Items Needed To Flat Tow 2017 GMC Terrain

Question:

Is there a whole towing package that we can purchase for a 2017 GMC Terrain? Or do we have to buy pieces separately? Which would be the best brand for us beginners? Thank you,

asked by: Judi M

Expert Reply:

To set up your 2017 GMC Terrain to be flat towed you need the following items:

Blue Ox Base Plate Kit - Removable Arms Item # BX1689. This base plate mounts to the chassis of the vehicle to give your tow bar a solid connection point. Steel construction, black powder coat finish, has removable arms so the front of the vehicle maintains a clean look when not being towed.

Roadmaster Nighthawk All Terrain, Non-Binding Tow Bar for Blue Ox Base Plates - RV Mount - 8K
Item # RM-677. This tow bar is the connection point between the baseplate on your vehicle and your motor home. It comes with the safety cables and wiring so you don't have to worry about adding those. Each arm has an LED strip light so the tow bar is visible at night. It is a non binding tow bar so when you reach your destination and are ready to disconnect, the vehicle can be disconnected even if it is on unlevel ground.

Roadmaster Universal Hy-Power Diode Wiring Kit Item # RM-154. The diode wiring kit allows your Terrain to receive light functions from your motor home so you are legal and safe. The diodes attach to factory wiring behind each taillight on your Terrain to not only allow you to utilize your factory taillights but the diodes protect your factory wiring from any back feed if there is a wiring issues between the two vehicles.

Blue Ox Patriot Portable Braking System - Proportional Item # BLU37TR. By law, any vehicle being flat towed has to have a braking system. This system is a portable system that can be moved from one vehicle to another, is easy to set up and use. When you are ready to tow, the system sits in the floor board of your terrain, the arm attaches to the brake pedal, push the on button and the system is ready. It is a proportional system which means it matches the amount of braking force being applied in the motor home so the vehicle can not only slow but stop itself. This means you are not relying on the brakes from the motor home to slow and stop each vehicle because lets face it, replacing brakes on a motor home is not cheap and why spend extra money if we don't need to.

Roadmaster FuseMaster Fuse Bypass Switch for Towed Vehicles - 50-Amp FMX Fuse Item # RM-76517. If your Terrain has a 4 cylinder engine, GM has identified 4-cylinder models of this vehicle as having steering instability issues while towing and require RM-76517 in order to flat tow it. It requires a certain fuse to be pulled which is the ABS module fuse. In some 4-cylinder models they may label the ABS module fuse as #15 or #16 and it is located under the hood. This kit allows you to push a button to stop the connection the fuse has with the vehicle rather than pulling it each time you want to tow and re-inserting it when you reach the destination.

If you do not have a 4-cylinder engine, it is only going to require the Roadmaster FuseMaster Fuse Bypass - 13" - 20-Amp Mini-Fuse Item # RM76511 and not RM-76517. The fuse is located on the inside fuse panel of the vehicle and can be determined by the owners manual. This fuse bypass is also going to allow you to push a button to disconnect the fuse rather than reaching under the dash each time to pull the fuse when you ar ready to tow and re-inserting it when you reach your destination.

12 Volt Outlet Kit, 20 amps Item # RM-9332. This is designed for your braking system. When the vehicle is placed in tow mode, the power for the 12 volt accessory turns off. The braking system requires a 12 volt outlet for power. This kit is wired directly to the battery so it has constant 12 volts and doesn't shut off when the vehicle accessories do.

Roadmaster Battery Charge Line Kit for Towed Vehicles Item # RM-156-25. This kit is designed to maintain a charge on your battery while the vehicle is being flat towed. Because the braking system requires a 12 volt power source to function, each time the brakes are applied, the system turns on and is drawing power from the battery. The charge line trickle charges your vehicles battery from the motor home while traveling so your battery is not dead when you reach your destination.