Can You Flat Tow A Jeep Cherokee?

If you are someone who is new to driving, you might know about flat towing but have never done it practically. People can tow vehicles with RVs or motorhomes if they like living on the countryside and have to visit the city for running some errands.

After doing my research, I have decided to write today’s article on flat towing a Jeep Cherokee. The steps and the reason for towing are mentioned below for your help and convenience as a beginner.

Can You Flat Tow A Jeep Cherokee? – Detailed Guide

What Is Flat Towing?

Flat towing is a very simple process that can help you attach and pull your vehicle with the RV or motorhome with the help of plates and a hitch. Most of the cars can be flat towed but people have concerns regarding damaging the engine. Automatic cars have a chance of getting damaged by towing because the car moves but the engine is off. This can result in damaging the gear and straining the clutch of the car.

Hence it is best to disconnect the car’s engine and the wheels from one another. The wheels will keep on moving but the engine will be disconnected so there are no chances of any damage.

Keep on reading the article if you want to know why people flat tow their cars. You might have noticed people towing their cars but have never given it thought just like me. You can also check, how to flat tow a Jeep Wrangler.

Why Do You Need To Flat Tow?

As you all might know, RVs are becoming very common and you might have seen people living in them near the lakes or countryside. You cannot travel in your RV every time you need something from the nearest pharmacy or the grocery store.

Keeping a car is a must if you are in any similar situations. People like living in an RV or motorhome but they need a car for running some errands because RVs cannot be moved on the narrow roads of the city.

They can only be driven on highways because the roads are big and spacious. As mentioned above, keeping a smaller vehicle is mandatory but you need to make sure it can be flat towed. Most of the cars can be flat towed but people having a Jeep are confused. They fear that towing might end in damaging their expensive Jeep.

I have written the details about flat towing a jeep down below. You can read the details before towing your jeep with your motorhome.

Can You Flat Tow A Jeep Cherokee?

You can flat tow a Jeep Cherokee with your RV or a motorhome very easily if it comes with Active Drive II. The process of towing the four-wheel drive is a little tricky but won’t damage the engine.

You might know that different models of Jeep Cherokee come with different engines and powers. You will get a powerful engine with a nine-speed transmission. Although the newly launched Jeep Cherokee is small and has a compact shape when compared with the older models, it has a complicated towing process.

How To Tow A Jeep Cherokee?

You can follow the step-by-step procedure to flat tow a Jeep Cherokee that is given below. This will help you transport your newly bought car when you are traveling with your RV or motorhome.

• The first step and most important step for towing a Jeep Cherokee is to bring the transmission to Park and turn off the switch.
• Now leave the car for a second and turn on the ignition but do not start the engine of the Jeep Cherokee.
• Change the gear to Neutral and keep on holding the button that is present for a few seconds.
• Depress the Neutral button when you observe that the lights start blinking.
• Now shift the gear to Reverse and leave the brake of the Jeep Cherokee.
• After leaving the brake, shift the gear to Neutral again and then Park the four-wheeler.
• Now you have to turn off the engine and bring another vehicle or the RV near the Jeep.
• After both the vehicles are parked near each other, turn on the switch but keep on holding the brake.
• Now release the brake of the Jeep and turn the switch off.

Hence the Jeep Cherokee is ready to be flat towed. These steps might look useless but they protect the car from damage when being towed. Please make sure that your Jeep Cherokee is not front-wheel drive.

If you end up flat towing a front-wheel drive, you can cause great damage to the gearbox/transmission of the Jeep. It is best to check the model of your Jeep Cherokee and then proceed with the towing process after reading the instructions from the manual.

Equipment For Towing Jeep Cherokee

If you are someone who has not towed a car or a Jeep Cherokee to be specific, you will be needing the following equipment for flat towing the vehicle.

1. The first thing you should have is the baseplate that helps in towing.

2. Secondly, you will be needing a tow bar so the baseplate locks with the Jeep’s frame.

3. Lastly, you have to buy safety cables and supplementary brakes so the weight is distributed when the RV pushes the brake.

Hence all these 4 equipment will help you flat tow a Jeep Cherokee.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you flat tow an automatic Jeep Cherokee?

Yes, you can flat tow an automatic Jeep behind a motorhome or an RV by following the steps that are mentioned above. Make sure to Park the car and then start towing to avoid any damage to the transmission.

What Jeeps are flat towable?

All the new Jeeps including Jeep Cherokee, Jeep Wrangler, and Jeep Gladiator are flat towable. These can be towed and used when you plan on living in an RV.

What is the easiest vehicle to tow behind a motorhome?

Most of the vehicles are easy to tow if you use a braking system before towing. This helps in distributing the pressure and causes no damage.

Conclusion

A brief article on towing a Jeep Cherokee is mentioned above so you do not end up causing any damage to your newly bought vehicle. All the steps will help you tow the car and keep the engine safe even when the wheels are moving.

The equipment is also discussed so you are fully prepared before starting the towing process. I hope that after reading the article, you can flat tow a Jeep Cherokee yourself.