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Towing behind a Motor Home

10K views 26 replies 12 participants last post by  hayaku 
#1 ·
Did a search with no results. Does anyone tow an unlimited behind a gas Motor Home? My MH can tow a max 5000lbs, 36 ft. Had the 2015 Sahara weighted it came in at 4600lbs so I am ok there. I will be towing 4 on the ground about 1300 miles. Does that Ford V-10 pull it ok on hills? I am presently towing a chevy Colorado which is several hundred pounds lighter. thanks for any replies.
 
#2 ·
you should be fine.. .I do suggest a supplemental brake system which I am sure you have already for your colorado. My buddy has a 98-2001? class C Tioga with a v10 not sure of its limits and he hauls a heavy TJ on a trailer..feels the hills but does fine..i think his motor home is 31ft??..I flat tow with my CTD dually and a 4800 lbs Lance camper in the bed and he stays with me until the hills..the hills get gas motors whether towing or not. but again flat towing is better going down the road vs a trailer if you know what i mean
I dont think you will feel the difference between your present Toad and the JKU.
Cameron

Cameron
 
#3 ·
I have a 25' Winnie with the E450 chassis and the Ford V10. I can barely tell the Jeep is back there. Mine weighs in at just below 5k pounds empty. I'm not using a brake system, but I only tow around Alaska a couple of times per year. If I was doing regular long haul around the lower 48 I can see where the brakes would be worth the investment.

Mike
 
#4 ·
I flat tow my 2013 rubicon (4000) with my 24 foot sprinter (tow capacity 4200) with no issues
Did invest in an expensive auxiliary braking system for safety. I do run with the tanks in the motor home empty. Only time I know it's back there is going over long steep grades
 
#5 ·
For your setup you'll need/want base plates, tow bar, safety cables, lighting, and supplemental braking. Some states require brakes, some do not. But whatever you do don't forget the safety cables.

I've towed my ATVs (4) and trailer which came in close to what my Jeep weighs. All without any problem. We have an 07 Winnebago Sightseer Class A V10. MPG sucks, but that's normal, but even through the mountains in Utah I did fine. I won't win any land speed races, but rather get 8-9mpg at 55 then 6mpg going faster.
 
#6 ·
I use an LoD front bumper, they added brackets for the towbar on manufacture.

Check your state laws for limits on towing, most states have a limit over which you must have supplemental brakes on the towed item

Edit to add: I use a 30' 1998 Winnebago with a 454 - I notice in the hills, but that is it. A more modern engine and smaller platform means nothing but better performance.
 
#7 ·
I have a 2014 JKUR that I've towed a couple thousand miles this past summer from SoCal to Oregon. I have a Bounder with the V10 - does the job no prob. You really barely feel the jeep back there. It's marginally slower making a grade but it was no Porsche without towing anyway. I used a Currie skid-plate/base-plate. Easy instal but required some drilling. I used the Cooltech wiring harness which worked great and was easy. I went with the Readybrute Elite towbar and built in surge brake. That is a serious towbar and the brake works well and is super low tech. I read a ton of positive reviews about this set up. Installation of the Readybrake was easy as well but requires some mechanical ability and willingness to do it. Best part was that this is the most beefy tow bar and brake but costs much less than other options utilizing electronic brake devices and other base plates. I'd definitely go with a brake device though. It's required in most states and I could feel it working on the many steep grades we went down. Good luck!
 
#8 ·
Our 2011 e450 V10 Coachman Concorde pulls our JKU great. Feels it in the mountains but not too bad. I don't mind doing 45 occasionally in the mountains while towing. Using SMI brake system. Very pricey but really nice system.
 
#9 ·
I have a 2011 32' Class C and a 2013 Rubicon. I spent countless hours scouring every website while trying to figure out the best way to tow my Jeep. My immediate need was to tow it from Kentucky to California for a move which would be over 2100 miles.
I did not like the look of the base plates that reduced the approach angle of the Jeep while 4-wheeling. I also wanted a complete system that included a brake and light system.
This is what I ended put buying and installing myself. I am not a mechanic but am smart enough to know the correct end of a wrench that goes on the bolt. The following is what I purchased:
Currie Base plate-part number CE-9033JK
ReadyBrute Baseplate Mounting Ends Blue Ox Clevis (S511-940445)
JK Tow harness Deluxe Kit
Ready-Brute Elite Tow bar
Roadmaster 10K 8" Drop receiver
Receiver lock bracket
 

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#19 · (Edited)
Installing the curry plate and the brake assembly for the Ready-Brute is simple and the instructions are easy to follow so I won't go into those installation steps.

One thing of note, which was frustrating, was the Ready-Brute clevises had to be filed to go onto the curry plate. The tolerances were way off on the Curry and it took a little effort to hand file the openings wide enough on the clevises to slide onto the curry mounts. Once it was done though they are an easy install.
 
#20 ·
I can easily hookup the tow bar by myself and the Ready-Brute is a work of art as far as engineering is concerned. Extremely well made and functionally perfect.

BTW, you will want to add a stabilizer bracket for the drop hitch. If you don't, it has too much "play" and wobbles around a LOT!
 
#21 ·
To answer another one of your questions about the Triton V10, I kept my speed at 65-70 and ran I-40 across the country. My average mpg was 7.1 (which is abysmal) but it ran and pulled okay. Pulling hills is at best 45mph on grades greater than 3%.

My RV is on the larger side of the Class C family so is heavy and figure I was right at the 5K limit pulling the Jeep.
 
#22 ·
Thats a real nice, clean set up.. I'm gonna look to do this soon as well. Thanks for the write up. Lastly, if you don't mind what did everything cost you?
 
#24 ·
Tow bar



Hello,
I tow a 2014 jk sport with rock rails / polar wheels,tires 2 dr behind a Pleasureway MB motorhome. I had Ron's hitch & tow in Eugene Oregon install the ready brute elite with roadmaster mounts and wiring. System works great. In the two door your don't have room for aux. braking system without sacrificing storage. Complete system installed was 1800.00 which was only a few hundred dollars more than parts at the time. Other than finding neutral, the system is easy to hook up. The tow bar doesn't fold as flat to tow vehicle as others, so I take off.
 
#25 ·
another LOD + ReadyBrute user here...



I have the CoolTech harness and LOD did the cut out on the bumper for me (free like they normally do). My LoD bumper is set for the largest/most stout clevis out there, the roadmaster 3/4" clevis and pins. Just had NSA ReadyBrute ordered with the correct clevis.

(before the winch and fairlead installed)




with the fairlead and flip up license plate holder, you can barely see the brake cable loop underneath it. i'll take some more pics if you need for the readystop setup or any other details if you want. just let me know.

I then installed both the ReadyBrake and ReadyStop into the jeep for my supplemental braking system and breakaway stop. Really easy to do both...



PS: i tow behind a 40' diesel pusher. But really anything can tow this jeep... just pop the readybrute into the towing vehicle's hitch and its ready to go...
 
#26 ·
NICE! Thanks. I have a 2010 36' Damon Challenger gaser (Ford) and I want to tow a 2010 JKUR. The question I still have is if I wanted to mount a snow plow can I still mount this and tow the rig? Many questions.
 
#27 ·
depends on how your snow plow mounts. if it depends on a standard front end hitch, then the bumper and base plate combo you have choosing needs to be able to fit the front end hitch. (for instance, the oem bumper, roadmaster base plate and hiddenhitch front receiver, then it will fit... other combinations may or may not work).

for my LoD signature jk mid-width bumper, i have to run without the skid plate to mount the hidden hitch front end receiver. i didn't want to cut into the LoD skid plate to accomodate the front end receiver. i would just remove the skid plate and install the receiver when it's needed...

so short answer is: it depends on your choosen components...
 
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