FLAT TOWING PACKAGE

2018 Jeep JL Wrangler and JL Wrangler Unlimited

Towing a vehicle worth thousands down the highway behind your RV can be a white-knuckle experience if you've never done it before, but that's no reason to go without the convenience of your beloved Jeep at the campsite. With the right components, the 2018 Jeep JL Wrangler is one of the easiest and most popular vehicles to flat tow.

Fortunately, we've done the work for you and selected the best flat tow products for your vehicle. Don't forget to check out our flat-towing checklist at the bottom of the page to make sure you've got everything you need to hit the road with your Jeep in tow.

Choose Your Tow Bar, Base Plate, & Safety Cable Combo
Choose Your Tow Bar Wiring
Choose Your Braking System
Chose Optional Accessories

Choose one of each:

Tow Bar

Base Plate

Safety Cables

We recommend picking your tow bar first, then choosing the base plate style that will work best with it. Some tow bars come with safety cables included; others require you to purchase cables separately. (We've noted below whether cables are included or, if not, which cables are recommended.)

Base plates are vehicle-specific and sometimes model-specific. We've included our recommended base plate option for your Jeep with each tow bar below.

Note: It's best to choose a base plate and tow bar by the same manufacturer for compatibility purposes. If you choose a base plate/tow bar by different manufacturers, you'll likely need an adapter. This chart can help you find the correct adapter.

Roadmaster Nighthawk Tow Bar

Base Plates: RM-521453-5 (Factory plastic or steel bumper)

Safety Cables: Included

*Tow bar wiring included

etrailer XHD Tow Bar

Base Plates: e98948 (Factory plastic bumper)

Safety Cables: Included

Demco Excali-Bar III Non-Binding Tow Bar

Demco Excali-Bar III Tow Bar

Base Plates: DM9519339 (Factory steel bumper)

Safety Cables: Included

Blue Ox Alpha 2 Tow Bar

Base Plates: BX1139 (Factory plastic bumper)

Safety Cables: Included

Roadmaster Falcon All-Terrain Tow Bar

Base Plates: RM-521453-4 (Factory plastic or steel bumper) or RM-521453-5 (Factory plastic or steel bumper)

Safety Cables: RM-646

Roadmaster StowMaster Tow Bar

Base Plates: RM-521453-4 (Factory plastic or steel bumper)

Safety Cables: RM-646

Demco Commander II Tow Bar

Base Plates: DM9519339 (Factory steel bumper) or DM9519336 (Factory plastic bumper)

Safety Cables: Included

Choose Your Tow Bar Wiring:

It's important for your JL Wrangler or JL Wrangler Unlimited to be wired for flat towing. Tow bar wiring allows your vehicle to have functioning stop, turn, and tail lights while being towed. To make sure your Jeep has functioning tail lights when towed, the Jeep can be hardwired to use the existing tail lights, or a universal lighting kit can be used to add additional lights to your Jeep specifically for towing.

Roadmaster Diode 7-Wire to 6-Wire Flexo-Coil Wiring Kit

Won't interfere with Jeep's factory wiring
6-way to 7-way wiring extensions included
6-way plug on Jeep

Roadmaster Universal Hy-Power Diode Wiring Kit

Ideal if wiring included with tow bar (such as Roadmaster Nighthawk tow bar)
Hardwire installation

Demco Tow Bar Combo Kit with Diode System

Diode wiring kit
6-way coiled lighting cable
7-way to 6-way adapter
Vinyl storage cover included

MaxxTow Magnetic Tow Lights

Economical option
Magnetic light bases hold firmly to any metal surface
Long-lasting LEDs provide superior operation

Choose Your Braking System:

Using a supplemental braking system, also called a tow bar braking system, helps make sure your towed Jeep slows down as your motorhome slows down. This helps reduce wear and tear on both your Jeep and your motorhome, as well as helps shorten the braking distance of your towing setup. It is also important to keep in mind that supplemental braking systems are required by law in many states. It is important to check the requirements for areas you will be traveling through.

Brake Buddy Select 3 Portable Supplemental Braking System

Brake Buddy Select 3 Supplemental Braking System

Proportional braking and full braking settings available
Easy to position, adjust, and remove
1-Touch Auto Start sequence prepares braking system with a push of a button
Remote lets you change settings from your RV

Roadmaster InvisiBrake Supplemental Braking System

Pre-set braking
One-time setup
For RVs with hydraulic brakes
Integrated battery protection
Operating unit mounts out of sight, commonly under driver's seat

Stop Light Switch # RM-751490 required

Demco SBS Stay-IN-Play DUO Supplemental Braking System

Proportional braking
One-time setup
For RVs with hydraulic brakes
Operating unit mounts out of sight, commonly under driver's seat

Roadmaster BrakeMaster Braking System with BrakeAway

Proportional braking
Recurring setup
For hydraulic brakes: # RM-9060
For air brakes or air over hydraulic brakes: RM-9160
Operating unit mounts out of sight, commonly under driver's seat

Stop Light Switch # RM-751490 and seat adapter # RM-88337 required

Demco SBS Air Force One Supplemental Braking System

Proportional braking
One-time setup
For RVs with air brakes
Operating unit mounts out of sight, commonly under hood

Stop Light Switch # RM-751490 required

Demco SBS Delta Force Portable Supplemental Braking System

Proportional braking
Recurring setup
For RVs with hydraulic, air, or air over hydraulic brakes
Not compatible with vehicles that have active power assist braking systems

12V outlet # RM-9332 required

Roadmaster Even Brake Portable Supplemental Braking System

Proportional braking
Recurring setup
For RVs with hydraulic, air, or air over hydraulic brakes
Not compatible with vehicles that have active power assist braking systems

12V outlet # RM-9332 and stop light switch # RM-751490 required

Blue Ox Patriot 3 Radio Frequency, Portable Braking System

Proportional braking
Recurring setup
For RVs with hydraulic or air over hydraulic brakes

12V outlet # RM-9332 required

Choose Optional Accessories:

To complete your Jeep Wrangler or Wrangler Unlimited's flat towing setup, a few additional parts may be required or recommended. Some of these components, such as 12-volt accessory outlets, stop light switches, and high-low adapters, ensure that your flat tow setup functions properly. Other accessories work to protect your JL Wrangler or JL Wrangler Unlimited from rocks and other road debris while your vehicle is being towed.

Allows tow bar to remain level
Tow bar should be within 3 inches of level

Keeps dirt and road grime off tow bar when not in use
Various sizes available

Shield Jeep from road debris and protects finish

Deflects road debris and protects Jeep's finish

Through our "Ask an Expert" system, our customers often ask which flat tow products we recommend for their vehicle. Our experts hand-select the top products available based on brand quality, durability, ease of use, and convenience.

In order to help even more customers find the best products, we took the top products hand-picked by our Experts and created our etrailer Expert Recommended kit just for your vehicle!

For your Jeep Wrangler JL, I recommend starting with the RoadMaster EZ5 Base Plate Kit # RM-521450-5. This kit has removable arms to give you a very clean look when not flat towing your Jeep, and also gives you a clean connection to your tow bar when towing behind your motorhome. I recommend installing this base plate using Loctite threadlocker # LT37420 to keep your hardware from vibrating loose over time.

For your tow bar, I recommend the RoadMaster Nighthawk All Terrain, Non-Binding Tow Bar w/ LED Lights # RM-676. This tow bar comes with the integrated safety cables and the wiring to link your motorhome's 7-way trailer connector to a 6-way connector on the front of your Jeep...

View full answer...

-Jason S.

How Level Should a Tow Bar Be When Flat Towing?

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Written by: Amber S.

Updated on: 7/27/2021

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For your 2018 Jeep Wrangler JL, I recommend starting with the Roadmaster EZ5 Base Plate Kit #RM-521453-5. This kit has removable arms to give you a very clean look when not flat towing your Jeep, and also gives you a clean connection to your tow bar…

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