While it’s ostensible that you could drive one vehicle and ask your partner or friend to drive the other, it’s not the ideal situation for a fun trip. Add to that you will be fueling two vehicles, which in this era of skyrocketing gas prices can really put a dent in your wallet. There is a solution, and that is known as flat towing. Let us take you through it.
What Is Flat Towing?
Flat towing is a way of towing a vehicle behind another vehicle in a way that all four wheels of the vehicle being towed are on the ground. Flat towing is intensely popular for those who want to take an off-roader behind an RV, and you may have noticed such on the interstates. All you need are the necessary accessories to flat-tow a Jeep, and you can check out our comprehensive range of towing accessories.
The advantages of flat towing include:
- Fastest way to hitch and unhitch a vehicle for towing.
- No requirement for trailers or dollies, you can simply unhitch the vehicle being towed at the destination and drive it away.
- Significant space savings in your garage at home, as a flat tow kit is much easier to store than a trailer or dolly.
Jeeps That Can Be Flat Towed
You need to bear in mind that not all vehicles can safely be flat towed, and not all Jeep models are flat tow compatible. To safely flat tow a vehicle, it’s important to ensure that the wheels are disconnected from the drivetrain in the manufacturer-approved way, as if they were to remain connected, severe drivetrain wear can result. Recently, there was a case of a brand-new Jeep being incorrectly flat-towed, which resulted in a wrecked engine. Let’s take a look at which Jeep models are safe to flat tow, and remember to constantly check the manufacturer’s website as new models are released, and they may or may not be able to be flat towed.
- The Jeep Compass range cannot be flat towed, as its drivetrain is not designed for this. You cannot dolly tow it either. The only safe way to tow a Jeep Compass is to place it on a trailer and ensure that all four wheels are on the trailer and thus not rotating when being towed.
- The same applies to the Jeep Renegade range. It also cannot be flat towed, and, if necessary, can only be trailer towed where all four wheels are on the trailer and not rotating.
- Certain variants of the Jeep Cherokee can be flat towed, depending on trim level and spec, unless your Jeep Cherokee has a single-speed transfer case. Models with a two-speed transfer case or Active Drive II, you can be flat-towed with a Mopar towing kit to ensure that the warranty is not voided. Otherwise, you must do a trailer tow, as with the Compass and Renegade.
- The Jeep Grand Cherokee can be flat towed unless it’s an SRT variant or does not have 4-LO range on it. If it has 4-LO, you may flat tow it.
- Some Jeep Wrangler models may be flat towed as well. You should check the owner’s manual or manufacturer’s website to see if your trim level can be flat towed.
- All models of the Jeep Gladiator may be flat towed.
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