Towing System

[Dutch Star Don]

"aguyintx"....A little overkill on the tow bar may pay off later on. Let's say you decide to add a golf cart or RZR to the rear of the F-150. You'll already have the tow bar you need.

[Webz]

Agree with Don. Towing a 1/2 ton Ram and it weighs 5500 lbs. Added a golf cart for our trip to Quartzsite. Sometimes you never know what will be in the bed of your truck. We have the 10 K tow bar.

[Ann n Gene]

Recommend a 10 K tow bar, brand is not as important as capacity. I use the heavy Blue Ix tow bar and Air Force 1 Brake. Blue Ox is heavy, stout and dependable but not perfect. The rubber boots come loose or get holes and take some maintenance but very doable. Air Force 1 is simple, easy to hook and unhook, dependable and works great. One caution if your toad has adjustable pedals make sure when you tow they are always in the same position they were in when the unit was set at installation for proper toad braking. JMHO

[Dave.FL]

Congratulations on moving up from the FW to a Newmar DP. We made the switch this year and couldn’t be happier.

After spending almost a year looking at tow systems while we looked for a coach, talking with vendors, pouring through IRV2, and speaking with others (especially friends like C.Martin) we ended up with the Blue Ox Avail and AF-1. Both have performed well without any issues.

We ended up getting the Avail tow bar as it was rated for up to 10k lbs so we could perhaps pull something a little heavier than our current toad. Like others have mentioned, always good to plan for potential future needs.

[fagnaml]

Jon --

If you decide on a Blue Ox tow system and M&G or Air Force 1 supplemental braking system, Smitty's RV & Welding is a great, locally owned business that provides good service --> Smitty's RV and Welding

I purchased my Roadmaster tow bar and Invisibrake supplemental braking system from Camping World near Katy. They did good work installing the Invisibrake.

Do you live in the Houston area?

[RL57]

Roadmaster Blackhawk and M&G brake is all I've ever used. Looks like your only a couple hours drive from Athens. Give Monty at M&G a call. He does base plates, lights and the brakes. He is very reasonable on price.

[JMonroe]

We purchased a 2020 JL last October. It is our 7th Jeep, 3rd Wrangler. On this one I did all the toad prep installation myself.

I've always used the Blue Ox tow bar and baseplate as much because thats what the dealer that did our first set up installed. I have no experience with other systems so can't directly compare. I know I do not like the system that leaves a big ugly shin busting crossbar across the front when not in use. Apparently it can be removed but that's just something else I have to deal with and find someplace to store.

On our current Jeep I went for something much cleaner in appearance, easier to install and leaves nothing hanging under the bumper as even the Blue Ox base plate does. I installed the Maximus 3 tow loops and purchased the adapters for the end of the tow bar to make them compatible.

We started using the Patriot brake system but it's another hassle you don't have to deal with. As others have already mentioned the new Spartan chassis comes with the coach side of the air activated supplimental brake system, all you'd have to buy is the Air Force One "second vehicle" kit to set up the Jeep. Install is straight forward except tapping into the brake booster, using their generic instructions. The vacuum line is anything but straight and most of it is hidden under other under hood assemblies. I introduced a simple loop of additional vacuum line into the system which made the install simple.

Remember, you'll need to address activation of the Jeep tail lamps too. There are choices as to how to accomplish this. I used the Cooltech harness. Installation is straight forward, as long as you take your time and check your work every step of the way. It's less than half the cost of the Mopar/Jeep harness.

I'll attach some photos of my installation. Send me a PM if you'd like to exchange or discuss more information.

[CWSWine]

Originally Posted by JMonroe

We purchased a 2020 JL last October. It is our 7th Jeep, 3rd Wrangler. On this one I did all the toad prep installation myself.

I've always used the Blue Ox tow bar and baseplate as much because thats what the dealer that did our first set up installed. I have no experience with other systems so can't directly compare. I know I do not like the system that leaves a big ugly shin busting crossbar across the front when not in use. Apparently it can be removed but that's just something else I have to deal with and find someplace to store.

On our current Jeep I went for something much cleaner in appearance, easier to install and leaves nothing hanging under the bumper as even the Blue Ox base plate does. I installed the Maximus 3 tow loops and purchased the adapters for the end of the tow bar to make them compatible.

We started using the Patriot brake system but it's another hassle you don't have to deal with. As others have already mentioned the new Spartan chassis comes with the coach side of the air activated supplimental brake system, all you'd have to buy is the Air Force One "second vehicle" kit to set up the Jeep. Install is straight forward except tapping into the brake booster, using their generic instructions. The vacuum line is anything but straight and most of it is hidden under other under hood assemblies. I introduced a simple loop of additional vacuum line into the system which made the install simple.

Remember, you'll need to address activation of the Jeep tail lamps too. There are choices as to how to accomplish this. I used the Cooltech harness. Installation is straight forward, as long as you take your time and check your work every step of the way. It's less than half the cost of the Mopar/Jeep harness.

I'll attach some photos of my installation. Send me a PM if you'd like to exchange or discuss more information.

I had Blue Ox on my 17 Jeep and Roadmaster on my 2020 Jeep and the only difference is the Roadmaster is little more heavy duty that the Blue Ox. The front connections are the same and just twist out like the ones on the Blue Ox just lot heavier duty connection. The picture shows one side with the twist out connection installed.