I love that SUV. You will have a blast with it. I almost bought one a couple of years ago, but I guess Jeep is just part of my soul after driving them for over 25 years.
I had never towed four down in my life until last year. I spent a lot of time on the various forums learning about towing four down. RV.net forums has a special forum for this very category with a lot of really experienced folks on it. I researched various types and brands of equipment. Usually, I do virtually all the work on rigs myself and enjoy it.
I came to the conclusion that if I bought and installed the towing equipment myself, since I have never towed and had no knowledge other than what I had read and discussed, it would be my first experience doing this. Can I follow instructions? Normally, yes. Do I want to be a first timer then pulling a 4000 pound brand spanking new Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk behind my new PC? I can learn to do that. Will I really trust my installation of all the parts and have high confidence I installed everything exactly correct and will it function to its maximum ability in an emergency situation? No!!
So, I went to a highly recommended local, independent RV service technician shop. Three bays and four guys that two had worked on RVs for over thirty years each. I sat down with the guy that owns the place and told him what I wanted to do and how I would use the toad and all the details. He said "Here is what you need". I said how much. It was about $3500 total out the door. I have an integrated brake system, an easy to use towing bar that releases properly and a good hard wired indicator on the PC dash showing the system working. He went over the system several times with me and my wife and then made us hook it all up while he watched. The hitch equipment he installed is really heavy duty and not the Walmart Reese thickness (which is fine for most things and I have used it for decades). Safety first and last.
I didn't tell my wife, because the Jeep was brand new and her baby, but I dropped by and watched them install part of it. I never could have done it properly. They had the whole front off the Jeep and when they finished you could see not a scratch or problem Number One. They did a perfect job.
I flip a switch under the Jeep dash and my towing brake system comes on. Hook it up and off we go. We both check and double check the "hook up" process before we pull out.
Our first tow trip was from Oklahoma City to the mountains of Northern New Mexico, about 600 miles. Interstate, state roads and winding mountain roads, including a 9000 foot pass. No problems whatsoever.
SO, I write all this recent experience to share my conclusions: get good equipment. This is not a place to try to save a few bucks IMO. Have a pro advise you and have a pro install it. Don't allow some Billy Bob at Camping World or somewhere that maybe has a month's experience to take on this job. Safety is just too important to compromise.
Paul
