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Towing 1999 Jeep Wrangler Behind RV with All 4 Wheels on Ground or with Tow Dolly  

Question:

I have been considering either flat towing or towing my 1999 Jeep Wrangler on a tow dolly. I have read about having to disconnect the rear drive shaft and was wondering if I could have any more information on It. Thank you.

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Expert Reply:

I was unable to ltrack down an online owner's manual for your 1999 Jeep Wrangler for the specifics regarding flat towing with either all 4 wheels down or with a tow dolly like # RM-2050-1. Most likely though if you choose to go with a tow dolly you will indeed need to remove the rear drive shaft. This is just to prevent anything from turning that shouldn't be when pulling the Jeep. The rotation at the front is still needed to help pump fluid through the transfer case. If towing with all 4 wheels down you shouldn't need to remove the drive shaft.

Before proceeding though I highly recommend checking your copy of the owner's manual as there will be specific guidelines and steps that you will need to take for either towing with all 4 down or using a dolly. This section is usually listed under "Recreational Towing".

If you decide to go with flat towing the Jeep with all 4 wheels on the ground, you will need a base plate kit, a tow bar, safety cables, a lighting solution, and a supplemental braking system.

The base plate kit you need will depend on the type of bumper you have on the Jeep. For an Off-Road bumper with 1 inch D-Ring bumper mounts you will use # RM-035-1 and for 3/4 inch D-Ring bumper mounts use # RM-035. If you have a double tube or u-channel bumper I recommend the Roadmaster EZ4 # RM-521424-4.

Then for a compatible tow bar that will work great with your Jeep I recommend the Falcon All Terrain # RM-522. This non-binding tow bar ensures easy release even on unlevel ground and a 6,000 pound capacity. For safety cables you can use # RM-643.

For a lighting solution I like the Hopkins Custom Tail Light Wiring Kit # HM56202. This is a custom harness that will plug right into factory ports behind the Jeep's tail lights and wire the Jeep so that it accepts the signal lights from your RV.

The SMI Stay-IN-Play DUO # SM99251 is my recommendation for a supplemental braking system. This proportional system will activate the Jeep's brakes at the same time and with the same intensity as how you apply to them in the RV. After the initial installation this system won't require any attention as you transition from flat towing to driving the vehicle for everyday use. You will also need to add the Brake-Lite Relay # RM-88400 to prevent the Jeep's brake signal from overriding the turn signal from the RV when applying the brakes during a turn.

Lastly you will likely need a high-low adapter to keep the tow bar level. I have attached a great article that explains how to choose the right one for your setup and a link that will take you directly to our available selection. I have also included an article on flat towing that you might find helpful.

expert reply by:
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Chris R

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