Parts Required for Safe & Legal Flat Towing of 1998 Jeep Cherokee Behind Class B Motorhome  

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Virtually all U.S. states and Canadian provinces require that a towed vehicle be equipped with a supplemental braking system of one type or another. Even if you happened to be towing in an area where one was not required my guess is that only a few miles would be required for you to see the merits of a toad braking system!

Supplementary braking systems come in many forms. There are purely mechanical systems and portable/wireless electronic systems like the outstanding Blue Ox Patriot # BLU37TR. There are systems that are a one-time install, such as the SMI Stay-in-Play # SM99251. There are also some that are designed specifically for motorhomes with air brakes, like the Air Force One # SM99243.

For performance, reliability and flexibility for potential future use in other vehicles the Blue Ox Patriot # BLU37TR is my top choice. Please have a look at the customer reviews for this unit; just click on the review link above the part number on the product page to see what users have to say about the Patriot. You can also refer to the linked article on braking systems for more general information.

A braking system is one of the components required for safe and legal flat towing. All needed items are detailed in the linked article on the basics of flat towing. These include a high/low hitch adapter, tow bar, safety cables, a wiring/lighting kit of some type and a braking system and base plates on the towed car. In case you need any of these other items I will be glad to offer recommendations.

Let's start with base plates. So long as your 1998 Cherokee does NOT have brush guards you can use any of the base plate kits shown on the linked page. Our installers tend to like Blue Ox kits so I do recommend their kit # BX1110 which has fixed arms. If you prefer a kit with removable arms (for a cleaner appearance when you're not towing the car) then instead use # 1418-1 from Roadmaster.

Generally it is simpler and less costly to use a tow bar and base plate from the same maker, since this saves the added complexity and cost of the adapter required to mate items from different brands. With the Blue Ox plates you can use their Alpha tow bar # BX7380; this includes safety cables, saving you that one expense.

For lighting I tend to recommend simple magnetic light kits like # TL21RK. These are inexpensive and simple to install.

expert reply by: Adam R

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