Towbar and braking system

[LVUS101]

looking for some direction and guidance on towing a 2014 Rubicon behind a 2015 anthem 44b.
looking for the most reliable / dependable system that is easy to use.I can only imagine there are many different brands and systems so if anyone wants to give me some advice I would kindly accept it thank you.

Jim & Natalie

[hogdriver]

There's a lot of Jeep JKs towed behind RVs.Everybody has there favorite setup. Some people like the Demco brand of towbars and mounts because they have baseplates made to fit stock and aftermarket bumpers. I use a Roadmaster Sterling All Terrain towbar because it is aluminum and doesn't rust. It is also one of the few towbars rated up to 6000 lbs. I have used it on 4 different toads and it still works well. I originally installed the Roadmaster bracket kit on my stock bumper. Any competent do it your selfer can do it if you have a 1/2 inch drill and some large sockets. I later "modded" my JKU with an aftermarket bumper. I discovered a few aftermarket bumper manufacturers will weld the towbar tabs on at the factory and paint it. I drive around everyday with the setup. It takes me 2-3 minutes to hookup. For wiring your toad the better wiring harnesses are from Mopar or eTrailer. I recommend the Mopar kit available at the dealer. For braking, there's a lot of options. I use a proprtional braking air brake from Roadmaster. I like it but it requires a diesel mechanic to properly connect it up to your RV. The advantage with it is it requires no electrical power and is anvil simple. It uses the Jeep braking system proprtionally with the RV. You can find these $1000 braking setups on eBay or HitchTrader for a fraction of the cost. A lot of users like a braking setup called Air Force One. Others use electronic braking setups like BrakeBuddy but they draw power from the battery and can deplete it.

Sorry about the old picture of Jeep behind my traded away Monaco. I don't have a good pic of Jeep behind Entegra. My DW wonders why I take so many pictures of stuff like this and not pictures of her or the locations so I haven't been able to sneak a pic!

[hogdriver]

Here's an aftermarket bumper made by JCR industries with the Roadmaster Towbar tabs incorporated into the build. The jeep is "lifted" 3 inches and running 35 inch tires which required a receiver hitch riser turned upside down to achieve a level towbar.

[vsheetz]

Currie base plate or aftermarket bumper with tow bar connected at the loops. ReadyBrute Elite tow bar with integrated braking system.

[oneal]

We have a 2014 Rubicon X and use everything the same as Dave with the exception that we have the AF1 system which also works great. I did install the AF1 myself but it requires a fair amount of mechanical ability.

Very nice Jeep Dave !

[wa8yxm]

Tow bars are all very close,, SOME stow on the towed, I do not like those, some on the motor home, I like those better, but this is a matter of choice and there is no TECHNICAL advantage to either system, both work well. (Well minor advantage to "Stows on MH" when it comes to MPG on towed).

Braking systems vary.. Many options here.
Braking system in a box that goes in the driver's seat you have to install every time you tow.. Good if you tow a different car each time, but otherwise I recommend against, These need to be installed EVERY TIME, and mistakes can happen, or "OH, This is such a short trip" can happen. Plus you got this big thing you need to store when driving the towed.

M&G (Air over hydraulic) IF IT FITS on your towed, this one is 100% invisible to the driver of the towed, You do not remove it.. Works best with motor homes that have air brakes but they make a version for gassers as well (Comes with an electric compressor) Major issue; Slave unit (Goes on towed) is specific to the towed and likely can not be transferred when you buy a new towed.

The following systems all have a small bracket on the brake arm, that is the only thing the driver of the towed might see.

US-Gear, Unified brake Decelerator,, This one gives you the most control over the towed brake of any system out there, You can set the towed brakes, adjust them and disable them all from the Motor home driver's seat. Porportional (Adjustable gain) and progressive (The harder you stop the harder it stops) this is quite possibly the best system out there, Once installed hook up is as hard as plugging in a lamp (One 2 prong electrical connector) Though it EATS battery power, it also provides a towed charge lead (one of the 2 prongs) to replace it. This was my first choice.

Invisible brake... looks interesting but I have not tested it.
Air Force One is also interesting.

Stay & Play likewise (I believe this is a US GEAR)

My next braking system may well be a Blue Ox AUTO-STOP sytem this is basically the same as the Ready Brake.

These are surge brake systems, they are progressive (The harder you stop the harder they stop) porportional and AUTOMATICALLY ADJUSTING, Basicaly they add some forward/backward "Slop" to the tow bar and as the towed pushes against the motor home (Stopping) a system of levers and cables PULLS the break pedal toward the floor on the towed. GOOD if you tow often but if you go, like all salted winter without towing,, Perhaps not the best choice,, This will be my next system.

[brobox]

There will be MANY opinions of tow systems as everybody has a favorite. I have owned a couple over the years and I am currently enjoying the ReadyBrute. It is the tow bar and breaking systems all in one. It is 100% mechanical so there is no pump to drain the battery or the pump motor to fail. It has been the most effective and best system for the cost I have ever used. ReadyBrute™ Elite RV Tow Bar - Supplemental Ready Brake and Ready Brute tow bar home

[davismills]

Originally Posted by brobox

There will be MANY opinions of tow systems as everybody has a favorite. I have owned a couple over the years and I am currently enjoying the ReadyBrute. It is the tow bar and breaking systems all in one. It is 100% mechanical so there is no pump to drain the battery or the pump motor to fail. It has been the most effective and best system for the cost I have ever used. ReadyBrute™ Elite RV Tow Bar - Supplemental Ready Brake and Ready Brute tow bar home

X 2 for me as well. Simple design and works well. Easy connection as well.

[Crippsfl]

Like everyone says, there are many units and individual preferences. I, personally, have the Air Force one system with the Blue OX Aventa Tow bar and could not be happier. Easy to set up and take off, 5 minutes or less. Very little change to look of car with bar installed and, most importantly, works perfectly. Have had a couple of fast stops and you don't even know the car is there.

[Cruzer]

I set up our 2012 Rubicons and they are the same as your 2014. Rather than go with a baseplate I went with tow tabs and a RockHard off-road bumper. I use a Blue Ox Aventa LX towbar but RockHard makes tabs for Roadmaster bars as well.

The M&G is always my favorite braking system and the one I chose, as long as it fits. It will fit your 2014. I've detailed the entire setup at Tweaking An Icon - Upgrading Our Jeep Wrangler Unlimited - RV Magazine and that should give you photos as well as tips and ideas on how you can do yours.

[Dawg44b]

Originally Posted by LVUS101

looking for some direction and guidance on towing a 2014 Rubicon behind a 2015 anthem 44b.

looking for the most reliable / dependable system that is easy to use.I can only imagine there are many different brands and systems so if anyone wants to give me some advice I would kindly accept it thank you.



Jim & Natalie

We tow an 06 Ford Expedition weighs approx 5500lbs. We use the Demco Excalibur 2 tow bar 10,500 lb max towing capacity. Got it at Tweetys.com for $598. My hitch shop liked the Blue Ox base plate, I also got it at Tweetys for $350. Had to get the drive shaft disconnect, got it from Drive Shaft King for $1185. We use the air brake system that works by surge. The harder you brake the more surge goes to Tow, even when we go down hill just using Jake brake, Works Great!! Found our best prices along with other items from Tweetys.com😃😃😃

[Dawg44b]

Originally Posted by Dawg44b

We tow an 06 Ford Expedition weighs approx 5500lbs. We use the Demco Excalibur 2 tow bar 10,500 lb max towing capacity. Got it at Tweetys.com for $598. My hitch shop liked the Blue Ox base plate, I also got it at Tweetys for $350. Had to get the drive shaft disconnect, got it from Drive Shaft King for $1185. We use the air brake system that works by surge. The harder you brake the more surge goes to Tow, even when we go down hill just using Jake brake, Works Great!! Found our best prices along with other items from Tweetys.com😃😃😃

The braking system is M&G Engineering Car Braking Systems. A member of FMCA and have been in business since 1991. We love our set up, takes at the most 5 mins to hook up or unhook😃😃😃

[brianw8602]

We have the Demco Commander Tow Bar and utilize the Demco baseplates, which are specific for each vehicle being towed. Nice clean setup, and less visible when unhooked. Previous toad was a Jeep Wrangler. Had the M&G brake system and it was great. Unfortunately, when we bought our 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee, the M&G would not fit We decided to go with the Air Force One. We are very pleased with the installation, and more importantly, they guarantee that it will fit on any vehicle in the event we swap out the toad again

[Cruzer]

The M&G will fit on the 2012 and up Wranglers. It's not a quick bolt-in application though so it may not appear so at first glance. You have to take the ECM and move it forward a bit, which does require removing a plastic wall ahead of it. It's not all that hard though and M&G does have a tech sheet showing what needs to be done.

If I ever did get in a situation where the M&G wouldn't work, Air Force One would be my fallback option as it's the next best thing.