One step closer

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05wingrider
Posts: 104
Joined: Sun Oct 27, 2019 7:26 pm
Location: Spokane, Washington

One step closer

Post by 05wingrider »

We've been trailering a Nissan Juke for the past couple of years as our "towed", but where I store my car trailer may be coming to an end, so I decided that perhaps it was time to make a change. Went looking and found a nice '15 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk that can be flat towed (amazing how many people think that ALL Jeeps can be flat towed - wrong), and yesterday had the mod installed at the dealer for the power steering bypass relay. I found a super clean Blue Ox towbar and bought it, and the baseplate kit just showed up so have to pick a day and see about installing it myself since it's well within the scope of things that my brother and I have the tools and ability to do.

I'll be honest - the thoughts of being able to have the Jeep sitting here at home and we decide we want to go away for a few days so all we have to do is pull the RV into the alley, drive the jeep around to the back end, do the checklist and connect and we can go has me antsy for a change! The car trailer routine worked really good for us for the previous 5 years, and I have zero complaints about towing that way, but the thoughts of just how simple and easy the Jeep will be is truly something to look forward to! The only sad thing is that the Jeep comes with a price - we had to sell our '08 Honda Pilot that we've gone cross country multiple times in and loved, but it can't be flat towed and was way to heavy to haul behind us (plus it's huge - thus the Juke).

I had built a light bar for on the back of the Juke when it was on the car trailer, so modified it a little bit to go below the bike carrier on the back of the Jeep, and that will be my tow lights now instead of messing with the Jeep wiring harness. The light bar actually shows up really nice, and since the taillights on the Sahara will still be clearly visible, the best of both worlds in my mind. We had been pondering how many years we were going to want to try to travel with the Sahara, and this may have just bumped our expiration date out there quite a ways in the future (and again, now I'm truly kind of antsy to be able to hit the road).
Duane
96 Sahara 30', 250hp Cat 3126
Allison 6spd MD-3060
2015 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk "Toad"
Spokane WA
chuckster
Posts: 286
Joined: Thu Aug 27, 2020 4:53 pm

Re: One step closer

Post by chuckster »

Congratulations, Duane! We are looking for a toad for our ‘01 Zanzibar. I have a Blue Ox tow kit that I talked the PO into letting go with our coach when I bought the coach last August. We have a 2018 Honda that we can’t tow and an ‘08 Lincoln Navigator that will not either. We are looking at dumping the Lincoln and getting a Jeep; likely a used Grand Cherokee. You are right that there is a misconception that all Jeeps can be flat towed (dinghy). That is not true AND for the newer Jeep models is must have Quadra-trac II or Quadra Drive (for automatics). We’ve considered a trailer for the Honda because it’s a very comfortable sedan and is a hybrid. I dream of plugging it into the 110V receptacle out the side of my RV or the camp electrical box for “free” power. It gets 60 miles on a charge before gasoline kicks in. The biggest drawback to that is I will have to pay to store the trailer. I have a 45’ attached RV garage for my coach but the darn HOA laws prohibit a trailer permanently parked in the driveway so we cannot do that. My mother in law has a Saturn Vue that I may borrow for a trip in July that we have planned if I do not pull the trigger on a toad by then but there may be an expense to a baseplate that may not be reusable for a different vehicle I buy.

Decisions, decisions.....
Chuck & Mitzi
'01 Safari Zanzibar 3646 (side entry)
Cat 3126B / Allison MD3060
Magnum M-Series "Blue Max" chassis
2016 Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland toad
TDJohn
Posts: 552
Joined: Sun Oct 27, 2019 11:34 pm

Re: One step closer

Post by TDJohn »

Congrats Duane!
You will enjoy your new setup and probably say, I should have done this sooner! :D

Chuck,

Look on IRV2 classifieds, I see Grand Cherokees for sale often there, and they are already fully set up with base plates and sometimes even the supplemental braking system. So you might be able to grab one that is turn key and ready to go. This would save you a bundle of not having to get it tow ready. Just food for thought...
John
'95 Serengeti, Cummins C8.3-300
Allison 6spd.
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