Thank you. Glad you enjoyed the video. Yes, many people really like having an auto trans vehicle. Our Jeep gets surprisingly good mileage for how powerful it is. We have the six cylinder version and usually average around 22-25 mpg, with a few tanks in the high 20s. There are definitely some towable autos with higher mileage, but we love ours.
Great video. I also purchased a ‘15 TH. 1. Curious on two things: Did you document or have instructions on how you made the mini tow hooks from an extra pair of inserts? 2. How level was your setup in terms of the vehicle versus the motorhome? I noticed the TH sits a little higher than our tow bar hitch, so I ended up buying a 2” riser, but feel I should have bought a 4”.
We talk a bit more about the hooks in the related blog post. here is a link. rvlove.com/rv-vehicles-setup/our-towing-set-up-part-2-braking-and-setting-up-jeep-tow/ Basically you need a skilled welding shop and an extra set of inserts. The height worked out well for us with both of our towing RVs. so we didn't need to raise or lower. Could use the original hitch. Safe travels. -M
I may be getting a little ahead of you but I have questions I'd like your help with. First have you installed the special wire harness to eliminate the death wable problem? If so, who did the work, how long did it take and most importanly how much did it cost? We purchased a Trailhawlk last fall and are just getting ready to get it setup for towing this summer. Thanks and I really love your vlogs.
Hello Ed, Yes, we did install the special wiring harness. We will talk about it more in the next post and video coming very soon (hopefully today). We had it installed at a Jeep dealership. I called around to find one that was familiar with the part and installation. Total cost including labor for installation was about $450. Installation took a couple hours, and I do think it is a good idea to have it installed at a dealership instead of at home. It is a complex install that involves wiring mods, so we didn't want to risk doing something like that ourselves.
Very informative. I like the locking of the pins. Wheelingit had someone pull the pins on their bar, during a rest stop. Obviously, they had damage from some inconsiderate idiot. With each stop, I always check connections. Better safe than sorry.
Thanks Bill. Yes, we remember WheelinIt having that happen to them. Definitely good to check connections. Agreed that it is better to be safe than sorry.
Marc, We just bought a Jeep Grand Cherokee to pull. I was looking at your setup and I see some places in my town who put on the base plate, etc. Several of them are Blue Ox suppliers. You are using Roadmaster and I'm wondering if you could do a comparison - why Roadmaster over Blue Ox? I'd like to do this right the FIRST time - rather than have a weird experience to share with friends later!
Thank you. and congrats on your new Jeep. We checked out both (and others), and believe that Roadmaster is a superior product and company. Blue Ox is a popular choice, and will probably get the job done, but from other RVers we talk to... if they did buy a Blue ox first...usually their second towbar is a Roadmaster. We even visited their factory and were super impressed. -M
Do you leave the hitch on your RV all the time? It looks rather heavy to take off and on. Where could I got to see hitches set up , so I can determine whether I am able to manage hooking them off and on. I'm thinking that one that attaches to my toad would be easier and lighter to use. I don't have much strength in my hands and arms. Thanks for the great demo.
Yes, the tow bar remains connected to the RV virtually all the time. You don't need to remove it. The flexibility of this type of tow bar means that one of the arms can drop to the ground while connecting the other arm. So, we believe there is less heavy lifting with this style than others. Glad you liked the video.
Hello. Seen the prior video of you and your wife when you talked about getting the trailhawk from the mini. Really glad you shared this video for towing. What I noticed in this video which I hope to find is the tow hooks. Please please share with me where I can find me some of those. My vehicle did not come with the hooks when I purchased it back in June. It has the exact setup as you do with the pipes and eyelets protruding from the front bumper. I have been debating on changing those out back to the original red powder coated tow hooks. Wife and I are looking at getting an RV since the trailhawk is setup for towing. Any info you can give would be great.
Ours came with the hooks, so it was just about keeping them and making modifications to them. We talk about it a lot in part 2 of the two part series. Here is a link to the blog post. rvlove.com/2018/04/12/our-towing-set-up-part-2-braking-and-setting-up-jeep-tow/ If your Jeep didn't come with them, I would probably just go into some Jeep forums and ask if you can get them. Maybe reach out to a local RV dealer that does a lot of setting up Jeeps to tow, as other owners might not care to keep them. Or maybe reach out to a Jeep dealer or other Jeep supplier for the parts. I imagine original equipment would be expensive. If those don't work out for you, just get an extra set of tow attachments, and have a welding shop attach any kit of hook onto the end of them and paint them red. Hope all that helps. -M
@RVLove What plates did you buy to match with your Nighthawk tow bar? The plates I found for our 2016 Trailhawk says it matches with tow bars like the sterling falcon, falcon 2, blackhawk and blackhawk 2. Love your tow bar and would really like to get the same one!
I also bought the nighthawk, and installing the roadmaster base plate this weekend on a Jeep Wrangler. But I noticed you put the 6 pin and wiretied to the grill and not the baseplate. Looked a bit loose!
Nope... no mileage accumulation while being towed with the Jeep. Jeeps have been great for that for a long time. Not sure if all vehicles avoid adding miles, but believe most vehicles with digital odometers don't add miles when towed.
Where do you find the exact steps to switch the transmission to Neutral? I looked at the owners manual and could not find. Thank you. I was about to pull the trigger and buy a trailhawk like yours...but want to make sure I can do it myself.
Great vid but I wish someone would do a vid on car trailers. I’ve been told by Fiat that I can’t tow my car cause I could damage the front end. I need to carry the car on a trailer. I’d like to know the best trailer to buy.
Thanks. Yes, there are some vehicles that can only be trailered. Have seen many different types of trailers out there with tilting decks, or fold down ramps. They take up a lot of space at campsites, but if you love your car, sometimes you just need to find a way to make it work. Good luck.
I have a 2019 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk but my front tow hooks are different than what you show in the video. My tow hooks are bolted to the frame. Did you purchase those aftermarket? Thanks.
Our tow hooks were originally bolted to the frame as well. When we installed the base plate and brackets for the tow bar equipment, we had some custom work done to make them the way they are now. We talk a bit more about the modification in the blog posts related to these videos. Here is a link to part two where we talk about the hooks. rvlove.com/2018/04/12/our-towing-set-up-part-2-braking-and-setting-up-jeep-tow/
Hello Ray. Yes we can feel the difference of the Jeep in a couple ways. We can feel that it is a bit heavier when accelerating and pulling hills, but can also feel more assistance from the improved braking with our new system.
Sorry... but won't be able to provide a link for those as the hooks were a custom modification we did with a welder. We talk about them a bit more in the second video coming very soon. Glad you like them.
The tow bar would be great for most any vehicle, but not every vehicle is able to be towed with four wheels down. Check your owners manual. But many 4wd vehicles can be towed this way. -M
The odometer in our vehicle does not still count while being towed. In fact, to my knowledge, many vehicles, if not most with digital odometers will not count miles as long as the ignition is off. By contrast, vehicles with non-digital odometers will usually count the miles.
We used a Roadmaster Baseplate, whichever one was recommended by them for our specific model vehicle. Though I believe Roadmaster makes equipment that can adapt to other mfg baseplates if needed. -M
Yes it was custom - all the detail explain here in our blog post rvlove.com/2018/04/12/our-towing-set-up-part-2-braking-and-setting-up-jeep-tow/ - we love it!
That wasn't really an option on this occasion. Generally, for a job this complex, we felt it was a job best left for the professionals, like Roadmaster or dealers that do this. It wasn't intended to be a DIY video but more about our decision to tow 4 down and why we chose Roadmaster, to help others weighing up the best way to tow for them.
Ours was actually done at the Roadmaster factory in Vancouver, WA, but you can find a recommended installer convenient to you here: roadmasterinc.com/dealers - You are welcome!
The time it took to hook-up the towbar was a little misleading. Most people don't get it lined up perfectly to the RV which would require compensating. This would could vary between brands but you have one that is adjusted easy.
Hello Roy. After pulling up behind the motorhome a couple times and looking for visual queues, I find it pretty easy to consistently pull up one time, every time without compensating. You are right that not everyone seems to get this down. Yes, having a tow bar like our Nighthawk that has the flexibility certainly helps compensate for any differences.
I believe that it is illegal to have passengers in the towed vehicle. Not sure why you would ever want to have passengers in there anyway. But would not recommend it. -M
If everyone had the same taste in cars, it would be very difficult to find your car in a shopping mall carpark. Fortunately everyone has different tastes Besides, I like the Jeep.
Nice bar. Saw it at FMCA Rally in Perry, GA. We have Blue Ox. Wish it had some of the features the Roadmaster has but not for the price. Pretty much double the price of the Blue Ox. Both good products however yours is the Mac Daddy. Good video. Roadmaster should be paying you for the advertising. Was not impressed with the sales pitch we got from them at the Rally. Your demonstration was much better.
