I have a 97 Cherokee, 4.0, auto, /part/time 4WD transfer case. I don't know if it has any sort of facotry towing package but at some point someone put a 2" frame-mount receiver on it.
It is possible that I'll want to two a UHaul box trailer from AZ to RI sometime in the next few months. How much weight do the surviving members of RAMJ-W think I can safely tow? UHaul says up to 1550 pounds.
Factory tow group came with a transmission cooler added to the front of the radiator. Given this is winter, that shouldn't be an issue. I towed a U-haul from Calgary AB to Oklahoma with no problems.
Max tow capacity for the XJ is 5,000 lbs. But hitch weight and angle are as important as trailer weight.
Don't forget to put on runaway chains, those are required by law. A couple sections of midweight chain long enough to allow the trailer to turn and short enough to not drag on the ground. I secured mine with a set of padlocks. As a bonus that means no one could take my trailer while I was in the hotel.
I always had to think about two turns ahead in order to pull through. Backing a trailer isn't rocket science, but I prefer not to.
That 2 inch tow rig is probably the limiting factor. My '88 FSM gives a couple of configuration related tow limits that depend on the engine and tranny you have. 6-cyl and auto show up to 5k with the factory package but that drops down to just under 2k with either a 4-Banger and manual tranny. Funny part is that the auto is rated to pull more than the manual.
Your likely limit is what U-Haul says, regardless of the what the factory says and you'll be limited by contract (and automagically liable if anything goes south on you if you exceed their limits) so swallow hard and be comfortable that the company limits are conservatively below any configuration limits on the hardware.
First off with the XJ, U-haul wouldn't rent me any bigger than a 5'x8' enclosed trailer. Secondly, since no one else mentioned it...DO NOT tow in overdrive. I overheated the tranny and spewwed fluid out the vent on the 5 mile trip home with the empty trailer. Filled the tranny back up, crammed the trailer as full as I could get it and towed from Sonora, CA to Mountain View, AR in Drive with no further problems.
I wondered about that.
Yeap. I did remember the "don't tow in OD" from a long ago thread, but thanks for refreshing my memory.
Thanks, good to know.
That's going the wrong way. ;^)
Earle
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