Flat Towing 101 behind a WJ V8

Does anybody flat tow their XJs, if so what vehicles are you guys using, I've got an '01 WJ V8 that im considering using for flat towing my XJ. the xj is going to be on RE 5.5 and 34x10.5 LTBs locked ft. and rr. Is this a good idea and if so what are the basics for a good set-up?

I know i need a tow bar of some sort....any recommendations?

Thanks
Lincoln

I flat towed my XJ (among other vehicles) behind my tired '87 MJ longbed 4.0 5-speed before I knew any better. When I moved from NJ out to St Louis, I had a near catastrophic wheel malfunction flat towing behind my K2500 Suburban turbodiesel. I have since bought a trailer. I don't recommend it with that small of a tow rig. Wheelbase is king in the realm of towing, be it flat or with a trailer.

Lawn Cher',

i see your point but i also see vehicles being flat towed all the time. i would think that trailering an XJ behind a WJ would be a bad idea, but flat towing eliminates the extra weight of the trailer so you would only be towing approx 4000lbs, not bad when the WJ should be able to handle 6K. I know stopping is the main issue as my parents live on a farm and i have done lots of towing. any other inputs....or experience???

lincoln

I flat tow my TJ w/ an F350. The weight and length make the TJ nearly unnoticeable. I have towed also a friends YJ behind a ZJ Grand. That was much more work for the Grand, but it towed fine.
Here are some pointers I have learned from my personal experience and friends who flat tow. The tow bar should be close to level from one vehicle to the other, with the preference toward a downslope to the towing vehicle. The reason is that under braking this induces some downforce on the tow vehicles hitch during braking. Don't have too much angle though, or you'll be spinning the rear wheels when accelerating as it lifts the rr. of the tow vehicle. Do your braking before entering turns. You have no tongue weight like with a trailer other than whats induced by the angle of the tow bar. So entering a turn and then braking WILL push the rr. of the tow vehicle sideways. This is apparent even w/ my crewcab longbox pickup on dirt roads if there isn't significant weight in the bed. Just be careful and give yourself plenty of room to sloe down.
Now for the disclaimer. Most towbars specifically say not to use behind a pickup or van or similar pass. vehicles due to the lack of weight to keep the combination stable under braking.

I have pretty much the same set up and I plan on flat towing behind my Dakota Quad Cab. My concern is the LTB's, I also have 34's and they are very "quirky" on the highway.. I have a set of stockers and stock rims I think I will use for towing and load the 43's in the truck. Also, I assume the WJ has a rear sway bar, with flat towing you dont have any tongue weight but in corners the vehicle tries to push the rear... a swaybar reduces this greatly.. I have flat towed with a friends Discovery w/o rear sway bar and towing a CJ.. it would get squirrly in the corners...

No sway bar on the rr. of a WJ.
Also, I should mention the manners of the towed vehicle will have an effect on the handling. I can take my hands off the wheel of my TJ at above legal speeds and it will track just fine. If the flat towed vehicle doesn't do this, then it could get real stressful costantly keeping it in check.

So how does the XJ drive by itself?

woodkrawler said:

Lawn Cher',

i see your point but i also see vehicles being flat towed all the time. i would think that trailering an XJ behind a WJ would be a bad idea, but flat towing eliminates the extra weight of the trailer so you would only be towing approx 4000lbs, not bad when the WJ should be able to handle 6K. I know stopping is the main issue as my parents live on a farm and i have done lots of towing. any other inputs....or experience???

lincoln

Click to expand...

The weight of the brake-equipped, sway controlled, weight-distributed trailer is more than made up for by stability and braking improvements when compared to flat towing. A V8 WJ won't have a problem in the GO department, but the STOP and TURN areas will be insufficient while flat towing. You can't engage the towed Jeep's brakes without an expensive actuator system from the RV industry (where they refer to the vehicle as a "toad.") And the steering response from the toad will be poor with those kind of tires.

Just because people do it, doesn't make it smart. I'm not trying to burst your bubble, just avoid another roadway catastrophe.

I have been flat-towing for 5 years, and finally moving up to a trailer. I would be extremely careful flat-towing with a WJ. I have had the XJ push the rear-end my Suburban on exit ramp in the rain. I quickly replaced my tires with a new set of Cooper LT's.

A trailer actually tows easier then flat-towing, even with the extra weight.

thanks for all the help.....maybe ill just drive the XJ. Its a trail rig only so i was just thinking about alternatives to driving the LTBs for hours on the hwy as they aren't the friendliest road tires.

lincoln

woodkrawler said:

thanks for all the help.....maybe ill just drive the XJ. Its a trail rig only so i was just thinking about alternatives to driving the LTBs for hours on the hwy as they aren't the friendliest road tires.

lincoln

Click to expand...

Not the easiest solution, but you could use a set of small street tires on a second set of rims and carry the swampers in a trailer or hitch mounted rack and swap when you arrive at your wheeling destination.

i thought about that but that would be a headache, maybe i could do that on really long trips. i haven't finished the jeep yet so i don't know how its going to drive, i know the RE 5.5 should drive good but the LTBs won't be the best, but of course i was used to driving a full width XJ with leafs in the front on 38" TSLs everyday too before this jeep. I drove that jeep to tellico and back numerous times 5-6 hour trip so i guess ill just deal with it. It doesn't bother me but the wife gets tired of the constant roar, the Leather in the WJ is much more her speed!!! haha

thanks for all the help and im still considering it if i take it easy.
lincoln

Lawn Cher' said:

Not the easiest solution, but you could use a set of small street tires on a second set of rims and carry the swampers in a trailer or hitch mounted rack and swap when you arrive at your wheeling destination.

Click to expand...

not sure if it helps,
but i regularly tow a Suzuki Samurai on 31's and SOA 5" behind a 2003 WJ
and the scarry part is if a tire on the sammy goes... im toast.... and the superswamers that the zuki is on arent the most balanced tires....


working on getting a trailer...

by themselves, the LTB's arent as bad as I thought they would be.. the need to heat up, and I have equal in them.. but at a constant speed, they arent bad.. but with all this said, I plan to flat tow with stocker tires, but am always looking for a trailer.

or you could go down to u haul and rent a car hauler or tow dolly. either of those are more safe than flat towing. also much cheaper than replacing a rolled WJ and XJ

i towed an XJ on a u haul "car hauler" and it did fine. heavy friggin trailer but it did good. only cost me 65 bucks to go round trip with it.

olivedrabcj7 said:

or you could go down to u haul and rent a car hauler or tow dolly. either of those are more safe than flat towing. also much cheaper than replacing a rolled WJ and XJ

Click to expand...

Great suggestion!

I regularly tow my XJ(4.5" w/31s) behind my 93' 3/4ton Dodge Diesel with a 10.5 camper. All was fine untill one day the XJ got some DW while towing it down a rough road. didn't know what was on untill I saw the wheels on the Jeep going crazy in the mirror. You think DW feels bad, it looks scarry!!!

Anyway had to dump the XJ as the trac bar was DESTROYED, go back to town get the spare trac-bar, then come back and put it in. Now I have a tow dolly.


I once towed the Jeep behind the truck with no camper on it. I didn't like it. Not enough tounge weight to in the back to keep it planted on the road. I would do it again occasionaly for a recovery but not something I would do on a regular basis.

Also I can not leaglly tow my XJ behind my truck without the camper on the truck unless it has its own brakes. Regs say the tow vehicle must be 2X the weight of the vehicle being towed or else the vehicle being towed must have a brake activation kit. With the camper I'm actually still a bit shy of that. Some places have a flat out weight rating usually around 3500# stating that anything being towed over 3500# must have its own brakes. BC is like that, so I'm ok in Alberta but if I go to BC I'm not legal. May want to check your local laws if you plan to flat tow.

I tow an 18' trailer with a lifted YJ on 36s and all the heavy stuff behind my 99WJ. The WJ tows very well but I can tell i'm pushing the limit with it!! I'm guessing close to about 6000# plus and a rating of 6500#. On some long downhills it can get squirrely and scary. I wouldn't reccommend flat towing. I did it once. XJ towing the same YJ and it was ugly. I love the trailer just wish the tow rig was bigger. Just my .02.
Good luck,
Stukboy