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Clements02 · 03-06-2017, 09:27 PM

I just traded our '14 Cherokee trailhawk for a '17 Grand Cherokee Trailhawk and am trying to get it all set up to tow behind my motorhome. I already have my base plates and break away for my rvibrake and was wandering if anyone out there knows what wire harness if any they've used on the 2017 Grand Cherokee. No one seems to have one listed and I can't confirm that the same harness for 2016 will work. I have confirmed that the 2017 Grand Cherokee taillight was a completely different part number than the other model tail lights. I also had a mopar parts guy tell me the harness was already installed on the 2017's but I'm not sure we're talking about the same harness. Again, I'm asking about flat tow wiring harness for a 2017 GRAND Cherokee. I don't want to start another death wobble topic and would rather have a plug and play type harness(no splicing).

dtoste77 · 03-06-2017, 11:41 PM

I'm pretty sure the flat tow harness was for Cherokees only not the GC. What does the manual say about flat towing? I have a Cherokee and it specifically says I need the harness, I don't think the GC manual says you need one.

Clements02 · 03-07-2017, 12:15 AM

I guess I wasn't clear in my OP. I'm not referring to the harness to avoid shaking while towing. I am asking about a harness for tail light wiring. I used a trailer mate harness for my Cherokee but am not able to find any available for a 2017 Grand Cherokee. Sorry for the confusion.

avid_dk · 03-11-2017, 02:07 PM

Sorry to hijack but what base plate are you using? How does it fit given the heavily skid-plated bottom of the Trailhawk.

I will be running both the RVi brake which is powered by a Diehard jumpstarter and my Towmate wireless lights that I will switch back and forth between my Wrangler and my Trailhawk.

Clements02 · 03-12-2017, 10:39 AM

No problem. Glad somebody chimed in. I installed my baseplates yesterday. Blue Ox bx1128. They installed fine. I also use rvibrake2. The only issue I have is that I haven't found an obvious easy place to get the breakaway cable through the firewall. It has a double firewall and I would rather not drill try through but may have to anyway. If anyone has any suggestions on that let me know. How do you like your wireless taillights? I'm thinking that's my best solution. I bought a set on Amazon. Bully NV-5164 I think.

bd041556 · 03-13-2017, 07:39 AM

I recently installed the breakaway line for the Rvi3 through the firewall of my 2017 Grand Cherokee Summit edition. I found a grommet through the firewall on the passenger side that already had wiring through it. I poked a electrician's "snake" through it and pulled the wire through, then routed it under the console to the driver's side footwell. I am not near my Grand Cherokee currently, so I can't post pictures.

I decided to go with a Towmate Helios wireless tow bar to avoid having to run wires for the brake/turn signal wiring. If you elect to do that, call Towmate to order rather than going through the web site, or you are likely to end up with the wrong transmitter type. You want 7-pin round RV-style, but ordering through their web site somehow resulted in them shipping the 7-pin round non-RV style.

Barry

Clements02 · 03-13-2017, 08:53 AM

Thanks! I'll take a closer look at the passenger side today. Can you recall what general location (high/low, closer to the console or door jam)?

avid_dk · 03-13-2017, 09:37 AM

I like my Towmate lights. The reason I went totally wireless was to avoid tapping into a brand new vehicles electrical system. The dealer were I purchased my Wrangler doesn't do towing set ups and recommended a local shop. My concern was that if there were any electrical problems afterwards Jeep might say the shop caused the problem.

Were are people mounting wireless lights on Trailhawks?

bd041556 · 03-14-2017, 02:02 PM

My recollection is that it was about 8-10 inches in from the fender edge, and about 6-8" down from the cowl. I think there were two grommets to pick from. I'd take a look, but I'm in Pennsylvania and the Jeep is down in Florida. If yours has the same setup as mine, it will be easy to find. There's a lot of stuff blocking access to the driver's side firewall, but access to the passenger side is easier, which is why I looked over there. I think I loosened the trim inside the passenger side wheel web to get to the inside of the grommet, but I don't remember whether that was really necessary or not.

SuperGewl · 03-19-2017, 10:38 PM

Get a hold of Hopkins Towing Solutions and see what they can do for you about the Toad (Dinghy) wiring harness.
The other option is to see if your local dealer will print out a Jeep Cherokee and the new Grand Jeep Cherokee taillight wiring diagram. This way you can see if perhaps they use the same connectors and wiring hookup, then you might be able to use the Hopkins one for the Jeep Cherokee on the Grand Jeep Cherokee

The other option is Universal and wire cutting time.
Good luck and let us know what happens.