Towing with a 2001 GC 4.0 Inline 6

Heh, I don't see a question mark in your post. Is there a question? ;^)

That's a pretty big trailer, for a vehicle which is not considered a "full size" vehicle, with a six cylinder engine. Regearing is expensive, maybe even more expensive than trading the vehicle in on a Tahoe or something similar. I am thinking, that if you decide to keep the GC, then 4.11 gears might be worth considering. You might as well wind up with something fun to drive.

Earle

*** Free account sponsored by SecureIX.com *** *** Encrypt your Internet usage with a free VPN account from ***

Sorry for no question mark, Looking for verification that this should work, I'm a little concerned, do to postings I have read. Some people say no problem and other say no way. Factory spec say 5000lb but referance the gear ratio of 3.73. I have not checked my gear ratio so it may be 3.07, I got the 3.55 off the web. I got a warm a fussy from all the sales reps I talked to at the RV Show, but that could just be talk to get the sale. Last year I even talk to a hitch guy and was told it was ok. Who do you trust? I guess some small trips with tell me if I need something bigger.

Sorry for no question mark, Looking for verification that this should work, I'm a little concerned, do to postings I have read. Some people say no problem and other say no way. Factory spec say 5000lb but referance the gear ratio of 3.73. I have not checked my gear ratio so it may be 3.07, I got the 3.55 off the web. I got a warm a fussy from all the sales reps I talked to at the RV Show, but that could just be talk to get the sale. Last year I even talk to a hitch guy and was told it was ok. Who do you trust? I guess some small trips with tell me if I need something bigger.

Here in Canada the cops have this nasty tendency to know what the GVWR is on vehicles. They will even point out the nice little sticker on the door frame for you as they are writing up tickets and calling the tow truck.

If your maximum allowed is 5000 lb, believe me they know this....

Been there, had to drop the empty bunk bed trailer and have it towed away. 'I' don't believe the gutted trailer was over, but the dual axles on it implied it was capable and designed to be over my Chevy 1/2 ton's GCWR.

Mike

86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail >

My '02 WJ also has the 3.55 gears. They are the standard ratio for non-tow vehicles as far as I know.

That is to say that as far as I know the 3.55 gears were standard in vehicles not factory equipped with the towing package.

I believe it is recommended to add a transmission cooler when a tow hitch is added.

How about towing a trailer, with another trailer hitched to the back of it? Some of the things that they get away with in the States, would make your hair stand on end. If you already have straight hair, it would curl it.

Earle

I have even seen them with a dually pickup with team markings pulled over that was pulling a monster 'cigar' boat with the same decals. The 'big' tow truck was pulling up to take the boat away....

The cops carry these portable scales in the trunk....

I have heard and read about the non existent laws in some places or what folks claim are non existent or non enforced.

I am the same as anyone, I will push it to a point too. The cop that nailed me said he didn't care about what I pulled on the dirt logging trails, but no way was I pulling that trailer through town. He let me get a tow to the other end of town where I jumped back on the bush roads.

The bad part is, 'he was right'! That sucker tried to walk away with my truck coming down a ravine wall in the BC Rockies with a 1 lane bridge at the bottom.... That was hairy. The only way to hold steering was to have it in neutral with the emergency brake on and literally inch it down. Took a couple hours for a 1/4 mile. Ohh to have had a 4x4 with a winch.... It was drives like that that made us want a 'real' 4x4 so my wife bought the CJ7 to replace the truck with... :-)

Mike

Earle Hort>

Does not answer my towing question. But fun to read.

If your question was to change from 3.55 to 3.73 then nope, not near enough difference to be worth while. I think 4.11 is as low as you can go without getting into carrier changes.

When towing you should forget about top gear or OD anyway and you sure don't want to be breaking any speed records.... Gear change or no, I could see some slow uphills with that weight on and some really 'interesting' downhills....

There should be a tag on your diff that has the ratio on it or you can jack up one wheel with an open diff, put a chalk mark on it and rotate it twice while counting the driveshaft revolutions. It is easiest to mark the driveshaft with chalk too.

My CJ7 will spin the driveshaft 3.31 turns when the wheel spins twice.

Mike

86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail >

I just read that again. I thought you were way overweight for some reason. You are just below 5000 lb, the Jeep should have tons of power for that.

Mike

dmac>

I had to go look the thing up:

Your owners manual should give the towing capacity with the specific axle ratio that you have. This towing capacity is based on the axle model, axle gears, tranny, frame, and tires. Adding the equilzer hitch does not change that, just makes it easier to tow. It should also give you some ideas on how much you would need to change the axle ratio to bump the capacity.

No matter what you do, this is going to be right up there in terms of reasonable towing capacity for a GC. Your trailer is high and wide, lots of wind resistance from the front, lots of side area for the wind to push around. I suspect that you will find short trips to be fine, long hauls across windy Nebraska and Wyoming to be a bit hard on you and the truck.

dmac> This GC does not have factory towing, so I have added a weight

Hi,

I tow regularly a 3000# trailer with my 1997 JGC 4.0 litre. My route runs regularly through the mountains of Vermont and New Hampshire and I have no problems at all. A few grades require 2nd gear and 3500 RPM. Yes, these aren't the Rocky Mountains.

Keys to my success...I keep the O/D locked out when towing and keep speed up to keep air coming in the radiators.

Walt

In article , dmacintire wrote: #This GC does not have factory towing, so I have added a weight #distrubution hitch with a sway bar and a HD trans cooler. I have #heard that I should change the axel gear ratio from 3.55 to the #optional 3.73 but have also seen post that just say the trans cooler #and WD hitch. I'm planning on pulling a Jayco Feather 19h 3,400 dry #weight and 4,450 loaded, with a hitch weight of 405.

Does the Jayco have electric brakes?

/herb

"dmacintire" wrote

Your GC may be capable of towing the trailer slowly on a flat road but my 87 Cherokee with the 4.0 six and automatic can barely get itself up a good hill at

50mph, let alone pulling any major load. OTOH my 1993 GC with the V8 has *lots* more power and a more flexable auto tranny. Still, I'd hesitate to pull any 5000# trailer very far or fast. Naturally YMMV.

We've RVd a lot and were I looking at a trailer I'd buy a 5th wheel and a suitable pickup, else a motor home. A 5'r is mucho easier to haul and hitch than any conventional trailer.

Good luck ....

IMO, power won't be a problem, but automatic transmission heat probably will be without that external cooler. I recently pulled a 14-ft covered flat that grossed 3350 lbs. with my '05 TJL 6-sp/4.0 using DC's OEM class II hitch setup and factory wiring. (Love the insulted electrical box in the end of the receiver - very nice design.)

Pulling around town, the engine has so much torque that I could barely tell the trailer was back there. Pulling up a 7+ deg. incline at 55 mph, I dropped to 5th to keep from overheating the exhaust manifold, and even with the cruise on, that AMC-6 didn't even break a sweat. I didn't have electric trailer brakes, but the unlimited is heavy enough and has decent enough braking that I didn't really need them. I normally don't insist on trailer brakes unless the trailer outweighs the pulling vehicle, and/or I'm pulling more than one trailer.

As someone else here mentioned, be sure you lock out OD, even on flat ground, watch your engine temp, and you should be fine. I should mention that I have a class ATX with 15 yrs. experience pounding the ground, which might have made it easier for me to work with.