Towing gladiator behind motorhome options?

[robburns76]

Like others have said, rigging a Jeep for tow is not cheap. I believe you only have 2 options for towing - a trailer or flat tow. At least that was the word with older jeeps. I've never seen a Jeep on a dolly.

The trailer option was not attractive to me. The extra weight of the trailer weighs (pun intended) on motorhome performance. Add on the problems of dealing with the trailer at campgrounds and other stops, and I crossed this option off.

Towing 4 down is the easiest towing I have done. The Jeep stays directly in the tracks of the motorhome going around corners. Another thing is that none of the weight of the Jeep is resting on the motorhome. I bought a Rockhard Bumper along with their towing brackets (~$1600) and a Ready Brute Elite towbar with Blue OX ends (~$1250) to connect my coach and Jeep together. The Ready Brute towbar uses surge braking via cables to the brake pedal in the Jeep. It is relatively simple to install for someone who had auto tools and occasionally works on their vehicles. I use a Curt wiring harness (~$80) to operate the taillights. I've towed more than 40K miles with this setup. It works and it is probably the cheapest option.

One final thought. Most of the rental motorhomes I have seen are small. I'm not sure they be the right vehicle for towing you 5000 pound Gladiator. I'd suggest renting a Jeep if you visit a location where you can tralride. Moab, UT and Ouray, CO are prime destination for this kind of activity.

this is the exact setup i have and it is very easy to use. with my class C the gas mileage loss was minimal (about 1mpg)

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[GoBraves95]

I don't have any experience with towing a flat bed car trailer, but I wouldn't think that it would be any harder to drive. That being said, loading and unloading would be a chore, as well as connecting and disconnecting. While I've not done it I've watched it being done.

Another option would be to rent a jeep once you've reached your destination if possible.

We still will have a ton of driving once we get there. We are going to hit every natl park in colorado plus some other destinations in CO, NM, TX. Unfortunately renting a jeep means still putting a lot of miles following or ahead of the camper.

 

[sjbeema]

this is the exact setup i have and it is very easy to use. with my class C the gas mileage loss was minimal (about 1mpg)

Did you disconnect the neg side of battery

both main and aux battery

 

[robburns76]

Did you disconnect the neg side of battery

both main and aux battery

nope. 99% of the time i have had no issues. only time i had a battery drain issue was when we were doing a full (like 12h) travel day. anything less than that is not an issue. thankfully those days are few and far between, but when we do those i just start it and let it run when i'm doing one of my fill ups and then no issues.

 

[cwoods6112]

I have a Blue Ox 10,000 lbs Tow bar with rock shield, and a Patriot brake system for sale. Everything was close to $4,000 new. I'm selling it for $1,500. You just need the base plates.

I towed a '13 Grand Cherokee for over 30,000 miles behind my class A diesel pusher.

Are these items still available?
R/Chris

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Don't take this too seriously, I've not given it even 5 seconds of thought - solar panels inside the Jeep like a windshield size/shaped panel, going to one of those devices like a GoalZero or Jackery, to help keep the battery(batteries) up?

 

[robburns76]

Don't take this too seriously, I've not given it even 5 seconds of thought - solar panels inside the Jeep like a windshield size/shaped panel, going to one of those devices like a GoalZero or Jackery, to help keep the battery(batteries) up?

possible it would work. i've only had the issue on super long road days and "jumping" it with a battery pack started it right up with no issues. when not traveling all day it has never been an issue.

 

[Rusty PW]

Are these items still available?
R/Chris

Just got sold to another member on here about 2 weeks ago.

 

[lildev1972]

Like others have said, rigging a Jeep for tow is not cheap. I believe you only have 2 options for towing - a trailer or flat tow. At least that was the word with older jeeps. I've never seen a Jeep on a dolly.

The trailer option was not attractive to me. The extra weight of the trailer weighs (pun intended) on motorhome performance. Add on the problems of dealing with the trailer at campgrounds and other stops, and I crossed this option off.

Towing 4 down is the easiest towing I have done. The Jeep stays directly in the tracks of the motorhome going around corners. Another thing is that none of the weight of the Jeep is resting on the motorhome. I bought a Rockhard Bumper along with their towing brackets (~$1600) and a Ready Brute Elite towbar with Blue OX ends (~$1250) to connect my coach and Jeep together. The Ready Brute towbar uses surge braking via cables to the brake pedal in the Jeep. It is relatively simple to install for someone who had auto tools and occasionally works on their vehicles. I use a Curt wiring harness (~$80) to operate the taillights. I've towed more than 40K miles with this setup. It works and it is probably the cheapest option.

One final thought. Most of the rental motorhomes I have seen are small. I'm not sure they be the right vehicle for towing you 5000 pound Gladiator. I'd suggest renting a Jeep if you visit a location where you can tralride. Moab, UT and Ouray, CO are prime destination for this kind of activity.

How do you like the Rock Hard Bumper set up? Debating that vs invisible base plate under factory bumper?

 

[Andy29847]

How do you like the Rock Hard Bumper set up? Debating that vs invisible base plate under factory bumper?

I love it. I’ve got a Wrangler and a Gladiator configured the same way. The bumper also replaces the factory skid plate. It’s more expensive than most but it is good stuff that is American made.

https://www.jeepgladiatorforum.com/forum/threads/rockhard-full-width-bumper-install.38206/

 

[lildev1972]

I love it. I’ve got a Wrangler and a Gladiator configured the same way. The bumper also replaces the factory skid plate. It’s more expensive than most but it is good stuff that is American made.

https://www.jeepgladiatorforum.com/forum/threads/rockhard-full-width-bumper-install.38206/

Thanks I guess I was on the right path and will continue with my orders.

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