450 ford towing a Jeep Liberty

[retired on a mountain]

Been searching the site looking for info. What's the newest systems for setting up brakes and lights looks like blue Ox for towing. cars a auto with 4x4 . 2005 6 cylinder also see they say get dummy key made to unlock steering wheel. Ok any info will help

[Hoglou]

Go to etrailer and see if they have a video for your toad. I use blue ox to toad with. The most difficult part is deciding your light setup with or without a toad brake. I use a patriot powered from the jeep battery and keep the toad battery charged from the coach. I pull a fuse so the brake can be controlled by the coach and not the toad. May be someone can chime in about your toad type...

[gmacklem]

I just started towing my Honda CR-V with the Blue Ox setup. I have the base plate, tow bar and the Patriot breaking system. I used a dolly a couple times last year and hope to never go back to those. I love flat towing compared to tow dollies. Check YouTube for videos on the various systems.

[JimOneil43]

We just had our (new to us) 2014 Honda CR-V set up for flat towing. We went for the Roadmaster Falcon 2 towbar setup and a SMI DUO Stay-in-Play braking system. Nothing to take in and out every time we tow. Installed a Fusemaster switch so we don't run the battery down. All we have to do is switch on the SMI braking system, flip the Fusemaster switch and go. Should be simple. We will be testing the whole thing out soon as we are driving CR-V to Ohio from Oregon to pick up our new Forester 3051S...will be towing the car back to Oregon, so it should be a good test.

[Steeljag]

Jim,

I've been awaiting your trip report and experience with RVW .......and you haven't even left yet....LOL !

[JimOneil43]

Originally Posted by steeljag

Jim,

I've been awaiting your trip report and experience with RVW .......and you haven't even left yet....LOL !

Anticipation and waiting is Hell!

This purchase and trip has been in the planning for about 2 years, so unless we have an earthquake, flood, or volcano eruption here in the Northwest, nothing is going to stop us now !! I guess senility could set in though.

Our experience with RVW has been great so far...we'll see how the pick-up and PDI goes, but I'm not expecting any major problems.

Will update our progress when it FINALLY comes to completion.

[DaGrinch]

Originally Posted by retired on a mountain

Been searching the site looking for info. What's the newest systems for setting up brakes and lights looks like blue Ox for towing. cars a auto with 4x4 . 2005 6 cylinder also see they say get dummy key made to unlock steering wheel. Ok any info will help

I'm interested in all these things myself. We just bought a 3010DS and will be flat towing a 2006 Liberty. I've looked at a couple different base plates and I like the Blue Ox the best, so far. Seems to be pretty straight forward on the install. Haven't decided on the tow bar or braking system yet.

[DickiedooFlagman]

Originally Posted by gmacklem

I just started towing my Honda CR-V with the Blue Ox setup. I have the base plate, tow bar and the Patriot breaking system. I used a dolly a couple times last year and hope to never go back to those. I love flat towing compared to tow dollies. Check YouTube for videos on the various systems.

Last month we dolly-towed our Honda Accord 1,500 miles. It towed OK, but the U-Haul dolly did not have brakes - neither surge or electric. This was a one-time tow but I was uncomfortable having to rely on the TV brakes only. TV was/is a F350 SRW diesel. I could have rented a 4-wheel trailer and that would have had trailer brakes. But the rental cost doubled compared to the dolly.

[tennlady]

We have a 2012 3010DS and tow a 2011 Jeep Liberty. We have a blue ox alpha tow system, SMI Play & Stay brake system. It is so simple, check them out. The Jeep with this brake system you just turn the key to accessory I believe, move gear shift lever to nuetual, push the little button with something like a ink pin, in front of the 4 wheel drive thing (sorry, don't know what you call it) but it is located right in front of the gear shift lever. That takes it out of 4 wheel drive, you can hear it do it. After that put it back in park and take the key out. One important thing, before doing this, make sure you are hooked up to the blue ox, or your car with roll off. We have driven over 18,000 miles with this Jeep hooked up and you don't even know it is back there, even out west in the mountains

[Herk7769]

Originally Posted by tennlady

We have a 2012 3010DS and tow a 2011 Jeep Liberty. We have a blue ox alpha tow system, SMI Play & Stay brake system. It is so simple, check them out. The Jeep with this brake system you just turn the key to accessory I believe, move gear shift lever to nuetual, push the little button with something like a ink pin, in front of the 4 wheel drive thing (sorry, don't know what you call it) but it is located right in front of the gear shift lever. That takes it out of 4 wheel drive, you can hear it do it. After that put it back in park and take the key out. One important thing, before doing this, make sure you are hooked up to the blue ox, or your car with roll off. We have driven over 18,000 miles with this Jeep hooked up and you don't even know it is back there, even out west in the mountains

Is your Liberty transmission auto or manual?

[tennlady]

Automatic

[Herk7769]

Originally Posted by tennlady

Automatic

The only reason I ask is because the 2016 Liberty can't be towed 4 down with either auto or manual transmissions (per the 2016 Motorhome Dingy towing guide). I may need to look at used ones to get what I want.

It looks like the 2012 with auto trans can be flat towed as well! Awesome. Thanks.

[Herk7769]

It was removed in 2013.

[retired on a mountain]

Tennlady any idea how much your set up was.

[Roll]

Originally Posted by retired on a mountain

Been searching the site looking for info. What's the newest systems for setting up brakes and lights looks like blue Ox for towing. cars a auto with 4x4 . 2005 6 cylinder also see they say get dummy key made to unlock steering wheel. Ok any info will help

The Liberty wheel locks? Didn't know that. The Wrangler steering wheels don't lock so no need to leave a key in the wheel. Thought all Jeeps were like that.

Gary

[tennlady]

We had the blue ox alpha tow bar $600, base plate system $401.25 , and tow kit$166 installed at a RV dealer in Tennessee. This was all done in 2012. The SMI Duo Stay and Play I forget what we paid , but they are retailing now for $1100. We took our Jeep up to the factory in Evansville Indiana and had them install the braking system, but don't remember installation fee. We are super pleased with the whole system and the simplicity of how it works.

[retired on a mountain]

Question on tow bar. Don't think the class c can tow more than 5000 lbs so why are there so many 10000 lbs tow bar. Is it over kill. Think Jeep Liberty is 4000 lbs.