Setting up a 2000 TJ sport for flat towing

[rfulcher]

I have a stock 2000 TJ Sport 4.0L and am considering setting it up for flat Towing. My wife and I plan to stay on Cape Hatteras for several months this summer. My Tundra 4WD will be go and we plan to take the TJ. My wife may drive the TJ while I drive the Tundra. We have thought about flat towing the Jeep behind the Tundra. this is about 375 one way. The Jeep will be used on the beach occasionally.

Question 1-Is setting up the TJ for towing worth the trouble vs just driving it there and back?

Question 2-I If set it up for towing what is the minimal safe set up. What parts are necessary; towbar towbar mounts etc? The quality of parts for this seems to be very variable.

Question 3-I am considering a winch in the future since this jeep may be used on the beach.
Can a winch bumper be used as pat of a towbar system?

Thanks

 

[DaveC]

1. Depends on whether you really need 2 vehicles while there and/or how badly you want to go beach cruising in the TJ. I flat tow mine 1-3 times/year when hunting more than 1.5 hours from home and/or for long enough periods where cargo capacity is a factor on those hunts (can't haul an elk home in a TJ, along with the gear for a 2 week-long hunt). If I were going to be there for several months, I'd probably prefer having both vehicles.
2. Depends on the laws in your state. Here in AZ, towing anything over 3,000 lbs requires auxiliary brakes. What you'll need:
   1. Tow points on your front bumper
   2. Tow bar
   3. Safety chains/cables
   4. Brake lights/signals (whether tapping into your TJ's or using some magnetic lights)
   5. Auxiliary brake if required in your state (recommended regardless)
   6. Prices can be all over the map from reasonable to spendy. My setup came in at ~$800 a few years back. Looks like the Ready Brake I chose is quite a bit more today, but you can find it cheaper on other sites and NSA will price match.
      1. Ready Brake https://nsarvproducts.com/collections/supplemental-braking-systems $495
      2. Used Blue Ox tow bar from FB Marketplace $75
      3. Custom tow points for use with my OEM bumper $100
      4. Safety cables https://www.etrailer.com/Safety-Cables/Roadmaster/RM-645.html $60
      5. Magnetic brake lights/turn signals https://www.etrailer.com/Tow-Bar-Wiring/Buyers-Products/337TL257M.html $70
3. Maybe - for liability purposes, I don't think you'll find any that will publish being rated for towing. If you call the manufacturer directly and ask, they'll usually give you a yes/no verbally. I had a set of tow points custom made that fit over the bumper and bolt into the frame for $100 at a local shop. Also, you don't have to use the bumper; there are brackets that attach on the underside of the frame you can use instead.

Tow bar/brake setup

Lights

Tow points

 

[rfulcher]

Your reply was very helpful. I have another question re:

1. Custom tow points for use with my OEM bumper $100. Would these work and do they mount thru the stock bumper and thru the frame?

Rugged Ridge XHD Bumper D-Ring Shackle Bracket Kit(97-18 Jeep Wrangler TJ & JK)​

Item J102930

One of the product answers said they would not work with TJ bumper???

We plan to spend a couple of months on Cape Hatteras Island with lots of opportunity to drive on the beach We will take it whether we drive or tow. We both want a car while we are there. It will be used less on beach than the Tundra since the Tundra is a better for hauling kayaks and surfboards. However how cool is a topless beach on a summer day?

 

[DaveC]

Your reply was very helpful. I have another question re:

1. Custom tow points for use with my OEM bumper $100. Would these work and do they mount thru the stock bumper and thru the frame?

Rugged Ridge XHD Bumper D-Ring Shackle Bracket Kit(97-18 Jeep Wrangler TJ & JK)​

Item J102930

One of the product answers said they would not work with TJ bumper???

We plan to spend a couple of months on Cape Hatteras Island with lots of opportunity to drive on the beach We will take it whether we drive or tow. We both want a car while we are there. It will be used less on beach than the Tundra since the Tundra is a better for hauling kayaks and surfboards. However how cool is a topless beach on a summer day?

Topless jeep on the beach....'nuff said!

Do you have a link for that product? There are some d ring kits with backing plates that bolt thru the holes in the front of the bumper (remove the rubber bumper pads).

I've never tried these, but personally wouldn't be comfortable using them since they simply attach the d rings to backing plates on the back of the bumper, and that OEM bumper is thin.

The attachment points I had made are welded 3/8 steel and bolt to the frame thru the bumper using the OEM bumper bolt holes (same ones the OEM recovery hooks would mount to). If you zoom in on the 3rd pic, you can get an idea. Here's a better pic that may show better. This way, the force is on the frame and not the bumper, like it would be using the rings with backing plates.

 

[Plumber1]

I have flat towed from Northern CA to Moab UT, Sedona AZ, Northern NV and never had any issues. I agree that Etrailer has a ton of good options. I have considered replacing my front bumper but I use the upper holes ( that have D-rings in ) to attach the tow bar and the lower holes for the safety cables.

 

[GregBelleville]

I have flat towed from Northern CA to Moab UT, Sedona AZ, Northern NV and never had any issues. I agree that Etrailer has a ton of good options. I have considered replacing my front bumper but I use the upper holes ( that have D-rings in ) to attach the tow bar and the lower holes for the safety cables.

View attachment 432792

View attachment 432794

Do you use a braking system with your set up?

 

[rfulcher]

This is the link to the D-ring shackle bracket in my above post.

https://www.extremeterrain.com/rr-xhd-shackle-mount-jk-1154027.html

It looks like these brackets tie into the bumper not the frame. I am surprised that I cannot find D-ring/bow shackle brackets that tie to the frame. All I have found so far are on custom bumpers or a large tow point frame that spans across the front frame. I think the brackets DaveC had made may be one of the best options.

 

[mousehunter]

flat towing has it's benefits - but trailer towing is probably better most of the time. One benefit of flat towing is you don't have to figure out where to put a trailer when you are disconnected and it is quicker than chaining the jeep to a trailer. The problems are more mileage on parts of your jeep, dealing with an aux brake system on your jeep, not being able to back up. If money was free - I would do both with dedicated systems.

The main reason I have not done both is I have a great light trailer for light work. I have a great heavy trailer for heavy work, and I have a poor medium duty trailer. When I have to trailer tow - I just put it on the heavy equipment trailer and am done with it. I don't do it often because it seems to take 20 minutes to chain the jeep down, where flat towing is about 5 minutes.

For what it is worth - I got the flat tow system for kayaking. I can drop the jeep at the take out, drive to the put in with my truck. Paddle back to the take out - put the kayak on the jeep - and drive back to my truck. It is the simplest (not so simple) way to self portage a down stream paddle. Honestly - I use it primarily to drag my jeep to the shop. It is nice not to beg someone for a ride home.

I have a 3/4 ton diesel for a tow vehicle. It does not really notice the LJ behind it. I should get a brake controller for the Jeep eventually - but since I am mainly doing it for slow speed tows to the shop, have not gotten around to it yet. I can stop just about as easily with the Jeep flat towing as with the 7k lb heavy equipment trailer (and a 4500lb jeep on it) with it's brakes working. You don't stop on a dime when towing heavy equipment. That said, I tow 18k (trailer plus track loader) lbs with that trailer - and do know something is behind me. It is pushing my trucks tow rating - really should be using a 1ton dually.