Towing my Jeep with my 2016 Land Cruiser (1 Viewer)

[RandyCSVT]

I am interested in towing my 1999 Automatic Jeep Wrangler TJ with 6” lift, 35’s and various other mods behind my 2016 Land Cruiser. The Land Cruiser has a 2” tough dog adjustable lift and 33” k02’s if that matters. Would anybody with towing knowledge be willing to help me out? I know nothing about towing.

My initial thought was buying a tow bar setup for the Jeep and flat towing it behind the Land Cruiser. From my understanding a tow dolly wouldn’t work given that the Jeep is 4wd. If I had to use a trailer it would need to be rented as I would only do this 2-3 times per year at most. What exactly do I need to make this happen. I want to have my Land Cruiser for fun/mild trails with the wife and kids and the Jeep for days when I want to go solo and be willing to send it or go down tighter trails the LC wouldn’t fit well in.

Can flat towing be done safely for longer trips like FL to TN? if not, is there anything in particular I would have to look for in a trailer to tow it on if needed. I am hoping flat towing can work out because then I don’t have to deal with a bulky trailer.

 

[afgman786]

You'll have no problems doing that. I'm pulling a 40 on 37s behind a 200 with an OME lift and KM3s. The 200 pulls the trailer and rig no problem. I would suggest using a trailer. If you rent from uhaul their flat trailers do not have trailer brakes, just hooks up to your 7pin connector. Only thing to consider is use engine braking when you do that so you don't burn up your brakes.

You could flat tow it, although it might feel a bit sketchy. Could have the TJ try and pull one way or another.

Get a drop hitch and rent the couple times you need to. If you're willing to flat tow then you could also use a dolly. Just have to make sure driveline is disconnected like you would for flat tow and save some money on a dolly compared to a toy hauler.

 

[TeCKis300]

Doable multiple ways.

I would use a trailer like a Uhaul auto transport trailer for two important reasons: 1) surge brakes 2) gives you the ability to backup. Done any other way limits the ability to backup which could be a problem, especially if you've never towed before. Don't get me wrong, backing up will already be tricky, but at least you can. And it'll be much safer towing that kind of weight with a good surge brake setup.

What does your TJ weigh? I'm assuming something like 3500-4000lbs? No problem and your LC will make easy work of it.

IIRC all U-haul towables use 4-pin hookups. Adapters available everywhere, even from U-haul.

 

[CharlieS]

I've towed both uhaul and my own car trailer with the 200 and it makes easy work of both. The uhaul trailers are pretty heavy (compared to the aluminum car trailer I towed my 911 on), but the 200 towed without drama. I prefer to haul with a trailer with brakes, as noted above the uhaul ones only have surge brakes (at least the ones I've rented). The Redarc trailer brake controller is top notch. I keep a selection of adapters in the rig for different plug types since you never know what the trailer might use. An adjustable drop hitch is also nice to have, but not a must have - I picked up an aluminum one that works well. The other nice thing is that it has different ball sizes. If memory serves me the uhaul car trailers have a 2" ball.

 

[RandyCSVT]

Thanks for the tips. I had no idea you couldn't reverse with a vehicle flat towed behind me. Going to go to some local trailer shops and see what a proper setup will cost me.

 

[RandyCSVT]

Went to look at some trailers today and have a few questions.

1. I was told that the factory 7 pin connector on my land cruiser would control the brakes on the trailer. If that is the case, why do people install redarc brake controllers? What advantage do they provide.

2. I am going to start by renting trailers the first few times and maybe then buying one. I need a hitch receiver and 2" ball. I was thinking of getting the kind where I can adjust how much the ball drops in order to suit whatever trailer i end up getting. Is their a particular type of adjustable drop hitch receiver you would recommend? Any advantages to one type over another?

 

[TeCKis300]

1) The 7-pin is only the wiring interface. It needs a brain to drive the trailer brake wire. That's what the redarc brake controller is for.

2) Great idea renting and it'll give you a feel for the specific type you'll want. The U-haul stuff is aluminum and overbuilt for the abuses of rentals. They do tow well but are heavier as mentioned earlier.
An adjustable hitch is not a bad idea. Any of them on the market, from cheap to expensive will do. Convenience of adjustability without tools may be useful. Also keep an eye on how much play it has. It's irritating when towing heavy loads and the frame to ball has play and makes untoward lurches and bumps, even a bit of sway. Tool-less designs may have more play.

 

[CharlieS]

I got this one for a reasonable price. Maybe Northern Tool? Nope, Amazon.

It is this: Uriah Products UT623410 Aluma-Tow 6" Drop Ball Mount for 2" Receiver

It is quick and easy to change the height, and it comes with interchangeable ball sizes.

Different trailers require different drops. Prior to this I had a bunch of Reese steel drop hitches with balls on them that I swapped out for different trailers. This is much more convenient.

I standardized all my trailers on 2" receivers, but you never know what a friend's or a rental trailer may have...

Hmmm, I wonder if I will need one with a bigger drop range now that the rig is lIfted? Dang it!

 

[RandyCSVT]

Was thinking of getting something like this.


Amazon product ASIN B004SMGAJ6
Not sure I am following on wiring and brake controllers. What exactly does the 7 pin by the hitch actually do? Does the redarc replace it or add to it? What exactly do I need to order to have a proper brake controller installed? If someone could give me exact part numbers of everything i need to install this and have the redarc knob in a factory blank switch spot. I would like to buy the parts and have a trailer shop install it for me. Dont want to take any chances with this since i don't know much about towing and don't trust myself with 5k lbs plus in tow behind me with my family in the LC with me on long trips.

 

[CharlieS]

The 7 pin plug has the right wires, but you need a brake controller to send the right signal. The Redarc harness can be spliced into the trailer plug that comes with the vehicle. You can buy a switch blank so the Redarc knob will plug and play. I bought both the Redarc brake controller and the switch blank from eTrailer. If you search around this forum, there are many posts with helpful installation instructions.

These are the parts:

• TPSI-002 Switch Insert Panel for REDARC Tow Pro Elite Trailer Brake Controller Remote Knob
• 331-EBRH-ACCV2 Tow-Pro Elite brake controller

 

[RandyCSVT]

Did I need any specific vehicle harness or will I have everything I need if I buy the redarc pro elite and the Toyota blank to mount the knob

 

[CharlieS]

Did you get a trailer brake jumper harness with your land cruiser?

Looks like this:

Most of them come with one in a baggie, in the glove box, tailgate storage or elsewhere. This needs to be spliced into the Redarc wires.

You may be able to buy a prespliced cable for the Redarc, I have no idea. I just spliced in what I already had on hand.

Here is a post you might find helpful:

Trailer Brake Controller Connector

I put together the following write-up on my install of a RedArc Brake controller. The content below is a synopsis of a larger story I was going to have via a blog on another site, but unfortunately that site is having issues with their platforms: Redarc boxing by weaselox posted Aug 7, 2017 at...

forum.ih8mud.com

Also, here's a kit at eTrailer that comes with the factory plug, if you don't have one already:https://www.etrailer.com/multi-prod...HYear=2013&HHMake=Toyota&HHModel=Land+Cruiser

 

[RandyCSVT]

I have that wite in the glove box. I was curious what that was .

So if I buy the redarc elite pro, the Toyota blank to mount the switch and use the Toyota harness I have in the glove box, that is everything I need?

 

[CharlieS]

I have that wite in the glove box. I was curious what that was .

So if I buy the redarc elite pro, the Toyota blank to mount the switch and use the Toyota harness I have in the glove box, that is everything I need?

Yes.

Well, I used some solder, heat shrink tubing, and 3m industrial strength Velcro (to attach the Redarc box under the dash).

 

[RandyCSVT]

Thanks for the guidance. The brake controller and hitch receiver will be my next coronapocalypse project to keep me busy

 

[RandyCSVT]

I have one more hitch question. I just noticed that weighsafe makes hitches with a built in scale that tells you the tongue weight right on the hitch. How important is it to know the tongue weight? is this feature worth the $100 premium over a traditional hitch. I have little to no tow experience and have no idea how important it is to know your exact tongue weight.

 

[CharlieS]

I'm sure someone will tell you that it is very important.

Not saying you should follow my lead, but I've never weighed a tongue weight. I use common sense, and have never had an issue. And yes, I've towed a ton over many decades - car trailers, utility trailers, boat trailers, equipment trailers, big campers, small campers. etc. Again, not saying you should do what I do, but there are different perspectives.

 

[RandyCSVT]

Only common sense i have regarding loading a trailer is dont put too much weight in the back or the trailer will be hard to control. I guess I would just try and center the weight on the trailer.

 

[CharlieS]

Maybe chat with the people that are renting or selling you the trailer? They likely have lots of experience that they can share. I'm sure there is also lots of good guidance across the internet including Youtube that would be helpful. Having a way to measure tongue weight isn't going to be useful, if you don't know what the information is used for.

 

[RandyCSVT]

I am asking multiple sources in an effort to see what information i get consistently. I went to one trailer sales place and had a guy tell me I dont need a trailer brake controller and can just hook it up to the 7 pin and be fine. This thread and a conversation with etrailers.com staff totally contradicted that.

asking/searching multiple sources and seeing what is consistent seems to be the best way to find out what I need to know when I don't know much about the subject.