Towing with 6 cyl GC

[Houndoc]

I mentioned awhile back that my Dad tows his boat with his 6 cyl Grand Cherokee. I had never ridden with him doing so until heading to Flaming Gorge this past weekend for the deer hunt.

Here is the deal for those thinking of towing with there 6 cyl Jeeps...

The boat is a 22' Hydroswift. Dry about 3600 pounds, +1,100 for the trailer. Add 60 gal of fuel, gear etc and my guess is we are looking 5,500 pounds of more.

Going up Parley's Friday night we got slowed down by a Bronco with a camp trailer that fish-tailed all the way- can't say the Jeep got a far chance.

On the way home last night I noticed that on the Three Sister ( the ridges on I-80 east of Evanston) we would top the hill at 50mph or so, geared down and the engine running 3500 rpm or so. Working but not stressed. Had a similar result coming up the backside of Parley's.

It had no problem hauling the boat up the ramp and since the trailer was brake equiped stopping was not a porblem.

Never felt unsafe.

My thought is that is does a fairly good job- the ride was not bad at all- but of course not the ideal rig for that size of a load.

 

[Milner]

Maybe it is just me, but I towed an empty trailer (1500lb) from Vegas to SLC with an XJ. And another time the same trailer with my EB on it for about 10 miles.
I will never tow more than a lawn trailer/pop-up/1000-1500 with an XJ again....

Granted it was lifted and locked, but I just didn't feel comfortable.

I like a heavy long tow rig :greg:

 

[Rusted]

Read the owners manual, a 6 cyl GC has a max towing capacity of 3500 lbs. The engineers are paid to keep people safe, and that is their recomendation, just because you can do it does not mean it is right to do it. One concideration is with insurance, what if there was an accident, and they see you are way over your limit who carries the liability now? FYI - the V8 tow limit goes up to 6500 lbs.

 

[Cody]

i used to tow my jeep with a v8 ZJ.

needless to say, it's suicide waiting to happen. It tows ok in a straight line, can pull at 55 over big hills. The minute you have to make any sort of quick correction or fast stop or anything--a strong side wind, a puddle, a deer etc. it becomes very evident that what you have is not a tow rig.

i remember white knuckling it from Wellington to Green River during a storm towing with the ZJ at 45 mph trying to stay on the road. I went through a comparable storm, maybe a little worse, towing with my dodge and it was one hand on the wheel, 70 mph, no big deal.

Cody

 

[mbryson]

We've got a stock 6 cyl. ZJ. I'd tow with my old lifted XJ LONG before I'd tow anything with the ZJ. The engine isn't the problem (although it's not going to get you anywhere fast, but it'll get you there---kinda like a Chev 5.7L), it's the rear suspension. Coil springs don't tow 'take' a load anything like a leaf spring (try towing with a SS396 or similar---I've towed a boat back from the lake with my old Skylark (plenty of motor) and it SUCKED). Like Cody mentioned about towing his 'buggy' with his ZJ. It'll do it, but any 'emergency' type of manuever will scare the crap out of you.

 

[Houndoc]

Read the owners manual, a 6 cyl GC has a max towing capacity of 3500 lbs. .

Not always true. With the factory tow package it is 5,000. One mistake some people make is assuming "tow package" is a hitch- see that advertised alot. But the factory tow with the GC has different gears and other changes.

 

[Rusted]

Not always true. With the factory tow package it is 5,000. One mistake some people make is assuming "tow package" is a hitch- see that advertised alot. But the factory tow with the GC has different gears and other changes.

I took my information from jeep.com, but I also saw they had different gear ratios, but they did not take that into account with their tow rating. Does your manual tell you 5000#?

 

[mbryson]

........ the factory tow with the GC has different gears and other changes.

My dad has '96 4.0L with the factory towing package (hitch, wiring and cooler basicly). I've got a '96 4.0L UpCountry version that couldn't be ordered with the factory towing package. Both ZJs have 3.73 gears????


Seriously, I believe you'll be MUCH happier TOWING with at least a half ton pickup/Suburban rig and prefereably a 3/4 ton something. It's your money and your decision, but a ZJ or WJ is not an ideal tow vehicle.

 

[Houndoc]

I went through a comparable storm, maybe a little worse, towing with my dodge and it was one hand on the wheel, 70 mph, no big deal.

Cody

That scares me. I don't care what you are using to tow or how stable it may feel, speed in a storm is never wise. That is far more likely to result in a crash than anything!

One other big factor with any rig of course is proper set up. If the trailer is not riding flat or has too much tongue weight you will have terrible control. One difference with the boat compared to a truck is the boat has the engine and most weight in the back compared to the front with a vehicle. Too much tongue weight pushes the back end down, lifts the front even slightly and control goes to h... quickly. Weight too far back on the trailer causes the same. With this boat at least, the GC rides surprisingly flat.

The Bronco I mentioned that slowed us down over Parley's was lifted with looked like 35s. The trailer was small and should not have been a big deal at all, but the receiver hitch set up was totally wrong. Had the front of the trailer probably 6" or more too high. It would start to fish-tail anytime they hit 50mph. Certainly not the problem with the capacity of the Bronco.

I will agree completely that the GC would not be my choice if I was towing more than a couple times a year (although my Dad does tow a fair amount), but IMO alot of people use over kill when selecting tow rigs.

The fact is, the GC handles the load fairly well. Power, braking and control was not bad at all.

 

[BCGPER]

But, you're a whimp........

Maybe it is just me, but I towed an empty trailer (1500lb) from Vegas to SLC with an XJ. And another time the same trailer with my EB on it for about 10 miles.
I will never tow more than a lawn trailer/pop-up/1000-1500 with an XJ again....

Granted it was lifted and locked, but I just didn't feel comfortable.

I like a heavy long tow rig :greg:

 

[Cody]

First of all, you are correct in saying the ZJ tow packages have different gears on the 4.0's. Non tow package will have 3.53's (or something like that)and tow package will have 3.73's and a tranny cooler. Please tell me you had the OD off while towing. Poor tranny.

That scares me. I don't care what you are using to tow or how stable it may feel, speed in a storm is never wise. That is far more likely to result in a crash than anything!

lol, ok. Well, you're right. But lets compare apples to apples I'd have to go through hurrican rita to reproduce the shitty handling of the 1/4 ton ZJ tow rig through a dust bunny. Lets be honest here. You're saying a 4.0 ZJ is a suitable and stable tow rig for a load over 5000 lbs. Not only is that idiotic, it also shows, IMO, a complete lack of experience in towing vehicles. I don't know ****, but I've towed my 5500 lb jeep/trailer behind 5 different vehicles. I only tow maybe 5,000-8,000 miles per year, but in that limited experience I wouldn't put my life behind the wheel of a 4000 lb rig with a soft suspension, 1/4 ton drive train and 107" wheel base in anything more dangerous than the e-center's parking lot at 2 a.m.. I learned my lesson and 1 transmission and a $2000 dollar loss later I bucked up and purchased a vehicle that wouldn't endanger myself, my friends, or anyone else that finds themselves within a mile of me while I tow.

One other big factor with any rig of course is proper set up. If the trailer is not riding flat or has too much tongue weight you will have terrible control. One difference with the boat compared to a truck is the boat has the engine and most weight in the back compared to the front with a vehicle. Too much tongue weight pushes the back end down, lifts the front even slightly and control goes to h... quickly. Weight too far back on the trailer causes the same. With this boat at least, the GC rides surprisingly flat.

this is true and boats do pull a little differently than car trailers. However, notice that on the boat trailer that the tires are very far pushed towards the rear to offset the extreme rear weight bias of a boat. That is to get propper tongue weight which does effect the handling characteristics of the load. I only had 10,000# weight distribution and sway control hitch to go along with my electric brakes when I towed with the v8 ZJ. Still a rediculous idea to tow 5500 lbs on the open road with that vehicle. Fact.

I will agree completely that the GC would not be my choice if I was towing more than a couple times a year (although my Dad does tow a fair amount), but IMO alot of people use over kill when selecting tow rigs.

The fact is, the GC handles the load fairly well. Power, braking and control was not bad at all.

If you had no other choice and the only vehicle available to you was the ZJ to tow with, then ya, it will do 'ok'. I've deffinatley seen worse (like a 90's chevy celebrity (or something like that) pulling a buggy or a samurai driving on the freeway on 35's) but it's really a bad idea.

From my experience, I don't understand how purchasing a vehicle that was engineered to tow something is overkill when you are going to be towing something. Thats like saying a jetski would be a killer vehicle to use for a waterskiiing competition....why buy a ski boat--thats just silly and over kill

anyways, I respect your oppinion but must whole-heartedly disagree with it. It's good to here other people's experiences...although this is the first I've heard of a ZJ being a good tow rig and I've been around the ZJ lists for 5 years. I applogize for being so long winded, but this is somethign that I feel pretty strongly about.

Cody

 

[Houndoc]

Let me clarify- I am sharing the experience, not selling Jeeps....let the reader make of it what they will. And I hardly think saying you can top Parley's at 45 is a ringing endorsment!

Nor am I saying the CG is a great choice for towing (look at my own posts looking at larger rigs for that very reason). But I will stand by my point that it did a decent job. Is there better? No question about it.

I honestly do think the size of boat is too big for the set-up, which is why I begged off using my Monetro Sport (same 5k tow rating, similar power and torque) even though it is better for the rest the hunt.

Would the ZJ be a good choice for towing boats upto 19-20' or so? I think absolutely.

End of story.

 

[Cody]

Would the ZJ be a good choice for towing boats upto 19-20' or so? I think absolutely.

End of story.

I would agree with that. Smaller boats would be ok. But if you tow alot, I think even something 1/2 ton would be better--like a tahoe or even a durango (rear leaves, heavier, bigger motor available, etc.)


Cody

 

[Badcop]

2 really bad experiences:

1: Baught a 23' ultra-lite camper (3200lb empty) towed with an XJ not even 6 miles, trannie blew.

2: Towed a 19' Bayliner, full of full, gear and food for the weekend (35-4000lbs). Lets say I had to buy a new boat and Jeep.

Lesson learned: even with proper equipment, ie torsion bars, load levelers, etc. these rigs no matter are not intended on towing certain items, I could give a rats %^&* about the owners manual saying it is rated for 3500#. Regardless, if you want to tow, buy or borrow a rig that is built around the idea and meant for the job.

 

[RockMonkey]

I towed a flatbed trailer with four Christmas trees on it with our WJ once. I'll never tow anything with it again. Even with a virtually EMPTY trailer we had to have the tailgate adjusted so it would fit right and not pop itself open. GC are totally incompetent tow rigs. I tow about 10 thousand miles per year, and I'm on my second tow rig. This time I did it right (one-ton Cummins), I'll never go back to a marginal tow rig. BC's setup does look pretty nice though...

 

[Cody]

My thoughts are this. Would you feel safe with your entire family in a ZJ while towing a 5500 lb trailer down Price Canyon in a snow storm? What if you blew a tire? Hit something that flipped up and took out your trailer brakes (like a porcupine--been there, that sucked)? Would you think that the 3/4 or 1 ton truck was overkill when everyone's life is at stake?

Cody

 

[JoeT]

My thoughts are this. Would you feel safe with your entire family in a ZJ while towing a 5500 lb trailer down Price Canyon in a snow storm? What if you blew a tire? Hit something that flipped up and took out your trailer brakes (like a porcupine--been there, that sucked)? Would you think that the 3/4 or 1 ton truck was overkill when everyone's life is at stake?

Cody

Amen Brother Cody.

The only thing that I tow with the wife's ZJ is my junk trailer. Rear coil springs = bad towing experience.

 

[dunatic67]

I towed a flatbed trailer with four Christmas trees on it with our WJ once. I'll never tow anything with it again. Even with a virtually EMPTY trailer we had to have the tailgate adjusted so it would fit right and not pop itself open.

I'll bet that was a scene... cold weather, miserable kids, and the tailgate keeps popping open. You probably get a cold sweat just thinking about it.

 

[Meat_]

The only thing I'll tow with a vehicle smaller than a 3/4 ton is an empty trailer, and even then the smallest vehicle I'll tow an empty trailer with is a 1/2 ton.












Do you think this is overkill? I don't.

 

[WayneXJ]

The only thing I'll tow with a vehicle smaller than a 3/4 ton is an empty trailer, and even then the smallest vehicle I'll tow an empty trailer with is a 1/2 ton.















Do you think this is overkill? I don't.

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