Towing a camp trailer behind an Unlimited

[WalterD]

Anyone here tow a camp trailer behind their Jeep? How does it handle? Looking at upgrading from a tent.
Thanks Walter

[terron gregg]

i have a friend who hauls there pop up trailer behind it and it manages through the hills wouldn't know other than that haven't driven it

[lancetkenyon]

I saw a guy pulling a tiny utility trailer with a Rhino on Saturday..........let's just say I backed off and gave him some room.

[Bilt4Comfort]

If you want to upgrade...get yourself a diesel pusher and just tow the Jeep.:fashizzle:

[Triple-XJ]

I use to haul a Colman Pop-up with my stock 88XJ. It did GREAT! We used it for hunting and would take it all the way to the Northern Kibab, and all around Az. We would drag it everywhere. It worked well behind the 4.0XJ.

[lancetkenyon]

If you want to upgrade...get yourself a diesel pusher and just tow the Jeep.:fashizzle:

X2, but make sure you get a 30' trailer, you have 2 Jeeps to tow.

[ob1jeeper]

Walt,
Your unlimited is rated to tow up to 3500 lbs, which you should easily be able to stay under with one of those smaller pop-up type tent campers.

AND it will do it just fine, albiet, you'll be slowing down some on uphills, but IMHO, that's a small price to pay for a bit more comfort @ camp spots...;)

HTH... ;)

[Jdemonto@Airpark Jeep Sales]

Walt,
Your unlimited is rated to tow up to 3500 lbs, which you should easily be able to stay under with one of those smaller pop-up type tent campers.

AND it will do it just fine, albiet, you'll be slowing down some on uphills, but IMHO, that's a small price to pay for a bit more comfort @ camp spots...;)

HTH... ;)

X2......I have seen many folks tow with an unlimited..including myself...Mine with 37's can tow 2000lbs just fine...you may slow for the hills.

Jason

[Fire Ball]

OK so I'll be the one to bring this up. Just a word to the wise.

Make sure you do not exceed your towing capacity nor your GVW of the jeep. Even though you might be fully able to go higher, in this world of law suites, anything someone can find you at fault for is gonna cost you.

So say you are pulling a trailer too big for your rig by a couple hundred pounds and some idiot pulls in front of you and you kill or mame him. You are going to be in for a big fight with some insurance companies lawyers not to mention the family of the person you hit.

For instance, if you get in a motor cycle accident without a helmet on and scramble your brain, many insurance companies will only pay partial damages since you are supposed to know better than to not wear a helmet so you are partially to blame for your injuries. Even though helmets are not required in your state.

The law firm my sister works at was working on just such a case involving seat belts. Happening more and more.

[Jdemonto@Airpark Jeep Sales]

OK so I'll be the one to bring this up. Just a word to the wise.

Make sure you do not exceed your towing capacity nor your GVW of the jeep. Even though you might be fully able to go higher, in this world of law suites, anything someone can find you at fault for is gonna cost you.

So say you are pulling a trailer too big for your rig by a couple hundred pounds and some idiot pulls in front of you and you kill or mame him. You are going to be in for a big fight with some insurance companies lawyers not to mention the family of the person you hit.

For instance, if you get in a motor cycle accident without a helmet on and scramble your brain, many insurance companies will only pay partial damages since you are supposed to know better than to not wear a helmet so you are partially to blame for your injuries. Even though helmets are not required in your state.

The law firm my sister works at was working on just such a case involving seat belts. Happening more and more.


Very good Bill......The unlimited can max tow 3500lbs....I say 1/2 is what i would tow Max to keep at a good speed.

Jason

[KennethS]

Where does the max tow weight come from? I ask becasue I have a Class III 2" in-bumper receiver hitch that is rated higher than the factory tow rating. I think, but am not certain, that the factory rating is based on a Class II hitch. So again, what dictates the maximum towing weight? Vehicle weight? Engine/trans/gear ratio combination? Trailer hitch type? A combination of all the above?

Not that I even tow anything, I am just curious.

[AZLugz]

I tow trailers all the time with my Unlimited and it does fine. Since I was 11 I have towed everything from motorcycle trailers to water buffalos to semi trailers and I have never seen anything say to stay half tow weight or below. The better suggestion is use your head and do not out tow your abilities. The biggest thing is TRAILER BRAKES if you are hauling something long or something close to max.

That said, i have a car trailer w/brakes that I have hauled the quads to the trails with and I have a Jumping Jack camp trailer that I bought for my Jeep. That was another reason for buying the Unlimited, it has a tow rating, unlike the standard jeep that is not rated to tow.

Remember that if you Jeep is modded (like we all are) it will not handle as was "factory tested" and your tow rating / capabilities will not be the same, a lifted jeep will definately be a scary ride hauling a top heavy trailer. Likewise, a heavy trailer will nosedive in a panic stop and if you are lifted and have a drop hitch, the lever action of the drop vs the panic stop tongue weight can an will lift your front wheels off the ground......considering approximately 75% of your jepp brakes are on the front wheels, this would be a bad thing.

There are a lot of limiting factors in towing with a long jeep, a lot of things you really need to look at to determine if your individual jeep is safe to haul the trailer in question, but it is safe to tow with an Unlimited if you use common sense.

[Markos]

I have an older viking popup. Honestly, I can hardly tell that it's behind my XJ when towing. I don't get any sway. Hills and stoping aren't an issue. It doesn't have any trailer brakes either. I haven't weighed it, but I'm guessing it's around 1500lbs. The tounge weight is next to nothing. You can easily pickup the trailer by the tounge, pull it by hand, rotate it, etc. The downside to some is that it doesn't have a fridge, furnace, etc. It does have a sink and sleeps 6. I tent camped for years (and still do), so this was an appropriate upgrade that my jeep can easily handle. The newer big popups are closer to 3k lbs. You may want to stick with an older unit, or a small colemen/viking.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2234/2061259448_aa14de41e8_o.jpg

[AZLugz]

Where does the max tow weight come from? I ask becasue I have a Class III 2" in-bumper receiver hitch that is rated higher than the factory tow rating. I think, but am not certain, that the factory rating is based on a Class II hitch. So again, what dictates the maximum towing weight? Vehicle weight? Engine/trans/gear ratio combination? Trailer hitch type? A combination of all the above?

Not that I even tow anything, I am just curious.

Tow ratings are determined by the manufacturer and are only partially based on the hitch/frame capabilities, tose factors are important but do not tell the whole story.

Two ther major considerations are brakes and length. The brakes in a tow rig are oversix=zed compared to what the rig need to handle its own weight, they are based on the weight of what is expected to be hauled in the bed plus a reasonable trailer (assuming larger trailers will have brakes). This haul weight combined with the vehicle weight gives the a ratio that the brakes need to be designed to handle. The standard (non unlimited) jeep brakes are designed to handle the vehicle weight + load + a safety factor but no trailer (not trailer rated), so if you add a 2000 trailer, you may exceed the ability of the brakes.
Length is the major factor on the short wheelbase Jeeps. They do not rate thme for a trailer as they are short and commonly lifted and this causes unstability on the road. Short WB vehicles are hard enough to control on the road but when you add a trailer, you triple or more the effects. Consider. If you have a short WB, you commonly have a tendancey to weave slightly to and fro on the road, add a trailer and you set up and oscilation in the trailer that can cause it to sway, once the sway starts, you try to correct (NEVER DO THAT!!!!), your reaction time is slow compared to the oscilation and actually amplifies the problem (should use the trailer brakes if equipped). Now the sway and weight of the trailer, overpowers the short length and light weight of the jeep and sets up a bad oscilation that rolls the sidewalls and gets the jeep whiping....you are now waiting for the crash as you have little to no hope of gaining control.

There are other factors also, but those are the major ones and NEVER assume that because you put on a trailer hitch or a heavier hitch, that that gives you a tow rating or increases it, that makes for a disaster waiting to happen.

Another false idea and can be a disaster is people towing trailers with the common Jeep aftermarket bumper with built in reciever. Check the manufacturer of these bumpers and most will tell you that they are rated for recovery only and NOT trailer towing. Trailer towing causes stress and vibrations that they are not designed to handle, it is not a "weight thing". People assume that if you can pull your Jeep outta the mud, it is plenty strong enough to handle a 2000 lb trailer. Well, you are totally right....to a point. Strenght is fine, durability is not. Find someone that commonly tows with one and you will see. The welds around the receiver crack and most common is the mounts for the bumper itself crack. These bumpers are not designed to handle the forward jarring, constant vibration and vertical loading of a trailer.

Sorry this was so long, just been involved in trailers all my life, started hauling horse trailers at 11 and as I said, I have towed some pretty wild setups and have seen some real stupid stuff and unfortunately some real bad out comes.

[KennethS]

No problem with the length of your post, I definitely appreciate the information, especially the heads up about the brakes.

You mentioned more than once that the regular Wrangler is not rated for towing, but I swear I read in my owner's manual that with the appropriate hitch it is rated for towing 2500 pounds / 250 pounds tongue weight.

Now that brings me to the hitch. As you mentioned, some in-bumpers receiver hitches are not rated for towing. I have a Tomken machine bumper/2" receiver hitch, and I seem to remember the manufacturer's info saying it was rated as a Class III hitch. I will have to verify that if I ever want to do any towing, though.

Again, thanks for the information.

[Huck]

I've never had any issues towing my 1955 Comet trailer behind my TJ. It has served me well on many a hunt. I tow it at safe speeds and you can imagine that I'm slower than a turtle on the way up the rim, but the heep handles it well.

[AZLugz]

No problem with the length of your post, I definitely appreciate the information, especially the heads up about the brakes.

You mentioned more than once that the regular Wrangler is not rated for towing, but I swear I read in my owner's manual that with the appropriate hitch it is rated for towing 2500 pounds / 250 pounds tongue weight.

Now that brings me to the hitch. As you mentioned, some in-bumpers receiver hitches are not rated for towing. I have a Tomken machine bumper/2" receiver hitch, and I seem to remember the manufacturer's info saying it was rated as a Class III hitch. I will have to verify that if I ever want to do any towing, though.

Again, thanks for the information.


I went and did some looking and I found stuff to verify the ot rated to tow statement I made but then I found on Edmunds.com that the 98 has a 2000lb tow capacity and I would normally believe Edmunds, they typically have pretty accurate info in this reguard, so.....I will revise my point to the SWB Jeep having a 2K tow rate.

Remember tho, lift and tires can make a mojor difference but s Huck pointed out, if you are careful, you can have very good luck towing with a Jeep, just don't be in a rush!!!

As for your Tomken bumper, check with them on it, as I said, some of the aftermarket bumpers with hitches built in are rated to tow.

[Jdemonto@Airpark Jeep Sales]

A swb jeep can safely tow 2000lbs and a lwb jeep can safely tow 3500lbs. When I said tow 1/2..I meant if you want to move at a descent speed, if you tow your max you will be moving very slow


Jason

[neZZr]

I have no problem towing my trailer behind my SWB, though it's a bit tough going up long hills on the highway since I upgraded the tires and haven't regeared yet. It's about 1600lbs normally, and I once towed it about 600 miles loaded to about 2100lbs.

Braking was scary at times until upgraded the front brakes with the Vanco kit, but only since the larger tires as well. When the Jeep was stock I could barely tell the trailer was back there unless it was windy.

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b357/neZZr/TBT3.jpg

[p14175]

There are several people on this forum that tow small camp trailers with their SWB 4x4s.

http://www.casitaclub.com/

[jeepdude775]

The rubicons are rated at 2000 lbs, but the driveline is definitely stronger than that, and mine pulls trailers fine. I believe the major limiting factor in a jeep is wheelbase. The shorty's can get squirrely and you don't want the trailer "driving" you. The tomken bumper is rated at 3500 lbs, but I would stay around the 2k mark. Heck, I can tow 2 quads and a beefy trailer and still be 2000 lbs. Camp trailers are way less than 2K lbs (popup) and you will see in the manual that frontal area of the trailer is a big factor. A reasonable popup-no problem. But they are slow on hills...Thats why I got a turbodiesel...

EDIT oh I see you have an unlimited-tow 3500 lbs no problem..same driveline, longer wheelbase

[TRobertsRN]

Lots of good answers here.

Also consider: Max tow rating is based on your vehicle being empty except for an average individual of about 175 pounds or so. More people and more stuff equals even less of a tow rating. Passengers, food, water, beer all count as weight to subtract from the weight that can be safely towed and safely stopped. Also you can't just go with the weight of the camper, must also count whatever you load into it, including water if you filled up with that before you leave town.

Not related to this but all things being equal can you tow more with a pickup up with 2 wheel drive or 4 wheel drive?

The answer may supprise you.


The 2 wheel drive tows more because it weights less and had same brakes and other components related to towing.

Tom

[jeepdude775]

The max weight for the vehicle is GCVWR gross combined vehicle weight rating. Subtract the weight of the tow vehicle and contents from this and that will be max "rated" tow weight. I usually find this very conservative, probably for liability reasons but a good yardstick. My trucks GCVWR is 20,000 and probably weighs 6500 lbs so I figure 13500 trailer, although I know people that tow alot more than that with F250's. My Bronco with and 8.8 rear 105" WB is ratedto tow 8600 lbs, and a GCVWR of like 12.5K although it is heavier its not that much bigger than my TJ, just a way better engine. Just drive very conservative and you should have no problems, and remember to down shift going downhill and avoid overdrive if you have an auto. A trailer is the way to go, looking for one myself.

[WalterD]

Thanks for all the information. Time to move UP to a trailer.