Community Forums

Rick 2005 Dolphin 5376 · 04-28-2008, 06:04 PM

Being mounted to it's foundation? Is it mounted to the frame of the JK? I'm not sure it would be, from a liability standpoint, smart to recommend moving anything brake related unless by the folks who make the M&G system. Do they have any instructions to assist you?

2001Wrangler · 04-29-2008, 08:03 AM

First off.. My hat's off to all of those preceeding me in this endeavor.. Great reading and one of the most usefull articles I've read in along time..

I just purchased an 08 JK 2 DR Rubicon a couple of weeks ago. After reading all the articles I could find I felt I was armed to make the best decision on the components I would use for towing my new Jeep.

So.. parts in hand I got ready this past weekend and proceeded to get the Rubi set up for towing.. I already had the Roadmaster Sterling tow bar so I purchased their 1429-1 brackets.. Installation was uneventful except for having to "enlarge" a couple of holes for the brackets to bolt up. I also purchased the Cool Tech harness. This was by far much easier than my last setup where I used separate bulbs in my old 2001 Wrangler.

I purchased the US Gear UTB braking system for this Jeep, not wanting to re-use my old setup. Long story there.. This installation, although time consuming, went pretty well. After reading all of the previous posts, along with understanding how the UTB worked, I assumed that I would not have the brake light/ turn signal issue along with the battery running down.. Now having said that, I haven't done much testing other than a short drive last night to confirm all was working.. NOT!!

The US Gear system runs a 12vdc feeder line to the towed vehicle to use as a charge line. It is not needed to "run" the braking system. So.. time will tell whether I need to pull the IOD fuse or not.

The US Gear system also has the ability to cut power to the brake light switch by cutting the power feeding the switch and running it "through" their control box in the towed vehicle. In theory, when the braking system is activated, the control box "should" kill the 12vdc going to the brake light switch.. If this works, you should not have to pull the M1 fuse for the lights to work correctly. But in my situation, it was not working.. I pulled the M1 fuse and all is fine.. So I either wired this part of the installation incorrectly or the control box is not doing what it's supposed to do. This will require some troubleshooting on my part along with a call to US Gear to confirm the operation of the unit.. I'm pretty sure it's wired correctly as it was easy to find the 12vdc supply line to the switch as it is the only line with any power to it all the time.. My connections have to be okay or the brake lights would not work normally, which they do. I will check all of my connections prior to giving US Gear a call though.

So, in the end, I'm hoping to not have to pull any fuses using this setup. But at least I'm armed with the knowledge to get around them if need be.. It would really be nice to just plug and go, which is why I bought the US Gear system in the first place..

Updates to follow....

SargeW · 04-29-2008, 09:20 AM

Pulling the IOD fuse really isn't an optional thing. The new Jeeps have LOTS of electrical equipment that comes to life when you turn the ignition key to the first "click" to allow you to tow four down. Pulling the IOD fuse keeps the Jeep from running the battery down, regardless what type of brake system you use. The owners manual in the Jeep will tell you to remove the negative battery cable when towing. Pulling the IOD fuse allows you to avoid that issue.

Sarge

Rick 2005 Dolphin 5376 · 04-29-2008, 12:33 PM

Interesting post. The M1 fuse corrected by issues. The M1 fuse kills the 3rd brake light switch, according to the manual.

offthewall · 04-29-2008, 01:55 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by SargeW:
Pulling the IOD fuse really isn't an optional thing. The new Jeeps have LOTS of electrical equipment that comes to life when you turn the ignition key to the first "click" to allow you to tow four down. Pulling the IOD fuse keeps the Jeep from running the battery down, regardless what type of brake system you use. The owners manual in the Jeep will tell you to remove the negative battery cable when towing. Pulling the IOD fuse allows you to avoid that issue.

Sarge

You missed part of the OP's comments. "The US Gear system runs a 12vdc feeder line to the towed vehicle to use as a charge line." This should eliminate the need to pull the IOD fuse by charging the Toad's battery from the MH. I may a do a similar thing with the "Toad Charge" product to eliminate the hassle of pulling the IOD fuse as well.

offthewall · 04-29-2008, 02:06 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by 2001Wrangler:
First off.. My hat's off to all of those preceeding me in this endeavor.. Great reading and one of the most usefull articles I've read in along time..

I just purchased an 08 JK 2 DR Rubicon a couple of weeks ago. After reading all the articles I could find I felt I was armed to make the best decision on the components I would use for towing my new Jeep.

So.. parts in hand I got ready this past weekend and proceeded to get the Rubi set up for towing.. I already had the Roadmaster Sterling tow bar so I purchased their 1429-1 brackets.. Installation was uneventful except for having to "enlarge" a couple of holes for the brackets to bolt up. I also purchased the Cool Tech harness. This was by far much easier than my last setup where I used separate bulbs in my old 2001 Wrangler.

I purchased the US Gear UTB braking system for this Jeep, not wanting to re-use my old setup. Long story there.. This installation, although time consuming, went pretty well. After reading all of the previous posts, along with understanding how the UTB worked, I assumed that I would not have the brake light/ turn signal issue along with the battery running down.. Now having said that, I haven't done much testing other than a short drive last night to confirm all was working.. NOT!!

The US Gear system runs a 12vdc feeder line to the towed vehicle to use as a charge line. It is not needed to "run" the braking system. So.. time will tell whether I need to pull the IOD fuse or not.

The US Gear system also has the ability to cut power to the brake light switch by cutting the power feeding the switch and running it "through" their control box in the towed vehicle. In theory, when the braking system is activated, the control box "should" kill the 12vdc going to the brake light switch.. If this works, you should not have to pull the M1 fuse for the lights to work correctly. But in my situation, it was not working.. I pulled the M1 fuse and all is fine.. So I either wired this part of the installation incorrectly or the control box is not doing what it's supposed to do. This will require some troubleshooting on my part along with a call to US Gear to confirm the operation of the unit.. I'm pretty sure it's wired correctly as it was easy to find the 12vdc supply line to the switch as it is the only line with any power to it all the time.. My connections have to be okay or the brake lights would not work normally, which they do. I will check all of my connections prior to giving US Gear a call though.

So, in the end, I'm hoping to not have to pull any fuses using this setup. But at least I'm armed with the knowledge to get around them if need be.. It would really be nice to just plug and go, which is why I bought the US Gear system in the first place..

Updates to follow....

The Wrangler really wants the COLD side of the brake light switch disconnected so that the Jeep's activation of the brake lights does not occur. US Gear's system of cutting the HOT side seems like it should work in theory but I have found there is some strange feedback through the Jeep's computer that may be messing with the US Gear approach. Setting up a system like the Roadmaster Brake Relay which cuts the cold side of the switch definitely works. You could easily add that in place of the US Gear arrangement for a plug and go setup.

Brent Kortus · 04-30-2008, 09:14 AM

Bill,
Is there a thread about the best Toad Deflector set up to use.
I wonder if large mudflaps and the 3m Protective Film for the front of the Toad vehicle is enough or is something like the Blue Ox Karguard a must for unpaved roads??

Brent

2001Wrangler · 04-30-2008, 10:49 AM

Thanks for the comments.. I really would have thought that the charge line would provide enough amperage back to the toad to keep the battery up. The system has you wire in 40a breakers on both vehicles directly to the batteries with the charge line between them.. That really should be enough to keep up with the drain.

I haven't had a chance to play with the lights yet but I hadn't thought about the possibility of something feeding back through the system.. I'm guessing that it is supposed to work similar to a relay, or may even have a relay built into it.. If that's the case, putting it on the cold side would work better.

offthewall · 04-30-2008, 11:02 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by 2001Wrangler:
. I'm guessing that it is supposed to work similar to a relay, or may even have a relay built into it.. If that's the case, putting it on the cold side would work better.

Yea, I was originally going to suggest that you just move the US Gear arrangement to the COLD side of the brake light switch thinking that it probably was just a simple relay. Then I got to "over thinking" it and thought maybe it needed the hot line to power the relay... That's why I ended up suggesting the RoadMaster Relay kit knowing from experience that it works.

2001Wrangler · 04-30-2008, 11:56 AM

Just got off with US Gear and they do use a relay in the controller that as soon as the brakes are applied in the MH, it should open the 12vdc connection to the brake light switch. He had not heard of anyone with an 07 or 08 Jeep having this issue.

So he told me to have the DW activate the brakes in the MH and then I can put a meter to the connection and see what's going on.. if it's not breaking the connection, they'll send me a new unit..

I'll let you know what I find out..

bneiva · 05-01-2008, 07:41 PM

Rick,
M&G is vague about how to re-locate the ABS. There were several entries in this post from others who were looking at installing the M&G system, so I am in hope that someone can give me first hand data. Thanks for your input.

Bill

2001Wrangler · 05-05-2008, 08:30 AM

So I got around to looking at the operation of the US GEAR UTB 1000 controlling the hot side of the brake switch and it turns out that the unit appears to be defective. The unit never breaks the connection.. So I called US Gear and they will have replacement unit in the mail in a few days...

codgerbill · 05-05-2008, 12:20 PM

I just finished installing the air dam on my 07 wrangler. I asked for and recieved instructions and pictures from a member of this board and all went well. I got back from Florida on the 28th of April and found the battery dead on the Wrangler and I assumed it was from the brake buddy. We took 2 days for the trip and did a bit of nite time running too. I will try removing the IOD fuse next time I tow over a long haul and also add a battery charger to my on board equipment for the coach. I had a problem with the tail lights on the toad when towing I have the brake buddy harness with seperate (isolated ) bulbs and when I engaged the turn signal both sides flashed. When I left home It wa raining and when I engaged the turn signals from the coach the indicator in the coach kinda came on(dimley) and no flashing action occured. I am suspecting a moisture problem as the problem seemed to clear up after driving in dry conditions for a while. I had disconnected the 6 pin cable from the coach and all systems on the coach worked normally. I did a continuity check of the 6 pin cable and all conductors check ok and the ohm reading to ground on each conductor was in the meg ohm numbers. Anyone have any thoughts on the subject?

CoolTech · 05-06-2008, 01:09 PM

Wow! 29 pages and just about 24,000 views... an unbelievable amount of great information here, obviously!

I just thought I would add a brief summary for those who want to read the whole thread at a later time.

1. To flat-tow the 2007+ Jeep Wrangler and Wrangler Unlimited (all models), you must have the ignition key in the first position to unlock the steering wheel. Even with all accessories in the Jeep in the "off" position, this first key position will still cause the Jeep to draw 2+ amps continuous. A fully charged battery will be incapable of starting the Jeep after ~5 or more hours of towing. To remedy this "problem", simply remove the Ignition Off Draw (IOD) fuse before towing and press it back in when you're done.

2. If you elect to use a in-Jeep auxillary braking device, you should also remove the M1 fuse while towing. The reason is that when the in-Jeep brake device activates the Jeep's brake pedal, the Jeep will want to illuminate the stop/turn bulb continuously.... even whe the MH may be trying to blink the light with the turn signal. The M1 fuse will prevent the Jeep from activating it's own brake lights and all will be good.

2a. Some auxillary brake devices may include a means to "interrupt" the brake signal of the Jeep and in these cases, removal of the M1 fuse may not be necessary. Follow the manufacturer's instruction for wiring.

2b. Still other auxillary brake devices may have an option to have a brake light in the MH to indicate that the aux brake device is properly depressing the brake pedal. Simply connecting to the Jeep's brake light wire is not sufficient since the MH will activate the lights under braking... but this is not an indication that the device has moved the brake pedal. Call it a false-positive. There is an easy remedy for this situation as well. To resolve, cut the white/gray stripe wire at the brake pedal switch or alternatively in the harness in the passenger's kick-panel. The "hot when braking" side of this wire can be connected to one side of a simple SPST switch. The other side of the wire connect to the other pin on the SPST switch. Now, simply connect an additional wire to the "hot when braking" side and this can be routed (through the proper connectors) into the MH. In this scenario, the M1 fuse would always be left in place and the switch would be opened when towing and closed when not towing.

An admittedly selfish reason for providing this summary is to conclude that in all of the scenarios we have, the Cool Tech LLC wiring harness (with factory plug-in connectors)will work and provides the easiest and most straightforward way to connect your lights.