RE: Need a set of Koni FSD's. Does anyone have them in stock?
Try here, click on store or call, http://www.precisionframe.com/
Thanks for the suggestion. I drove down to Albert Lea last night and met Dick at the FMCA rally. He brought down what I think might be the last set of FSD fronts for my rig in the country or at least the midwest. A true gentleman and great resource to work with. He took our rig for a drive and confirmed a couple things I had suspected about the setup and made some recommendations which I think will truely improve the ride in the coach. He is going to order the rears for us and have them in time for our trip up north next month. Thanks for all the help Dick!
I had contacted shox.com too, but they were out of stock and on backorder till mid august on this set of part numbers. Great pricing and good to work with too. The backorder issue is a koni usa availability issue and in no way shox.com's fault. I would recommend them too. Quick on email replies and more than willing to help if needed.
Thanks everyone. I will post a handling update in a different thread later on. Installing the new front FSD's tonight.
Need a set of Koni FSD's. Does anyone have them in stock?
I am looking for a set of front and rear shocks for my 95 coachmen, destiny rv. Koni is showing the follow part number as being on back order till August 6th. Does anyone have the FSD part number in stock right now?
Spartan Mountain Master MC 2000
8805-1021, - Front FSD's, back order with Koni right now.
88-1457 sp1 - Rear adjustable. in stock with Koni.
RE: Advice on flat towing a grand cherokee with my class A
Its been a couple months since I last updated this thread. I am happy to report that thanks to craigslist we were able to find exactly what we needed. We have picked up a roadmaster sterling tow bar, even brake unit that was basically new, and the needed brackets as well as the entire wiring kit we needed.
The main question that we have has to do with the bracket installation. I understand how the brackets go onto the frame, but there are a couple additional tabs that two bolts go through that are missing from our brackets that I will need to make. What I don't understand is how they mount on the frame and what orientation they are placed on the mounts. Has anyone done this installation already themselves and do you have a pic of how the mounts are installed with the additional brackets are installed? See Extension plate E and F in the pdf.
http://www.roadmasterinc.com/pdfinst/1411-2.pdf
RE: Advice on flat towing a grand cherokee with my class A
Thanks for the feedback and suggestion. We have 256 thousand on it now and we don't plan on stopping driving it anytime soon. It came with the 5.9 (360 cid) engine in it and its been a good vehicle. But I know what you mean about repairs. We bought it with 140k on it and have had to rebuild the transfer case, both axles, and the usual stuff like the alternator, water pump, radiator, and a couple other items.
I added a set of adco sway bars and bilstein shocks to it along with the poly bushing kit for the bars and end links. These coupled with the aftermarket exhaust, k&n intake kit, performance computer upgrades and the new goodyear tires, make it run and handle like my vette. Its a lot of fun up here in the winter. I really recommend the 180 degree thermostat. It really cooled off the engine in the summer and that combined with a decent water pump keeps the temps way down. Before it used to run about 210-220 all the time.
I really like the tape idea on the steering wheel. Great suggestion. Still looking for the baseplate kit and a brake buddy, but we will get these and be ready to go by spring.
RE: Advice on flat towing a grand cherokee with my class A
I do the same as minisprint91, with my 2000 GC towed 3 years no problems.
Rebel
Thanks folks. I am getting the big picture here. Its not all that important to have the toad get charged when rolling down the road and having the additional cables and bulb kit works out pretty well. One can always just turn on the running lights and then start it up every couple hundred miles when you stop to fill up. Got it.
So which braking unit does everyone prefer? Any units out there they no one wants? Sold your rig recently and just don't need it? PM me. thanks.
I really appreciate all the help with this part of our project. We are looking forward to having the jeep with us as we travel this spring and summer.
RE: Advice on flat towing a grand cherokee with my class A
I have towed either a '99 or '05 Jeep GC for more than 7 years. We use a Brake Buddy and have wired both Jeep lighting systems using diodes in the tailight unit to prevent feedback. This to me is the "kiss" principle.
Thanks Dean. Our 98 was purchased used and the book by manual was liberated by the previous owner. Why people keep these I have no idea. I will check by buddies book by manual though. Thanks for the tips!
regards,
Paul
The only time a battery ran down was on the '05 because it does not require the ignition key to be set on ACC position and I did not understand that change. Now I just pull the key.
Your owners manual will prescribe a shift procedure for the Quadratrac tranny to be prepared for towing. It should be listed under "recreational towing".
Do not back up and enjoy....
RE: Advice on flat towing a grand cherokee with my class A
I have been towing a 2004 Grand Cherokee since 2004. not to answer your question, but as an FYI, I use a blue Ox tow bar, and a Brake Buddy for brakes. I installed separate sockets in the tail light housings for turn signals and brake lights. When the Brake Buddy energizes, all the rear lights light up. I just plug the Brake Buddy into the normal lighter socket turn the key enough to unlock the wheels, put the transfer case in neutral, and have never had any problems. The rig has been connected and towed for several days, once 7 days at a time, and never has bothered the battery in the jeep, and it's the original factory battery. If I had to do it over again, I wouldn't change a thing.
Thanks Cannttellu. This is actually the information i have been looking for. I really appreciate the real world feedback. This is what makes this forum so great.
RE: Advice on flat towing a grand cherokee with my class A
96 GC Limited towed for years with no problems. I put extra bulbs in the tail light assembly and ran the wires underneath, worked great. I'll be pulling the tow bar this spring as I sold the Jeep to my son. Too bad it doesn't fit newer Jeeps. Used a brake system ??? out of Texas and never had a problem with battery going down. Good luck on hook up... a piece of cake.
Lar's actually if you have a blue ox base plate setup then this setup will work on our 98. Let me know if you would like to get rid of it along with your harness. thanks. Also interested in your brake system if you want to part with it. Just PM a price privately. Thanks.
RE: Advice on flat towing a grand cherokee with my class A
If your Jeep brake lights and turn signals are wired to your TV, then you have a problem with back feeds between the vehicles. My Jeep owners manual says to disconnect the battery negative while towing. I assume to isolate the Jeep electrical.
That would solve the problem of running the Jeep battery down and would isolate the Jeep Electrical from the TV, however you also wouldn't have any onboard power for the brake buddy. So we both need more help.
I've installed a disconnect (from Camping World) on my battery negative and I'm planning on running 12v from the TV to power the brake buddy. I don't know what others are doing.
Thanks. I was thinking that one might be able to insert an isolator in the system. I checked out the BX8869 kit and its basically an extension of your RV's braking system. No power goes to the car's electrical system. I would think if you did the patch in the Jeep's harness, you would want to use a set of isolators with leads. This way it would only allow the voltage to flow one way, which is into the jeep's system. What have others done and how does your harness kit work with respect to the jeep? I still on the fence about drilling a couple more one inch holes in the tail lights to mount the additional brake light bulbs with the BX8869 kit. It seems like tapping into the existing keep harness with a couple wiring clips and isolators would be a cleaner way to go here. I would prefer to have the running lights on the jeep available at night too.
Back to brake systems. Any recommendations here for good models to look at? Pros and cons to the various units that are out there?
RE: Advice on flat towing a grand cherokee with my class A
Paul/Julie, when I got my first Blue Ox tow bar, I also got a base plate with it which I was told fits a 1999 Grand Cherokee. I didn't use the plate, but I still have it. You can have it for the freight if you want it. I can send you photos if you want.
Larry,
Thanks. I am certainly interested and would be more than happy to pay the freight. Can you check the baseplate and see if it matches the part number I listed above? Send me a PM so I can get your mailing address.
Larry,
I did a quick check and a 1999 grand cherokee takes part number BX1115. If you have one that fits the 1998 part number I listed above, then we will still take it. Perhaps someone else needs one for the 1999?
So what is everyone using for an electronic brake controller in the toad? Any recommendations.
SCH911 - Thanks for the craigslist suggestion. I had put one out there locally a while ago. I checked ebay too. You would think with the age of our jeeps that these would be showing up all over the place. ;>
RE: Advice on flat towing a grand cherokee with my class A
Paul/Julie, when I got my first Blue Ox tow bar, I also got a base plate with it which I was told fits a 1999 Grand Cherokee. I didn't use the plate, but I still have it. You can have it for the freight if you want it. I can send you photos if you want.
Larry,
Thanks. I am certainly interested and would be more than happy to pay the freight. Can you check the baseplate and see if it matches the part number I listed above? Send me a PM so I can get your mailing address.
Advice on flat towing a grand cherokee with my class A
After putting about 8 thousand miles on the rig this past year. We decided that driving the 1998 grand cherokee we have in parallel or renting a car for the weekend was just not all that cost effective.
A lot of our weekends are spent driving between 300-400 miles on average.
A friend just sold his rig this year and let us have a deal on his Blue OX Aventa tow bar. Its in pretty good shape with the bar and safety cables included. Unfortunately he had a different toad so the base plates were not much use. I am looking for a couple things.
If anyone has a line on a used set of baseplates for a 1998 jeep grand cherokee we would appreciate it. We are looking for part # BX1117.
I am also interesting in hearing about how the installation of the cable kit went for you. We are looking for BX8869. Does it have a way to charge the battery while you are driving down the road? I know most kits will operate the turn signals and brake lights, but what about the toad's running lights at night? If not, what are most doing about the battery running down on the toad?
What position do you put your key into while driving? ACC, ON, etc?
We have a quadratrack transfer case, so we are going to assume we are going to leave the transmission in park and then put the transfer case in neutral. Checking the towing site, it appears that we should be able to flat tow this just fine if the transfer case is left in neutral.
What would you recommend for a brake buddy style unit these days?
Is there a unit to avoid?
thanks!
