Towing my Jeep behind my new Winnie

[TheBelchers]

Just brought my new Winnie vista LX 35f home today. I was planning on towing my Jeep Wrangler behind and noticed that there is quite a bit of height differential between the front bumper and the hitch on my MH. The bottom of my Jeep Wrangler bumper measures approx 20 inches off the ground while my hitch measures approx 26. Give or take with the frozen ground conditions here in the northeast....any suggestions on the type of hitch I should be looking at to safely tow our toad? Thank you for your feedback... I am a newbie to the MH travel community

[jharrell]

I bought a Roadmaster (048-8) Hi-Low Hitch For My Winnie to tow my Wrangler.

With the Blue Ox tow base plate it is exactly 8" lower than the MH's hitch at least until I put a lift on my Jeep .

The Roadmaster is the heavy duty one, I didn't want to skimp.

[georgew48]

This is what I use with my Rubicon. I put the hitch in the lower slot and it makes the tow bar even with the base plate. For some reason my picture won't post but what I use is the Geny 304 drop receiver. You can google it. It is vey heavy duty and has multipable reciever openings.

[TheBelchers]

Agreed. No need to skimp while towing the fun part behind us.....thanks

[Lv2Roam2]

Congratulations on the new outfit and welcome to the forum! You've got a whole bunch of new friends who don't mind questions - often have some good insight and experience to share - and appreciate when you do the same.

In general - the tow bars on a hitch should be close to level (some say within a couple of inches higher or lower than level). The distances involved vary according to bumper and receiver height, the mounting locations for the tow bars on different vehicles, and by different manufacturers.

It's likely you will first have to get a 'drop-down' hitch bar that goes into your RV receiver - its role is to lower the RV receiver height to something closer to level for the tow bar to be inserted.

There are many reputable companies - I've used Blue Ox with great success, and they have different models with varying weight capabilities. Please consider visiting their website to learn more - and they welcome phone calls. There are also many posts on this topic here on IRV2.

You can purchase the necessary components directly from some manufacturers, on-line at many vendors, and at your typical RV store (often at a much higher price). Depending on your knowledge and skill level you can certainly do this with some coaching. Also note that you'll have to wire up the stop/turn lights and may choose to install some sort of braking system (another discussion).

Best wishes and safe travels ...

[georgew48]

Geny 304 "Dual Hitch,Multi Purpose Hitch,Drop Raise,7 1/2"

I also went with the Ready brute elite tow bar with the built in brake and the Mopar wiring harness. Easiest hookup I could find. Once the brake cable us installed in the jeep you never have to worry about it. No boxes to sit on the floor and no 12 volt hook up required. Very simple and works great.

[Robmat]

I use a six inch drop down hitch which I got locally on a close out sale for under $30.00 here is one for $57.00 Roadmaster High-Low Adapter for Tow Bars - 2" Hitches - 6" Rise/Drop - 6K GTW, 100 lbs TW Roadmaster Accessories and Parts RM-076 and I have a Roadmaster Falcon All Terrain Tow bar with Roadmaster mounts on the Jeep. The tow bar is just about parallel to the road and I have absolutely no issues towing my Jeep.

Shortly I will be purchasing a RockHard 4x4 bumper which will have the tow mounts right on it. I will still use the Roadmaster Tow Bar but it will attach to mounts right on the front of the bumper. Makes for a fast easy hookup. Plus I have a place to mount my future winch.

[530ktm]

I have a good old angle iron fabricated tow bar and a good drop hitch perhaps 6 inches or so. Tow bar sits perfectly level and works just as it should. All you need is the proper drop hitch and you are good to go. I try to put up a picture but this site is very temperamental regarding pics.

[TheBelchers]

I appreciate everyone comments and advice. And the instant friendships are amazing and have restored my faith in people.. After 40 yrs in retail business, it's nice to know there are still good people out there and it is one of the reasons we purchased our MH so we can get out there and see more people and more of our beautiful country. Thank you all

[Godsey97]

We have the exact same rig. A Vista 35F dragging a Jeep Wrangler. I too noticed that significant distance between the two heights. Nothing a HIGH QUALITY drop bar couldn't handle. We went with Blue Ox from Tow Bar to Brake System. Towed 5,000 miles last year, absolutely no problems. We take the time to make sure it is rigged up properly and then go over it again before we pull away.

[aauummm]

Originally Posted by Robmat

I use a six inch drop down hitch which I got locally on a close out sale for under $30.00 here is one for $57.00 Roadmaster High-Low Adapter for Tow Bars - 2" Hitches - 6" Rise/Drop - 6K GTW, 100 lbs TW Roadmaster Accessories and Parts RM-076 and I have a Roadmaster Falcon All Terrain Tow bar with Roadmaster mounts on the Jeep. The tow bar is just about parallel to the road and I have absolutely no issues towing my Jeep.

Shortly I will be purchasing a RockHard 4x4 bumper which will have the tow mounts right on it. I will still use the Roadmaster Tow Bar but it will attach to mounts right on the front of the bumper. Makes for a fast easy hookup. Plus I have a place to mount my future winch.

I too will be ordering the RockHard front bumper and winch for my Wrangler here shortly. Got the RockHard rear bumper and spare carrier and installed it last November just before taking off for warmer climates. Got in a lot of nice off-roading over the winter!

[Ramzfan]

I tow a Jeep Wrangler with a Roadmaster Sterling all-terrain towbar package. Roadmaster recommends level towing but says it's safe to be no more than 3" out of level when towing.

[vsheetz]

Originally Posted by jharrell

I bought a Roadmaster (048-8) Hi-Low Hitch For My Winnie to tow my Wrangler.

With the Blue Ox tow base plate it is exactly 8" lower than the MH's hitch at least until I put a lift on my Jeep .

The Roadmaster is the heavy duty one, I didn't want to skimp.

Roadmaster 048-8 here as well.

[SuperGewl]

RoadMaster Sterling drawbar works just great. If you actually have to install a drop then grab a Roadmaster 4" or 8" drop. If you add the drop you may want to pick up a few of the anti-rattle devices also.

[l1v3fr33ord1]

Originally Posted by SuperGewl

If you add the drop you may want to pick up a few of the anti-rattle devices also.

That would be something like the Roadmaster Quiet Hitch; you probably can buy them several places, but here's a link to the product on etrailer's Web site. I have used the Quiet Hitches, and they do eliminate movement in towbar and drop hitch setups.

[hwybrad]

Roadmaster has a hitch extender that can solve the height issue. Check their website.