• NAXJA is having its 18th annual March Membership Drive!!!
    Everyone who joins or renews during March will be entered into a drawing!
    More Information - Join/Renew
  • Welcome to the new NAXJA Forum! If your password does not work, please use "Forgot your password?" link on the log-in page. Please feel free to reach out to [email protected] if we can provide any assistance.

1998 XJ Towing Specs

jbh1860

NAXJA Forum User
Location
North Georgia
I'm looking at buying a '98 XJ with a factory tow package. When I asked the seller about towing, he said "the Jeep Cherokee with the 4.0 is rated for up to 5000lbs, along with an additional 5000lbs of cargo, for a combined rating of 10,000lbs." That seems awful high to me. 5K towing seems realistic but "an additional 5k in cargo? I don't have access to a owners manual. Can anyone point me to some real towing specs?
 
It is 5000lbs with (IIRC) 300lbs tounge weight. Personally I would not want to tow that much with an xj they're just not heavy enough.
 
Realisticly and safely, I'd say its more like 3500# I tow with my XJ's all the time and I wouldn't feel comfortable with more than that behind it.
 
500# cargo sounds MUCH more realistic.
 
xjtrailrider said:
Realisticly and safely, I'd say its more like 3500# I tow with my XJ's all the time and I wouldn't feel comfortable with more than that behind it.
Thats about all I would want to have behind mine. Even with that, trailer brakes, definitly trailer brakes!
 
I found a '00 specifications .pdf at xjjeeps.com

For a 4.0L it says:

Towing
Std = 2000lbs (900Kg)
Auto = 5000lbs (2250Kg)must have auto transmission

Payload:
Max payload (includes occupants and cargo) = 1150lbs (590Kg)

Could not find anything about Towing AND Payload together.
 
That 10,000 pound isn't that far off because it includes the weight of the empty Jeep too.

~3500 lb Jeep
~1200 lb payload (cargo and people)
~5000 lb trailer
=9700 lb


5000 lbs of cargo is a little optimistic though...
 
On two seperate occasions, I have pulled an XJ on a tow dolly with another XJ--and would not recommed it. Even with the stock tranny cooler the temp ran hot, power was almost nothing, and braking was even worse.
I just got a good deal on a Woody, which is going to be the tow rig now!
 
About once every six weeks or so, my XJ gets pressed into service to tow some random vehicle that someone I know needs to get from A to B. Since most of them tend to have been sitting for some time, this usually means towing them on a flat trailer. From my experience, here's what I can tell you about towing with a Cherokee:

1) You'll go through brakes rather rapidly depending on how often you're towing and the weight of the load.

2) The 9" discs up front get hot really quickly with a heavy load on the back. This coupled with 1) above means that a braked trailer (electric, surge, or otherwise) is pretty much a necessity.

3) Both 1) and 2) above mean using engine braking wherever possible on more-than-moderate inclines. With that in mind:

4) Fit an oversized auxiliary transmission cooler and make sure that your cooling system is in good shape beforehand if you're going to do this on anything approaching a regular basis. Also make sure that your gearing matches the size of your tyres if you're not running a stock setup.

5) Don't go over 60mph. Most state laws limit vehicles towing trailers to somewhere in the region of 50-55mph, but keeping everything in mind above, exceeding that number is likely not going to be beneficial to your XJ's longevity.

And finally:

6) When towing with a Cherokee, BE AWARE OF WHAT'S GOING ON AROUND YOU. An XJ is like an ant: it'll move a surprising amount of weight for its size. But the problem is that is doesn't necessarily have the mass or dimensions to cope with the weight that it's toting as well as a larger vehicle would. Keep to the right lane whenever possible, remain alert for idiots, and plan ahead as much as you can. If there's one lesson that's been impressed upon me from from dragging stuff around through idiot Los Angeles drivers, this is it.
 
Back
Top