LeRoyCook

I prefer Jeep vehicles because they are simple to prepare to be flat towed. I had a 2004 Liberty with an automatic transmission and a manual transfer case. I traded it in this year for a new Grand Cherokee because the Liberty has a short wheel base that made for a rough ride other than short, local trips when we stopped. My copilot and I both enjoy the extra leg room of the GC. We don't go off-roading but have always had a 4x4 or AWD for driving on snow and ice. The Liberty also had a smaller cargo area than the GC. The 2014 GC does not need to have the ignition in the ACC position to free the steering wheel to be towed. The engineers designed the transmission to automatically shift to Park when the transfer case is shifted to neutral -- which requires only pushing a small button on the center console -- but leaves the steering wheel unlocked.

1. How many miles do you typically dinghy tow your vehicle yearly? 4000 2. What is the total tow mileage you have on your vehicle now? Purchased new -- Previous Toad was purchased used & had approx. 15000 towed miles in a 3 yr period. 3. What is the total tow mileage you expect to put on the vehicle before you upgrade to a new vehicle? Will keep this vehicle for many years -- don't know how many towed miles 4. When towing, what is the average amount of time between stops? (be it restroom or fuel)? Approx. 2 hrs, depending on location of rest stops or travel centers. I learned the hard (and expensive) way not to tow from AM to PM. I am the son of a former log truck driver and took the advice of a commercial OTR driver to frequently check my "rig" as many of them do. 5. How often do you stop for a period of 10 min or more? (be it restroom, stretch, eat, fuel)? See #4, above -- at least 3 times on a 400 mile leg. 6. What is your preferred cruising speed? I adhere to the posted speed limit for trucks -- 55 to 60 MPH 7. Do you use a rock shield? Yes 8. Where does the rock shield mount (bumper,towbar,dinghy, or... so what type)? On the tow connection bar attached to the Toad. I have a Roadmaster All Terrain bar with a hard shield. FYI -- I researched the approved vehicles to be flat towed and chose the Jeep Grand Cherokee because of the simplicity to prepare it to be flat towed. My previous Toad was a 2004 Jeep Liberty with an automatic transmission and a manual transfer case that was easily shifted into Neutral. I bought it used because my primary vehicle (2008 Toyota Highlander) could not be flat towed. Traded in both for the 2014 Grand Cherokee that is also my primary transportation. I would not buy a vehicle that had time/distance restrictions to be towed or required fuses to be pulled, drive line to be disconnected, or additional equipment to be installed for the vehicle to be flat towed. There are enough other procedures to be performed when leaving a camp site that I don't care to have a complicated towing procedure. I believe others agree with me because I see more Jeeps behind MHs on the road than any other vehicle. Simplicity sells.

This is the link to the Chrysler / Jeep PDF manual that has the official procedures to prepare the 2014 Jeep to be flat towed. http://www.chryslercommercialvehicles.com/jeep/download/pdf/manuals/2014-Grand_Cherokee-OM-4th.pdf To get to the instructions click on "Starting and Operating" located on the left side then scroll down through the pages to "Recreational Towing (Behind a Motor Home)." Click on the title to go to page 515 and scroll down to page 517. The instructions continue through page 521. There is still a minor discrepancy in the instructions; the lengthy message “FOUR WHEEL DRIVE SYSTEM IN NEUTRAL” that is supposed to be displayed on the EVIC - doesn’t. Instead (on my panel) only a small “Neutral” is displayed in the upper left corner of the EVIC. When the transfer case is shifted back into the drive selection from neutral there is an audible "thunk" and the "Neutral" text on the EVIC is not visible.

I purchased a 2014 Grand Cherokee to replace an older Liberty/dinghy with a manual transfer case. After having Camping World install a 2nd vehicle package on the GC I tried to prepare it to be towed IAW the User Guide (page 116). The instructions (I condense them for space) were to select "run" without starting the engine and to shift the transmission to Neutral before depressing the transfer case Neutral button. I could not move the transmission selector handle out of Park. A quick trip to a nearby Jeep dealership and having a service tech follow the instructions produced the same non-result -- which prompted a call and a one hour trip to the selling dealership. To cut to the bottom line, the instructions in the User Guide are WRONG and contain inaccurate information. (Perhaps the instructions are a carryover from the 2013 that no longer apply to the 2014.) One must start the engine and shift to Neutral before depressing the transfer case button. The message the instructions indicate will be displayed on the Electronic Vehicle Information Center (EVIC), won't. When Neutral is displayed in the top, left area of the EVIC, then turn off the engine. The transmission automatically shifts to Park and frees up the steering wheel to tow the vehicle. I will attempt to contact Chrysler/Jeep to inform them of the faulty instructions. If I can't reach the right person at Jeep, I created a WORD document that provides my version of the instruction that can be clipped and taped over the instructions in the User Guide. To receive a copy, contact me at leroycook2458@gmail.com