep Wrangler flat tow hitch set-up.


Jeep Wrangler Flat Towing
The Jeep Wrangler is one of the few vehicles built specifically to be flat towed and it does terrific in that role. Flat towing a TJ Jeep Wrangler is fairly simple, but it’s critical that you have everything set up properly before you roll. Note that the transfer case must be shifted into Neutral (N) and that the transmission MUST be placed in gear (I like to place mine in second gear) so that the transmission can be lubricated while the Jeep is being towed (your transmission will burn up if you don’t). According to the owner’s manual, here are the steps for flat towing a TJ Jeep Wrangler:
  1. Depress the brake pedal
  2. Depress the clutch pedal
  3. Shift the transfer case into N (Neutral)
  4. Start engine
  5. Place manual transmission into gear (second or third gear are the most popular. Don’t make the mistake of putting it into Neutral as this will prevent the transmission from being lubricated and it will burn up while being towed.) For automatics, place the transmission into park (P).
  6. Release brake pedal to ensure no movement
  7. Shut engine off and place the ignition key into the unlocked OFF position (this allows the steering wheel to turn while being towed).
  8. Apply parking brake
  9. Attach Jeep to tow vehicle
  10. Release parking brake
Note: Tow bars have no speed limitations. They can be used at any speed (but are subject to local highway speed towing laws, of course).

What a write-up. Thank you.
 
I am not sure about " place the ignition key into the unlocked OFF position"...does this mean in the position where the key cannot be removed, or in the position where it can be removed? I have towed successfully for the first time with the key in the position where it cannot be removed - all dash lights are off, though I don't know if all power is off.
Thanks in advance for advice.
 
Unlocked as in the steering wheel won't lock.
 
I am not sure about " place the ignition key into the unlocked OFF position"...does this mean in the position where the key cannot be removed, or in the position where it can be removed? I have towed successfully for the first time with the key in the position where it cannot be removed - all dash lights are off, though I don't know if all power is off.
Thanks in advance for advice.
you are doing it correctly