Jeep Wrangler (2012) 4 Dr TV - Anyone?

[308rets]

Has anyone towed their RV with a Jeep Wrangler Door? We just bought a 2013 X17Z for weekend get aways and curious how she'll handle behind our JKU!

The dry weight of the new TT is 2950# and peaks at 3500#. The Jeep is rated at 3500/350. Realizing the tongue weight of the new TT is a little heavier we'll be using a Weight Distribution Hitch. Delivery of our new TT is tomorrow 1/26 and the dealer says we'll be fine with the WDH that he's setting us up on.

Two hour drive home, so we're keeping our fingers crossed.

Great Group everyone and as always, thanks for you great info shored.

[zkeys29]

My gut tells me that the jeep is going to struggle. It is not so much the weight of the trailer, but the front surface area of the trailer that might hurt you with wind resistance.

I know the Pentastar V6 puts out some good HP, but a travel trailer may be too much for the coil sprung jeep. I may be wrong, as I am just shooting from the hip here.

Make sure to read your jeep owners manual about towing. You may be in a situation where you void the factory warranty.

Hope I am wrong, and all goes well for you.

Let us know.

Zack

[LongIslandCamper]

We towed our x17z with a 5,000# rated 4Runner and even then I'd rather have a larger vehicle. This is especially true once you start loading the TT up.

[clubhouse]

If you aren't 100% certain of that Jeeps capability I would delay that pickup till you are. 2 hrs (presumably not towing) isn't an insignificant distance if your TV isn't up for the task.

You really need to do the math on this. I am certainly no towing expert but its not a coincidence that Jeeps are not to often discussed as a TV on these forums. I suspect right away, even with unloaded & dry TT, you will exceed or be very close on the GCWR, Cargo Capacity and Receiver Weight Rating. Not to mention often smaller TV often publish a maximum "frontal area" of the trailer due to drag and wind resistance.

Good Luck...I predict a new TV in your future :-)

[Rustic Eagle]

John,

Confirm that your Jeep's OEM receiver actually has a WD mode weight limit.., the specified 350 lbs. I'm sure will be a maximum weight-carrying limit, but some Class receivers are not designed to be used with a WDH. If there isn't a WD mode weight limit stamped on the receiver, then it's a no-go for a WDH.

Unfortunately the Jeep's "published" Tow Rating of 3,500lbs is not reflective of the "actual" tow rating which will be less than 3,500lbs. Please note: http://www.jaycoowners.com/showthrea...uot-Tow-Rating

The X17Z has a published UVW of 2,785lbs, so I'm assuming the 2,985lbs you stated is the actual "ship weight" noted on the yellow sticker on the HTT. This leaves very little CCC so towing at the GVWR of 3,500lbs is a strong reality.

The RV and WDH manufactures recommend the loaded tongue weight should fall in the 10% to 15% range of the X17Z HTT loaded weight...., which would be 350lbs to 525lbs (based on a 3,500lb loaded HTT weight).

Also, the loaded HTT tongue weight, the Jeep's passenger weights, and cargo weight is subtracted from the Jeep's payload capacity.

Keep in mind, a WDH doesn't compensate for any weight that may exceed a vehicle's specified weight limit(s). Also, RV dealers tend to focus on UVW and dry weights, it's up to us customers to bring "loaded weights" in to the purchasing discussion.

IMO one, or more of your Jeep's specified weight limits will be exceeded with the X17Z loaded at 3,500lbs.

Hope this helps.

Bob

[RoyBraddy]

Going back to the older JEEP WRANGLERs I never had much luck towing anything bigger than a 5x8 utility trailer. Those JEEPS were never intended to tow anything. The rear ends were not heavy enough and would go out on you in a heartbeat...

I occasionally see some small TT trailers being towed with them these days so maybe things have changed now with the newer jeeps.

I bought my 1999 TJ JEEP used a few years back with 30K on it when I got it. It apparently made a few trips from VA to FLA pulling a boat and trailer as it turned out. I had to replace that rear end right away. Left me stranded on a trip to Texas not towing anything.

Back in my TENT Camping days of the 60's and 70's the JEEPS did well pulling small utility trailers with all of the camping gear. Made many of trips in the Central and Northern Arizona high country with other JEEP guys.... It was quite common to have break downs in the drive train of the JEEPS.

I have used my 99TJ to spot my 4000lb OFF-ROAD POPUP here at the house where I keep my POPUP when not on the trails. There is NO WAY I would ever put this match-up on the public roads haha...

Hopefully the newer WRANGLER JEEPS will stand up better...

Roy Ken

[amabee]

Looking up the specs of your vehicle, I can honestly say this is not a good idea. Have you confirmed that tow rating? Do you know what your gear ratio is? I am finding 2 possible options, 3.73 and 3.21. With the 3.21's your max is 2000lbs.

Along with that, the published GCWR is 8061lbs IF you have a 3.73 gear ratio. From that subtract the published curb weight of 4411lbs and the 3500lbs for the trailer, this leaves you 150lbs.

I would highly suggest you do some more research before attempting this, your vehicle is not made to tow anything that heavy, JMHO.

[Seann45]

sorry my friend but there are all kinds of things wrong with Jeeps towing.. Most of them have too short a wheel base to safely tow with.. and you are on the limit of what you can handle ... and this means an empty vehicle NO PASSENGERS... you have to not only look at tow weights but also GVW and GCVW

[308rets]

Well Gang, I must say there is a lot of info to digest here. AMABEE, We did confirmed the Tow Rating. When we specked this Jeep we went with the 4 Door (longer wheel base) Tow Package with the upgraded Diff Ratio of 3.73 which does give it a tow rating of 3500#. However, I will drill down with much of the information that has been shared here in order to confirm GCVW. It is just my wife and I, weekend get aways with minimum luggage and cargo.

We did bring the X17Z home today. We have been trailer many things over the years (i.e. 30' Boat weighing 10k pulling with a F250 Power Stroke Diesel we once owned) and you would know the boat was behind you in that truck.

However, the 125 mile ride home you could barely tell the TT was behind us. The jeep pulled it effortlessly, even up hills.The new Penstar rated at 285HP/260 lb of torq does not compare to the old Jeeps. The WDH & Sway Bar made the trip home stress free. Even with the HP & Torq, I agree with the concerns and we will dig deeper. BTW, the Yellow Stick for our new TT is 3137#, so yes, it doesn't leave a ton of room for Cargo.

As always, thanks to everyone for some great information here.

[xkuzme1]

Look at some of my pics. I tow with a Jeep 4 door Jeep. The specs of my camper are 2500 dry and 250 tongue. My Jeep gets pushed around by a 184BH.

The camper tows fantastic. Turn OD off and I get no sway what so ever. I put a friction sway bar on incase I come across high winds, but I have had no problems. It is not a power house, but your jeep has 30 mor pound feet of torque and 30 more horsepower. The only thing is that both the HP and TQ is only available in the upper rpms.

You will need airbags for the back shocks (or a WDH). I have weighed my tongue and I am still underweight with propane and battery but not by much. My Jeer sags a little bit, but I have a leveling lift kit on the from of mine, so yours might not be so bad.

I have some UHaul mirrors that I love. They help out a ton! I have towed mine 2500 miles so far. If you keep it at 62 mph, OD off, you will get 11-14 mpg.

By the way, all this is completely moot if you do not have 3:73 or 4:10 gears and a tow package with tranny cooler! I have 3:73 and I added my own tranny cooler. Jeep makes a 7 pin adapter harness, you can find it for as little as $100, but most dealerships will gig you for $250.

He thing I found that really helped the sag in the back of the Jeep, take off the hard top and tow with the soft top. I actually think I get slightly better gas mileage with my Trek top NX, but I don't have hard facts.

I don't tow with anything in the black tank, and I only tow with enough fresh water for some quick bathroom stops and hand washing. I also do not travel with anything more than a few drinks in the fridge. I do everything ai can to reduce the overall weight of my set up. Taking in consideration the MGVW, and the Mac towing capacity, when I am fully loaded with wife, kids (4 and 6 years old) and loaded camper and myself, we have some weight to spare, but not a whole lot.

For what it is worth, the same Jeep in Europe with the same engine has a 5000 pound to rating.

http://www.jaycoowners.com/showthrea...per-connected)

Shoot me a pm if you have any questions. I'd be happy to help.

X

[xkuzme1]

Sorry for the chicken scratch typing. That's as good as I get on an iPad laying in bed! LOL

X

[308rets]

xkuxme1.. Nice Looking JK..

You are absolutely right. I am so impressed with how she pulled the x17z down the road, even up hills. I'm using the WDH and an anti-sway bar and we had no issues. Tow home was 125 miles and went up hills like the camper was not back there. Ran 60 plus MPH efertlessly. I'm over causious ab out safety, so like you there will be minimal weight (i.e. no water, little in the fridge). Other than my wife and I for weekend get aways the luggage will be just her and I.

If I can figure out how to upload pictures I'll post a couple here..

Thanks for sharing your experience..

[xkuzme1]

The airbags for the back springs are about $100. If your WDH isnt taking out all of the sag, the this is the way to go. http://www.etrailer.com/Vehicle-Susp...FUWnPAodF2QAuA

My maiden voyage for my camper was a 25oo mile trip around Lake Michigan (I live in Kansas City). I used an iphone app called Road Trip to track all of my mpg. Generally speaking, if I went less than 62 then my transmission hunted around a little more than I wanted. If I towed faster than 62 then I started burning substantially more gas. Your camper might be a little different because you have an 8 foot wide camper (me thinks) and my camper is only 7 feet wide.

I would love to see some pics!

Congrats again!

X

[RoyBraddy]

I really haven't touched a four door jeep yet... starting to look like the hummer hehe...The 3:73 gears probably a big help... For me it isn't how well they pull something up the mountain - its that coming down the other side with the heavy trailer pushing you down the hill... You will have white knuckles with a death grip on the steering wheel hehe...

I always try to get my tow truck and trailer down to US82 between Lake Village and Crossett ARK to see how they will hold up meeting one of those hugh log hauling Georgia Pacific tractor trailers coming at you at 70MPH on the two lane road of US82 through there. Those drivers always have a big smile too. They will swamp out all of the smaller trailers haha... Would be a good test to see how the JEEP would hold up... Even my F150 supercab with 3:73 gears has fits with the OFf-ROAD POPUP I pull thru there...

Roy Ken

[308rets]

Attempting to Upload a couple of pictures..

[Boss Wagon]

Looks like your attempt worked! Nice looking rig. That 3.6 Pentastar v6 engine is a fine piece of engineering.

[308rets]

Okay.. Here's a few pics of our Seasonal Site! This is our 2012 308RETS.

[308rets]

[Rustic Eagle]

Originally Posted by 308rets

snip....... I'm over cautious about safety, so like you there will be minimal weight (i.e. no water, little in the fridge)......snip

John,

Great to hear that you had a good towing experience with your new X17Z!

There are frequent postings inquiring about towing the smaller HTT's & TT's with the smaller TV's, especially with published Tow Ratings in the 3,500lb to 5,000lb range....., but it's been extremely rare to find anyone that has actually confirmed their "ready-to-camp" loaded weights, especially when dealing with a limited CCC.

What would be extremely helpful to folks considering a similar TV/HTT combination such as yours are the actual results of a CAT Scale visit. If you should have the opportunity to visit a CAT scale please feel free to report back with your findings, because it would be great to have that kind of information within the JOF "Towing and Tow Vehicle" thread archive.

CAT Scale how to: http://www.jaycoowners.com/showthrea...igh-Your-tt-tv

Thanks in advance

Bob

[RoyBraddy]

I think your JEEP and TRAILER looks great paired up. Nice and level hookup. My 99TJ with two people standing on the bumper will almost bring the front wheels off the ground hehe... Two big guys sitting in the back really sets down in the rear for sure...

Your four door JEEP is almost as long as your trailer...

Looks like JEEP has beefed up the newer JEEPS abit more now... I can only base my experiences with the 1999 and older JEEPS... I load up my family in my 99TJ and it looks like the Taliban warriors all piled in the back of the Toyota pickup truck overseas in the sand box...

I don't think I would worry much with your setup... It looks very safe... Even your trailer height doesn't look all that higher than the Jeep as well. Of course this is an empty trailer in this photo. You will be adding a lot of things inside when going on your trips.

Roy Ken