grand cherokee for tow vehicle

[cntryislandboy]

just curious if anyone has a grand cherokee wj with the 4.7 and uses it for towing. i'm wanting to start rebuilding old jeeps/trailers and need something that would tow one on a trailer. i've got a 08 JKU but don't think it would support pulling a willys on a trailer, i just think it would be to much. i know a full size chevy would do the trick but trying to stay in the jeep family, plus i really like the WJs for some reason.

[JPR4LFE]

I have towed a double axle 2 horse trailer, loaded with two horses using a 2000 WJ with the 4.7L V8 on several occasions, both around town and at highway speeds. I have also pulled the same trailer with an F150. I thought the Jeep pulled very well, but the back end of the Jeep was definately squatting quite a bit. Also, when the horses shifted during travel, you could feel it much more in the cab of the Jeep than the F150, but it was nothing that felt uncomfortable or unstable. But for me, it had plenty of power and decent gearing for towing.

[bob91yj]

It's not the going that counts, it's the stopping that you need to worry about IMO.

[FishPOET]

Grand Cherokees are great vehicles that do many things well. Towing is not one of them.

[Hound]

it's not the going that counts, it's the stopping that you need to worry about imo.

x2

[cocco78]

I had a 99 WJ that I used for occasional towing duties. I hauled my TJ round trip from MI to NC and it did a great job. For it to work well you need a weight distributing hitch, very good working trailer brakes, and perfect placement of the Jeep on the trailer. After the WJ I moved up to a 1/2 ton GMC Sierra and didn't see much if any improvement, braking seemed more stable though. My TJ and trailer weigh about 6000lbs. I also have a friend that has a mild built Willy's Jeep and a 14' flat bed that he tows around with his WJ as well. Keep the weight down and it should be good.

http://i42.tinypic.com/1zqvkuc.jpg

http://i26.tinypic.com/10wtp38.jpg

[Booner]

My son's WK Grand with the hemi could pull New Jersey out to sea :sombrero:.

[K2ZJ]

If you go to www.mallcrawlin.com or www.NAGCA.org, the consensus there is they are terrible. Now I have not towed with a WJ, but I towed a heavy trailer from NY to CO with my 4.0L ZJ with a 2"bb and 30s and I burned my transmission (it was at 100k where they die anyway I just sped up the process). It was not the greatest tow vehicle ever, but I found it to be fine if you were careful and paid attention. Weight distributing hitch and bag inside the springs would help a lot.

[Sal-XK]

You have to ask your self how much towing will you really do and how far will the average trip be. If the vehicle will be towing more then 50% of the time more then 100 miles average trip. I would recommend vehicle made for towing. You have to consider the money you will save on maintenance and fuel which will be cheaper with a vehicle that was made to tow versus pushing a vehicle that can get it done but is not equipped to handle the abuse. Just my two cents.:smiley_drive:

[willypete]

Another issue if you are working on project rigs or your house for that matter is getting parts. I personally love the convenience of just putting my stuff in the bed of the truck, no worries of grease or oil inside your rig, and you don't have to hook up the trailer just to pick up an axle.

[cntryislandboy]

thanks guys for all the great info. i think most of my towing would be from local to maybe 5/6 hours away at most. basically just want to pick up mostly parts, and older willys. i checked the weight most of the older willys are around 2300-2500, plus the weight of the trailer, so i figure no more than 3500.

another reason i was thinking a wj is i love the way they look for some reason don't really know why either. and it would give me another family vehicle just not sure of there depandibility.

[jarmstrong]

most car trailers are going to be more than 1000 lbs, mine is right at 2100(20 foot wooden deck) but I bet a good 16 footer is at least 1500.take it across the scales and you will know for sure.

[Sal-XK]

I agree on the weight of the trailer unless the trailer is really expensive it will won't be light weight if its rated to haul 3000LBS. That being said you could sink the money into any vehicle and make it tow worthy. Obviously heat kills so tackle that project immediately. Up grade or install a trans and oil cooler. You could also upgrade the water pump and if need be radiator but that can wait till they fail on you. Installing gauges to monitor your trans temp is a must IMO. putting new gears in will help with stress on the motor and the trans reducing heat. A weight distributing trailer hitch will help as well. Trailer brakes will reduce stress on the vehicles brake system and is cheaper then upgrading the brakes sometimes. The operator being the biggest asset in towing I see way to many people who throw trailers on there trucks and treat each stop light as a opportunity to show everyone how fast they can take off just stupid amount of stress on there rigs. Take it easy, accelerate gently brake early and you will be good. :smiley_drive: Sorry for the long post but just trying to inform.

[Ford Prefect]

I am shocked that no one has said anything about the JKU

That thing is HUGE, it is near the size of an older F150. That thing may not have a ton of power, but it would likely pull a lot better (more stable) than a WJ. It certainly would pull a willies just fine.

The WJ is a really nice vehicle, and it can tow just fine, but I certainly would not use it for your application. You sound as though you plan to pull a lot. Find yourself an older F350 crew cab and you will have a spare family truck, with the ability to pull just like a hot knife through butter.

On a side note, a friend of mine used his ZJ with the v-8 to pull home an F-350 crew cab with a long box. It worked just fine, other than the rear axle on the Ford was not on the trailer, it had to be on the ground (truck too long for trailer) and the jeep made the trip from Miss. to Baton Rouge. It did the trick, but as I recall I believe it did a little damage to the tranny.

The reason I mention it is that it can do it, but not easily, and at what price?

[cocco78]

The WJ has a tow rating of either 7200 or 7500lbs I can't remember any more, find one with the proper factory tow package and you get a hitch all the wiring, a trans cooler and a power steering cooler, just add a brake controller. My 16' trailer on the first page weighs 1650lbs ready to go and its a very sturdy trailer, its GVWR is 7000lbs so it can roughly carry 5500lbs. You really need the WD hitch though, they usually run around $300 new.... If your looking at just parts or a few odd Willys I would look at dual axle 12' or 14' trailers, wood decks, with at least 1 brake axle, 2 would be best... Maybe find a way to lighten the trailer up. I had 250lbs worth of angle iron under my flat bed just to store the ramps that slid in from the side! I cut all that off and now I just pin my ramps to the trailer, saved alot of weight. I also only used the boards that the Jeep sits on, I removed the 4 center boards that were 16'x10"x1.5", that saved some weigh as well. I easily shaved 300lbs off my trailer, I haven't weighed it since I did all that though.

There is no reason to buy an f350 to tow 4 or 5000 lbs a few times a year and sit for the rest of the time...

[cntryislandboy]

thanks again for the info, i really only plan on towing a few times a year for the most part. i was thinking somthing around a 12ft should be plenty in length.

so you really think the JKU will handle it, it's a 6sp, if thats the case it would save a ton of money i could put towards the willys

[outdoors]

If you need another vehicle that can tow and haul people around with decent MPG's... I'd buy a Cummins 94-97 2500 Ram Club Cab for under 6K. That way you could tow your Jk if needed as well. Besides a pick up is a valuable thing to have as a second vehicle.. I have 210K on mine and mileage with these is about the same as my 04' WJ was. When you figure 15% more for diesel.

But see what the JKU's can tow as they have a 116" wb versus about a 106" wb for the WJ..

Good luck.

[K2ZJ]

I am shocked that no one has said anything about the JKU

That thing is HUGE, it is near the size of an older F150. That thing may not have a ton of power, but it would likely pull a lot better (more stable) than a WJ. It certainly would pull a willies just fine.

The reason I mention it is that it can do it, but not easily, and at what price?

JK:
3.8L V6 with 205 horsepower and 240 lb.-ft. of torque
Tow rating of 2,000lbs or 3,500lbs depending on configuration.
Price for used is nearly 4X that of a WJ locally. I found one as low as $17K.

WJ
4.7L V8 with 235 horsepower and 295 lb.-ft. of torque
Tow rating of 6,500lbs (V8) or 5,000lbs (I6)
Can be found for $4k

For 17K a used F-250-350 diesel would be on my list WAY before a JK.

[BigDaveZJ]

Ken, the OP already has a JKU, so he wouldn't need to buy one.

But neither vehicle would make a good tow vehicle IMO. I've been in a ZJ towing close to 7k lbs and it was downright frightening.

[K2ZJ]

Ken, the OP already has a JKU, so he wouldn't need to buy one.

But neither vehicle would make a good tow vehicle IMO. I've been in a ZJ towing close to 7k lbs and it was downright frightening.

Whoops! I missed that. Though he was thinking of a JKU or WJ, not the he had the one already.

[madZJ]

Ken, the OP already has a JKU, so he wouldn't need to buy one.

But neither vehicle would make a good tow vehicle IMO. I've been in a ZJ towing close to 7k lbs and it was downright frightening.

So you were in a vehicle towing something that exceeded the towable gross weight rating and it was a little scary? Not to mention unsafe and illegal, if something had gone wrong the driver would be liable for all damages. Not a position I find comfortable either.

[wjtoy]

Having towed with my WJ, I would recommend against it as a general statement. The wheelbase is too short, the steering gets too light with any moderate weight on the rear, the transmission doesn't care for the added weight and the engine likes to get hot if not careful. That being said the WJ is a great vehicle for everything else - I love mine, and I still tow things every once in awhile...