Can you tow a (jeep 4000#) with a Grand Cherokee?

[jdub]

I want another vehicle with 4 doors climate control and a v8.

Will it tow a trailer? Safe?

I know that a truck is best but I won't afford a 4 door tow rig.

I also know that wheel base is a huge factor but I want to be able to DD it too.

 

[Greg]

Hopefully Cody answers... he did it and IIRC quickly gave up on the idea after 'surviving' a bad trip.

No frame and towing other 4x4's should be warning enough, IMO. I wouldn't even consider the idea.

 

[LT.]

A Grand with a V-8 perhaps. If you were serious about this route then I would suggest towing your off road vehicle with a tow bar and not a trailer. The reason is because a trailer you will have to add the extra weight in. A smaller trailer that would have the capacity to hold you other jeep would be just under 2000 lbs. I think 6000 lbs is a little much for a Grand. If you go with a tow bar you need to keep the tow bar level.

LT.

 

[lewis]

I towed my 6500+ crawler once with my grand. It was scary.I didn't have the trailer brakes hooked up which made it worse.

 

[RockMonkey]

We tweaked the back end of our grand cherokee towing an empty trailer with some christmas trees on it. No, it's not a sufficient tow rig for a 4000# vehicle on a trailer.

 

[LT.]

I would listen to these fellas on this one. It seems though they all have had experience here.

LT.

 

[Badger]

You might be able to get away with it in a Durango. The later model years have gotten kind of big. The 2009 model is rated at 8,950 pounds.

 

[jackjoh]

The first 80,000 miles on my 95 ZJ were spent towing a 4000 lb. Komfort trailer, 400 lb. hitch weight, and four wheeling. You need a equalizer hitch and sway brake or it gets a little hairy when trucks go by as I found out on my first trip, with out a sway brake, to Anza Borrego. Mine is rated at 6500 tow and 750 hitch but with only 400 lbs. on the hitch the rear sagged quite a bit. I looked into springs and such but never got around to changing anything from stock. Make sure you know what you are doing when you set up your equalizer hitch. I got 17 to 19 MPG solo, 14 to 15 city, and 9 to 12 towing. I have the records to prove it.

 

[gijohn40]

I towed a 19 foot travel trailer from layton up to the high uintas and it did pretty good... I have two inch pucks on the the springs and 31's tires and I the 3.73 gears...

I bought a trailer brake and it helped alot! the hitch was an equalizer hitch witch you will need...

going uphills I was not able to get above 60 mile an hour due to this was the shift point going into overdrive...

Get an expedition... they are big enough to carry it safely and you can get decent mileage as a dd... I got about 16 around town with mine...

 

[broncomitch]

just drive down to moab during EJS, you will normally see a few jeeps hauling a trailer and a jeep 'wrecked' in a ditch.

i wouldn't pull with anything besides a small trailer, without a frame under it.

ya, it might pull it, but what about stopping going down a hill? by the time you get to where your going you will need to get a full brake job done....if your not dead that is. :busted:
and pulling going up a hill? tranny is going to get pretty hot doing that.

get something that has a full frame,v8,like a durango or expedition,f150 supercrew(love that truck) last thing you want to do is put your family at risk cus your being cheap.

 

[78mitsu]

I've seen late 90's Dodge/chev/ford for around $3K you'd be far better off to dd a beater then tow with a unibody.

 

[jdub]

I totally agree with everything that is said. The thing is that I have seen in jeep magazines a smaller jeep on a trailer behind a Grand Cherokee. As I know the power is there I wanted to know if there was something there that I didn't know about.

 

[jdub]

Next question. If I have to hop up to a larger chassis like a suburban. Which I like. Should I look for larger than a 1500? I would like 4 doors and a truck for me will just fill with snow in the bed but a wagon would hold gear best(for me).

 

[RockMonkey]

Next question. If I have to hop up to a larger chassis like a suburban. Which I like. Should I look for larger than a 1500? I would like 4 doors and a truck for me will just fill with snow in the bed but a wagon would hold gear best(for me).

Ideally yes, but either way you'll be far better off than a Grand Cherokee.

 

[Cherokeester]

A Grand with a V-8 perhaps. If you were serious about this route then I would suggest towing your off road vehicle with a tow bar and not a trailer. The reason is because a trailer you will have to add the extra weight in. A smaller trailer that would have the capacity to hold you other jeep would be just under 2000 lbs. I think 6000 lbs is a little much for a Grand. If you go with a tow bar you need to keep the tow bar level.

LT.

Just FYI, tow-baring does not give you any trailer brakes, a good trailer would be much better than the scenario you described. But, I agree with the rest, to much weight for a Grand.

 

[Caleb]

You might be able to get away with it in a Durango. The later model years have gotten kind of big. The 2009 model is rated at 8,950 pounds.

I'm pretty sure Todd Adams uses a Durango to tow his vehicles. I don't think he has any issues with it. I wouldn't personally do it, but it can be done.

As far as a Suburban, like Braden mentioned, larger than a 1500 would be ideal but a 1500 suburban would be worlds better than a Grand.

 

[DOSS]

I know my friend towed his daughters XJ (on a tow dolly) from Ephrum to Tooele.. He said he had enough power to move it with the I6 but stopping was another story.. I think his statement was (NEVER AGAIN!)...

I think the burb Idea is a good one.. you can pick one up cheap that is for sure

 

[phatfoto]

Yep. Towed a Cherokee on a dolly with my Grand. Had enough power (4.0 automatic, 3.73s and 30" tires at the time), but the braking was scary. Even so, I stayed to back roads, not the Interstate. Never again, unless the dolly has brakes. I barely considered this to be safe. (If I hadn't left my key to the locking pin for my F150, the ZJ wouldn't have been used for this event.)

And the tent trailer I am rehabbing over the winter will be getting a heavier axle with electric brakes. Even though the trailer is under 1500#. ZJ brakes are marginal at best.

I've used my 2002 F150 Supercrew to tow many trailers including a UHaul car trailer with my 90 Ranger 4x4 on it. I would never do that with the ZJ.

 

[Toad]

I have a buddy that pulls his tj with one of those new diesel grands. He has not had any problems. He is set up with brake controller, weight dist. hitch. Personally wouldnt waste my time. I have an 04 grand that I put a hitch on only so that I had a good place to put a strap.

 

[Tacoma]

If all you need is a tow rig, Burbs can be had under a grand. They make awesome base camps, too.