Flat-Towing 2004 Jeep Wrangler Behind 2010 Tiffin Allegro Bus With Hydralift Motorcycle Lift

Updated 03/24/2016 | Published 03/22/2016

Products Featured in This Question

Blue Ox Base Plate Kit - Fixed Arms

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$576.93

Blue Ox Patriot Portable Flat Tow Brake System - Proportional

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$1406.81

Blue Ox Avail Non-Binding Tow Bar - RV Mount - 2" Hitch - 10,000 lbs

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$970.09

Roadmaster 4-Diode Universal Wiring Kit for Towed Vehicles - 4-Way Flat Connectors

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$85.87

Roadmaster Brake-Lite Relay Kit for Towed Vehicles

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Demco Air Force One Flat Tow Brake System for RVs w/ Air Brakes - Proportional

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$1399.00

Question:

I have a 2010 43 Tiffin Allegro Bus with a Hydralift motorcycle lift on the rear. I plan to tow a 2004 Jeep Wrangler with a trow bar while carrying my motorcycle on the lift. Does anyone have experience with this motorcycle lift / flat tow configuration? I need to know if this is possible if I use a 12 inch receiver hitch extension attached to the Hydralift. Also, My Allison transmission in coordination with my Cummins engine brake, in some situations, will downshift and slow my coach without applying the service air brakes, is this compatible with the Blue Ox Patriot braking system? Thank you,

asked by: Larry J

Helpful Expert Reply:

I did some research on the Hydralift site and found that you can flat-tow when using the motorcycle lift. Using an extension in a trailer hitch reduces the capacity of the hitch by 50 percent and I do not recommend that. From the site it appears no extensions are used in the hitch and when the motorcycle is lifted will provide enough clearance to flat-tow, but I cannot find any information about clearance using the Hydralift.

The base plates I recommend for your 2004 Wrangler are part # BX1120. These are fixed arm base plates and will work with your Jeep if it has a double-channel bumper or the U-channel bumper.

The Blue Ox Avail Tow Bar, part # BX7420 will work with the # BX1120 base plates, and it comes with safety cables included.

For lighting I recommend part # RM-154.

The Blue Ox Patriot Braking System, part # BLU37TR uses an accelerometer to sense the braking action of the motorhome but it also uses the motorhome's brake lights for a trigger to engage the brakes. So you will experience false braking on the Jeep when using the engine brake. Instead for a braking system use the Air Force One # SM99243. It's designed for diesels and doesn't use the brake lights for activation so you won't have the false braking. You'll also need a brake-lite relay # RM-88400 to prevent the Jeep's lights from overriding the motorhome's.

We haven't had any installations like this so I would check with Hydralift to make sure you will have the clearance needed when flat-towing and also check the weight capacity for this setup behind your bus.