Diplomat Towing Jeep Suggestions

[mike.meneldil@gmail.com]

Hello. I need to purchase a first-time towing system for a 2008 Monaco Diplomat 40SKQ. We plan to tow a 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee. I'm planning to tow with all four wheels down because the AWD transmission requires even tire wear (a dolly that transports the Jeep with two wheels up does not support this, and I'd also have to deal with finding a place for the dolly when not in use). I'm open to alternative thoughts on this.

My main question, however, is what tow bar system should I use (e.g., Blue Ox, Demco, etc.)? As you know, there's quite a number of brands out there and it's hard to wade through all the competing information. I'm hoping that some of you have (or know of someone who has) a similar setup and can provide some suggestions based on your experiences.

Any recommendations regarding a braking system for the Jeep would also be appreciated (bonus request).

Thanks,

Mike

[NWJeeper]

Hmmm, well I don't quite understand the "AWD transmission requires even tire wear" thing. Just in normal driving you will wear the tires unevenly. Usually the requirement is for all tires to be the same diameter such as with the anti-lock brake system but this doesn't mean the tires can't wear unevenly which would be very hard to do but rather that you can't mix sizes (ie. a 30" spare with the others being 28") Also you might want to find a chart that shows if the rig can even be towed 4-down as I though you couldn't tow any AWD vehicle 4-down. With other Jeeps with transfer cases (Wrangler and Liberty to name a couple) you can simply put the transfer case in neutral and your good to go.

As for a towbar I have been using Road Master for several years with our Wrangler and Liberty. For breaking I had found a really slick system that is an air cylinder that inserts between the master cylinder and the air canister on your brakes. Using compressed air from your tow rig it applies the brakes directly. What is nice is that it's unobtrusive, and no big box in the way of the driver seat when you need to disconnect and move the rig like some other systems. I will try and find out what that was.

[NWJeeper]

After doing some more digging I looked at the Towable Guide put out by the FMCA for the 2004 model year vehicles. It shows the 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee to be a 4-wheel drive system not AWD. Are you sure about what you really have and aren't confusing the two?

The guide says that you are good for 4-wheel down towing with no distance limits.

[wolfe10]

After confirming that your Jeep IS towable 4 wheels down, if you want to see the installation instructions for the Roadmaster bracket NWJeeper is talking about:

http://www.roadmasterinc.com/pdfinst/1425-1.pdf

Brett

[mike.meneldil@gmail.com]

Thank you for your input. Sorry if I created any confusion. When I said that the Jeep is All Wheel Drive (AWD), I should have been more clear. It is a 4-wheel drive vehicle that uses the Quadra-Drive system. It is not changeable between 2-wheel and 4-wheel mode (4WD is always on). The tires all have to be very close to the same circumference, otherwise damage can occur to the differential as a result of excessive stress on the gears. Also, the transfer case has a neutral setting so that the vehicle can be towed. If I had it to do over, I would have focused just on the tow system (other than to state I plan to tow wheels down and that I've confirmed that the vehicle can be towed).

Roadmaster is certainly one of the major brands and I've heard good things about them. It is definitely under consideration. Any thoughts about Demco? I mention that because the dealer where I purchased the rig carries this brand (and therefore advocates it). I've heard good things about it and Blue Ox as well. Are they all about the same in quality, or do you believe one really stands out? Also, any recommendations as to where to purchase (e.g., a store versus online, direct versus store, etc.) would also be appreciated.

Thanks,

Mike

[NWJeeper]

The tires all have to be very close to the same circumference, otherwise damage can occur to the differential as a result of excessive stress on the gears.

Trust me Mike, I know Jeeps, this just isn't true. The stress put on the diff. gearing while off-roading is way more than you will ever put on your Jeep. Stress does not occur on the gearing because you wear a few thousandths of an inch off the circumference of the tires. The only thing you cannot do is mix tire sizes because of the anti-lock brake system. Vehicles with ABS will come with a full size spare because using a smaller spare would screw up the computer's logic and try and apply brakeing.

I have seen Grand Chrokees like yours in action on some pretty rough terrain here at home and in Moab Utah (the Jeepn' meca), Trust me there is nothing you are going to do while towing your rig to mess up the gearing in the differentials.

[kingfr]

Where the tire diameter thing comes into play is if the GC is 4X4 AND has locking limited slip differentials on both ends, as mine does!

[NWJeeper]

Where the tire diameter thing comes into play is if the GC is 4X4 AND has locking limited slip differentials on both ends, as mine does!

Trust me guys, I have air locking differentials on both ends of my Wrangler( these are not limited slip but fully locked when engaged with a switch in the cab) running 35" tires and wheel some of the most insane looking terrain you have ever seen. I have NEVER ruined a set of gears and I have never seen anyone else do it either unless they are running insane amounts of power (like a hemi V8) through the drivetrain and then you snap U-joints in the drive shafts first as they are meant to be the "fuse" in the system. It is IMPOSIBLE to do damage to your differential gearing because you have a tire or two wearing faster or slower than the rest. We wheel in 4-wheel low, with dual lockers on, on slickrock in Moab that has 100% more traction that the average city street and don't do damage. It just can't happen. I think what you guys are confusing is Anti Lock Brakeing and 4x4 or AWD (all wheel drive) The onboard computer for ABS has to have all 4 tires be the same size. That is you can't have 30" tires and put a 31" spare on if you blow one out, it will mess up the ABS computer and try and apply braking. We have tested it out to see what it does. But there is NO WAY you are going to mess up the differential gearing!

[srfridley]

I have used a Demco Excalibar for about 9 years and would recommend this unit. It has a high weight rating (8000 Lbs) and has worked very well for my usage. I have installed the Demco base plates on 3 different vehicles (Toyota, Honda, Acura) and find them well engineered, well fabricated, and with clear, simple to follow installation instructions. I also like that with the Demco setup on most vehicles you don't have to have that extra "junk" hanging on the front of your vehicle that you see with some of the other products, the system base plates connect directly to the tow bar leaving only two unobtrusive connections visible when not connected.

[bobwyman]

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Hello. I need to purchase a first-time towing system for a 2008 Monaco Diplomat 40SKQ. We plan to tow a 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee. I'm planning to tow with all four wheels down because the AWD transmission requires even tire wear (a dolly that transports the Jeep with two wheels up does not support this, and I'd also have to deal with finding a place for the dolly when not in use). I'm open to alternative thoughts on this.

My main question, however, is what tow bar system should I use (e.g., Blue Ox, Demco, etc.)? As you know, there's quite a number of brands out there and it's hard to wade through all the competing information. I'm hoping that some of you have (or know of someone who has) a similar setup and can provide some suggestions based on your experiences.

Any recommendations regarding a braking system for the Jeep would also be appreciated (bonus request).

Thanks,

Mike

Mike you'll love towing the Jeep 4 wheels down, they track very well which is a key item. Also, when you get ready and put the transfer case in neutral, you have to put the key in the ignition and turn it far enough to unlock the steering wheel. And if your Jeep is the Limited model, it will weigh about 4400# plus whatever you put in it. I assume since you have a Monaco you are familiar with Sierra RV, I was there last Thursday and noticed the Roadmaster display has been replaced with Demco. which shouldn't be taken as a bad sign. They will order in any brand you want. I personally have the Roadmaster and just recently purchased the Falcon All terrain to replace the Roadmaster Eagle 8000. I don't need the 8000# tow bar anymore and wanted to get a lighter one. I have several friends with Roadmaster and two friends with the Demco. I've had good factory support from Roadmaster as has my friends with the Demco. Blue OX left me in a lurch a few years ago on a problem but they probably have good stuff also. The question you haven't addressed yet is the baseplate for the Jeep and the lighting. The instructions from Roadmaster are very good and easy to understand. Several months ago my friend bought a Ford Edge for a toad and my wife and he installed the baseplate while I was laid up with a back problem. When we traded our Jeep for a new Suzuki Grand Vitara, my wife was the brains on that baseplate installation also. Rumor has it she is smarter than me. On the lights, I prefer to use the diodes and since you have the third brakelight on the Jeep, you'll need four diodes. You can download these instructions on the Roadmaster web sight beforehand if you want. I like the diodes as compared to the magnetic stick on lights, one less thing you have to do when you hook up or un hook. I have mixed emotions on the braking system. I have the Roadmaster Brake Pro, now called Even Brake or something like that. There are several on the market that use the same principal. It's a pain in the buns as far as I'm concerned, I now carry it in the luggage compartment. I thought the Monaco coaches came with the Unified controller pre wired but never the less, if I had it to do over, I'd go with one of the systems that work off of the coach air brakes like the M&G Braking system. Mike Van Tassel @ Sierra RV was studying the different braking systems and should be able to recommend one. You can look at the different tow bars on www.bigdiscountrv.com and compare the different features. Bob in Sandy, UT

[mkebikecop]

As long as we are talking about towing a Jeep, when we get back home this spring we want to trade in our Ford Sport-Trac 4 x 4 for a Wrangler.

Does it matter if it is an automatic or manual transmission? Does it matter if it a Sierra or a Rubicon?