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Would you tow a jeep with an xj?

J

jeepdreamer

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Ft Myer, Va
Help...
We're trying to figure the logistics of moving all our junk from N. Va to Colorado. Will have a huge moving truck with a car trailer but have 3 vehicles to move.
Wife's VW jetta wagon. My 83 scrambler on 35s. And my 01 xj.
The xj has a brand new...well, everything. Motor just finished and installed. All brakes. Blah blah. I even fixed the parking brakes on the 8.8 rear. I'm also running airbags on the back for when it's loaded for a long camping trip.
My concern is do you think a scrambler is to much to tow with an xj? Flat tow,dolly, or trailer??
Advice would be awesome. Thanks folks.
 
TRCM said:
yes...per the tow ratings, it is
Click to expand...
I suppose? I found this:
http://www.carmax.com/enus/specifications-equipment/2001-jeep-cherokee-623.html

Which shows towing capacity is 2000/5000. I wonder if that is tongue weight/max tow weight?
Properly loaded and with the airbags set I'm not worried about the tongue so much as dragging a built scrambler halfway across country. It's not set up for flat tow but maybe it could be? Never done that before.
Not sure if it would fit on a tow dolly?
A trailer...sure. but the trailer weight is no feather either...
 
Ship the scrambler
 
jeeptorino68 said:
i would never tow something that is equal to or greater in weight than the tow vehicle.
Click to expand...

Semis do. It's not that big a deal when properly set up, however most of the time people are not. That said, I would not tow that heavy of a vehicle with an xj. It's just not designed for it. As said, ship it or get a buddy to drive it out and fly him back.
 
trippled said:
Semis do. It's not that big a deal when properly set up, however most of the time people are not. That said, I would not tow that heavy of a vehicle with an xj. It's just not designed for it. As said, ship it or get a buddy to drive it out and fly him back.
Click to expand...
Yeah, that's our 4th option. We have a suburban which we were hoping to sell before the move. May have to just keep it and tow with it and ask another buddy to lend some time.
 
A modern f150 weighs 5-6k pounds and is rated to tow 10k, an xj is rated to tow 5k and factory ratings are conservative. Just tow the jeep flat with a tow bar.
 
zachandandy said:
A modern f150 weighs 5-6k pounds and is rated to tow 10k, an xj is rated to tow 5k and factory ratings are conservative. Just tow the jeep flat with a tow bar.
Click to expand...

An xj also has marginal brakes when stock...
 
It's not how much you can pull, it's how much you can stop. Also note that high cross winds will spook the hell out of you, made worse by soft springs / shocks or lack of sway bars.
Do a dry run. Put the scrambler on a trailer and take it for a drive. If you don't feel confident, don't pull it cross country. Not worth it.
 
If both of you are going to be in the moving truck, I would tow the scrambler behind the moving truck, and then both you fly back and drive both the XJ and VW back to Colorado. Or, have one drive the moving truck and one drive another vehicle, then one of you fly back and drive the remaining vehicle to Colorado. Chances are with the lower gas prices today, you can fly and drive cheaper than you can pay to have a vehicle moved, by probably at least $500-750. Do not tow with the XJ. Even if the motor in the XJ can pull the VW, the weight of that trailer will seriously tax your suspension and as others have said the brakes are not up to it, even with whatever gizmos (like inertia brakes) the trailers may come with. A stock XJ probably shouldn't tow anything more than a 5x8 or 5x10 utility trailer with a mower on it.
 
I just wanted to add, we aren't giving you this advice because we are a much of crazy safety above all else folks, or toting some party line because of the weight ratings. We are telling you this because its just common sense. And if you ignore us and do hitch a big trailer to your XJ, next time someone asks this question, you will probably tell them the same thing we are telling you now.
 
yossarian19 said:
It's not how much you can pull, it's how much you can stop. Also note that high cross winds will spook the hell out of you, made worse by soft springs / shocks or lack of sway bars.
Do a dry run. Put the scrambler on a trailer and take it for a drive. If you don't feel confident, don't pull it cross country. Not worth it.
Click to expand...
I hear ya and a dry run is an excellent idea. As far as crosswinds.... I'm used to that. Try driving this down the autobahn in a strong squall. :)
8369a0a57e72832aa9bf815f1fb8949c.jpg
 
md21722 said:
I just wanted to add, we aren't giving you this advice because we are a much of crazy safety above all else folks, or toting some party line because of the weight ratings. We are telling you this because its just common sense. And if you ignore us and do hitch a big trailer to your XJ, next time someone asks this question, you will probably tell them the same thing we are telling you now.
Click to expand...
Haha.... yes sir. And I appreciate all you guys feedback,advice, and words of wisdom. We've all done "stupid" stuff. But I wanted to ask in an effort to gauge if this was too stupid. General concensus is don't do it. Which my gut agrees with. One state over...maybe. but not worth risking it almost 2000 miles.
Chances are we will rent a big truck with the scrambler on a trailer. I'll drive that. Wife will drive her vw with the dog. And either the suburban doesn't get sold and pulls the xj or the jeep goes solo. I'll have to pay a buddy for his time/effort and he can drive out with us. We'll just fly him back when we're done. He gets a paid road trip, we move in one fell swoop, and wife doesn't have to get on a plane. Win. Lol
 
No, I would not. Have you weighed the Scrambler? It doesn't matter what people say about set-up, if you tow over the max tow rating or GCWR and you get in an accident you will get screwed. I assume you're PCSing and trying to figure it out...just use your head.
 
jeepdreamer said:
I'll have to pay a buddy for his time/effort and he can drive out with us. We'll just fly him back when we're done. He gets a paid road trip, we move in one fell swoop, and wife doesn't have to get on a plane. Win. Lol
Click to expand...

Good idea. Been there done that, cheaper than shipping a vehicle too...
 
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