14 Ram 4x4 Toad

[exgman]

A friend has a 2014 Ram 4x4 with a 5.7 Hemi and electric power steering. He wants to set it up to tow behind his motorhome. His owners manual doesn’t say anything about disconnecting the battery to disable the e-steering. I’d like to hear from anyone who tows this set up and if you need to pull a fuse or unhook the battery to tow it. Thanks.

[Dutch Star Don]

Dan, disconnecting the battery because of electric steering is a GM product issue, because it doesn't shut off when the ignition is off. I haven't heard of Ram trucks requiring a disconnect. I have a Ford truck with electric steering and it doesn't require the battery being disconnected.

The BEST way to get the exact towing instructions.....go the Owner's Manual and look under "Recreational Towing". It will give you the instructions for towing for down. I like to print those instructions, laminate them, and then keep the in the toad.

[SuperGewl]

Follow the Owners Manual
FYI, when put into Toad mode and turning off the ignition, normally the EPS will shut down. Most FCA cars/trucks do this (older ones) Some of the newer ones will keep power to the EPS so that the front wheels will self correct. There should not be any issue with a Ram 1500 only because of the weight of the front end. The lighter cars can get the "Death Wobble" for several reasons, front end is too light with the EPS off; The Tow bar setup is not correct, it lifts the front of the Toad up slightly releasing the pressure on the front; slo in the tow bar setup, if you can move the towbar side to side and or up and down in the receiver and hear or fell it clunk then it needs fixing, this causes the Toad to magnify the sway and cause the Toad to oscillate (Death Wobble); Aslo this takes a toll on the connections to the Toad especially if you don't have a proper tripod setup to the Toad. Most Base Plates don't tie the front of the Toad together so they oscillate and wear out the front chassis connections, you need an extra brace between the chassis points where the plastic bumper sets to make it sturdy enough to handle the towing. This is why allot of owners of Jeep Wranglers and the like don't have an issue because they have replaced their bumper with something heavy duty to install a winch.
So to answer your question, Follow the Owners Manual.

[Props2]

You do not need to disconnect anything. The steps are simple.
With the engine running, Put your foot on the brake and shift the transmission selector to neutral. Below the selector knob is a small button between the 2 wd/4wd push buttons.Push that small button with a pen or something small. You will hear the transmission disconnect. Place the transmission selector knob back to park, take your foot off the brake and shut the engine off. Roll up the windows and lock'er up if you like. Easy as that!! Reverse the procedure for getting the truck back to normal operation.