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.

[Booner]

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

[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.

[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.