Any tips on flat towing my TJ with a Class A motorhome?

[NskLJ]

Well I purchased a 2005 Fleetwood with 24k miles on it . Looked to be in pretty good shape,but it had been sitting in RV park for about a year .
After doing the brake recall on it and a lot of maintenance oil and filter, hoses ,plugs ect it runs real good .
Purchased a Smittybilt tow bar to pull the Tj. This will be my first time flat towing,hope all goes good . Headed out for 10 days on the fourth. Any pointers on flat towing welcomed.

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One more item to be aware of using a ball type hitch on the coach with a long overhang. If you come out of a parking lot where the lot and road are high and the gutter is really low the hitch can drop down and pop the tow bar off. The bar can drop and the front of the coupler will hit the ball and force it off. Be mindful when going out these driveways.

 

[NskLJ]

What makes it so heavy? Mine only weighs 3,700 with hard top, back seat and full tank.

What makes it so heavy? Mine only weighs 3,700 with hard top, back seat and full tank.

LJ loaded with 35’s all my gear and skids came in at 4900 I have since removed about 300 lbs but I am questioning the scale I weighed it on. It was a concrete disposal yard close by me. After I removed the weight it came in at the same.

 

[Mudflat]

All good responses here, but be sure to unlock your steering wheel before you tow otherwise you will quickly wear out your front tires & front end parts. I believe this is what the previous owner did with my ‘06 causing me to spend a lot on front end repairs.
To do this, simply turn the key back one click from the run position. All electrical power will be off & the steering will move freely however you WILL NOT be able to remove the key. This is completely normal & many of us do this all the time.

 

[Sandcrab]

So here it is hooked up. It is just a hair higer at motorhome, just about level. Changed all bolts to grade 8. Safety chains to frame bolts. Found a bushing that fit the hole in the bumper perfect. The inner bolt hole was just a hair bigger. Got one to fit it now no back and forth movement of bushing . Hitch is rated for 6k bolted on . Just took it out for a little test drive. Seemed to pull fine at 60mph .
Didn't get aux brakes, it pretty flat between south Texas and Texoma.
I know a lot of people said I should get them W hen I get where I'm going I my decide to get one then. We'll see how it goes. Thanks everyone for the replies.

 

[Sandcrab]

Oh one other thing I wanted to ask.
Tire pressure 31x10.5x15 Patagonia.
Have about 38 in them right now. It pulled fine but I didn't go far . Said 50 lbs on tire cold, but I think that's to much.

 

[DaveC]

Oh one other thing I wanted to ask.
Tire pressure 31x10.5x15 Patagonia.
Have about 38 in them right now. It pulled fine but I didn't go far . Said 50 lbs on tire cold, but I think that's to much.

I leave mine at normal on road tire pressure when flat towing. 28 psi. That 50 psi rating is the max pressure the tire can take, not the pressure to run.

 

[Viking Jeeper]

What is stamped on the tire is the max the tire was designed to run. The right pressure depends on the situation. When driving the Jeep on road the right pressure might be 28-30. Not sure if that changes when being toad.

 

[Moglocker]

All good responses here, but be sure to unlock your steering wheel before you tow otherwise you will quickly wear out your front tires & front end parts. I believe this is what the previous owner did with my ‘06 causing me to spend a lot on front end repairs.
To do this, simply turn the key back one click from the run position. All electrical power will be off & the steering will move freely however you WILL NOT be able to remove the key. This is completely normal & many of us do this all the time.

Good point,when I was going to tow mine I took the lock system out of the column,took a half hour.I think starting in 2007 they did away with it on jeeps

 

[Viking Jeeper]

Good point,when I was going to tow mine I took the lock system out of the column,took a half hour.I think starting in 2007 they did away with it on jeeps

I thought only manual TJ's have column lock.

 

[Mr. Bills]

So here it is hooked up. It is just a hair higher at motorhome, just about level. Changed all bolts to grade 8. Safety chains to frame bolts. Found a bushing that fit the hole in the bumper perfect. The inner bolt hole was just a hair bigger. Got one to fit it now no back and forth movement of bushing . Hitch is rated for 6k bolted on . Just took it out for a little test drive. Seemed to pull fine at 60mph .
Didn't get aux brakes, it pretty flat between south Texas and Texoma.
I know a lot of people said I should get them W hen I get where I'm going I my decide to get one then. We'll see how it goes. Thanks everyone for the replies.

This should help you decide whether your tow bar is level enough: https://www.etrailer.com/faq-level-tow-bar-flat-tow.aspx

Your safety chains are a point of concern. Normally they are a single set of two chains or cables attached directly to the tow rig and directly to the towed vehicle, not two sets of chains or cables daisy chained with the tow bar. Although technically compliant with DOT safety chain regulations, two sets of chains attached at either end of a tow bar doubles the potential failure points.

As for the lack of supplemental brakes and a break-away switch, I would rethink that decision. It doesn't matter how flat the terrain or how short the distance, the need for emergency braking can happen in an instant anywhere.

Texas requires supplemental brakes for any towed vehicle with a gross weight of 4500 pounds or more, which will include many non-stock TJs. Oklahoma requires them for a vehicle with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of 3,500 pounds or more, which includes all TJs.

If you are going to drive any distance without supplemental brakes you should have your TJ weighed loaded as it will be loaded while being towed. Do it before you leave on your first trip. Don't guess at the weight - know for sure. If your TJ weighs 4,500 pounds or more you need supplemental brakes to legally tow your TJ through Texas. You definitely need them to legally tow in Oklahoma.

If you get into an accident without supplemental brakes for your TJ in a state where they are required, no matter how minor that accident may be, the financial consequences for not having supplemental brakes will be far greater than the cost of the brakes you failed to obtain.

 

[Sandcrab]

This should help you decide whether your tow bar is level enough: https://www.etrailer.com/faq-level-tow-bar-flat-tow.aspx

Your safety chains are a point of concern. Normally they are a single set of two chains or cables attached directly to the tow rig and directly to the towed vehicle, not two sets of chains or cables daisy chained with the tow bar. Although technically compliant with DOT safety chain regulations, two sets of chains attached at either end of a tow bar doubles the potential failure points.

As for the lack of supplemental brakes and a break-away switch, I would rethink that decision. It doesn't matter how flat the terrain or how short the distance, the need for emergency braking can happen in an instant anywhere.

Texas requires supplemental brakes for any towed vehicle with a gross weight of 4500 pounds or more, which will include many non-stock TJs. Oklahoma requires them for a vehicle with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of 3,500 pounds or more, which includes all TJs.

If you are going to drive any distance without supplemental brakes you should have your TJ weighed loaded as it will be loaded while being towed. Do it before you leave on your first trip. Don't guess at the weight - know for sure. If your TJ weighs 4,500 pounds or more you need supplemental brakes to legally tow your TJ through Texas. You definitely need them to legally tow in Oklahoma.

If you get into an accident without supplemental brakes for your TJ in a state where they are required, no matter how minor that accident may be, the financial consequences for not having supplemental brakes will be far greater than the cost of the brakes you failed to obtain.

I will weight tomorrow, and change chains thanks.

 

[Moglocker]

I thought only manual TJ's have column lock.

My 02 auto had it,

 

[JPHikr]

Yep get a couple of chains from the Jeep to the frame of the RV not the hitch.

 

[Jmac00]

damn, sorry I missed this thread. I have been flat towing our TJ for close to 20 months now.

Many people make some good suggestions. a couple critical thing though.

One: the safety chains most go from the coach to the toad, not from the coach to the hitch. Most cops will probably over look it, but if you get in a crash, that going to come up, and if the insurance guy finds it, they may not pay.
Two: breakaway cable, is a must in all 49 states, I got no clue what Hawaii requires
Three: the toad must have a braking system. Whether its a tow buddy, or a built in electronic one or something like what we have is inertial braking system.

I installed a Ready Brute Elite II tow system with a Hopkins wiring harness. its been flawless of over 25K miles so far

https://worldcampingproducts.com/pr...hWfi8cpttL3SCzbspjU5MlEYsOX9-fUgaApWMEALw_wcB

the other thing you're going to want to get is a TireMinder TPMS, they're real easy to set up, and if you pop a tire back there, you will know almost instantly.

https://technorv.com/products/tirem...yln-tSF0EvHFP_le22fNMorEIy2rBJSYaApLfEALw_wcB