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Towing with a Jeep, am I going to die??

F

Francesco

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Ventura County
Hey all,
I have a Jeep MJ that I want to try and tow with. Doing some searching, a U-Haul flat bed weighs around 2K lbs, and I want to tow a 2K flat car. Total ends up being around 4K lbs, is that too much to do with my MJ?

I don't have a hitch either, but the bumper I'm using is mounted to all of the hitch points that would normally be used by a hitch, and is braced everywhere as well.

I have a 1974 Porsche 914 that I would like to tow for around 100 miles to a 914 YJ to pick up some parts to install (while I'm there), to get the car running.

I know that stock this would be a really shitty task, but my jeep has some minor upgrades, I'll list them below:
4.56 gears and a LSD in a MJ dana 44
Explorer disc brake upgrade
Jeep WJ booster and master upgrade

The jeep stops really well around town, and seems to have a lot more than it did, even when it was on stock tires(now it's sitting on 35s and a 3.5" lift. I STILL have a swaybar, if that matters at all). Ignoring all else - including cooling issues, etc - Would my Jeep be able to pull a really light car safely? AFAIK the trailers have brakes as well- albeit not the best, but still better than nothing. Thanks for any advice.
 
Your biggest issue will be lack of rear weight.
 
+4 K lbs is a big load for a little MJ pickup, or XJ SUV. A Class-III hitch will be required.

I would feel much more comfortable borrowing or renting a more suitable tow rig.
 
You may need to put it in 4WD to stop. Braking is usually the biggest issue, followed by wear and tear on the suspension. Our XJ/MJ's were really only meant to tow a 5x8' trailer with a lawnmower.
 
Braking is going to be the biggest issue.
Uhaul may not rent you a car trailer though. MJ's are pretty light and i think if your vehicle is under 3500lbs they wont rent you trailer. At least thats how it us up in my area
 
Tim_MN said:
+4 K lbs is a big load for a little MJ pickup, or XJ SUV. A Class-III hitch will be required.

I would feel much more comfortable borrowing or renting a more suitable tow rig.
Click to expand...

A CJ-5 ought to be a hoot!

As to the OPs question: I have a Metric Tonne MJ and though it might be debatable with regard to capacity, the brakes are clearly not up to the task.
 
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Thanks for all the replies. I will try and find a different vehicle to tow with, however I was just curious if it were up to the task, due to the upgraded brakes.
 
we used to pull my fathers chris craft (around 4k pounds) with the jeep when it was stock. going isnt the issue, stopping is. especially on a trailer with surge brakes. if you are just moving another vehicle from point A to B, itll be fine. i would recommend against highway use or a long haul.

with that said... Uhaul may not give you the car hauler. they may say the vehicle isnt rated high enough. or that the hitch isnt a class rated hitch. just food for thought, doesnt hurt to ask.

will a dolly not work?
 
I would go one farther and say you want electric brakes on the trailer.

Surge brakes are better than nothing, but they operate by pushing against the tow vehicle, and if your tow vehicle is already too light for the application, well, look out for bus-loads of children.
 
md21722 said:
You may need to put it in 4WD to stop. Braking is usually the biggest issue, followed by wear and tear on the suspension. Our XJ/MJ's were really only meant to tow a 5x8' trailer with a lawnmower.
Click to expand...

Uhh, you DO realize that all 4 brakes work just fine in 2WD, right?

Braking would be my biggest concern, and at that payload I'd want brakes ON the trailer, and not surge brakes either- witness what the fellow up there said about pushing the tow vehicle.

Electric brakes require a controller. That's about $100 plus installation.

Pretty sure you could just rent a van and go that route- but Uhaul may still not rent you a trailer due to the tow rig not being your property- some of them are funny like that.

If it were me, I'd rent a tow dolly, put the back end of the Porsche on it, secure the steering wheel properly (don't count on the steering wheel lock, I've seen them fail in this application), and be done with it. I'd also want to throw a couple hundred pounds over the rear axle- sand, gravel, whatever, can be had at the home store in 50 pound bags. This will help with weight distribution and traction. Less opportunity for the towed assembly to "wag the dog".

I'm really curious, though, why do you need to carry the car with you to install the parts there? Why not go, get the parts, throw them in the bed, and come home to install?
 
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Francesco said:
Thanks for all the replies. I will try and find a different vehicle to tow with, however I was just curious if it were up to the task, due to the upgraded brakes.
Click to expand...

Just changing the rear drums brakes to discs doesn't add that much braking power, the majority of the braking comes from the front brakes.
With 35"s, you should be already running WJ or Vanco front brakes, even if you never tow.
 
The whole reason for bringing the car with me is the man with the junkyard offered to sell me all of the original FI parts, and guaranteed them to work. Assuming they don't all work the first go around, I would have to drive all the way back 2+ hours and pick up the parts and then install them AGAIN, and I was looking for a solution for this back and forth, by just bringing the car there for the install, as it's not too labor intensive, just a pain to have to go back and forth.
 
Yeah, I'm with you then. I'd rent a two-wheel tow dolly, and tow it backwards (EDIT: SLOWLY AND CAREFULLY!.. keep reading, because I changed my mind and have a suggestion)

This looks really promising- $110 to buy a bar to flat-tow a 914:
http://shop.914rubber.com/914-Flat-tow-Bar-914FTB1.htm

Also, a few seconds on the Google thingy reveals this:
http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showtopic=5727

In that thread, folks that know more about that specific car than I say it looks like towing backwards on a dolly can be risky to the decklid and the top.

Were it me, I'd buy that $110 tow bar (well ok, I personally would just fabricate my own, but you get the idea), flat tow her and call it done and good. Yes it will cost more. But you will own it, and you'd be surprised how useful it will become.

Do note that you'll have to have the towed car (914) in NEUTRAL, with the steering wheel unlocked. Read the article on the towbar at the link above and you'll see. I've done this with a few Fieros (similar size and weight) and had no problems at all- and I was using another Fiero as a tow vehicle!

Definitely make sure nothing is left adrift in the passenger compartment that can bump the gearshift into gear. I'd maybe even consider making some sort of "interlock" out of wood that can slip over the console to lock it in neutral. Possibly a bit OCD, but transmissions are not cheap, and are a pain to replace!

I assume this is going to be a car used for track days? Right there, you'll save lots of money.
 
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