Towing with a Jeep

Go with the Grand Cherokee if possible - better brakes, longer wheelbase, all of which will make towing that much weight safer. If there are many hills, find a V8. Does the 3500 lbs include the weight of the trailer?? Your hitch rating will determine the total number of pounds that can be physically towed safely, but always tow with a heavier, longer vehicle for braking safety and stability in a sudden stop.

Dana

Is this possible? Ever seen the car with the ton of plywood on top? it is possible Would it be safe? No Get the Grand Cherokee or bigger. I flat towed my CJ with a 3/4 ton extended cab Chevy and it was no problem. Towing the CJ with a 1/2 ton standard cab short bed Chevy was more taxing on the car, and my first fast stop for a red light was more than I expected. Towing with a Wrangler would be even that much more sketchy. When it comes to towing weight of a tow rig is a big plus, longer wheel-base is a big plus, and in your case brakes will be a huge plus. Your wrangler has none of those.

Uhm.. Not only unsafe.. but illegal. Way over the safe towing limit...

Brian, This question comes up from time to time. The general consensus on the group has been that what you plan to do is not a good idea. The Wrangler is only rated to tow 2500 lbs (I think). And this is mainly due to the short wheel base. (It has the power)

I'd do it for maybe 25 miles but not 300. It would be way too stressful for a 6 hour drive in my opinion.

And then there are the legal issues if you where to be in a accident.....

The Grand Cherokee is rated to pull that load I'm pretty sure. And I wouldn't worry about the automatic transmission this time of year. (cool)

A full size truck (at least 1/2 ton) would be a better choice if you can borrow one.

Thanks, Mark Burns

Don't do it--- 2000 lbs. max towing with the YJ. Use the Grand if it's really 3500 lbs if you can, or if you haven't added the 1000+ lb. trailer in to your figure, use a proper tow vehicle rated for more than

5000 lbs.

Brian T. wrote:

twaldron did pass the time by typing:

Even with my ZJ and a Class III hitch, I'd still be real reluctant to try. (I have towed 3000 lbs behind the ZJ, but only across town. That was NOT a fun experience) Of course the trailer had surge-brakes and for those who haven't experienced them, they can buck under deceleration. Accelerate slow, decelerate SLOWER.

A Class IV with e-brake might be workable but with 3500 lbs + trailer your asking to get killed if anything goes wrong.

Not sure if there are flatbed/HD Truck rentals. But that would be your best bet.

If for some reason you opt for the WJ. Even if it has a tranny cooler, stop every hour or so to let the tranny cool down and to check your rig. And even if people honk, keep it 55 or less. Driving slower gives you more time incase something goes wrong.

If you do this, make certain your life insurance is paid up, cause you are gonna die.

By an order of magnitude.

---------------------------------------------------- Del Rawlins- del@_kills_spammers_rawlinsbrothers.org Remove _kills_spammers_ to reply via email. Unofficial Bearhawk FAQ website:

Tried to tow a 3500 pound boat with an S-10 extended cab pickup when my primary tow vehicle was down... did not work! Was not a power problem, just to much weight for handling... pushed the S-10 all over the road (looked like a dog wagging his tail going down the road), had to turn around and come home. That weight will even be tricky with the GC.

-- JimG

80' CJ-7 258 CID 35" BFG MT on 15x10 Centerlines D44 Rear, Dana 30 Front. SOA 4.56 Gears, LockRight F&R Dana 300 w/4:1 & Currie twin sticks Warn X8000i w/ dual batteries

NO it would not be safe. That tiny wheel base is scary. KH

Kinda like the tail wagging the dog...

A 16' car carrier trailer typically weighs 1,600-1,900 pounds, depending on manufacturer and design. The weight of your towed vehicle/trailer combination (5,100 - 5,400) will exceed the weight of your TJ, and the wheelbase of your TJ is too short to tow such a load. IT IS NOT SAFE. DON'T DO IT!!! Not even for

10 miles.

A 6 cylinder Grand Cherokee is no better. While the manufacturer's tow rating might be 5,000 pounds, that is with only the driver, no passengers, no gear and almost no gasoline in the tank. Every pound you add in cargo/passengers inside the GC must be deducted from its tow capacity. Also, that tow rating is with a weight distributing hitch, which you will not have on a car carrier trailer. The tow rating for a bumper pull hitch is less, about 3,500 pounds (less the weight of people and gear inside the GC). Thus you will still be significantly overweight. IT IS UNSAFE. DO NOT DO IT!

This isn't just book learning. I have been towing jeeps for years, both flat towing and on trailers. I almost killed myself (and a family of innocent people in the next lane) in the mid-1970's trying to tow my CJ-5 with an undersized vehicle from one town to the next. I was young, and thought I could get away with a 25 mile tow if I kept my speeds down. I was wrong.

My experience (coincidentally identical to the opinion of towing experts) is that the minimum capacity vehicle you need for the load you describe is a 3/4 ton truck such as a Ford F250, Chevy Silverado 2500 or Dodge Ram 2500. A 1/2 ton truck just won't do it, especially if you have to climb or descend any grades.

Robert Bills KG6LMV Orange County CA

I am saying that towing with a 1/2 ton truck is marginal at best. And I'm saying that towing a vehicle on a car carrier trailer behind a GC is outright dangerous. Towing that load behind a TJ is asking to be dead by sundown.

One easily accessable source is for information is

in the towing and hauling forum. There have been many threads on this subject, and two posters with reliable information (and third party sources and links to back it up) are Smokey Wren and a guy with the screen name Crewzer. There are also a number of RV and trailer forums which discuss at length the pros/cons of towing any significant weight with a 1/2 ton truck - conclusion is that 1/2 ton trucks are a compromise, marginal at best for loads over 5,000 lbs, including the F150 up to the '03 model year and the Titan.

The manufacturer's published tow ratings don't explain the relationship between GVWR, GCVWR, axle weight capacity, tire capacity, tongue weight, braking capacity, etc. The manufacturer's maximum load ratings are for stripped down vehicles with no passengers, gear, full load of gas, etc. - real world ratings are limited to the weakest link of the chain. In many 1/2 ton trucks the transmission is not up to the stress of a heavy load. Braking is also a serious issue.

I would not want to tow a load that is at or near the maximum capacity of my tow rig. The lives of my family and those around me aren't worth the risk. The Ford F150 ratings have been increased for the '04 model year by over 2,000 pounds compared to prior years. I have been researching the '04 F150 crewcab as a replacement for my '87 F250 standard cab diesel (they have the same wheelbase). I don't have the underlying numbers handy, but after calculating all of the weight and capacity factors, its effective maximum tow capacity with a bumper pull hitch is only 5,500 pounds, 7,500 with a weight distributing hitch. Since my jeep loaded with gas and gear on a car carrier trailer will weigh approx. 6,000-6,500 pounds, it appears that an '04 F150 might work, but only with a weight distributing hitch. However, it is not the best tool for the job. (If I had the $$$$ and space to park it, I would not hesitate to buy a 3/4 ton diesel crew cab short bed, and if I do go with the '04 F150 it will be a compromise vehicle that will not see many towing miles.)

Robert Bills KG6LMV Orange County CA

While I agree that a 3/4 ton is the tow vehicle of choice, I just want to share some personal experience:

With a Chevy 1500, I have successfully towed a 7000 lb, 27' boat (w/gear and fuel) around the hills of WV, and a CJ-7 (on a 16' lowboy) from here to Tellico, TN (about 10 hours) and felt very much in control.

That said, my new tow vehicle, a Chevy 2500HD is definitely a cut above.