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Posted: 12/10/2013 11:41:24 PM EDT
I know the 2 doors a rated for 2000 pounds and 4 doors rated for 3500 pounds.
Does anyone tow more then that? What about over mountains I'm picturing the 2 door being a little bit unstable. I know the 2007 and later JK's are a bit wider maybe that helps with stability? OP drives dually diesel F350 towing 40 foot 18,000 pound 5th wheel trailer and sometimes a small utility trailer. Looking to sell my truck and buy car and a Jeep for a offroad toy and to tow utility trailer with a few atv's on it.. |
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I don't have any personal experience towing with them, but it's not the ideal towing set up. Short wheel base will be the biggest issue, especially in the mountains. Stopping power would be my second concern.
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Quoted:
I know the 2 doors a rated for 2000 pounds and 4 doors rated for 3500 pounds. Does anyone tow more then that? What about over mountains I'm picturing the 2 door being a little bit unstable. I know the 2007 and later JK's are a bit wider maybe that helps with stability? OP drives dually diesel F350 towing 40 foot 18,000 pound 5th wheel trailer and sometimes a small utility trailer. Looking to sell my truck and buy car and a Jeep for a offroad toy and to tow utility trailer with a few atv's on it.. View Quote So you're going to get rid of the F350 to get a jeep for an offroad toy? In a couple years you'll be buying a tow rig for the offroad toy that is no longer streetable/comfortable on the road. Ditch the 5th wheel. Buy samuri/jeep/yota for offroad toy and decent car hauler and tent and camp gear....your F350 will obviously handle a trailer large enough for your toys. The stuff that make a jeep capable and fun offroad seriously degrade it from being a tow rig. |
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Don't be casual with your tongue weight. The SWB makes it very easy for the tail to wag the dog.
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Do not get a Jeep with plans of towing. Jeeps barely handle a strong crosswind by itself, I would not want to deal with one pulling a trailer. I watched my buddy almost ball his up a few times pulling a couple sleds on a two place thanks to the wind, he could run 55-60 tops, in my F250 80 was no problem in the conditions with a similar load.
I towed a Trans-Am on a dolly once with the Wrangler I used to have, it wasn't all that bad, flat land, mostly highway, it wasn't doing anything fast especially stopping, when the T/A got to swaying a little things got pretty interesting, but I would never do it again for more than a mile or two. |
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I had a TJ and towed a single Seadoo on a Roadmaster trailer. Total weight about 600 pounds. It worked fine with that setup but I would not want to double or triple that load. The other problem with a two door is the storage for hauling stuff that won't fit in the trailer.
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Towed small stuff with my rockcrawler and daily driver wranglers. Neither were very fun. And one of the guys nailed it on the head, the more your off-road toy moves to being a better offroad toy, the more it sucks ass on the road.
As somebody else said too, the stock drivetrains in most jeeps are medium duty at best and wouldn't even hold up to a 1/2 ton pickup. |
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I have towed with my 93 and 95 Wranglers... the 93 is a 6 with a 5 speed, I did about 4,000#s of firewood a couple of miles, it was too much on the rear mounts, tore where the hitch was, get a frame hitch if you can. The 95 does 1500 easy, it is a 4 with a 5 speed. Never had steep inclines but some ups and downs with mostly level. They are beasts for short work, I have pulled a large truck up an icy hill with a CJ 5
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The infamous Jeep "Death Wobble"... not fun when you've experienced one
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sounds dangerous, depending on weight/load with a small wheelbased cross-over like the Wrangler.
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I have a 2007 4 door that I use to pull an M101A2 trailer loaded with mulch all the time. It doesn't like to haul gravel as it's a bit heavy, but sand is OK. Never had any issue stopping, it does suck pulling uphill.
I sometimes pull my Harley on an 8 foot trailer for an annual trip to VA Beach 6 hours away. Never had an issue. |
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The issue is the short wheelbase. if the wind takes the trailer, you are going to have a bad day. I used to tow a couple PWC that were around the 2000lb. It was ok. Acceleration was slow. Braking was fine.
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So you're going to get rid of the F350 to get a jeep for an offroad toy? In a couple years you'll be buying a tow rig for the offroad toy that is no longer streetable/comfortable on the road. Ditch the 5th wheel. Buy samuri/jeep/yota for offroad toy and decent car hauler and tent and camp gear....your F350 will obviously handle a trailer large enough for your toys. The stuff that make a jeep capable and fun offroad seriously degrade it from being a tow rig. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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I know the 2 doors a rated for 2000 pounds and 4 doors rated for 3500 pounds. Does anyone tow more then that? What about over mountains I'm picturing the 2 door being a little bit unstable. I know the 2007 and later JK's are a bit wider maybe that helps with stability? OP drives dually diesel F350 towing 40 foot 18,000 pound 5th wheel trailer and sometimes a small utility trailer. Looking to sell my truck and buy car and a Jeep for a offroad toy and to tow utility trailer with a few atv's on it.. So you're going to get rid of the F350 to get a jeep for an offroad toy? In a couple years you'll be buying a tow rig for the offroad toy that is no longer streetable/comfortable on the road. Ditch the 5th wheel. Buy samuri/jeep/yota for offroad toy and decent car hauler and tent and camp gear....your F350 will obviously handle a trailer large enough for your toys. The stuff that make a jeep capable and fun offroad seriously degrade it from being a tow rig. 5th wheel is my full time home and i plan to pay someone if i have to move it. It's a toyhauler with a 12 foot garage area. Truck is expensive as hell to register and insure in California, diesel will never be cheaper then gas anyway and i want to sell it while it's still worth a decent amount. Leaning towards maybe a 2013 or 2014 4 door wrangler or maybe the LJ which is a longer wheel base TJ. Subaru WRX STI for a daily driver also. |
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I tow a 2800 pound (empty) 18 ft. camper trailer with my 05 Wrangler Unlimited (LJ). Ceramic pads on the front, bigger wider tires than factory, wider stance (tires offset out more), regear to 4.88s, brake controller installed, Transmission cooler...
Tows fine, but can't be in any hurry to get anywhere... tops out at about 60mph. |
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I can imagine that setup gets a little hairy on the interstate with a little wind!
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Quoted: Yeppers....my CJ and my boat.....never again for any distance. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: The infamous Jeep "Death Wobble"... not fun when you've experienced one Yeppers....my CJ and my boat.....never again for any distance. My boat trailer has no brakes and the boat was set too far back to give it much tongue weight. Going down a hill on a 4 lane road the trailer started swinging side to side. Then the trailer started swinging from lane to lane. The next action was the trailer picking up the back end of my truck and moving it while it was swinging side to side. Thankfully I got to the bottom of the hill in once piece and the wobble stopped. I had a longer tongue put on the trailer and shifted the boat forward shortly after that. That was with a Dakota too. A Jeep is going to experience that even easier.
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Yeppers....my CJ and my boat.....never again for any distance. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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The infamous Jeep "Death Wobble"... not fun when you've experienced one Yeppers....my CJ and my boat.....never again for any distance. My '93 Wrangler will get it if my tires aren't exactly even in pressure and tires balanced. It's happened twice, once towing maybe 1000lbs. and another time not towing. Seems it'll happen when nearing 55 mph. Man, it's scary! |
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That can happen with any vehicle if their not enough tongue weight and the trailer doesn't have brakes. The towing part is easy with a lighter vehicle, the stopping part is what is hard. Make sure you trailer has at least surge brakes. My boat trailer has no brakes and the boat was set too far back to give it much tongue weight. Going down a hill on a 4 lane road the trailer started swinging side to side. Then the trailer started swinging from lane to lane. The next action was the trailer picking up the back end of my truck and moving it while it was swinging side to side. Thankfully I got to the bottom of the hill in once piece and the wobble stopped. I had a longer tongue put on the trailer and shifted the boat forward shortly after that. That was with a Dakota too. A Jeep is going to experience that even easier. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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The infamous Jeep "Death Wobble"... not fun when you've experienced one Yeppers....my CJ and my boat.....never again for any distance. That can happen with any vehicle if their not enough tongue weight and the trailer doesn't have brakes. The towing part is easy with a lighter vehicle, the stopping part is what is hard. Make sure you trailer has at least surge brakes. My boat trailer has no brakes and the boat was set too far back to give it much tongue weight. Going down a hill on a 4 lane road the trailer started swinging side to side. Then the trailer started swinging from lane to lane. The next action was the trailer picking up the back end of my truck and moving it while it was swinging side to side. Thankfully I got to the bottom of the hill in once piece and the wobble stopped. I had a longer tongue put on the trailer and shifted the boat forward shortly after that. That was with a Dakota too. A Jeep is going to experience that even easier. Why would a boat trailer not have brakes? Seems brakes are hard to find on small flatbed utility trailers even smaller enclosed trailers. |
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Towed close to 3000lbs in my 2dr from Maryland to Georgia once. Breaks definitely got a little warm, but other than that it wasn't terrible. Wouldn't want to do it on a regular basis though. Give yourself plenty of room just in case and keep the speed down and it it'll should be fine.
Besides the shorter wheel-base making things squirlier at higher loads, the 3500lb 4dr and 2000lb 2dr are identical when it comes to drive-train and breaks. |
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Quoted: Why would a boat trailer not have brakes? Seems brakes are hard to find on small flatbed utility trailers even smaller enclosed trailers. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: The infamous Jeep "Death Wobble"... not fun when you've experienced one Yeppers....my CJ and my boat.....never again for any distance. That can happen with any vehicle if their not enough tongue weight and the trailer doesn't have brakes. The towing part is easy with a lighter vehicle, the stopping part is what is hard. Make sure you trailer has at least surge brakes. My boat trailer has no brakes and the boat was set too far back to give it much tongue weight. Going down a hill on a 4 lane road the trailer started swinging side to side. Then the trailer started swinging from lane to lane. The next action was the trailer picking up the back end of my truck and moving it while it was swinging side to side. Thankfully I got to the bottom of the hill in once piece and the wobble stopped. I had a longer tongue put on the trailer and shifted the boat forward shortly after that. That was with a Dakota too. A Jeep is going to experience that even easier. Why would a boat trailer not have brakes? Seems brakes are hard to find on small flatbed utility trailers even smaller enclosed trailers. Smaller and older boat trailers don't always have brakes. My boat is only 19 1/2 feet long and weighs around 2,500 pounds. Now that I adjusted the boat so I have about 300lbs of tongue weight I can tow the boat faster and with no wobble. The only problem is the undersized front rotors on my Dakota. My boat has pushed me through several red lights even with the proper tongue weight. It sounds like some of the Jeeps have undersized rotors, so that is something to keep in mind. I've used other tow vehicles for the boat and none of them have any issue like that when stopping. |
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Quoted: Smaller and older boat trailers don't always have brakes. My boat is only 19 1/2 feet long and weighs around 2,500 pounds. Now that I adjusted the boat so I have about 300lbs of tongue weight I can tow the boat faster and with no wobble. The only problem is the undersized front rotors on my Dakota. My boat has pushed me through several red lights even with the proper tongue weight. It sounds like some of the Jeeps have undersized rotors, so that is something to keep in mind. I've used other tow vehicles for the boat and none of them have any issue like that when stopping. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: Why would a boat trailer not have brakes? Seems brakes are hard to find on small flatbed utility trailers even smaller enclosed trailers. Smaller and older boat trailers don't always have brakes. My boat is only 19 1/2 feet long and weighs around 2,500 pounds. Now that I adjusted the boat so I have about 300lbs of tongue weight I can tow the boat faster and with no wobble. The only problem is the undersized front rotors on my Dakota. My boat has pushed me through several red lights even with the proper tongue weight. It sounds like some of the Jeeps have undersized rotors, so that is something to keep in mind. I've used other tow vehicles for the boat and none of them have any issue like that when stopping. Yup, there are upgrade kits that people put on after just going to larger tires. |
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I towed a sport bike on a uhaul trailer from NJ to MA with my Cherokee. Went fine.
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That can happen with any vehicle if their not enough tongue weight and the trailer doesn't have brakes. The towing part is easy with a lighter vehicle, the stopping part is what is hard. Make sure you trailer has at least surge brakes. My boat trailer has no brakes and the boat was set too far back to give it much tongue weight. Going down a hill on a 4 lane road the trailer started swinging side to side. Then the trailer started swinging from lane to lane. The next action was the trailer picking up the back end of my truck and moving it while it was swinging side to side. Thankfully I got to the bottom of the hill in once piece and the wobble stopped. I had a longer tongue put on the trailer and shifted the boat forward shortly after that. That was with a Dakota too. A Jeep is going to experience that even easier. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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The infamous Jeep "Death Wobble"... not fun when you've experienced one Yeppers....my CJ and my boat.....never again for any distance. That can happen with any vehicle if their not enough tongue weight and the trailer doesn't have brakes. The towing part is easy with a lighter vehicle, the stopping part is what is hard. Make sure you trailer has at least surge brakes. My boat trailer has no brakes and the boat was set too far back to give it much tongue weight. Going down a hill on a 4 lane road the trailer started swinging side to side. Then the trailer started swinging from lane to lane. The next action was the trailer picking up the back end of my truck and moving it while it was swinging side to side. Thankfully I got to the bottom of the hill in once piece and the wobble stopped. I had a longer tongue put on the trailer and shifted the boat forward shortly after that. That was with a Dakota too. A Jeep is going to experience that even easier. That's not " death wobble" - that's poor trailer set up. "Death wobble" is a front axle issue - had it on my CJ-7, '85 Toyota 4wd & '96 Dodge 2500 4wd - all not towing. |
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5000 pound tow rating.
http://i1228.photobucket.com/albums/ee458/bigdeeeeeeee/1106121450_zpsffda4944.jpg |
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Why a jeep? Why not a Ram Powerwagon? That way you get a very capable offroader and tow vehicle all in one.
2014 Powerwagon will be out next month. Ram is replacing its standard 5.7 with a 6.4 next year and saying it gets better gas mileage because they were able to come down to a 4.10 axle and add cylinder deactivation. I am thinking about one myself. |
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If you get a 2012 or newer 4 door it will be OK but not great. The newer JKs have a better engine than the earlier ones. Also Rubicons come with 4.10 gear which will help with towing.
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I have a 2006 Liberty, trasmission cooler, auto, 3.7 and it tows 5,000 #s...same drive train as a Wrangler
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Don't be casual with your tongue weight. The SWB makes it very easy for the tail to wag the dog. View Quote It is pretty funny watching people try to tow stuff that is beyond the capability of their vehicle. I passed a fairly new Rav 4 trying to pull a 10-12 foot U-Haul trailer down the freeway. He wasn't going very fast, maybe 45-50mph but the back end of his Rav 4 was swaying back and forth like Kim Kardashian's ass. |
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Why a jeep? Why not a Ram Powerwagon? That way you get a very capable offroader and tow vehicle all in one. 2014 Powerwagon will be out next month. Ram is replacing its standard 5.7 with a 6.4 next year and saying it gets better gas mileage because they were able to come down to a 4.10 axle and add cylinder deactivation. I am thinking about one myself. View Quote No no no don't want a pickup otherwise i would keep my F350. Plus i like the removable top and doors. |
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5000 pound tow rating. <a href="http://s1228.photobucket.com/user/bigdeeeeeeee/media/1106121450_zpsffda4944.jpg.html" target="_blank">http://i1228.photobucket.com/albums/ee458/bigdeeeeeeee/1106121450_zpsffda4944.jpg</a> View Quote Let me know when it has 2 solid axles and removable top and doors. |
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I have an 04 Wrangler and I wouldn't dream of towing anything with it. I love it , but it barely has enough power to pull itself over a large cowpile. it has the 4.0 in it.
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Quoted: Let me know when it has 2 solid axles and removable top and doors. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: 5000 pound tow rating. <a href="http://s1228.photobucket.com/user/bigdeeeeeeee/media/1106121450_zpsffda4944.jpg.html" target="_blank">http://i1228.photobucket.com/albums/ee458/bigdeeeeeeee/1106121450_zpsffda4944.jpg</a> Let me know when it has 2 solid axles and removable top and doors. I don't see any FJ guys starting threads worried about towing.... ETA- and just a utility trailer with ATVs too |
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I pull my dirtbike and my trailer with my 2007 JK 2 door 6 speed. The trailer and bike weigh less than 1000 pounds so I have no experience with anything heavy but it handles the bike and trailer on the highway just fine. Like others said jeeps aren't really meant to tow heavy trailers.
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Let me know when it has 2 solid axles and removable top and doors. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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5000 pound tow rating. <a href="http://s1228.photobucket.com/user/bigdeeeeeeee/media/1106121450_zpsffda4944.jpg.html" target="_blank">http://i1228.photobucket.com/albums/ee458/bigdeeeeeeee/1106121450_zpsffda4944.jpg</a> Let me know when it has 2 solid axles and removable top and doors. |
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Towed my 5x8 trailer loaded with pressure treated lumber with my TJ. Going was not the problem, stopping was not even that bad... making turns was scary.
Since then I don't think I would attempt much more than a small 16' or less aluminum boat or a popup camper with my 2013 2 door |
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Nope they are different drivetrains. And the wrangler has a higher center if gravity. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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I have a 2006 Liberty, trasmission cooler, auto, 3.7 and it tows 5,000 #s...same drive train as a Wrangler Nope they are different drivetrains. And the wrangler has a higher center if gravity. Yes to higher COG, but same P/T case |
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In 2000 I towed home my brand-new Regal 20 footer (3700 lbs.). Blew the tranny on my 3yo Jeep within 2 miles.
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I have a 2006 Liberty, trasmission cooler, auto, 3.7 and it tows 5,000 #s...same drive train as a Wrangler Nope they are different drivetrains. And the wrangler has a higher center if gravity. Yes to higher COG, but same P/T case the differentials and the engine are different. The wrangler has a Dana 44 rear. i don't know what the LIberty has but I will guess it is a dana 35. Wrangler came with either 3.8 or 3.6 engine depending on year. Never had a 3.7. They are not the same powertrain. |
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Dana 44s were options and in some packages, 30/35s were first in wranglers, then the 44 was an option, I think they use 44s now, my 4WD is on the floor, where it belongs, no stupid switch/solenoids
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Dana 44s were options and in some packages, 30/35s were first in wranglers, then the 44 was an option, I think they use 44s now, my 4WD is on the floor, where it belongs, no stupid switch/solenoids View Quote Yes a very small number of early base model 2007 2 doors came with the dana 35. He would really have to look for one though. |
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Me and Edsr almost died a few years ago towing a trailer full of fire wood in my 06 Wrangler during and Ice storm in NY
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