Best 1996 Jeep Grand Cherokee Tow Bar Braking Systems

I could not find anyone in Georgia that had installed the AF1 on a Jeep Grand Cherokee and eTrailer had several videos of their installs so we drove 700 miles to get it installed by these pros. They did a fantastic job and the system is great! The main unit is in the engine bay and you have to get on your knees to see the connection to the pedal. The Grand Cherokee is heavy but I don't feel any difference when towing and it has no effect on driving the the car. I'd give it and eTrailer 6 stars if I could!

by far the best braking system on the market

had to make a bracket for under driver seat because the e brake would not allow the g-force controller to be place on the side panel. the wires had to be extended to reach up to the controller in the engine compartment. Used a piece of aluminum plate to make a bracket mounted on strut frame that can easily be moved for other maintenance

My installation with a 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee went very will, thanks to the provided videos on etrailer.com This breaking system is awesome, it works very well. I highly recommend it.

Good quality materials. Fast delivery Good price. Complicated install. 16 hours labor for me to install toad portion, including bulb kit. 8 hours to install indicator light/warning beeper in RV. Worth the one time effort for me to not have to set and remove floor mounted brake system each time I want to drive the toad. 2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee with electric drivers seat. Controller would not fit under drivers seat, installed in cargo area behind rear seat. Good instructions for install. Kit included everything I needed. Due to controller placement, the controller power leads were not long enough. Air line to air cylinder connection was difficult to get right. Was not as "sure" as air line to controller. Took 3 attempts to get it to not leak. Overall a good product, I expect it will last a long time and be very reliable.

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Permanent installation looks and works great. Simply connect to the tow vehicle and ready to go…every time! The only issue I see is the Jeeps brakes seem to lose vacuum as the brake pedal is “hard” to push after sitting overnight.

Upon the recommendation of one of your towing specialists, I ordered every component that I needed to flat tow my 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee behind my 2013 Newmar Bay Star motorhome. I got the necessary Roadmaster tow bar and other accessories plus the SMI Stay-IN-Play braking system. I have towed over 5000 miles so far without any significant issues. Hook up is straight-forward and takes about 15 minutes to complete. I couldn't be happier with the towing experience!

Instructions in the kit and video on the website were very complete and made for a very easy installation. Suggestion to Roadmaster on the bracket....make some sort of positive location tab for the bracket because the location is only made secure by the tightening of the bolt. Also, the way the Jeep bracket that you bolt to is designed, there's no way to get a wrench or socket to hold the backside bolt head. Maybe come up with something to keep it from spinning.

Installing on 2020 Jeep Trailhawk : Pic #0557 : Roadmaster Base Plate Kit , Demco Supplemental Braking System , Diode Wiring Kit , Demco Battery Charge Wire Kit Pic # 0548 ,0551 , 0559 Had to adjust the bracket plate to line up with the upper bolt holes Pic #6028 finished install , mounted the operating unit to the top fuse box cover using automotive Velcro . Air cylinder , controller and LED light installed . Aside from the base plate bracket not lining up with the upper bolt holes I would give it 4 stars . My son in law is a master at solving mechanical issues .

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recommend having it professionally installed or at least a advanced DIYer.

Ordering was easy. Delivered very promptly. Actually cheaper then what the manufacturer sells it for. Live near manufacturer and having them install all my flat towing components this month. Great service Etrailer!!

Very happy I received it, normal great service from etrailer but had a shipping issue, (shipper's fault). I will always go through etrailer first for anything RV related. I will be back!

Easy to order, delivery on time and a good price. Thanks

I purchased this BB Classic 3 in October 2020 after my old BB Classic that I purchased in 2008 failed to hold pressure for the piston. I bought this for my 2017 Jeep Wrangler but due to (1) the depth and unevenness of the driver's floor board, (2) the seat adjustment bar prevents BB Classic 3 from pushing against the seat and (3) the adjustable legs are not long enough to reach the seat and brake pedal properly, the BB Classic 3 fails the auto start test every time due to not being able to level. I talked to Hopkins MFG techs several times trying to resolve the issue (wiring checks, power cord checks, etc.) but to no avail. This situation makes the BB Classic 3 dangerous to have in service because not being level it will think something is wrong and keeps the brake applied (piston will not retract after applying the brake). So after talking to other Jeep Wrangler owners I determined that a platform was needed for the floor board on which the BB Classic 3 could rest. I constructed a platform that was approximately 3" off the floor board and rested on the floor board under the seat and on risers toward the brake pedal. This platform is level on the floor board both length-wise and width-wise. After placing the BB Classic 3 on the platform with clevis and power cord installed and legs in the lowest position, I tested the auto start and had 8 successful tests in a row!!! Also the brake away test was successful too. I still need to make a short drive test while in tow behind the motorhome. Hopkins really needs to advise customers that the Classic 3 will not work properly as is on a 2017 Jeep Wrangler due to the configuration of the driver's side floor board.

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Just follow the instructions and it's an easy set-up. It does its job on the road. If there was anything negative, it would be where to store it when not in use. But, that has nothing to do with its performance. Thank you etrailer for making so many things available to us!

Items received look good arrived well packaged and safe. Sure it will work well once installed.

We’ve used the AF1 braking system for over a year. Flat towing nearly 20,000 miles and dozens of connects and disconnects pulling a Jeep Grand Cherokee L. Connection is simple. The proportional Brake function is reliable and consistent. Glad we went this route.

had to make a bracket for under driver seat because the e brake would not allow the g-force controller to be place on the side panel. the wires had to be extended to reach up to the controller in the engine compartment. Used a piece of aluminum plate to make a bracket mounted on strut frame that can easily be moved for other maintenance

My installation with a 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee went very will, thanks to the provided videos on etrailer.com This breaking system is awesome, it works very well. I highly recommend it.

recommend having it professionally installed or at least a advanced DIYer.

Works just like it should on my 2022 Jeep Cherokee.

Works great on my 2021 Jeep Cherokee. Makes the tail lights work as they should.

recommend having it professionally installed or at least a advanced DIYer.

There was a challenge presented when installing the Roadmaster Stop Light Switch (Kit #751452) on my 2015 Jeep Wrangler Sport Unlimited. The kit's Black C Bracket was not able to swing around fully to allow the kit's gray stop switch to be in line with the brake pedal. This was due to blockage caused by existing jeep's stop switch gray mounting bracket. As a result, I had to cut a notch using a Dremel and a grinding bit. The area where I had the interference from the jeep's bracket and the notch to allow proper installation is indicated in the attached photo. It is imperative that the kit's stop light switch when mounted correctly is fully depressed. If not, 12 volts will be sent to the Evenbrake's transmitter which will result in an alarm and failure to use the Evenbrake system. Also in reference to the Roadmaster installation instructions, there is no removable lower plastic cover. Installation requires twisting ones body under the dashboard with limited use of my left arm (I am right handed) to use tools. I ordered the stop switch from etrailer.com. I am using a Roadmaster Evenbrake system. I do want to state a clarification concerning the battery based on what I read in etrailer's and other forums. You do not have to disconnect the jeep battery on the 2015 Wrangler Sport Unlimited Model. Jeep made a change in the second edition of the 2014 operators manual which is reflected in the 2015 manual. The earlier 2014 edition did state the disconnecting of the battery before towing. I had informed the Roadmaster tech department of this change. The 2015 Jeep Wrangler Sport Unlimited steering column does not lock. You do not have to leave the key in ignition. You can remove it when ready to tow. My 2015 jeep has the power convenience group. The vehicle has two 12 volt convenience outlets. One is only powered on when the ignition switch is on. The other outlet is connected directly to the battery via a fuse. It is on all the time. This is the outlet I use for the Evenbrake. Now, Jeep does state not to plug in devices that use more than 13 amps or 160 watts. Roadmaster as per their installation manual indicates that the maximum draw of the Evenbrake is 10.8 amps. I reviewed all the above to the Roadmaster tech department and they said I should not have a problem using the Jeep's always on 12 volt outlet. We recently went on a camping trip on Columbus Day weekend to a campground 120 miles from the house and no power problems were encountered with the Evenbrake system. One other clarification is that the Jeep's brake lights are tied into the power convenience/electronics system. The brake lights will operate for a short period of time after the ignition is turned off and/or you open the jeep's door. Use of the brake lights will time out. This is the primary reason why I chose the stop light switch bracket kit. The Roadmaster Evenbrake transmitter and the hot leg to the kit's stop light switch are fed from a dedicated 10 amp fuse protected line from the battery. This way, I avoided drilling a hole into the weather resistant under the hood fuse box plus negating the need to make rube goldberg connections to existing fuses.

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Thanks to a review I was aware I might have to grind out part of bracket to get it to fit. I did have to. Roadmaster said it wasn't necessary . I think they have to update the bracket for the newer models. Etrailer was more helpful than Roadmaster.

Compared to my previous Blue Ox Patriot 2010, I like that it is half the weight and sets up easily. The Patriot 2010 would sometimes refuse to set up. I do not like the remote control for the new Patriot. The one for the Patriot 2010 had a knob for setting the braking force and I could quickly turn it to zero to deactivate it if it had been activated by a rough road, or if it was braking continuously on a long downhill. With the new remote, I have to press several buttons to get to the force setting, then press the button several times to change the setting. Also, the warning beep is not loud enough to hear in the noisy Class C cabin.

I bought the Patriot 3 braking system after getting a lot of good information from Will S. He is very knowledgeable and helpful. Thanks, Will!

I bought this kit to add to the Denco automatic braking system, that I installed on my Jeep. It is used to trigger a signal on my Demco wireless break monitor so that I am positive that the braking system is functioning.

Just finished installing the SMI AF1 on a 2012 Tiffin Phaeton and 2014 Chevrolet Silverado. While it took me substantially longer than the pro's, I found it straightforward to install and well documented, between SMI's video and etrailer's video. The brake system itself seems to me to be both well designed and well made. So far, it works just as advertised.

recommend having it professionally installed or at least a advanced DIYer.