Wiring & baseplate vs. bumper questions 08 Wrangler

[MikeD1]

THANKS to great input here we bought an 08 Jeep Wrangler today and I've pretty much decided on the Ready Brute Elite with Blue Ox or Demco baseplate. OR, are there reasonably priced replacement bumpers we should look at? That would already have the mounting for the Ready Brute (The stock bumper on our Jeep look practically new). AND, what do you all recommend for wiring from our Minnie Winnie to control brake/turn lights ( the Winnebago has a six pin connector by the hitch) Thanks much!

[Boostable]

Mike,

Congrats on the purchase. There are several bumper options available out there. Affordable is all relative. Start here for some research.

Jeep Front Bumpers - Quadratec

I ended up with a Rockhard4x4 bumper for a few of reasons. The gauge of material from which its built, and fit and finish but most importantly the way the pull points are mounted. On the Rockhard and a few others they are mounted through the bumper, directly into the frame horns. Others are just mounted directly to the bumper and the pull weight of the vehicle is pulled through the bumper. Im sure its fine in that configuration, but not something I was comfortable with.

On the wiring side, once again you have several options. I use Cooltech wiring harness. Literally plug and play and works like a champ.

JK Tow Harness Kit - CoolTechLLC

Enjoy,

[vsheetz]

I have a TJ with a RockHard bumper installed many years ago. It has held up very well.

[Mody n Domy]

Check out Currie Enterprise Rock Jock tow plate. I put one on 3 years ago and have towed it about 15,000 miles,

[Lt Dan]

I installed the Demco base plate and use a Blue Ox tow bar. I was impressed with the quality and solid mounting of the Demco. It mounts very tight under the stock bumper and the fit is very good. The plastic rock shield has to be removed or cut to accommodate the base plate.

I went with the Mopar wiring harness since it uses relays to isolate the lights from the Jeep wiring.

You will also need a braking system, so you might want to check out the RVI2 brake. I have been very pleased with mine as it is very quick and easy to set up each time.

[Slolane]

Originally Posted by Mody n Domy

Check out Currie Enterprise Rock Jock tow plate. I put one on 3 years ago and have towed it about 15,000 miles,

This.

The Currie tow plate has a clean look, is priced competitively and fairly easy to install. It replaces the air dam that is under the front bumper.

[britcon]

I installed the Blue Ox baseplate, with the removable tow pins. Easy install with a little dremel work to the plastic rock shield. Fits tight under stock bumper. However, if you think you may want to add a winch in the future, the aftermarket bumper makes a lot of sense. Readybrute Elite tow bar with built in surge brake works great - 20000 miles no issues.

[NC25T]

On the 08 wranglers remember you have to keep the ignition in the on position to deactivate the steering wheel lock.

For the first trip or two we would remove the ground from the battery..... Then i decided to add a quick disconnect which takes seconds to do vs a few minutes the old way.

[srx-6]

Sometime in the 2008 production the ignition lock was removed. I do not know exactly when but,early 08 Wranglers have the ignition lock and later ones do not. Mine does, it is very easy to pull the M-1 fuse and that will disconnect the accessories then, push it back in when you are ready to unhook the jeep. You will lose the time setting on the radio but do not lose the preset channels.

[MikeD1]

I decided to go with the Blue Ox baseplate since I found the Blue Ox baseplate install instructions in the glove box and when I looked underneath, looked like one had been installed there at one time. Looks like they may have left a couple of old bolts to rust and that might be a bit of a pain to drill out. However, overall I'm thinking it should be a pretty easy "re-install". I checked, and my steering wheel does lock. I'll probably go with pulling the fuse.

[Lt Dan]

You shouldn't have to pull the fuse or kill the accessories. I towed an 05 Wrangler for 20,000 miles and all you have to do is turn the key to the first notch to unlock the steering. You don't turn the key to accessory, which is the second notch.

[britcon]

If you are going with the Ready Brute Elite tow bar, you have no need for power in the Jeep ( ie not powering an electric brake system ). Only thing you loose when cutting off battery is the presets/ time on the radio. If you are moving down the road presets are no good anyhow.

[F4Gary]

I just bought a Demco Towed Connector Wiring Harness for out CRV. Haven't had a chance to install yet. Here is one for an 08 Wrangler:

Demco 9523093 Towed Connector Wiring Kit | Demco Tow Bars

[MikeD1]

Originally Posted by srx-6

Sometime in the 2008 production the ignition lock was removed. I do not know exactly when but,early 08 Wranglers have the ignition lock and later ones do not. Mine does, it is very easy to pull the M-1 fuse and that will disconnect the accessories then, push it back in when you are ready to unhook the jeep. You will lose the time setting on the radio but do not lose the preset channels.

Is that the fuse that is referred to as the IOD (twin 60 amp) in the Wrangler manual? Just want to confirm, thanks!