How Level Should a Tow Bar be to Flat Tow a 2008 Jeep Liberty

Question:

I’m going to be towing a Jeep behind my motor home. How level does the tow bar have to be? Will the blue ox brk 2016 braking System work on 2008 Jeep Liberty?

asked by: William M

Expert Reply:

When flat towing a vehicle behind a motorhome you want the tow bar to bewithin 3 inches of perfectly level. We call this the "safe zone" for flat towing. I've linked a help article for you. In order to help you get your setup level you may need a high-low adapter. I've also linked our selection of adapters for you to look at so you can choose the correct rise or drop you need to safely tow your 2008 Jeep Liberty.

Another thing to check before attempting to tow the Jeep is the owner's manual. I'm not sure which model of Liberty you have but from my research the 2-wheel drive models cannot be flat towed and must be on a trailer. However, the 4-wheel drive models are safe to flat tow by shifting the transfer case into neutral.

As long as the Liberty can be flat towed the Blue Ox Patriot, part # BLU37TR, braking system will work for you. However, the system does require an active 12 volt outlet for power and the Jeep needs to have its battery disconnected while towing. So to power the Patriot II you need to add a 12 volt outlet kit, part # RM-9332, which connects directly to the battery and will be active even when the vehicle's ignition is off.

In addition to a tow bar, high-low adapter and braking system you also need a base plate kit, safety cables and wiring to tow the Jeep. Base plates are custom designed for specific vehicles and the Roadmaster # 521433-1 is the confirmed kit if your Jeep doesn't have a rock guard or skid plate. If yours has either the instead use part # 521434-1.

The most popular tow bar we carry that's also compatible with either base plate kit is the Falcon 2, part # RM-520. Then the safety cables I recommend are # RM-643 becuase of the coiled design. For wiring to control the Jeep's lights you can use the diode kit # RM-15267 which installs a 6-way connector on the front of the Liberty and includes a cord to connect it to your motorhome.

Finally, since the Jeep needs to have the battery disconnected to flat tow it add an automatic battery disconnect, part # RM-766. This makes disconnecting the battery easier so all you need to do each time is flip a switch.

In addition to the parts I've also linked several videos and articles to help you with the information and installation of each product.