Flat Towing Components Needed for 2017 Jeep Compass 4x4 with Manual Transmission

Question:

Dear etrailer: First off, what a great site! Well done. Really enjoy the installation videos and wide range of products. Looking for a tow set up for the above noted tow vehicle still looking. Leaning towards the Roadmaster Nighthawk for ease of use and features. Are you able to assist me in the products required for the complete setup? Weve never towed before with our 2017 E450 Forest River Forester. Ive been told that Ill need a Mopar wiring kit for the Jeep to preclude battery run down while towing the tow vehicle. Hope you can assist. Keep up the great work.

asked by: Steve P

Helpful Expert Reply:

To answer your first question, according to Roadmaster, you won't actually require any additional wiring kit since your 2017 Jeep Compass will not run down the battery when being flat towed. I know this was a common issue for some Jeep Cherokees manufactured around the same time, but this won't effect your Compass. With that being said, if you want to add the charge line kit, you can do so with the Roadmaster Battery Charge Line Kit for Vehicles # RM-156-25

As far as tow bars go, the Roadmaster Nighthawk # RM-676 is a great choice with a ton of great features. The self aligning design means that you'll be able to hook up and drive, allowing the arms to lock into place on their own after you get straightened out and the non-binding arms will allow you to hook up or release on uneven/off-road surfaces without worry. I also love the fact that it has lights built in to make for easily connecting your dinghy in the dark and cable channels to keep the included safety cables and installed wiring off the ground when towing.

You'll need 4 basic components for flat-towing: Baseplates, Tow-Bar, Wiring and Supplemental braking. As I mentioned above, the Nighthawk is a great choice to tow your 2017 Jeep Compass. The rest of what you will need is listed below.

1) Baseplates: Roadmaster EZ Baseplate kit # 521442-1 - These are removable; easy to mount and simple to remove, so there's no worry about anything protruding when you're driving the vehicle at your location or home.

2) Wiring: Roadmaster Diode Kit # RM-152 ; since the Nighthawk tow bar comes with a 7-way to 6-way connection, this is going to be the best option for wiring. If you'd like your brake lights and turn signals to operate independently of each other you will also need the Vehicle to Vehicle Tail Light converter # 118158 and 2 diodes # RM-792 - but this isn't necessarily required hardware for this application.

3) Supplemental Braking: Roadmaster Invisi-brake System # RM-8700 This is recommended if you're interested in convenience, and plan on keeping your towed vehicle for the foreseeable future. This system requires adding a brake light relay kit like # RM-88400 . If you're looking for a portable system the Roadmaster Even Brake system # RM-9400 which is a proportional braking system that installs in around an hour, with no components required to install on the RV. You will need the Roadmaster seat adapter # RM-88253 for this to work in your dinghy.

This towing setup might also require a High-Low hitch adapter similar to # RM-048-6 . I've attached a help article that we have on our site to help you determine whether you'll need one, as well as which size you'll need for your 2017 Jeep Compass.

This is a lot of information, so if you have any other questions please feel free to let me know.