Flat towing w/ RV - best vehicle to tow?

[2024Jayco26M]

We've been towing a '17 Toyota Camry on a tow dolly (no brakes on the dolly) pulled by our '24 Jayco Redhawk. All good, it works. I'm getting tired of getting on the ground to crank down the straps, hook up the safety chains, and then again to undo everything.
I've been looking into flat towing. It appears Jeeps are the way to go as I've seen them pulled on interstates long before I even got into RV'ing. They are pricey though.
The list of cars that can be flat towed looks limited. Any suggestions on what, aside from a Jeep, would be best for flat towing?
I've consider getting rid of the '17 Camry and replace it with the flat tow vehicle. I've already researched what I can get out of it dollar wise (~$15K). That might get a Jeep with ~150K miles on it. I'm hoping to find a cheaper car that can be flat towed to buy outright as a tow vehicle only and keep the Toyota for its regular daily use.
Any and all suggestions / ideas / input appreciated.

[porterjoytoy]

Has anyone dolly towed a FWD 2015 Acura RDX, or do you know if it is on the NO dolly tow list?

[norty1]

https://www.blueox.com/what-vehicles..._Be_Flat_Towed

Best bet is to look in the owners vehicle or check the Good Sam Guide to Towing for 2015.
https://webcontent.goodsam.com/motor...inghyGuide.pdf

I don't see it on there.

[porterjoytoy]

Thanks. Talked to an Acura mech. Says fwd Acura is good to dolly tow, as long as you set it up properly.

[435-fht]

I wish you were nearby. I would let you "hook up" my Jeep for flat towing. If you're looking for convenience, I don't know if flat towing is that much easier than a dolly. There are +/- for both.

To give you an idea of the DIY cost for flat towing, here's what I did. When I set up my 2005 Jeep, I bought a tow bar ($1000+), brake system ($1400), mounts and wiring ($200).

To set up my 2021 Jeep, I needed a new tow bar ($1000+), base plates/mounts ($750), and magnetic tail/brake lights ($40). I reused the brake system. I use Blue Ox products, but there are other choices.

If you choose to flat tow, I can make you a sweet deal on a Blue Ox BX7380 tow bar. Used about a year

[dwaynebmsg]

If you can find one, a Chrysler PT Cruiser with a 5 speed manual is terrific. Super easy to put into tow mode, light weight, and economical! Also fun to drive.

[Pfflyer]

Best vehicle to flat tow is kind of subjective. Get a vehicle that can easily be flat towed that meets your needs and that gives some wiggle room with your tow capacity. Our first toad was the "best" vehicle to flat tow for us until we were having trouble getting out of it. Also, it wouldn't work if you have more than 1 passenger. It would suck also if we liked going off road. Look in the guide above and choose the best for your needs and use. I would pick something at least 1000lb less than your tow capacity.

[Docsouce]

I tow a 2014 Ford Fiesta SE with a Manual transmission ( manual transmission models don't have a steering wheel lock) I found a used NSA Elite 2 tow bar with a Ready Brute brake system and tow bar Clevis, safety cables for $750. A new Blue Ox base plate cost $400 or so. The Roadmaster diode universal light system $175 and the NSA breakaway system $150. I did all the base plate mounting, brake cable and light work myself.
Just hook up, check the lights, make sure the trans is in neutral, emergency brake off and go. The Fiesta owners manual says to keep it under 65 mph. 8500 miles on it and so far so good. The curb weigh is 2650 or so.

[Captain Skip]

We tow a 2 door Jeep Wrangler. I have to keep checking the rear view camera to make sure it’s still there because I don’t feel any drag towing it. You don’t need to spend $5,000 or $6,000 for a tow bar setup. I use a Readybrute Elite II with a built in surge brake. I used it on my 2015 Wrangler and now on my 2020 Wrangler. Here’s a write up I posted on a Jeep forum I belong to if you’re interested. https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/for...ng-read.60560/

[2024Jayco26M]

Originally Posted by LukeDagny

I wish you were nearby. I would let you "hook up" my Jeep for flat towing. If you're looking for convenience, I don't know if flat towing is that much easier than a dolly. There are +/- for both.

I'd love to be able to try it out, thanks for the offer.
We did six or seven trips this season with the tow dolly. My issue with using a dolly (actually the wife brought it up before I said anything) is having to get on the ground to hook up the safety chains and crank the ratchets. Unloading is a pain with this dolly as the '17 Camry is a low vehicle and with the placement of the ratchet on the dolly one can't get the ratchet fully open easily to loosen up and unhook.

What would you consider to be the downside(s) to flat towing? Please school me. I just sold the '17 Camry and am actively looking for its replacement that will be flat towed.
Any insight / pointers appreciated, thanks...

[2024Jayco26M]

Originally Posted by Captain Skip

We tow a 2 door Jeep Wrangler. I have to keep checking the rear view camera to make sure it’s still there because I don’t feel any drag towing it. You don’t need to spend $5,000 or $6,000 for a tow bar setup. I use a Readybrute Elite II with a built in surge brake. I used it on my 2015 Wrangler and now on my 2020 Wrangler. Here’s a write up I posted on a Jeep forum I belong to if you’re interested. https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/for...ng-read.60560/

I read your write up on the Jeep forum, thanks for posting it. I'd need something that's pretty much plug 'n play as I'm not the guy to do the wiring stuff. We're leaning heavily to a Jeep as the Camry replacement, preferably a 2dr for the lower weight. I like that the Ready Brute has a built in surge brake and I'll be looking into it.
Right now looking for something to replace the Camry and be the toad. We won't need to tow again until spring of '25.

[Captain Skip]

If you do go with a Jeep Curt makes plug and play wiring harnesses that don’t require any additional wiring. You unplug the factory harness behind the brake lights and plug the Curt harness inline. I tend to go overboard on everything I do so the whole 3rd brake light wiring is totally optional.

The nice thing about the Readybrute is that I can hook it all up in under 2 minutes and about the same to unhook, I don’t have to mess with the $$$ electric brake control boxes that you need to move before driving the toad. The Teadybrute brake cable stays installed out of sight and out of the way.

[435-fht]

What would you consider to be the downside(s) to flat towing? Please school me. I just sold the '17 Camry and am actively looking for its replacement that will be flat towed.
Any insight / pointers appreciated, thanks...

The downsides to either are minor, but here's my thoughts, and why I chose flat tow over dolly tow.

The big negative to me for dolly tow was, where do I store the dolly when I pull into the campground? Also, storage at home when not in use.

The downside to flat towing, to me, is it takes a few more steps. Hook up the tow bar, cables, 7 to 6 pin cable, brake box, power to brake box, and for my Jeep JL, I use magnetic brake/tail lights.

If I were to do it over, I'd take another look at the Ready Brute tow bar. I initially passed on this because I didn't like the idea of permanently mounting a cable to my brake pedal. I felt the electric brake box could be more easily swapped over from one vehicle to another.

My current Jeep is a 2021 JL, and I have a winch mounted. I chose the Maximus 3 winch mount plate/tow bar connection combo.

Whatever you choose, it gets quicker with practice. As for laying on the ground, I get it. I just graduated from the AARP class to the Medicare class. Crawling around on the ground is a pain. I have a nice thick rubber door mat that I use to lay on the ground when I place the blocks for my RV's leveling system.

[2024Jayco26M]

Originally Posted by Captain Skip

We tow a 2 door Jeep Wrangler. I have to keep checking the rear view camera to make sure it’s still there because I don’t feel any drag towing it. You don’t need to spend $5,000 or $6,000 for a tow bar setup. I use a Readybrute Elite II with a built in surge brake. I used it on my 2015 Wrangler and now on my 2020 Wrangler. Here’s a write up I posted on a Jeep forum I belong to if you’re interested. https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/for...ng-read.60560/

After looking for a while we bought a 2dr Wrangler. We won't be towing again until next season, but I'm actively looking into the Ready Brute Elite II.
Did you install the Ready Brute yourself? I see the complete system at NSA for $2.6K to my door, wondering what to expect as an installation cost.
Tomorrow starts our last trip for the season. Just a couple nights local, but there's an NSA dealer listed right where I'll be. I'll be stopping in...
Any suggestions / insights to your installation etc. very much appreciated.

[porterjoytoy]

After doing a deep dive on possible toads, we decided to take your advice. We lucked out & found a 2016 jeep Cherokee that was already set up to flat tow & came with a blue ox. Had to switch out the "Air Force One" brake control system but will be good to go once that's done. Hoping to get in a quick trip before it gets too cold here in the Southwest. Wish us luck!

[Captain Skip]

Originally Posted by 2024Jayco26M

After looking for a while we bought a 2dr Wrangler. We won't be towing again until next season, but I'm actively looking into the Ready Brute Elite II.
Did you install the Ready Brute yourself? I see the complete system at NSA for $2.6K to my door, wondering what to expect as an installation cost.
Tomorrow starts our last trip for the season. Just a couple nights local, but there's an NSA dealer listed right where I'll be. I'll be stopping in...
Any suggestions / insights to your installation etc. very much appreciated.

Take a look at my write up on the JLwrangler forum that I linked above - here it is again - https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/for...ng-read.60560/

I put all kinds of links for everything I used.


To answer your questions, yes I did the entire install myself so my installation cost was $0 and about 2 to maybe 3 hours of my time. I'm a bit OCD about things so I tend to overdo everything. Like if something needs 2 nails I put in 4 screws. There really isn't any installation cost for the towbar itself. It fits into the 2" receiver hitch on the motorhome then attaches to the towplate. That's something you'll be doing every time you use it so if someone tries to tell you that they're going to charge you for that, run.


You just need to decide what type of towplate you want. Personally I really like the Rockjock towplate. Rockjock builds off road suspension products so they know how to build things properly. The photos I posted on the jlwranglerforum thread shows what it looks like. I didn't like the looks of the Roadmaster or Blue Ox mounts as they looked too much like a snowplow subframe. The Rockjock just looks like a couple off road shackle connect points. Installing the Rockjock was the hardest part...and not really all that hard. I removed the bumper and had to trim it a little bit then installed the towplate and put the bumper back on. The wiring harness is plug and play. Remove the taillights, unplug them, plug in the harness and put the lights back on. Then run the included wiring to front zip tied to the frame rails. Just watch out for the exhaust, you don't want the wires near it because of the heat. If you're not worried about activating the 3rd brake light you can disregard that whole section of my write up.



A couple things I did that some/most people don't. I got a plastic spacer at Lowes that the front thimble for the brake cable would fit inside of. Then I cut it in half at a 45 degree angle, drilled the hole in the towplate for the cable conduit and installed the spacer, one piece on each side of the towplate. I did that so that the cable would be pulled straight out when the surge brake activated rather than pulling at an angle. The other thing I did was use a 6 pin trailer connector and had to drill a hole to mount that in the tow plate. I used one of the extra pins to power the LED on the camper dashboard to indicate that the brakes are applied. With my old rig I had to run a wire all the way from the trailer plug on the camper to the dashboard. On my new 29V (2024 Ford E450) I pulled the coin tray out on the top center dash, found the trailer controller wiring harness and found the wire that activates the trailer brakes. I used that wire as it's already connected in the trailer connector under the back bumper. All I had to do was connect the end of it to the LED I mounted on the dash. Again, this is something extra but if for some reason your brakes are applied you'll have a visual clue rather than noticing smoke coming out of your wheels.


Any other questions, fire away I'm glad to help out.


And next August if you're east of the Mississippi looking for something to do, tow your Wrangler to Pigeon Forge, TN with you for the Great Smoky Mountain Jeep Invasion. We went this past August...along with over 20,000 other Jeeps! It was a blast! https://gsmji.com/

[Captain Skip]

Originally Posted by porterjoytoy

After doing a deep dive on possible toads, we decided to take your advice. We lucked out & found a 2016 jeep Cherokee that was already set up to flat tow & came with a blue ox. Had to switch out the "Air Force One" brake control system but will be good to go once that's done. Hoping to get in a quick trip before it gets too cold here in the Southwest. Wish us luck!

If you're interested in swapping the Air Force One for an NSA surge brake they make an insert that goes in front of any brand towbar into the receiver hitch. It would use your existing Blue Ox towbar.


https://nsarvproducts.com/collection...raking-systems

[2024Jayco26M]

[QUOTE=Captain Skip;1181662]If you're interested in swapping the Air Force One for an NSA surge brake they make an insert that goes in front of any brand towbar into the receiver hitch. It would use your existing Blue Ox towbar.

I visited an NSA listed dealer today while on our last trip. He quoted $1.1K for the installation of the Ready Brute Elite II package. Looks like I'll go w/ the Ready Brute, not sure about that install.
Any suggestions for the baseplate and clevis options? Will be pulling a 2012 Wrangler.
Thanks for all your insights...

[Captain Skip]

[QUOTE=2024Jayco26M;1181867]

Originally Posted by Captain Skip

If you're interested in swapping the Air Force One for an NSA surge brake they make an insert that goes in front of any brand towbar into the receiver hitch. It would use your existing Blue Ox towbar.

I visited an NSA listed dealer today while on our last trip. He quoted $1.1K for the installation of the Ready Brute Elite II package. Looks like I'll go w/ the Ready Brute, not sure about that install.
Any suggestions for the baseplate and clevis options? Will be pulling a 2012 Wrangler.
Thanks for all your insights...

$1,100 is pretty hefty for a couple hours work. The hardest part of the whole job is mounting the towplate and it's not that hard. The wiring is plug and play then run the wires to the front. But, it's for you to decide how much your time is worth and if you feel comfortable doing the installation. I've been working on vehicles since I was about 8. My father, grandfather, uncles and brother were all diesel mechanics so even though I'm pushing 70 I still do all my own mechanical work....unless it involves those (*&(*&% computers in the vehicles!


If it's a 2012 Wrangler that's the JK model. The first Wrangler that I bought as a toad and set up was a 2015 so it was the exact same model as yours. I went with the Rockjock towplate. The one for the JK looks like an off road skid shield and actually offers a lot of protection under your front bumper. Here's a link to the Rockjock plate: https://www.rockjock4x4.com/CE-9033JK


That's the one I installed on my 2015 and it wasn't all that difficult. On that one I don't think I had to remove the bumper like I did on my JL (2020). If I recall correctly it just bolts into place under the existing bumper and I don't think I had to trim anything. (The link to the video below will show him doing the actual install)



Here's the videos I watched prior to doing mine. Actually this is where I learned about the Rockjock towplate (previously called Currier). He did a great job explaining and showing everything which was a big help when I did mine.


Towplate: https://youtu.be/GDid5PpEuF4?si=bladGHoSwhzDnxxR
Readybrute: https://youtu.be/ZpJ9nvH-8qc?si=ALcUzdWRVCtYCx43
Wiring: https://youtu.be/lZ2Zi826eHw?si=S3oUumH7QryIgNyg Note - Hopkins makes a plug & play for the JK, they didn't for the JL when I did mine.
Brake light relay: https://youtu.be/vp7JvPir9Ew?si=yv6X61oamCuP_aF_


Any other questions or help I can offer, I'm right here!

[2024Jayco26M]

That's what I thought on the pricing. This was from a NSA dealer listed on their website. He suggested I get the equipment myself as I could get it faster and cheaper than he could (huh?). His labor was based on 10hrs of work @ $115 per hr. Said he's done at least 100 of these in the last 5 years... OK.

It is a '12 Wrangler. The NSA plate options included in the package that I see are for Blue Ox, Roadmaster, or Demco.

Will be certainly looking at the videos. We just got back from our last trip of the season and I'd like know we are ready to go when the time comes.
Thank you Sir.