Hi Guys I am trying to find out if there are cons to towing a jeep
I am looking at one for sale and it is a 2000 with 61500 miles.. but the owner says all miles are from towing behind an RV with the exception of 5100 miles on engine... any thoughts thanks in advance

That guy is lying, miles do not accumulate when flat towed.

I think lies the TJ uses an electronic speed sensor so if key off no miles registered

On mine have front and rear manual hubs so driveshafts don't rotate

Additionally be ware of crack prone 2000 4.0 head as it was a poor design just that year and some carry over 2001 and if it cracks coolant into oil destroys engine

Thanks Shark I do however see more Jeeps advertised with the same deal
they say the reason the Jeep has X amount of miles is because it was towed can they all be wrong I have no idea I am a newbie thanks again also how does it affect the tranny Aotomatic,,??

Miles are a lie but if towed properly tranny gets no rotation or wear as transfer case in neutral and tranny in park= no tranny wear

But all the miles were driven not towed

pretty sure the TJ doesn't register mileage when flat towed....

https://www.quadratec.com/jeep_knowl...rticle-145.htm

I set mine up to flat tow, and I've always found the biggest downside to towing is I'm not driving the Jeep!

https://www.wranglerforum.com/f282/fl.../193629?page=1

If they towed with the power on it would register the miles. But that's not the correct way to tow it.

I wouldn't automatically assume the guy was lying. As mentioned above, if the ignition was left in the on position while towing, miles could have been racked up. Some portable braking systems (Brake Buddy, et al) need power to operate their air pumps and are commonly plugged into the power port. The ignition may have been left on to power that.

As far as flat towing goes, it really doesn't hurt anything, other than some tire scrub, if done properly. We've towed ours 1000's of miles with no issues.

If the only way he could figure to get power was to leave key on that is sad and again does not reflect positively on the seller

I flat towed for a few years before I found a good trailer. TJs are perfect for it.
My towed miles never registered.

Down side to flat towing:
You can't back up!
Auxiliary brake systems and towing set-ups can cost almost as much as a good trailer.
If you really bust the Jeep up good, you may not be able to flat tow it home.

What are you guys using to flat tow?? My jeeps PO flat towed but kept the tow bar and mounting brackets. I went to a trailer shop and they said a tow bar would be $1200. The jeep is all wired to tow... What do y'all recommend??

Thales place by me has jeep tow bars for under $300. New, have seen them on cl for $50.

You really need a brake system and break-a-way as well as a tow bar. We use a Ready Brute Elite which takes care of the brake system as well, and yes they do run in the $1200 range now. But if you were to buy an adjustable telescoping tow bar plus an auxiliary braking sytem, it would be in the $2K category. It's like everything else...you get what you pay for, and when it comes to safety stuff, I don't skimp.

Great review just posted by a user of our flat towing system!

https://www.wranglerforum.com/f634/re...d-1506001.html

Thanks! I'll star looking at those

I flat tow mine with a craigslist Reese fixed tow bar that I found for $60. Not the easiest but I like to haul more than flat tow so I can't see investing in the adjustable bars yet.
I also use a set of Warrior towbar adapters. These hook up to where the D-rings mount on the front bumper.

Warrior Products 865 - Warrior Products Tow Bar D-Ring Adapter Brackets - Quadratec

I like the warrior brackets because they don't require any extra mounting points added to the front bumper. A buddy bent his flat tow bracket on one of our trips out in the rocks. Took some BFH persuasion to get the bracket back to where it could be flat towed home. Have never bent a D-ring shackle point, yet.

So back to the original post,flat towing is ok? Even if the seller is lying that's great low mileage. What's the asking price?

Yes. Flat towing is fine. Still low mileage. But, either the seller is lying, or he towed it 55,000 miles improperly! Makes me wonder what else is wrong with it if he could mess up something so simple for so long.

With no other information about the Jeep, offer $7000!

Just make sure you do it right. Simply hauling it around with everything off and in neutral is a recipe for disaster. There are numerous threads here with information on this, but essentially, you need a strong tow bar, an auxiliary braking system with a breakaway, lighting/wiring additions, and key between locked and "on" positions, transfer case in neutral, and manual trans in gear (auto in park). Make sure the auxiliary braking system is set up right, and that the steering column is free to be turned by the front wheels being pulled one side or the other.

Aux braking system is not simply to save wear on tow vehicle brakes. It's really there in case you lose the Jeep at speed, so brakes get applied to avoid it leaving the roadway and killing someone else.

My PO installed a Smittybilt front bumper, so I bought a matching Smittybilt tow bar on Amazon. The bar fits into the D-Ring shackles and the LJ flat tows easily. PO also added diodes for the brake lights. Its a nice setup and very cheap.

Btw, I flat towed my 99 XJ for well over 6k miles over several years with zero issues using an el cheapo Reese tow bar and dedicated mounting brackets on my aftermarket steel bumper. Oh, and no miles racked up on either Jeep.

Having a bit of experience with flat towing, you couldn't pay me to flat tow a vehicle I liked ever again.

Then you must of had a bad tow vehicle or it wasn't setup properly.

I had same setup with bumper and sb towbar, worked great towing from Indiana to Idaho.

Don't forget you need a brake system.