tow vehicle suggestions

i am in the market for a vehicle that will see dual use as a daily driver (40 freeway miles per day) and also for towing my jeep to the trail.

i am trying to decide what kind of vehicle to get and i would like to hear what others have to say on this. i need more a people hauler and not a work vehicle so i have ruled out large pickups such as the f-250. i also don't want to break the bank so i have ruled out high end SUVs such as the hummer and escalade.

that leaves two options: 1. midsize SUVs such as the GMC Jimmy (sorry cherokee fans - DCs website says you can only tow 2000 pounds, and i figure a loaded trail jeep + full trailer is at least 5 or 6 thousand pounds, which the jimmy can manage, just barely) or 2. heavy sedans such as the cadillac seville, lincoln towncar, or mercedes e500.

anyone want to share their experiences with tow vehicles?

Approximately 9/27/03 15:25, E.L. Lambert uttered for posterity:

Since you are towing a jeep....

Really depends. Bummer but there aren't a lot of good heavy duty sedans out there any more except the Merc Marquis, Ford equivalent, Lincoln Town Car if you never need to take it off the road. If you want a bit more ground clearance, how about a used Lincoln Navigator, Dodge Dakota, Ford Expedition, etc. ?

I use a Ford Expedition for my tow vehicle. It is rated to tow 7,000 pounds, so the jeep is not a problem. I REALLY wanted a Grand Cherokee as my tow vehicle, but it is only rated at 5,000 pounds and I thought that was just too close to what the TJ and trailer would weigh. (I ended up pulling the TJ four down, so I probably could have gotten away with the Grand Cherokee.)

Towing 4 down with the Expedition you know the jeep is back there. Stopping distance is increased, and twisting mountain roads are no fun, as the jeep wants to go one way and I want to go another. I highly recommend Not getting the smallest vehicle that might do the job. It will always be at the edge of its performance envelope and you will never be happy with it. (I've also towed my TJ with a 40 foot motor home. I couldn't even tell it was back there. Couldn't see it in the mirrors. Couldn't feel it try and push the back around.)

I used to drive in the TJ to the trail, talk about stuffed to the gills First thing I would have to do is unload the luggage at the hotel, before we go and have fun. Now Expedition has plenty of room for luggage and people and the TJ travels ready for the trail.

Good Luck, Dean

I use a 1999 Chevrolet Tahoe which also runs the highways and off roads with ease. Love to and also have a 2000 xj cherokee john

For towing a TJ to the trail, I would be looking to the SUV derivitive of the F250, or equivelent.

Do you plan to flat tow or use a car hauler trailer?

Your jeep, loaded for the trail, will probably weigh 4,000 lbs or more. A key issue for flat towing will be the braking capacity of your tow rig since it must stop two vehicles. (If you use a car hauler trailer, you will probably already have brakes on one axle, but should have them on both.)

A trailer will weigh at least 1,600 lbs, therefore you should figure on a total towed weight of 6,500-7,000 lbs for purposes of determining what capacity tow rig you need, regardless of whether you intend to flat tow or trailer your jeep. (Why buy a tow rig marginally capable of flat towing a jeep, leaving you without options in the future?)

Another factor is the wheelbase of the tow rig. The longer the better. (I know people who flat towed jeeps with Grand Cherokees who have reported that combination to be dangerously unstable.)

The third factor is the engine in the tow rig. IMO, a 350 V8 is marginal at best. You want a big block, or even better - a diesel.

I know your preference is something other than a pickup, but anything less than the equivalent of a 3/4 ton truck is asking for trouble. (Sorry Bill, but I think your son's F150 isn't enough vehicle for the job.) My recommendation would be to look at "super cabs" or crew cab trucks if you need to carry passengers, or if you really prefer a "car," then full size Suburbans or Tahoes or an Expedition. Even better would be an Excursion.

(PS - I currently flat tow my jeep behind a Ford F250 4x4 diesel.)

Robert Bills KG6LMV Orange County CA

You need a jeep grand cherokee 5.9, 98, that 360 will do the trick, slight mods for towing get the rating right up there

Just a thought.

The Cherokee automatic is rated for 5000 lb towing, the 5 speed is only rated for the 2000 lb according to my Cherokee owners manual.

Mike

86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's

"E.L. Lambert" wrote:

E.L.,

we have been towing our '95 YJ for several years now from the San Francisco Bay Area (San Jose, to be exact) up to Tahoe for our annual vacation up there around Labor Day, using our '97 Lincoln Town Car. We are using a "Break Buddy" suplemental break system in the Jeep while it is being towed, which is essential, but with that this combination works quite well, we never had a problem. Of course the gas mileage especially on the way up to Tahoe is not great (about 12 mpg), but still better than driving both cars separately. The whole setup for both cars (the Town Car was not set up for towing before), including the Break Buddy cost us about $1,400.

Good luck!

Wolfgang.

Take manufacturer recommendations with a grain of salt. Remember they are writing that owner's manual with a battalion of liability lawyers looking over their shoulders. If the vehicle can safely tow 6,000 lbs, they probably divide by 3 and put "don't tow more than 2,000 lbs" in the manual to cover their butts.

There is no way that towing is such a one size fits all business. If you're towing on flat ground and have an 8-cylinder engine and heavy duty transmission, and keep it under 55mph, there is no reason a cherokee can't tow 5,000 pounds or possibly much more. However if you want to drive at max speed and haul something over the continental divide that is another matter entirely... so scale your expectations accordingly.

Please call me when you are towing anything, I want to be sure I am not on the road that day.

Joshua,

Your un-informed "advice" is going to get someone killed. There is a lot more to towing than weight ratings. A Cherokee is too light AND has too short a wheelbase to safely tow a jeep.

You shouldn't give advice unless you know what you're talking about.

Robert Bills KG6LMV Orange County CA

I used to see people all the time pushing the limits of their vehicle back when I worked for the Forest Service. We called them "wood cutters", it was also synonymous with "stupid idiot." Every weekend there was a never ending parade of people that loaded their trucks and trailers to the max and then some with fire wood, because the manufactures "couldn't really be counted on" to give accurate load limits for their vehicles. Busted axles, blown tires, accidents, and injury were common. I would be willing to bet that the manufacturers push the limits of what their vehicles will do rather than err on the side of safety. Look at the Dana 35 axle under many of our Jeeps, off road it is marginal at best.

Bottom line it this is bad advice. If nothing happens, fine. BUT, if there is an accident you can be assured that the other side WILL have an attorney and the first question he will ask is was the vehicle overloaded. If the answer is yes, you can kiss your wallet good bye cause he is going to clean it out.

Dean

The safety experts set these guidelines to the lowest common denominator -- you. They know that idiots will come along and look at the manual and think they can easily multiply any figures given by 3. People that do this are a risk to themselves and to everybody around them.

Your mentality about towing is the same as about winching. I am waiting for the day when CNN has a lead story where "a young man and fifteen others were killed today because the young man was pulling an over-limit load with a too-weak winch. Film at eleven."

And you recommend that we disregard them... you are exposing yourself to potential problems... best to use a standard disclaimer, such as "but I'm not an expert", which most around here should already know.

Is that the logic you used when you bought your winch?

An XJ with an 8 cylinder engine would be pretty hard to find.

I've fixed up my XJ with what passes for the factory tow package... it came with the corp 8.25 rear, I added Amsoil

70w140, Hayden transmission cooler, T-wiring kit, and Class III hitch. Of course, it has the automatic transmission and 4.0 I6. I wouldn't do any Class III towing unless I had done this, were I you. __ Steve .

And you know this how? Your extensive experience? You were in on the design process? You worked for NHTSA in developing the guidelines for GCVR's?

Interesting. You think a 4500 pound winch will pull a mud-stuck TJ, and now you think the manufacturer tow ratings are just a "suggestion" and may be legally and safely exceeded as long as you're extra-careful.

Wrong, there are several reasons. Everyone else has responded in kind, all I have to say is "what an idiot."

For giving such bad advice, you are grounded, young man.

• * * Matt Macchiarolo
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