Community Forums

Steve-W · 04-07-2021, 05:37 PM

The brake light check is a good thing but not only proves operation at the moment of the test. It also sounds like a brake light relay is not installed for towing. Without a relay to disable the cars brake pedal activating the brake lights the turn signals will be overrode by the brake application. Also it is a good thing to add a remote indicator in the coach dash to show when the car brakes are applied. I did both of these on my toad and I know each and every time when the car brakes are applied and released. Much less stress knowing that things are working as they should.

rdavis0521 · 04-08-2021, 10:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve-W

The brake light check is a good thing but not only proves operation at the moment of the test. It also sounds like a brake light relay is not installed for towing. Without a relay to disable the cars brake pedal activating the brake lights the turn signals will be overrode by the brake application.

Interesting point, thank you. I hadn't thought of that possibility.

Isaac-1 · 04-08-2021, 01:48 PM

A simpler solution than an in cab brake indicator, is an LED connected to a supplemental brake switch such as https://www.etrailer.com/Tow-Bar-Bra...RM-751471.html connected to a bright red LED light on the dash of the TOAD that can seen in the coaches rear view camera. Perhaps something like https://smile.amazon.com/Center-Thir...dp/B084JQNNDZ/ For bonus points wire in a strobe flasher module to get your attention. https://smile.amazon.com/Strobe-Cont...asher-GS-100A/ to the circuit.

See

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGmhJCa4EAI

SuperGewl · 04-11-2021, 06:36 AM

OK, lets be a bit more specific about which Trailhawk you have? Cherokee or Grand Jeep Cherokee?
It really doesn't matter because you need to have a charge line from your MH. There are 2 factors at play here, which you did not give enough information on. What type of auxiliary braking system you having installed in your Trailhawk. Most require some sort of power to use them, thus they use the battery in the Toad and your tail lights in the Toad along with the park lights in the Toad are all running the battery down while you are traveling. Thus the need for a charge line.
I did forget about the EPS which is using massive power in the Toad which you have to have on to keep from getting the Death Wobble.

rdavis0521 · 04-11-2021, 01:15 PM

Specifically I have the Cherokee TrailHawk. Regarding the other people I mentioned in the original post, I don't know. I was relaying information passed on to me by a friend who is on a caravan and had just met these people having issues.

My friend believes that neither have a charge line installed, and one of the two has specifically claims his vehicle was incorrectly wired by his installer.

I did have a charge line installed in my vehicle when the baseplate was installed. I have yet to begin towing (later this month is first trip with toad). I will be using the BlueOx Patriot braking system.

I am curious about the death wobble. I have heard that it affected 2014-2018 models, which leads me to believe that it doesn't affect 2019 and newer?

Also, if the vehicle is power off, as per instructions for towing, how is the EPS active? Just curious.

Isaac-1 · 04-11-2021, 06:26 PM

From what I have read the death wobble fix was implemented after 2019 production started so early 2019 models may still need the wiring harness to fix it.

Oldmso54 · 04-11-2021, 06:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bikinjim

The 2014 - 2018 model year Cherokee’s require the flat tow harness be installed to prevent the death wobble. Because this harness powers up the electric steering during towing, a charge line is absolutely necessary to prevent depleting the battery during towing. Perhaps the anecdotal experience relates to pre 2019 vehicles that either didn’t have a charge line installed or had malfunctions in their charge lines. I towed a 2015 Trailhawk for thousands of miles without a charge line before installing the flat tow harness (using a Ready Brake system) and never had issues with a dead battery. I agree if the vehicles are 2019 or newer then they must not be getting them turned off.

THIS ^
We have a 2015 Jeep Cherokee Trrailhawk set up this way and have yet to have an issue towing ... knock on wood / fingers crossed

Isaac-1 · 04-11-2021, 09:06 PM

Some people go thousands of miles without an issue, then have them shake so violently that they rip the base plates off their mounts. See this thread https://www.irv2.com/forums/f85/jeep...in-340582.html

p.s. also see https://www.irv2.com/forums/f85/2016...le-313778.html

Bikinjim · 04-12-2021, 05:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Oldmso54

THIS ^
We have a 2015 Jeep Cherokee Trrailhawk set up this way and have yet to have an issue towing ... knock on wood / fingers crossed

If you are saying you are towing your 2015 Trailhawk without using the flat tow harness then you really are playing Russian Roulette with the death wobble. We towed ours without issue before the wobble was a known issue in those Cherokee’s for thousands of miles. Then the issue became known but there was no fix available and we continued to tow successfully. Finally the flat tow harness was released but by then we had probably towed for more than 20k miles and I had convinced myself that I must have gotten the magic configuration of a wobble resistant Cherokee and/or the magic tow setup (tow bar level, no play in the components, etc.) so did not invest in the flat tow harness when it came out as Jeep had angered me by refusing to pay for it but that’s another story. We continued to tow successfully for at least 10k more trouble free miles until one day we experienced a low speed wobble (traveling ~ 25mph around a sharp curve on a heavily potholed road. Soon thereafter we experienced a high speed (65 mph) wobble after hitting a rough bridge transition on the interstate in a curve. This was a violent and dangerous event that I never wanted repeated. Fortunately it occurred with us in the right lane with room to immediately be able to pull over and I shuddered to think what could have happened if we were in a different situation. I immediately purchased and installed the flat tow harness and never had another wobble as long as we owned the car. The fact is you are wobble free until the first time it happens and I believe your risk for one increases as the vehicle ages and the tires and suspension wears.

Gormleys · 04-21-2021, 10:21 AM

I have a 2019 Cherokee Traihawk and had the same problem. And if you let the battery drain too much, the Check Engine light comes on and it can only be reset by a factory dealer (due to FCA's unique codes). I do have the charge line from the MH to the toad. I discovered that the long directions in the User Manual aren't very clear. The last part of putting it into flat tow mode has you power it up and then turn it off. If you do not have it in Park (from an earlier step), it does not turn off and stays in ACC mode, which leaves everything powered up and depletes the battery rather quickly, even with a charge line. You have to put it into Park and then turn off the Power to get it off (with the door closed to keep the Auto Parking Brake from coming on).

You can confirm that the Cherokee is off only by looking in the bottom right corner of the instrument display as the display looks the same whether it is OFF or in ACC.

I printed out that section of the User Manual and made notes on it so that I remember the critical steps (most are legal steps to limit Jeep's liability).

Once I figured that out, the newer Trailhawk does not have the Death Wobble and is a blast both to tow and to use off road (we just came back from trying that out with the Jeep Academy training session at SMORR in Missouri).

burgmark · 04-24-2021, 07:39 PM

How much power can the LED taillights and the Air Force One brake system use? I'm wondering if a power wire is necessary given the low power consumption of these devices. I'm towing a 2021 Grand Cherokee and so no reason to power the electric brakes.

Steve-W · 04-25-2021, 05:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by burgmark

How much power can the LED taillights and the Air Force One brake system use? I'm wondering if a power wire is necessary given the low power consumption of these devices. I'm towing a 2021 Grand Cherokee and so no reason to power the electric brakes.

The lighting is powered directly from the coach, so no power consumption from the toad. The AF1 I am not familiar with so i cannot comment there. It is a very simple task in most cases to add a charge line from the coach, in my mind it is well worth the minimal effort for the peace of mind.

Bikinjim · 04-25-2021, 06:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by burgmark

How much power can the LED taillights and the Air Force One brake system use? I'm wondering if a power wire is necessary given the low power consumption of these devices. I'm towing a 2021 Grand Cherokee and so no reason to power the electric brakes.

The AFO only consumes electrical power for the brake application notification LED and to open the breakaway air reservoir in the event of a toad breakaway. The AFO electrical consumption is minimal.