2011 Grand Cherokee as Toad wiring lights?

[Bill w/bus]

Just purchased a 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee for use as a Toad, towed vehicle.  Before I take my standard route for wiring I am hoping for some input. My standard is to tap into the tailight wiring and insert a diode in the vehicle wiring, to prevent backfeed, into the vehicle system. Then splicing in the MH wire. Jeep appears to use a combined brake and turn.

Any gotcha I should know about.

 

Thanks,

Bill

[Chad Heiser]

Look on etrailer and other towed related websites.  There are plug and play kits you can install that require no splicing or changes to the factory wiring.  I put one on my Jeep.  I removed the rear tail lights, unplugged them, plugged in the towing harness, then plugged the tail lights into the other side of the harness.  You do have to run the harness wire between the two tail lights and down the side of the vehicle to the front for the connection to the tow vehicle, but none of that was very difficult.

[Ray,IN]

Our favorite mechanic(Blue Ox dealer) does not utilize the OEM wiring. He runs a stand-alone wiring system for  lighting when being towed with our MH instead of cutting into the OEM wiring . It has never had a problem, not even a burned out bulb. The only visible difference is, no yellow turn lights, brake, tail and turn are same bulb.

[Bill w/bus]

Thanks for input. I have decided to use separate lights (led) for the towed vehicle lighting.

Bill

[Jimalberta]

I made  a light bar that fits onto the 2" hitch reciever on the jeep. I used one of the towing light kits that you can buy at harbor freight, ran the wires along the frame to the front.