Flat tow equipment needed to flat tow the 2021 Bronco?

[JackFlack]

M12 x 1.75 class 8.8 Zinc Plated 87.0 NM or 65.25 Foot pounds.

Thanks! I've been looking for that everywhere.

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[JackFlack]

This is my first post and I have to tell you that I love this forum. This is the gear that I purchased to equip my 2022 OBX with modular bumper for flat towing behind my Class C RV. I know that there are several options for doing this, but this is what I used. I also included the proper and current procedure for putting the Bronco in NUTRUAL and attaching the auxiliary brake system. I printed and laminated both of them and keep them with the tow gear. I hope that this will help anyone else that is looking to flat tow their Bronco.

I currently use a 2010 Jeep Liberty as my TOAD so I already had my tow bar, aux brake and wire cable to connect to my RV. I’ve been using it since 2017.

So, when equipping my new Bronco, I was going to need a base plate, break away switch, 6 pin connector, and a light wiring harness.

I’m going to list ALL the gear you’ll need to properly equip your Bronco for flat towing.



TOW BAR $790

The tow bar connects your RV to the towed vehicle. I decided to use a Blue Ox brand. I choose the BX7365 ALPHA. 6500lb tow bar. My Jeep is 4200lbs and the Bronco is 6100lbs so I decided to continue to us my current two bar. $790

Amazon.com: Blue Ox BX7365 Alpha 6,500lb Tow Bar : Automotive

BASE PLATE $592.90

The base plate is attached to your TOAD and connects to your tow bar. Again, I went with Blue Ox BX2688 for the Ford Bronco WITH a modular bumper. $592.90

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09NX43X4G/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I did the install on my Jeep and the Bronco was much easier than the Jeep was to install. There is some cutting and modification that needs to be done.

ELECTRIC BRAKE SYSTEM $1081.84

An electric brake system is an auxiliary brake system and is required in many states in a towed vehicle. I choose to stick with Blue Ox and selected the Patriot II. The Patriot comes with the breakaway switch, which will activate the electronic break system in the event the towed vehicle should come unhooked from the RV. If you look at the picture, I placed it on the left side of the base plate that way I could put the 6-pin connector on the right side, closer to the RV harness. Since I’ve had my brake since 2017 a new Patriot 3 is now available. $1081.84

Amazon.com: Blue Ox BRK2019 Patriot 3 Brake System : Automotive

BREAKAWAY SWITCH $79.93

Since I was now going to use my Bronco, I could use the Patriot II but I would need a new breakaway switch since I was going to leave the original one supplied with the break on the Jeep. BRK2505 $79.93

Amazon.com: Blue Ox BRK2505 Patriot Breakaway Switch Patriot Breakaway Switch : Automotive

COILED CABLE $70.31

The coiled cable is used to connect the RV 7-pin connector to the towed vehicle. I went again with Blue Ox BX88206. $70.31

Amazon.com: Blue Ox BX88206 Coiled Cable with Female Receptor : Electronics

WIRING HARNESS $120.99

The wiring harness is used to connect the RV lighting system to the towed vehicle. I did look at several options include the diode and splicing and plug and play. I decided to go with the plug and play because I didn’t want to cut the original wiring harness. I choose the Curt 58992. If you read the review it talks about not working with LED lights, which I have. They stated that the amber light would illuminate when the brakes were depressed. They have corrected the issue, at lease with the one I received. Google on removing the rear lights. It is a time-consuming install, but again not difficult or cheap. $120.99

Amazon.com: CURT 58992 Custom Towed-Vehicle RV Wiring Harness for Dinghy Towing, Fits Select Ford Bronco, Black : Automotive

6-PIN ROUND TRAILER SOCKET $5.81

This socket connects the 7-pin RV connector to the towed vehicle. The above mentioned Curt wiring harness does come with a 4-wire connector with an extension cable, since I was going to use my prior coiled cable I decided to add a 6-pin connector via the 4-wire connector (see pic). That way I could unplug the 6-pin and use the 4-wire extension to another 4-wire plug if I needed or wanted. Curt 58130. $5.81

Amazon.com: CURT 58130 Vehicle-Side 6-Pin Round Trailer Wiring Harness Socket : Automotive

PUTTING YOUR BRONCO IN NUTURAL



Note: Put your climate control system in recirculated air mode to prevent exhaust fumes from entering your vehicle.

Note: Failure to put the transfer case in its neutral position can damage vehicle components.

Note: You can check the towing status at any time by opening the driver door or turning the ignition to the accessory or on position. Neutral Tow Enabled Leave Transmission in Neutral appears in the instrument cluster display to confirm you can recreationally tow your vehicle.

Note: If your vehicle has an anti-theft alarm, make sure you switch perimeter sensing on when towing.

Note: A tone could sound for up to 30 minutes if you recreationally tow with the doors removed.

Note: Electronic brake booster deactivates when neutral tow is enabled. Braking light does not respond when the feature is enabled.

Switching Neutral Tow On

1. Switch your vehicle to accessory mode by pressing the push button ignition switch without pressing any pedals.
2. Press the 2H button on the four-wheel drive mode control.
3. Fully press and hold the brake pedal and shift the transmission to neutral (N).
4. Using the instrument cluster controls on the steering wheel, select Settings.
5. Select Neutral Tow.
6. Press and hold the OK button until a confirmation message appears in the information display.

Note: If completed successfully, the information display shows Neutral Tow Enabled Leave Transmission in Neutral. This indicates that your vehicle is safe to tow with all wheels on the ground.

Note: If you do not see a confirmation message in the instrument cluster display, perform the procedure again from the beginning.

Note: You may hear noise as the transfer case shifts into its neutral position. This is normal.

1. Release the brake pedal and leave the transmission in neutral (N).
2. Switch your vehicle off by pressing the push button ignition switch once without pressing any pedals.

Switching Neutral Tow Off

1. With your vehicle properly secured to the tow vehicle, switch your vehicle to accessory mode by pressing the push button ignition switch without pressing any pedals.
2. Starting with the brake pedal released and the transmission in neutral (N), fully press and hold the brake pedal for approximately seven seconds and shift the transmission to park (P).Continue holding the brake pedal until the instrument cluster display shows 2H and Neutral Tow Disabled.

Note: If completed successfully, the instrument cluster displays 2H and Neutral Tow Disabled.

Note: Perform the switching neutral tow on and switching neutral tow off procedures again from the beginning if the indicator light and message do not display.

Note: You could hear a noise as the transfer case shifts out of its neutral position. This is normal.

1. Release the brake pedal.
2. Apply the parking brake, then disconnect your vehicle from the tow vehicle.
3. Release the parking brake, start your vehicle, and shift into either drive (D) or reverse (R) to make sure the transfer case is out of the neutral tow position.
4. If the transfer case did not successfully shift out of its neutral position, set the parking brake. Have your vehicle checked as soon as possible.

Resolving the Shift Delayed Drive Forward Message

1. Fully press and hold the brake pedal.
2. Press the push button ignition switch.
3. With the vehicle running, shift into drive (D). Let the vehicle roll forward up to 3 ft (1 m).

Note: You could hear a noise as the transfer case shifts out of its neutral position. This is normal.

1. Make sure the instrument cluster displays Neutral Tow Disabled.

PREPARING BRONCO FOR ELECTRONIC BRAKE



Procedure For Entering Neutral Tow Mode

1. Place the vehicle into neutral tow mode by following the instructions located in the vehicle’s Digital Owner’s Manual by using the center touch screen and selecting Features > Owner’s Manual > Driving and Operating > Towing Your Vehicle > Recreational Towing Your Vehicle - Automatic Transmission.

CAUTION: Follow all safety precautions and notes during the procedure. Once Neutral Tow mode has been activated turn off the vehicle. Do not continue this procedure until the vehicle successfully enters Neutral Tow mode.

2. Open the hood to gain access to the engine compartment.

3. Close all passenger doors and wait 5 minutes to allow the vehicle to enter sleep mode.

4. Locate the under hood fuse box and remove the top plastic cover by disengaging the three push tabs.



5. Locate both 60-amp fuses 28 and 29 located in the under hood fuse box and carefully remove them using needle nose pliers. Once removed, store both fuses in a safe place for later reinstallation.



6. Reinstall the top plastic cover onto the under hood fuse box.

7. Close the hood.

8. Install the supplemental braking system on the vehicle following the instructions provided by the manufacturer

Procedure For Exiting Neutral Tow Mode

NOTE: Be sure that the vehicle is safely secured to the towing vehicle before proceeding.

1. Remove the supplemental braking system from the vehicle following the instructions provided by the manufacturer.

2. Make sure the vehicle is still OFF then open the hood to gain access to the engine compartment.

3. Close all passenger doors and wait 5 minutes to allow the vehicle to enter sleep mode.

4. Locate the under hood fuse box and remove the top plastic cover.

5. Use needle nose pliers to carefully install fuses 28 and 29 into their proper locations within the under hood fuse box.

6. Reinstall the top plastic cover onto the under hood fuse box.

7. Close the hood.

8. Remove the vehicle from neutral tow mode by following the instructions located in the vehicle’s Digital Owner’s Manual by using the center touch screen and selecting Features > Owner’s Manual > Driving and Operating > Towing Your Vehicle > Recreational Towing Your Vehicle - Automatic Transmission.

NOTE: If the vehicle is turned ON while fuses 28 and 29 are removed, warnings may display within the instrument panel cluster (IPC). These warnings may continue to show on the first 1-2 key cycles after the fuses have been installed. If this happens, allow the vehicle to enter sleep mode by letting it sit in the OFF position with the hood and doors closed for at least 5 minutes. If faults continue to occur, all diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) must be cleared using Ford Diagnosis and Repair System (FDRS).

Do you worry about mounting things in that cooling area? The upfitter's guide says be careful about restricting airflow in that area. I'm struggling on where to mount my 6 way and break away box on my modular bumper.

 

[AZ Rider]

The tow bar isn’t really a bar. They attach to the same point and size of the D rings. The wire connector and break away are minimal in size. Just drove 11 hrs to CA and back to get my grand kids. No problem in temp getting over normal. I wouldn’t worry about it.

 

[JackFlack]

The tow bar isn’t really a bar. They attach to the same point and size of the D rings. The wire connector and break away are minimal in size. Just drove 11 hrs to CA and back to get my grand kids. No problem in temp getting over normal. I wouldn’t worry about it.

If that is the case, then that is where mine will end up as well.

 

[Dirtrider]

M12 x 1.75 class 8.8 Zinc Plated 87.0 NM or 65.25 Foot pounds.

I went by the standard bolt torque specs for the rock rail mounts and was 2x higher than Ford recommends in the equipment installation manual. Fortunately I didn't do any damage. I found the Ford Equipment Installation Guide posted on one of these forums which has some of the torque values but not the ones for the tow eyes
The page for the Modular Bumper shows only the M8 bolts.

 

[tfrazier]

Hello all, getting my BL ready to flat tow. I have been flat towing my old Subi for a long, long time and finally decided to put her out to pasture and upgrade my toad to a new Bronco. I have already installed my BluOx base plate, Curt wire harness and am ready to start on the Airforce one, vehicle side install. (My coach is already set with the AFO system)
I have the 2.7 and I am looking for the best place to install the AFO Control Unit. The engine compartment is packed full, and I don't see a lot of extra real-estate. I am toying around with mounting it on top of the fuse box cover, but I don't really like the idea of it not being permanently (hard) mounted or having to move it (with all of the connections) if I need to get to the fuse box. Would like to know where all of the AFO users installed their control units. Pics would be great. Thanks for your help in advance. Happy trails.

 

[Gargantua]

Hello all, getting my BL ready to flat tow. I have been flat towing my old Subi for a long, long time and finally decided to put her out to pasture and upgrade my toad to a new Bronco. I have already installed my BluOx base plate, Curt wire harness and am ready to start on the Airforce one, vehicle side install. (My coach is already set with the AFO system)
I have the 2.7 and I am looking for the best place to install the AFO Control Unit. The engine compartment is packed full, and I don't see a lot of extra real-estate. I am toying around with mounting it on top of the fuse box cover, but I don't really like the idea of it not being permanently (hard) mounted or having to move it (with all of the connections) if I need to get to the fuse box. Would like to know where all of the AFO users installed their control units. Pics would be great. Thanks for your help in advance. Happy trails.

I used velcro on the fuse box no problem for 5k miles. It did suck when you had to pull the fuses but they fixed it! I don’t expect to be in the fuse box much.

 

[tfrazier]

Thanks for the feedback. Kind of figured the fuse box was going to be the place but was hopeful I was missing some hidden hiding place. A buddy of mine has the setup on his Jeep and there is a pocket behind the battery that the control unit fits perfectly in. Almost like it was made for it.

 

[Dirtrider]

Hello all, getting my BL ready to flat tow. I have been flat towing my old Subi for a long, long time and finally decided to put her out to pasture and upgrade my toad to a new Bronco. I have already installed my BluOx base plate, Curt wire harness and am ready to start on the Airforce one, vehicle side install. (My coach is already set with the AFO system)
I have the 2.7 and I am looking for the best place to install the AFO Control Unit. The engine compartment is packed full, and I don't see a lot of extra real-estate. I am toying around with mounting it on top of the fuse box cover, but I don't really like the idea of it not being permanently (hard) mounted or having to move it (with all of the connections) if I need to get to the fuse box. Would like to know where all of the AFO users installed their control units. Pics would be great. Thanks for your help in advance. Happy trails.

I built a plate that sits on the fusebox. It has one thumbscrew attaching it to the brace under the fender (had to install an M6 rivnut in the existing hole). I installed the Demco Air Force One and have a Brake Buddy Battery Charger that keeps the Bronco battery up from the RV 7 pin power connector and I added a Fuzeblock brand power distribution block (just because I've had one for 20 years and it seemed like a good idea). I still added one piece of heavy velcro to the battery box top. I wanted to be able to lift everything off of the fusebox so I also used Deutsch DT type connectors for eveything.
I have the 2.3l so vacuum hookup was relatively easy. I found a 5/8" (might be 1/2" but fits the 5/8" hose well) vacuum tee at NAPA and 5/8" silicon hose (blue in the picture). I was able to use the 'L' shaped Ford hose (that went from the green quick disconnect into the vacuum booster) from the Tee around behind the master cylinder reservoir. Since the check valves supplied by Demco are~5/16, I used their supplied hose to go over the check valves and it fits very nicely inside the 5/8" hoses. Fairly clean installation and kept the vacuum lines short.
I made a plate for the breakaway switch, 6 pin connector and RV air brake line that mounts in the modular bumper. I don't have the ACC so it sits in front of the box (had to remove the empty box lid) and uses the existing bottom center bolt in the bumper. This could be mounted off to the side and use the bottom right side bolt but the plate might need to be trimmed a little.

 

[tfrazier]

Hey Dirtrider. Thanks for the great write up. Really helpful. Our setups a a bit different but I will probably steal the mounting plate for the control unit. I have the 2.7 and the capable bumper. With the 2.7 I don’t have deal the the vacuum hookup and I have made/modified some brackets for the breakaway, electrical, and air hook ups. Hope to finish it next weekend. We are heading to the beach the following week so hopefully she’ll be ready for the maiden voyage. I post some pics after everything is buttoned up. Happy trails.

 

[6inthefamily]

Thanks to all that have shared their flat towing setups.
I am swapping from capable bumper d rings to using the ford performance tow hooks that come with the modular bumper. ($134.99 shipped)

Just got my generic Amazon blue ox tow bar adapters ($84.99 on Amazon) widened 1/8” to fit. The cost to switch my Toad from our 2019 Tacoma to 2023 Bronco isn’t bad at all.

 

[yourbudjim]

I promised to share my flat towing with a winch setup and finally took some pictures. I have a 2021 4-dr, 2.7L, and a stock MOD bumper. Here's my setup:
RVI Brake 3 (sits on the floor with no additional bracket required)
RVI towed charger
RVI breakaway wireless adapter
Roadmaster Sterling All Terrain Towbar
Roadmaster 035-1 adapters
LOD front bumper tie in brackets (these strengthen the frame horns for the winch and provide a breakaway connection)
Magnetic taillights ran off separate wires added along chassis frame. I wussed out of using taillight diodes for no particular reason other than an unfounded fear of a diode failure that could potentially cause me an additional headache.
Rough Country High Winch Mount
JCR Prerunner Bar
Mountains2Metal camera relocation kit

My goal was to limit the amount of modification in case I change my mind and decide to sell the Bronco (not likely based on the wide smile I ride around with). Thanks again to all of you early posters for making this so painless! Please reply if you have any questions.

 

[dgorsett]

I promised to share my flat towing with a winch setup and finally took some pictures. I have a 2021 4-dr, 2.7L, and a stock MOD bumper. Here's my setup:
RVI Brake 3 (sits on the floor with no additional bracket required)
RVI towed charger
RVI breakaway wireless adapter
Roadmaster Sterling All Terrain Towbar
Roadmaster 035-1 adapters
LOD front bumper tie in brackets (these strengthen the frame horns for the winch and provide a breakaway connection)
Magnetic taillights ran off separate wires added along chassis frame. I wussed out of using taillight diodes for no particular reason other than an unfounded fear of a diode failure that could potentially cause me an additional headache.
Rough Country High Winch Mount
JCR Prerunner Bar
Mountains2Metal camera relocation kit

My goal was to limit the amount of modification in case I change my mind and decide to sell the Bronco (not likely based on the wide smile I ride around with). Thanks again to all of you early posters for making this so painless! Please reply if you have any questions.

Thanks, good set up. I too used RVI, 2 in my case, used on my old LJ. Love RVI stuff. I used auxiliary lights at first, but I have switched to the Curt towed light wiring, really like it.

 

[Dirtrider]

I promised to share my flat towing with a winch setup and finally took some pictures. I have a 2021 4-dr, 2.7L, and a stock MOD bumper. Here's my setup:
RVI Brake 3 (sits on the floor with no additional bracket required)
RVI towed charger
RVI breakaway wireless adapter
Roadmaster Sterling All Terrain Towbar
Roadmaster 035-1 adapters
LOD front bumper tie in brackets (these strengthen the frame horns for the winch and provide a breakaway connection)
Magnetic taillights ran off separate wires added along chassis frame. I wussed out of using taillight diodes for no particular reason other than an unfounded fear of a diode failure that could potentially cause me an additional headache.
Rough Country High Winch Mount
JCR Prerunner Bar
Mountains2Metal camera relocation kit

My goal was to limit the amount of modification in case I change my mind and decide to sell the Bronco (not likely based on the wide smile I ride around with). Thanks again to all of you early posters for making this so painless! Please reply if you have any questions.

What are the LOD tie in brackets? I'm using a Roadmaster Nighthawk with the 035-1 brackets but am using 'D' ring tow hooks in the lower opening of the MOD bumper tow 'hooks' and looping the breakaway cables then hooking on themselves. It works but isn't very clean.

My RV has air brakes so I went with the Demco Air Force One with the Coachlink cab brake indicator. I also added a Brake Buddy Battery Charger using the power pin in the 6 pin tow bar connector although the Demco Air Force One really doesn't use much power and the battery charger probably isn't necessary but it does work well. Might be more useful for a unit like the Demco Stay-In-Play which does use more power (I inadvertently left the Stay-In-Play on in my previous TOAD and drained the battery).

I also used the Curt Towed Vehicle Wiring for my BD (without LED Lights) and it works nicely.

The entire system seems to work well, just towed it ~2,000 miles. Much easier to connect and set up than my old CR-V.

Thanks for the update.

 

[yourbudjim]

What are the LOD tie in brackets? I'm using a Roadmaster Nighthawk with the 035-1 brackets but am using 'D' ring tow hooks in the lower opening of the MOD bumper tow 'hooks' and looping the breakaway cables then hooking on themselves. It works but isn't very clean.

My RV has air brakes so I went with the Demco Air Force One with the Coachlink cab brake indicator. I also added a Brake Buddy Battery Charger using the power pin in the 6 pin tow bar connector although the Demco Air Force One really doesn't use much power and the battery charger probably isn't necessary but it does work well. Might be more useful for a unit like the Demco Stay-In-Play which does use more power (I inadvertently left the Stay-In-Play on in my previous TOAD and drained the battery).

I also used the Curt Towed Vehicle Wiring for my BD (without LED Lights) and it works nicely.

The entire system seems to work well, just towed it ~2,000 miles. Much easier to connect and set up than my old CR-V.

Thanks for the update.

Here they are:

LoD Offroad | LoD Offroad 2021+ Bronco BLACK OPS Front Bumper Frame Tie In Brackets

I read on the forums about someone damaging their frame horns while winching using the Rough Country winch, so I added these as insurance and as a way to attach my safety cables using quick links. Only issue is that I had to cut a small notch in my bash guard to make them fit. Was fairly easy with my angle grinder.

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