Build thread: daily driven tow rig

[Woodswanderer]

Settlement is incoming, so its time to seriously consider a travel trailer purchase for full time living. Found a cheap option im really considering jumping on…

Anyone pulled a HiLo funlite 23’ successfully? ~3500lb weight, dual axle, 10” electric trailer brakes on all 4 wheels…Comes with sway control hardware, and the Reese hitch/XJ specs say i can do 3800lb without any major upgrades…. Low center of gravity means good control and less fishtailing too…outside of a canvas popup, i cant think of anything better to tow behind the XJ..


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[Woodswanderer]

Think i may actually be sold on a HiLo lol 🤣 the factory ad for the 1995 model shows it being pulled with an XJ…guess that answers my question 😉😋


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[Anak]

Marketing is just another word for fraud.

There are some threads on towing here on . Search those out and see what actual users have to say.

[Woodswanderer]

Originally Posted by Anak

Marketing is just another word for fraud.

There are some threads on towing here on . Search those out and see what actual users have to say.

Lol

I dont see why it wouldnt be possible…trailer comes with an EAZ-Lift weight distribution/sway bar setup. At 3500lbs dry, thats right where the XJ starts requiring help from what i understand (trailer brakes, WD hitch, etc).

I have other things i need to handle first it looks like. If i end up buying the trailer i’ll probably rent a u haul pickup to move it to a campground and leave it parked there. The jeep needs a hitch/wiring/trans cooler installed yet, along with the ZJ brake swap in the rear and very least Z36 XJ front brakes before id even consider towing long distances with it.


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[Woodswanderer]

Short update:

Went thru inspection with no major issues. Mechanic had to replace my switchback LEDs up front and repair a broken wire on the right side corner lamp (working turn signal now hooray! Lol). Only thing really stuck out was rear brake shoes are at 5mm, so by spring they’ll need replaced (perfect time for ZJ disc swap).

Rear bar pin eliminators and poly upper shock bushings went on last week. Took away clunk in rear floor boards for about a day 🙄😏. I still need to do the lower bushings at some point before winter. Mechanic said the lower shock nuts werent very tight when he pulled them off, and the bushings are egged out a bit. Im going to replace them with new nylock nuts and washers after chasing the threads with a tap and die set to clean them up, then hit them with red loctite and torque to spec.

Replaced my master window switch with an $18 ebay assembly from ecccpautoparts. Windows and mirrors all work now.

Still trying to find a good balance between comfort and handling on the rear hijacker shocks. 80psi is too soft, 100psi is too hard. Thinking 85-90psi should do

Next up is oil change and tire rotation. And to put new switchback bulbs in again up front. Towing stuff will go on in the spring (trans cooler, gauges, disc brake upgrades, etc). Prob drop trans pan and put the new filter in that i skipped when i did fluid, maybe refresh the solenoids while in there with new Rostra ones since its apart. And the Azzy shift linkage.


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[Woodswanderer]

Switchback led’s, lower rear shock bushings and nuts replaced, and tires rotated. Productive day 😁 aired the shocks to 75psi, i’ll retorque and refill after 50 miles

Oil change and new filter adapter o rings next week.


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[Woodswanderer]

Tightened up the serpentine belt today. Been noticing while sitting at lights or idling in a parking lot that the temp needle creeps up to about 3/4 instead of half. Levels looked good in the overflow and i’ve had a belt chirp under heavy load since replacement so i figured its slipping the water pump pulley.

Only part of the issue: the other part is the chinesium radiator cap that came with the 3 row rad. Its bleeding pressure and needs replaced.


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[Woodswanderer]

She got the premium oil change today. BG EPR for 15 min at 2500rpm after a short 2 mile low speed/rpm drive down the block.

Wix extreme filter for the 5.0 ford, 7qts T5 10w30 and a can of BG MOA. BG 44k in the fuel tank next fill up.

All said and done? $130 oil change, and it didnt even come with a pine tree air fresh’ner.

I broke something on my 4wd “test” in the corn fields last weekend. Sounds like a trans mount on the crossmember. It seemed flaky brand new from the box. Any recommendations for a poly one that wont break the bank?

Basically the hard thunk i was getting when shifting into drive is now doing it in drive and reverse. Possible it could be a U joint, fingers crossed its not the slip yoke


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[Anak]

I am happy with the SFR trans mount I am running: https://www.stinkyfab.com/products/s...ep-xj-cherokee

It isn't cheap at $94, but that is less than your oil change, and it will last substantially longer.

[maxbraketorque]

I have the SFR as well. These aftermarket cylindrical trans mounts come in two basic categories - ones with the axis of the bushing pointing fore/aft and ones with the axis pointed side-to-side. SFR is side-to-side which I prefer. It does transmit a little more drivetrain noise into the passenger compartment.

[Woodswanderer]

Thanks guys, I’ll check it out. Should work well enough with the poly engine mounts and vibration i can tolerate


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[Woodswanderer]

Sprung for that SFR trans mount. She goes into the shop on wednesday for new upper and lower control arms.


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[Woodswanderer]

Verdict is in from the shop: lower control arms replaced, uppers need a bushing and will have to be done after thanksgiving. Add in an alignment and theres $600 plus new parts supplied gone.

But it’ll be done at least and never have to be done again 🤣

Funny thing is, it passed state safety inspection 3 months ago with that bad bushing


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[Woodswanderer]

Finally got the upper control arms in before the winter storm rolled in, and also got the stinkyfab trans mount installed. Still need an alignment to perfect it, but big improvement in how the front end feels. Steering still sucks, feels like a wobbly lawn tractor at speeds/over bumps. It handles the bumps better now though than it did.

Single digit temps make the jeep sound like a diesel truck now at idle, since they are paired with ES poly engine mount inserts 😅. Also a bit more difficult to engage FT4…so an Azzys link will be on the next round of self induced repairs

I need to pressure test the cooling system and the head. Lost coolant somewhere, enough that the overflow was dry. Recently replaced the cap, theres a chance it could be a bad teflon tape job at the overflow fitting on the neck. No coolant in the oil that i can tell.

junkyard WJ steering pump and maybe a durango box are up for install soon too (spring). Plus the steel spacer while im under there.

Rear shoes are getting scary, so of course the convenient timing will lead to replace and upgrade of zj discs, finally.


It never ends 🤣


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[Woodswanderer]

If anyone is still following along, can you tell me if its possible to build the axle shafts off the jeep with zj brakes then just R&R with the new assemblies?


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