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Caravan towing

7K views 25 replies 8 participants last post by  Gally 
#1 ·
Please excuse the longevity of this post. Made a judgment error yesterday and attended the Sydney Caravan and Camping Show. We went purely out of curiosity. We found a caravan that suited our requirements (which we didn't know before we got there) perfectly, they had a great deal going with plenty of options thrown in and, I think you know where I'm going here....
So the new 14' 4x4 van is due for delivery in July. The ATM is 2050kgs with a TARE 1650kg which is under the TH's GTW 2,200kgs, so no problem there I hope. Have a few questions though after going through some of the archived forums here about towing. First up, I'm a bit concerned that the TH might be a bit under gunned to tow this heavy, for starters the TARE on the TH is 1936kg. I would prefer the tow vehicle weigh more than the thing its trying to stop.
Has anyone got experience towing this heavy over long distances and did the TH handle it satisfactorily?
The tow kit was fitted by the dealer before delivery, and not at the factory, is there a difference, one of the forum posts suggested there was and the ATM was lower for the post build tow kit.
Do I need to get an electric brake controller fitted, or is that part of the tow kit?
I've many more questions, but I'll get these 2 out of the way first. Also, I've posted this on the Australian forum as it appears that the export vehicles are quite different from the US vehicles as far as specifications go.
 
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#3 ·
Vehicle arrived in Australia without a tow kit, it was installed at the dealership before I took delivery.
 
#5 ·
No in Australia you are good. All Aussie spec vehicles have the Factory tow pack just not an Aussie spec tow bar fitted and all are rated to the full 2200kg.

Ball weight max is 220kg, though would strongly recommend a Weight Distribution Hitch, I have the Hayman Reece V5 one rated at up to 250kg ball weight. My Jayco Dove Outback is only 1200kg fully loaded but has a ball rate of 150 to 180kg depending on loading and water tank level. It tows fine without the load leveller but tows much nicer with it.

Brake controller. Absolute must if trailer is over 750kg. If max weight over 2 tonne then you will also need the break away controller as well. It has a 12 battery in the van to operate the brakes if the van should disconnect from the vehicle.

Whilst I haven't towed anything that heavy mine tows beautifully and have seen many US posts of 16 to 18 foot vans and no probs

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#7 ·
Thanks Dave,
That's what I was hoping for, I think the factory spec tow kit includes a secondary transmission cooler, and the transmission being what it is, I was hoping that Aust. spec TH's came with that as standard. The ball weight is 220kgs, and I will take your advice regarding the WDH and get one. I also noted on the options list of the van that there is Electronic Stability Control which I think I will add.
 
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#6 ·
FYI. The limit to the frontal area is 39.44 sq ft (3.66 sq m). Do you know the width and height of the trailer (caravan)? This is the listing from the owner's manual for the V6 and Trailer Tow Package. The tongue weight must be included, or added to the weight of passengers and cargo. It says to refer to local laws concerning maximum towing speeds! I think that a weight distribution hitch is a good idea. Does the trailer have surge or electric brakes?
 
#8 ·
Electric, also has a breakaway emergency brake. You've got me wondering about the frontal area, its a big slab of a thing and wind resistance would be a factor, I'm going to get that sorted straight up, thanks for bringing that to my attention.
 
#9 · (Edited)
Also, with the Trailer Tow Group, anti sway is built into the vehicle's electronics. I believe that one of the pins in the round 7-pin connector is for an electronic brake controller. In my Dodge Nitro, there was a red wire under the carpet by the steering column that was for the brake controller. I have never looked in my TH, but the wire may be there, but on your passenger side because you guys drive on the wrong side of the road! But, it may be by your steering column. It will be a single wire, taped off in a loop.

You are correct with the aux transmission cooler but there is an engine oil cooler also. It is located between the oil filter and the block.
 
#10 ·
Thanks for that, car is due for a big clean today, so I'll look for any lonely wires hanging about and try and identify the oil cooler. This van requires a 12 pin flat plug. I'm starting to think that by the time I get a 12 pin fitted to the car (currently a 7 flat), 2 Anderson plugs, one to charge the van's batteries, the other for ESC, the vans reverse camera cable and a new hitch, it might have been more economical to just have bought a motorhome.
 
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#11 ·
I'd be curious to see if your 7-pin flat is wired like our 7-pin round. If all Cherokees destined to Australia have the Trailer Tow Group, and the vehicle wiring is the same, the wire for the brake controller should be there. It will be taped off in an approximate 2-3" loop.
 
#12 ·
The brake controller wiring is not installed in our Aussie version. We have a trailer light controller in the right rear quarter panel and the brake connector wire stops at there. I had to run power for the brake controller from the battery and ran two wires to the rear quarter, one to connect the brake wire and one to hook onto the brake lights for a trigger. I used the brake light trigger as this operates the brakes when either you or the computer applies the brakes.

The other trap is by default the power in the rear quarter power socket is run with ignition and the trailer light controller is powered from this. So have a look in the manual to swap the rear power socket to permanent power (something like position 89 to 92), other wise trailer lights only work with ignition (ie, parked on side of road in the dark with parkers or hazards there are no lights on the van...)

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#13 ·
That's good info again Dave, thanks for that, I like the easy solution to the back outlet to permanent power, something you wouldn't even think about until you needed it if you're broken down on the side of a busy road.
 
#14 ·
And one that even Jeep Aus was not aware of. I picked it up on here from something Oliver in NZ said. Did some testing and sure enough same thing.

Went to local Dealer and told them my trailer lights didn't work without ignition and they said they would look into it. Came back to me and yep, that's how the others on the lot work so must be normal... I said no, it is not roadworthy, please speak to FCAA and they went away. Then I did my own investigations based on what Oliver had mentioned and fixed it. Heard back from Dealer and apparently FCAA were perplexed and needed more time. I then told them what the fix was... they were speechless! They took that back to FCAA and they said they were going to issue a recall for all vehicles that had a tow bar connected and would be adding it to the I installation manual. Never heard of the recall..

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#15 ·
Which is why, when I have a issue or question about my car, I come here first and not to the dealer. Once again, thanks for your help and reassurance on this one.
 
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#16 ·
No probs :)
Agreed, if FCA and FCAA could harness the knowledge of the combined members of this site alone they would actually know all about their own vehicle!

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#22 ·
Hey David, we have the same problem here. I found a work around for that problem. The fuse that controls the rear outlet in the cargo area, you move that from the ignition position to the battery position. The fuse is located in the fuse holder in the engine bay. But once switched to battery all the lights will work as they should without the ignition being on. FCA here in the states is aware of the problem, said it's not normal but they need my jeep and trailer for an extended time to research a fix. I've discussed it with @JeepCares in the past.


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#17 ·
I had a Red-Arc ( https://www.redarc.com.au/ ) remote control brake controller fitted to our limited by the dealer. I felt that the Red-Arc was the best option in view that it is almost invisible as opposed to the more 'clunky' under dash controllers that I used to knock my knees on when getting in and out of the car.
 

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#19 ·
I had a Red-Arc ( https://www.redarc.com.au/ ) remote control brake controller fitted to our limited by the dealer. I felt that the Red-Arc was the best option in view that it is almost invisible as opposed to the more 'clunky' under dash controllers that I used to knock my knees on when getting in and out of the car.
I'll keep that one in mind, right price from what I can see. the Cherokee doesn't give too many options on where these things can be placed, I was thinking perhaps in centre console. What are you towing and what's the weight just out of interest?
 
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