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lincolnmath · 10-02-2019, 09:25 PM

Were thinking about going from WA to Utah this Spring but the 2000K + tx for the Air Force Duo system (for hyd brakes) is a hard pill to swallow! As someone had suggested I look at the M & G or? which I did but saw no prices on line & a dealer is 100 miles away, I got looking at trailers.

I can buy a new aluminum car hauler for about 5k locally & take the Jeep & the HD to Utah and save the wear & tear on the Jeep! I'm just concerned about towing a trailer into the Moab area. I think we will be taking our 4 x 4 & Lance camper versus the Class A because I don't want to subject it to the dust etc etc.

I just don't want to be restricted going places & tow a trailer.
What would you guys do going this distance? flat tow or trailer?? Going to this location. Thanks

LJowdy · 10-03-2019, 10:08 AM

Here's a used Brake Buddy on ebay. A lot cheaper than what you're looking at

https://www.ebay.com/i/202766678745?...EaArHuEALw_wcB

FIRE UP · 10-03-2019, 10:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lincolnmath

Were thinking about going from WA to Utah this Spring but the 2000K + tx for the Air Force Duo system (for hyd brakes) is a hard pill to swallow! As someone had suggested I look at the M & G or? which I did but saw no prices on line & a dealer is 100 miles away, I got looking at trailers.

I can buy a new aluminum car hauler for about 5k locally & take the Jeep & the HD to Utah and save the wear & tear on the Jeep! I'm just concerned about towing a trailer into the Moab area. I think we will be taking our 4 x 4 & Lance camper versus the Class A because I don't want to subject it to the dust etc etc.

I just don't want to be restricted going places & tow a trailer.
What would you guys do going this distance? flat tow or trailer?? Going to this location. Thanks

Well Sir,
First off, you're WAAAAAAAAY over thinking most of this. You don't say what make/model/chassis/engine/coach you have so, it's kind-a hard to maybe suggest alternatives for braking systems for your Jeep. You do say "hydraulic brakes" so, with that, I'm presupposing you have a gasser. (although there were some, very few, air over hydraulic braked units built, quite a while ago.

I've ran the M&G in more than a couple Jeeps and one of our present toads, an '11 GMC Sierra 1500 Extended Cab 4x4. The M&G to me, is by far, the absolute best in braking systems, especially if you have a diesel coach. There's absolutely NOTHING on the inside of the toad, no cables, no air cylinders, no robots to lift and put away, NOTHING. All of the operation is under the hood of the toad and, is quite small at that. But, if you have a gasser, well, yep, the cost is driven up 'cause you need other components to make the M&G system operate.

Second, DUST, who cares about dust? You're taking your Jeep to Moab which, is pretty much the Jeep capitol of the world. Your Jeep's gonna get dusty, NOT YOUR MOTORHOME!! You're not taking the Motorhome on the trails, just the jeep.

Third, "wear and tear" on a Jeep? They're built for WEAR AND TEAR. And, contrary to what some think on here and other forums, for all intent and purpose, there is no wear and tear on them while towing, not any more than any other toad. They simply follow the coach, in neutral, with no power being applied to anything. We've owned, modified and towed, 9 different Jeep Wranglers over a 35+ year period and not one of them has ever had any EXTRA wear and tear from towing it.

And we've done the Moab Easter Jeep Safari, over 14 years in a row, towing to Moab from San Diego each time and back. There's a good, at least, 1/2 dozen to a dozen campgrounds in and around Moab that are not "dusty". Besides, you get motorhomes DIRTY simply by driving them anywhere in the U.S.

It's up to you. All that equipment is yours. Use what makes you feel comfortable but, again, you're over thinking this. Hook that Jeep up to the coach, enjoy the route to and from Moab, enjoy Moab while you're there and, wash your stuff when you get home, simple. We've seen hundreds of 1/2 million dollar rigs sitting in the desert playgrounds getting dustier than all get out. That's what water and soap is for. Good luck.
Scott

lincolnmath · 10-03-2019, 05:10 PM

Thanks you guys, I probably am over thinking this. Its just that if I plan on Boondocking a bit on BLM land I would prefer the 4 x 4 versus my Class A (which is gas powered). I guess I will flat tow my Jeep which I don't mind doing.

tripntx · 10-04-2019, 11:38 AM

We flat tow our Jeep, and use a RVi3 brake controller. I really like the RVi3 brake controller.
We use a Stinger Folding trailer to tow our full fairing touring bike. The trailer folds up, and easily fits behind our MH in campgrounds.
https://www.stingertrailer.com/produ...lding-trailer/

Unfortunately, we always have to chose between the Jeep or bike.

Our MH is a gasser with a long overhang, meaning we cannot use a hydraulic lift behind our MH for the bike.

Towing a trailer for both Jeep and bike is not an option for us, because I do not want to deal with a trailer after we get to campground.

One option is to purchase a Swivelwheel 58DW Tandom Tow Dolly. Bike, trike, and golf carts fit on the swivelwheel, and jeep can still be flat towed behind the swivelwheel. Swivelwheel is considered an extension of the MH, so it doesn't count as triple towing.
SWIVELWHEEL-58DW TANDEM TOW DOLLY

Daveinet · 10-04-2019, 11:51 AM

GO with https://www.readybrake.com/
Much cheaper and is the only closed loop braking system made. It works very well. I used it to tow a Grand Cherokee through the mountains in Colorado with my previous motorhome. The simplicity of the system means less components to fail.

Rocky68D · 10-04-2019, 07:27 PM

J.R.s in Sedro Woolley is an M&G dealer. They used to specialize in mounting them but drifted toward the Air Force One as their M&G specialist retired.

I'm sure Jake would install it and he is a very talented technician. He has sorted out some issues we had with our Jeep and motorhome wiring done by another shop. His wife just had a baby so he is off for a few weeks.

I highly recommend J.R.s.

Rocky

Hikerdogs · 10-05-2019, 10:41 AM

I would agree that wear and tear is a non issue on a Jeep. We've towed our 2004 TJ over 120,000 miles and driven it another 60,000 miles with no problems. It gets regular maintenance every 3,000 miles, and a new set of tires every 50,000 or so miles.

Take a look at the eTrailer website for different braking systems:
https://www.etrailer.com/s.aspx?qry=...c-Fixed_System

Looking at the M&G website it appears most systems sell for about $875.00 plus another $240.00 for the breakaway system

Daveinet · 10-05-2019, 08:00 PM

I forgot to mention, but the ReadyBrake runs around 1000 bucks, and that includes the tow bar and the braking system. It used to be cheaper yet, but as it got much more popular, the price went up about 300 bucks. That still makes it about half the price of other systems. It was also one of the first systems that was fully proportional.

Alan_Hepburn · 10-06-2019, 12:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Daveinet

I forgot to mention, but the ReadyBrake runs around 1000 bucks, and that includes the tow bar and the braking system.

I agree: I just paid $1150 for the Ready Brute Elite with Blue Ox Clevis attachment from rvupgradestore.com. they want another $100 for the Ready Stop breakaway system - I think that should be included with the tow bar because pretty much every state requires a breakaway system, but it is what it is...

lincolnmath · 10-08-2019, 08:27 PM

Thanks Rocky I will check with J.R's in Sedro Wooley, never heard of them before but will check them out. Thank you

lincolnmath · 10-08-2019, 09:07 PM

Just looked at a M &G on Ebay looks like the unit gets mounted on the coach, I don't think this will work with 2 different tow vehicles. I need one system mounted in the Jeep able to go from our Dodge camper rig to a Class A, but I will check it out maybe M&G can figure it out. Thanks

johninsd · 10-12-2019, 02:45 PM

The Ready Brute doesn't require anything to be installed on the tow vehicle - if it has a receiver hitch it will work with the RBE. Seems like the simplest option.

Daveinet · 01-25-2020, 10:52 AM

After setting my JKU up for towing, I will warn you: Put the maximum air pressure in your Jeep tires. My stock tires had 37 lbs pressure in them. The jeep was very difficult to pull. The coach would not stay in 5th gear. I finally pulled over and put 50 psi in the tires. I was able to roll along in 5th 90% of the time. It would even stay in on slight grades. Running max air pressure in the toad made a huge difference.

And my Ready Brake worked great.