towing my lifted xj with my stock xj?????

[91cherokee]

i am planing on buying a 16 foot car trailer and i wanted to know if anyone is doing this already. i would be towing it with my stock 93 5 speed. is this going to work???

[Slip Kid]

pulling it is nothing to worry about. it's stopping that might give you trouble. if the trailor has brakes of some sort you will be fine. I'm sure someone here will be able to explain the different types of trailor brakes.

[Goatman]

My opinion is that it's not a good idea. The load will be over the factory rated tow capacity, especially with the 5 spd and 3.07 gears. The stock XJ brakes aren't very big, so if you decide to do it you definitely need trailer brakes.

I think the highest trailer tow rating for an XJ is 5000 lb, and that's with an auto and 3.55 gears. I think the 5 spd is rated at 3500 lb. With the equipment you have on your rig, if it's like most of us, it weighs from 4200 to 4600 lb. With a 1500 lb trailer that brings you into the 6000 lb range.

In a pinch it will get the job done, but it's over capacity.

[Eagle]

I agree with Goatman. Not a good idea. Any trailer over 1000 pounds (2000 max) should have trailer brakes, but aside from that when you put a lifted, probably armored, loaded trail rig on a car trailer, the trailer outweighs the tow vehicle. That's bad enough. Then there's the relatively short wheelbase of the XJ. Short wheelbase vehicles get pushed around a lot more when the trailer gets hit with cross winds.

If this were a one-time tow, for a short distance in an emergency, I'd say go ahead. But it sounds like your thinking of doing this on a regular basis. If that's the case, I definitely don't recommend it.

[rockwerks]

Man I just told him this n JU a couple of hours ago...I guess if its not what you wnat ot hear go ask someone til you do....Ive tried it....in an emergency...very bad idea...too heavy....flat tow ok....car dolly ok....trailer tooo darn heavy! Yjou wont be able to climb hills on the highway and in town forget about it.

Listen to Goatman, and Eagle

[Kudzu]

I agree with them on the fact of having the 5sp...if it were auto I would say go for it have done it several times with my 01 and no problems...I have a 16 ft car hauler with brakes...Only thing I would do for sure would be get a load equalizeing hitch does wonders for towing....

[Mikel]

Why are vehicles with manual trannies rated lower when towing? Getting moving might be a bit more taxing on the clutch, but when going downhill, you can downshift and not have to keep on braking and braking...

[FlxnXJ]

Hey man I tow with an 01 GMC 2500 HD and when your cruising down the hwy 70, 75 MPH and you hit good winds it still sucks! I couldnt imagin towing my XJ, with an XJ. mine is 4,456 LB's there is now way a 4.0L has enough power to pull large hills !!

[Goatman]

Originally posted by Mikel
Why are vehicles with manual trannies rated lower when towing? Getting moving might be a bit more taxing on the clutch, but when going downhill, you can downshift and not have to keep on braking and braking...

Not every vehicle with a stick trans has a tow rating less than one with an automatic. One ton diesel pickups are available with sticks, and most big rigs have maual trannies. They have clutches that are heavy enough to handle the big loads, and they are geared properly.

The XJ clutch, and most other clutches in light duty applications, are not what you'd call heavy duty. Most important in an XJ, the 3.07 gears are very inadequate to move heavy loads, and will put strain on the clutch and the motor. Automatics don't have a clutch to be concerned with, plus the torque converter multiplies the torque to do a better job of getting the load moving. Oh, and you can also downshift an automatic transmission. :)

[XJguy]

While not a 5 speed I did tow one XJ with another. The trailer I used had inertia activated brakes though (U-Haul) and I really had no problems at all. Thats with 33" tires and 3.55 gears. The trailer alone weighed over 2000lbs. I did this for a few thousand miles in the rain and sleet up and down high elevation.

My bro towed his 75 Olds with an extra 455 block throw in the trunk with my 86 5-speed XJ for a few hundered miles using a U-haul tow dolly and he also had no probs..that was with stock wheels and 4.10 gears. Course, with that 2.8 everyone behind him when climbing was really disliking him :)

From experience I had no problems but YRMV.

XJguy

[atowley]

I also wouldn't suggest it. Like FLXN said, I also tow with a 02 ford F350 with a v10 and 3.73 gears. And in high winds and large hills, it taxes the truck and engine with the trailer. Too much weight.... Pick up a econo tow rig with a 460 and some size or something.

[Jeep1XJ]

I too have trailered XJ with an XJ. It was rough on the 92 auto XJ to tow a uhaul with a trail 86 XJ on it. The brakes on the trailer worked great. Acceleration was slow, but once it got moving was ok. Up hills were taxing to say the least, and engine temp was on the close-to-I dont want to do this anymore side. The 92 has aux trans cooler and extra large cooling fan, but it wasnt enough. I did remove the grill guard and fog lights to get max air flow into the rad. It was unstable on cross winds and when an 18 wheeler would pass me, they did all the time. My max tow speed was 70 for my whole trip, gas mileage was out the window. I trailer-towed from S. Fla. to Murphy, and Ky and Ark. So I had my experiences with it. I too would recommend a larger tow vehicle.

[rockwerks]

The last trip towing was with my 2.5 4 cly 4 speed MJ towing an XJ back from Boulder CO to Flagstaff AZ, I used a tow dolly and made sure that I stayed in the power range my MJ has 4.10 gears...it went ok averaged around 55 mph but climbimg out of Albuquerque was trouble....this is the third XJ Ive towed with the4 cyl MJ and I gotta say it does 10 times better than my 4.0 XJ ever did.....the 4 cyl has much better low end grunt

[proskier101]

BUMP

ok so im planning on building a 2 seater XJ tube buggy and i just bought a 1200lb car hauler and the buggy should be 3000lbs so 5000lbs with gear.

i have 8" of lift and 5.13 gears and the trailer is a dual axle and will have trailer brakes when i start towing. I also have an aw4 with the 4.0.

ive seen it done on here but is this relativly safe?i have 4wheel 1/2ton disc brakes on the XJ already and i will be putting bigger brakes on the trailer(im getting bigger brakes than recommended)
would this be a good set up?

[cal]

Holy old thread batman!


No. With 8" of lift, your center of gravity is WAY TOO HIGH to put that kind of weight on the rear of the rig.

I have an offroad trailer that weighs about 500 pounds, and I load it with about 600 pounds of gear. Towing it with XJ's that have ~3.5" lift and 32's, I can forget its there. Towing it behind MY xj, with 6.5" lift and 35's, its 55 mph and takes all of my attention.

[proskier101]

Holy old thread batman!


No. With 8" of lift, your center of gravity is WAY TOO HIGH to put that kind of weight on the rear of the rig.

I have an offroad trailer that weighs about 500 pounds, and I load it with about 600 pounds of gear. Towing it with XJ's that have ~3.5" lift and 32's, I can forget its there. Towing it behind MY xj, with 6.5" lift and 35's, its 55 mph and takes all of my attention.


well i already towed a totaled nissan Hardbody with it and the trailer had NO trailer brakes:explosion that was a one time thing. and at 60 it did fine and never knew it was there. even brakeing on a flat surface it did good.

but i know my COG is high but what would that cause? making turns im slow and going in a straight line the COG doesnt do much...I towed the truck 40 miles and stopping going down hill wasnt nice. then again i had no trailer brakes yet.

but my main question now is what would the COG do?

[cal]

Try and make any kind of high speed evasive action, or have the trailer start fishtailing on you going down hill. You will see quickly that the trailer will push you around like a gradeschool bully.


It will not be safe, and it was foolish of you to try it once already.

[proskier101]

Try and make any kind of high speed evasive action, or have the trailer start fishtailing on you going down hill. You will see quickly that the trailer will push you around like a gradeschool bully.


It will not be safe, and it was foolish of you to try it once already.


hmmm maybe lower the XJ and 35"s. lower COG and more pulling with the 5.13s

[cal]

If you were to say like 4.5" and 35's, I probably wouldnt argue with you.

I still think a lifted xj is not the best tow rig, but it would be getting closer to the safe zone.

[cablesmurf]

Okay, since this thread has been revived, I'll axe a question...:)

I have a 97 XJ Auto with 5.5" lift, 33's and 4:56 gears, banks header, 62mm TB, TB spacer, K&N Cold air intake and flowmaster exaust.

I will be towing a 17' hybrid travel trailer (Trail lite c17)

I have trailer brakes, and load distribution bars, and will be installing a tranny cooler this weekend.

I've towed it about 20 km's as a small test and it seemed fine...dropped to 80 km/h on a fairly big hill. Not too bad IMO.

Here's my question: I've read that you shouldn't tow in OD, but if I were to drop it into 3rd, it would scream like a little beotch. What's your opinions?

Smurf

http://members.shaw.ca/samdog/Our%20new%20trailer.JPG

[cal]

I tow in third at 55 mph.
;)

[proskier101]

i was in 3rd at 60 and 2700 rpm. OD didnt work too well though

[cablesmurf]

In 3rd at 60 mp/h, I would be at 3300 RPM's or so...

[cablesmurf]

i was in 3rd at 60 and 2700 rpm. OD didnt work too well though

Auto? What gears and tire size?

[cal]

In 3rd at 60 mp/h, I would be at 3300 RPM's or so...

Thats why I said 55. ;) I do 3000 RPM's at 55 uphill, and will use overdrive to maintain speed on flat ground only.

[proskier101]

Auto? What gears and tire size?

4.0/aw4/ 37" MTrs and 5.13 gears

[FoMoCo]

In 3rd at 60 mp/h, I would be at 3300 RPM's or so...

nothing wrong with that, the 4.0 will turn 3300 all day long with no problems, and you have the added benefit of more coolant flow and the trans will stay a little cooler too

[proskier101]

well update on mine. my buggy will actually be right around 2500lbs and 1200lbs trailer. so 3700lbs. and 4 wheel trailer brakes.

[PstrKd4BrthCntrll]

This is my set up

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v491/Pstrkd4brthcntrll/Cliffs%20May%2017th%2008/IMG_5787.jpg

95 Grand Cherokee, 4.0L, trans cooler, pulls my 97 cherokee on the dolly[no brakes] just fine. Stopping it does alright. Just cant go over 60mph. Anything above that and the cherokee will start to sway badly! That scared the crap out of me, not to mention everyone around me too. They backed off pretty quick. Not fun at all. I'd like to get a full size trailer but i dont think my Grand would like pulling it.

[derrickdrew17]

Okay, since this thread has been revived, I'll axe a question...:)

I have a 97 XJ Auto with 5.5" lift, 33's and 4:56 gears, banks header, 62mm TB, TB spacer, K&N Cold air intake and flowmaster exaust.

I will be towing a 17' hybrid travel trailer (Trail lite c17)

I have trailer brakes, and load distribution bars, and will be installing a tranny cooler this weekend.

I've towed it about 20 km's as a small test and it seemed fine...dropped to 80 km/h on a fairly big hill. Not too bad IMO.

Here's my question: I've read that you shouldn't tow in OD, but if I were to drop it into 3rd, it would scream like a little beotch. What's your opinions?

Smurf

http://members.shaw.ca/samdog/Our%20new%20trailer.JPG

Thats one nice set up man.. Thats my Dream Setup.

[derrickdrew17]

When I tow I use 3rd till I get into flat ground then when I get going up hill i dont try to floor it I just down shift into 3rd and then cawl up the hill.

[cwstnsko]

Okay, since this thread has been revived, I'll axe a question...:)

I have a 97 XJ Auto with 5.5" lift, 33's and 4:56 gears, banks header, 62mm TB, TB spacer, K&N Cold air intake and flowmaster exaust.

I will be towing a 17' hybrid travel trailer (Trail lite c17)

I have trailer brakes, and load distribution bars, and will be installing a tranny cooler this weekend.

I've towed it about 20 km's as a small test and it seemed fine...dropped to 80 km/h on a fairly big hill. Not too bad IMO.

Here's my question: I've read that you shouldn't tow in OD, but if I were to drop it into 3rd, it would scream like a little beotch. What's your opinions?

Smurf



Looks nice, probably do OK. looks like the front of the TT may be a touch high. My experience is that they tow better with the nose a touch lower than the back. Carry as much heavy gear in the XJ to keep the rig heavier than the load. Pay really close attention to the weight distribution of the gear in the trailer to keep the tongue weight right around 15% of the trailer weight. Might want to consider a sway controller. Good brake controller properly adjusted. Travel with trailer tanks empty if you'll have access to water at your destination. Weigh it all on a truck scale loaded as you plan to travel and make adjustments if necessary. If the weight distributing hitch is set up correctly, the front and rear suspension of the XJ should both compress about equally when the trailer is attached. Personally I'd probably leave it out of OD unless it was running over 3500 RPM in 3rd. (Much of this is based on my experience towing a 3500 lb TT with a Ford Windstar minivan for a few years with no trouble at all.)

Lots of little things that stack the deck in your favor.

The 1st issue I see is if you get stopped by the troopers and they check you (I've heard of more reports of this in Canada than in the US, but maybe not so much in Alberta as in BC.) The only obvious out of compliance is the frontal area limitation in the owners manual and possibly the GCVW rating if you bring too much stuff.

The 2nd issue is always a concern with any modified vehicle...... If you were to be involved in an accident, you're totally screwed. Between the mods to the XJ and the towing situation, you insurance would almost certainly leave you hangin out to dry.

I make it a point to drive my modified XJ to the insurance office and park it right outside the window to his office as I'm paying my bill. I usually go so far as to try to bring up my "upgrades" in the discussion so he can't claim he didn't know what he was writing a policy on. It probably wouldn't hold up to heavy scrutiny, but at least we'd have the basis for a discussion before they shot down my claim :(

[xjtrailrider]

I tow my bass boat about a thousand miles a year with my 90 XJ. The boat weighs in at 3100# and I have surge/disc brakes on the trailer that work good at getting it "whoad" down. The XJ is still on the inadequate stock brakes but has a real strong rebuilt motor in it, 3.55 and 30" tires. No real problems pulling the load except on long hills and when it gets to whipping around behind me I have to fight it back straight. I stay under 55mph and in the steep short mountains around here I sometimes fall back to 35 on the highway trying to pull grade.

I would not even attempt to pull anything heavier, I wish I had more truck to tow the boat with now.

http://img406.imageshack.us/img406/8831/90boat2ni2.jpg

[proskier101]

the only thing i worry about is the swaying and stopping. here in FL we dont have many hills and i believe the axle is 3500lbaxle and i would put 5000lb brakes on both axles.(maybe that would actually slow the cherokee down better than its brakes)....i already had to swerve off the road cause some asshole cut me off and i wipped back on the road and the trailer hugged the hitch and never swayed...



what causes the swaying?

[xjtrailrider]

Tongue height will help the swaying and it depends on the trailer and how its balanced. My boat tows best tongue down, my 6x10 utility trailer tows best tongue up.

The XJ is very narrow compared to the trailers that I tow with it and I think that lack of leverage both in width, weight, length, makes it a ill tow vehicle. It does great for what it is though.