sburggsx

Great advice given above.

I tow mine behind a gas motorhome. I'm sure I'm right at the 5000lb limit and I can definitely feel it. I use an LoD front bumper with custom tabs welded on for a Blue Ox towbar. I also use the CoolTech wiring harness for lights.

Moving from a tow dolly to 4 down is like going from McD's to a steakhouse. (The jeep never used the tow dolly.) There's still work to do but I can hook or unhook the jeep in a matter of minutes. Depending on what year jeep you have you might not even have the steering lock which means you don't have to leave the key in the jeep while towing.

tncruiser

i also use the blue-ox my wireing is a custom assemble harness i drilled 15/16th holes below existing factory bulb total cost for lighting was about 17 bux. have a question why do i have to disconnect the battery. i am making no electical connection to the jeep. above poster nice motor home
brianj
2011 jku mangotango
pushing a 2011 georgetown motor home

Nomadr

I don't think you HAVE to disconnect the battery, but it is mentioned in the Owner's Manual to do it. The reason I disconnect is that I usually travel long distances, and if I don't pull the IOD fuse, the battery can drain down after a day or two of pulling. I think with the Brake Buddy, plus all of the accessories that run with the key in the Run position, parasitic load is high and will drain down the battery.

I had a dead Jeep only a couple of times - didn't pull the fuse, pulled for a long day or two. I always have a little charged jump starter battery pack at the ready for such cases.

However, when I pull the fuse, I never have problems. I also usually unplug the Brake Buddy when I stop for the night and stay connected.

sburggsx

If you have a 2010 (maybe 2009) or newer JK then there's no reason to have the key on. The 2007-8's needed the key in the ignition to unlock the steering. This also required the battery disconnected or it would drain the battery. For some reason they got smart and removed the steering lock.

chasingfireflies

I'm on the thrifty side, and could not justify the blue-ox style or all-terrain towing options. Installed it was well over the $1K mark. I opted instead for a LoD front bumper, and a Warrior tow hitch with the optional D-ring adaptors. (7/8" i believe.) Anyway, it killed two birds with one stone; a great front winch bumper, and an inexpensive tow setup. Also, Cooltech makes a wiring harness specifically for the JK. I will say in full disclosure, that I have ordered all these parts, some have arrived, but none are attached to the truck, and I haven't towed it yet. As the parts continue to arrive, it looks positive. After researching and reading, I really felt like the conventional tow setups were over priced and took away 2" of front clearance while at the same time leaving a goofy front attachment point. If I was towing a Saturn, I wouldn't have a choice. There's no reason a frame attached front bumper can't take the load. It's no different than the frame attached harness CampingWorld was going to install. My two cents.

inverse121

My 2011 owners manual says key on, battery disconnected, but I am gonna try and see if the wheel lock is there or not.

ronjenx

Make sure when you test it, you turn it more than 180°. That's when mine locks.

jobrien

Blue Ox tow bar and base plate for me. Also have the Brake Buddy braking system.
Bothe the tow bar and Brake Buddy are over 10 years old. Just need a new base plate when you change vehicles.

I have an '08 and I don't pull the IOD fuse if I'm only towing for the day. Longer than that I pull it.

I have a 27' class C with a 5,000 lb hitch.

testdummy

I have a 2011 also - the manual has not been updated and is wrong. I've towed mine 4-down several times with the key in my pocket - no steering lock. A couple of 6-hr. trips with no battery issues since key not on - only battery pull is the occasional run of the compressor on my Brake Buddy.

jlarso

Currie makes an under bumper skid plate with tow attach points for about half the cost of a Blue Ox adapter. Comes with attach points for your tow bar.
Works great and no plastic under bumper.