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Old 06-13-2015, 12:56 AM   #1
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Turn to Net, sounds great! we also are headed out for a much needed longer trip July 3 for 2 weeks. And ALL dry camping! We are headed up to the Sierras and Lake Tahoe. High elevations, heat, and long drive (500 miles one way) up there...cant wait!
we added a solar panel and I threw in a 3rd deep cycle battery to hopefully get us thru one of the dry camp stops of 8 days..Best of luck on your trip, I take it you are a diesel power MH? Hope to hear about your trip! haven't figured out if we can share photos.. keep her between the lines! Dave and Cindy
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Old 06-15-2015, 11:03 AM   #2
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hotseer,

That should be a fun trip! I have a friend who lives in the Tahoe area and I've visited him a few times. Beautiful area! Yes, our new Meridian is a DP on a Freightliner chassis. We were planning on going out this weekend but now have family coming into town, so we will take it out for a short drive and look to get out in the next couple of weeks.

Safe travels to the Tahoe area and don't bet the motorhome if you visit casinos!
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Old 06-18-2015, 07:18 PM   #3
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turn to net I take it you are towing the jeep four down flat. we are having a hard time deciding what to do for a dinghy. very few cars can be towed flat anymore without a lot of modifications, (auto trans) we have a big Vespa we both go on that we are getting a small trailer for and I have a Toyota Prius that we have been towing with a rented dolly. do you use a braking unit in the jeep? how do you do lights? the dolly was pretty simple..it has its own lights and brakes but we have to store it when we get to camp site..were renting a car in Tahoe have you had decent luck with the Jeep? reliable? does it have a neutral trans case? thanks Dave
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Old 06-19-2015, 12:34 PM   #4
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We do tow the Wrangler 4 down. We have not had brakes on it, but we are considering getting them. Haven't towed with the new Meridian yet, but towed it on several trips in our old ACE. I had the tow bar setup installed - mostly to let the techs do the wiring. The bar setup isn't too hard to put on, but I didn't want to mess with the wiring. They did a great job and they mounted a plug under the front bumper so I just run the wiring cable from plug on RV to plug on front of Jeep when I'm hooking to the tow bar.

The Wrangler is a manual transmission 4WD. I don't believe they make Wranglers other than 4WD. We had Wranglers before we had the RV and they've always been manual transmission...kinda fun to drive!
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Old 06-20-2015, 09:39 AM   #5
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The Wrangler is a nice vehicle to pull and fun when you get to the desert or backwoods.
With no auxiliary braking system you are probably in violation of a lot of State's laws.
See the interactive map in this link.
Towing Laws | BrakeBuddy - Braking systems for motorhomes towing a vehicle
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Old 06-22-2015, 06:49 PM   #6
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Toad

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Originally Posted by hotseer View Post
turn to net I take it you are towing the jeep four down flat. we are having a hard time deciding what to do for a dinghy. very few cars can be towed flat anymore without a lot of modifications, (auto trans) we have a big Vespa we both go on that we are getting a small trailer for and I have a Toyota Prius that we have been towing with a rented dolly. do you use a braking unit in the jeep? how do you do lights? the dolly was pretty simple..it has its own lights and brakes but we have to store it when we get to camp site..were renting a car in Tahoe have you had decent luck with the Jeep? reliable? does it have a neutral trans case? thanks Dave
Hello Dave. I tow a 2012 Equinox. It is built with towing in mind and all you need to do is remove mini-blade fuse #32 on the passenger side of the console. I wired in a switched fuse and installed it on my side of the dash. There are instructions in the owners manual how to flat tow. I installed a Blue Ox system with good help from a you tube video. It is a 3 or 4 hour job and have to drill some holes in the frame but when it's finished there are no bars or shin bangers sticking out. I also wired diodes inside the tail lights for towing. Don't need to drill holes or add bulbs that way. I use a Brake Buddy and get along good with it. My friend bought a Road Master which is electrical and it applies the brakes very slowly. He's not to happy with it. The Brake Buddy operates with a built in compressor and reacts very quickly. All a matter of whatever suits you. Also have another friend who tows a pickup and he installed the braking apparatus under the hood on the trucks braking system. He likes it very well. The Equinox doesn't have a lot of ground clearance but we have been on lots of back roads with it. Be glad to answer any questions if I can. Gene
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Old 06-23-2015, 01:58 PM   #7
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Originally Posted by Journey32 View Post
Hello Dave. I tow a 2012 Equinox. It is built with towing in mind and all you need to do is remove mini-blade fuse #32 on the passenger side of the console. I wired in a switched fuse and installed it on my side of the dash. There are instructions in the owners manual how to flat tow. I installed a Blue Ox system with good help from a you tube video. It is a 3 or 4 hour job and have to drill some holes in the frame but when it's finished there are no bars or shin bangers sticking out. I also wired diodes inside the tail lights for towing. Don't need to drill holes or add bulbs that way. I use a Brake Buddy and get along good with it. My friend bought a Road Master which is electrical and it applies the brakes very slowly. He's not to happy with it. The Brake Buddy operates with a built in compressor and reacts very quickly. All a matter of whatever suits you. Also have another friend who tows a pickup and he installed the braking apparatus under the hood on the trucks braking system. He likes it very well. The Equinox doesn't have a lot of ground clearance but we have been on lots of back roads with it. Be glad to answer any questions if I can. Gene

I just set up my 2014 Ford Explorer, no fuse pulling, automatic all wheel drive, installed roadmaster Motorhome mounted tow bar, roadmaster even brake, roadmaster wiring kit, roadmaster charge line, rock guard and tow defender to protect the rig. Works great. Good luck with your choice. Click image for larger version

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Old 06-24-2015, 09:42 AM   #8
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The Wrangler is a nice vehicle to pull and fun when you get to the desert or backwoods.
With no auxiliary braking system you are probably in violation of a lot of State's laws.
See the interactive map in this link.
Towing Laws | BrakeBuddy - Braking systems for motorhomes towing a vehicle
I understand what you are saying. I actually am planning on purchasing a brake system at some point. I just haven't done it yet - mostly because I am not sure if we are going to keep the Jeep long enough to make it worthwhile. I want to install a brake system once in a vehicle that I know we are going to have for several years.

I am thinking of getting my wife's Ford Focus setup for towing or replacing the Jeep and my truck with a 4-down towable truck. Won't be this summer, but might be this fall, so I am holding off before making the decision. It is a more complex decision than described, but, we are working the plan and I expect to have whatever we decide setup for our first long trip in the Meridian this November. Not even sure if we will tow the Jeep for our weekend trips between now and then, so we have the time to figure it out.
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Old 06-24-2015, 11:36 PM   #9
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Toad Brakes

It wasn't my intention to lecture you about toad brakes but to point out that many jurisdiction have RV inspections along major highways especially during the holiday season and they normally show no mercy for infractions.
Installing a toad brake can be an expensive proposition and requires a lot of forethought. Not the least is how long will you keep the toad as the braking system will need to be removed and reinstalled in the new vehicle. I tow a GMC Terrain and have an Invisibrake system which is great. The Initial install was over $600.00, almost the cost of the brake but I am happy with it and although the Terrain is not my favorite vehicle I have towed it 20,000 miles over 4 years without incident. Another 4 years will be enough and by then there may be a braking system that is less expensive to install.
Good luck when you make your final choice










Quote:
Originally Posted by TurnTwoNet View Post
I understand what you are saying. I actually am planning on purchasing a brake system at some point. I just haven't done it yet - mostly because I am not sure if we are going to keep the Jeep long enough to make it worthwhile. I want to install a brake system once in a vehicle that I know we are going to have for several years.

I am thinking of getting my wife's Ford Focus setup for towing or replacing the Jeep and my truck with a 4-down towable truck. Won't be this summer, but might be this fall, so I am holding off before making the decision. It is a more complex decision than described, but, we are working the plan and I expect to have whatever we decide setup for our first long trip in the Meridian this November. Not even sure if we will tow the Jeep for our weekend trips between now and then, so we have the time to figure it out.
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Old 06-25-2015, 05:32 AM   #10
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Dry camping?

OK Hotseer, been 15 years since I been to the Sierra's but I'm wondering where you dry camp especially in and around Lake Tahoe. I'm getting ready to leave home in Florida for an undefined trip with a return home date of when the go home idous hits. One of the areas I want to hit is the Sierra/Tahoe region.

What I'd be looking for is places to park a 40' class A for two or three days now and then. Any help I can get will be appreciated.

Happy Travels.
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