Skylark + Jeep Liberty?

Roxanne · 08-22-2011, 04:13 PM

DH and I have never had any kind of recreational vehicle, tho' I have always dreamed of owning one. We have been looking at various TT's to tow with our 2006 Jeep Liberty (tow weight max 5000#). First we considered the R-Pod and MPG, but I really don't like the idea of a wet bath. I saw the Skylark for the first time this weekend - wow - is that ever different!! The exterior looks kind of funky, IMO, but the interior is awesome! And there's a new floorplan now, the 21RBV, with a walkaround bed in the front. Anywho, I believe I have seen one of the Jayco publicity photos with a Jeep Liberty towing it, and maybe one or two members on this forum who have Liberty's. Please, any Liberty+Skylark owners, be straight with me: with the proper WDH/anti-sway, is it comfortable towing the Skylark? I don't worry about the weight, but the length concerns me a bit.

Thanks for your input!!

TejasTerry · 08-22-2011, 04:24 PM

Hi Roxanne:

I think we are living parallel lives. We also have a Jeep Liberty with tow capacity of 5000 pounds. I just finished doing an introductory post on here, and then your post popped up right after!

Anyway, we have been researching light weight TT's for a while now, and also just came across the Skylark last weekend. We purchased a 2011 today, and are picking it up this weekend. We purchased the wheel distribution hitch and sway bar (Reese), and can let you know for sure how it tows next week.

I actually think it will be fine. The salesman said he towed one with his Ford Explorer with this set up and it towed nicely (not that I trust everything a salesman says, but I read the forums last weekend and there are several Jeep Liberty owners who seem to do well with this set up)

Anyway, I'll be an expert next week...lol

TejasTerry

Roxanne · 08-22-2011, 05:11 PM

Gee, Terry, I just read your first post - there are many similarities in our situations. I also considered the Trailmanor 2720SL and the Heartland Edge M18. Trailmanor was a lot of work to put up, and the bathroom isn't very private. I like the Edge, but they just stopped making it last month, so they're getting harder to find (at least in the non-white colors). Another thing about the 2012 Skylarks - they're a beige color.

I can't wait to hear how you fare with the Liberty TV. Keep us posted!!

KRV1115 · 08-22-2011, 05:50 PM

Roxanne,

Welcome to the forum. My wife and I just purchased a ’11 Skylark about a month ago, we have the 21FBV model, my wife fell in love with the large bathroom! We didn’t have a tow vehicle at the time of purchase; this is our first endeavor into TT’s.

So we had the luxury of looking for a TV after we found the TT. We chose the ’11 Liberty with the trailering package. We have a Reese WD hitch with sway control.

We towed it home without incident and took it about 60 miles for a maiden voyage and it seemed to tow fine. Having towed larger boats in my life, the sway we got was expected with some of the large trucks passing at 75mph! But we experienced nothing that wasn’t expected.

We live in Illinois so it’s mostly flat, but towing at 55-60mph we averaged 14mpg for our trip. We’re going away again for the Labor Day weekend, this time about 2.5 hrs away so I’ll keep you posted.

We had a near perfect outing, love the TT, just remember to pack accordingly, the Skylark will only take about 500lbs of gear.
Enjoy

29BHS ECO · 08-22-2011, 06:21 PM

Roxanne, Your Liberty, with a tow package , should due the job very well. Happy Camping Larry

Terry · 08-22-2011, 07:20 PM

Roxanne - Welcome to the Jayco Forum! We have some good tow folks here, so hopefully they can help you. What part of the county do you live in and plan to tow? Hills / flat / long / short...that might help some folks give you input.

BigSky · 08-22-2011, 08:03 PM

Roxanne - Welcome to the forum. My DW and I have a 2011 Skylark FKV that we pull with a Honda Pilot. This set up tows really well. We average 11 - 12 mpg towing through Minnesota. The Skylark is a great little trailer. The floorplans have fantastic usable space and the unit is built very well. You Jeep should do just fine towing the Skylark.

Roxanne · 08-22-2011, 08:56 PM

Thanks to everyone for replying!! We live in the Mohican area of Ohio (Amish area, flat to rolling hills), probably a dozen campgrounds within a coupla miles. We don't plan on going too far.

Zombied · 08-22-2011, 10:16 PM

We've had our skylark since early spring. When have a 2011 liberty with the tow package. Off the top of my head, I can't remember if yours is the new body style or the previous. Not sure it matters though.

As for towing, I had varying results. Personally, I would stick with a friction style sway control device, unless you want to spend more money on a full WD hitch. But do get at least something, it was darn scary without one.

Going around or house, say within 2 hours, is not a bad pull. The liberty works fine. Going on a 550 mile road trip can be tiring. I didn't want to push past 65mph as I was running 3000 rpm even in tow mode.

We towed it to estes park and crawled up the canyon. I was giving her all she had.

I don't mean to scare you or say its a bad combo. I am just giving you my opinion. I like both the skylark nt the liberty. (I like my wrangler more lol)

Get a sway device and you should be set.

TejasTerry · 08-23-2011, 06:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zombied

We've had our skylark since early spring. When have a 2011 liberty with the tow package. Off the top of my head, I can't remember if yours is the new body style or the previous. Not sure it matters though.

As for towing, I had varying results. Personally, I would stick with a friction style sway control device, unless you want to spend more money on a full WD hitch. But do get at least something, it was darn scary without one.

Going around or house, say within 2 hours, is not a bad pull. The liberty works fine. Going on a 550 mile road trip can be tiring. I didn't want to push past 65mph as I was running 3000 rpm even in tow mode.

We towed it to estes park and crawled up the canyon. I was giving her all she had.

I don't mean to scare you or say its a bad combo. I am just giving you my opinion. I like both the skylark nt the liberty. (I like my wrangler more lol)

Get a sway device and you should be set.

Zombied:

Not meaning to hijack Roxanne's thread, but since we are all talking about Jeep Liberty/Skylark combo, I went thru and read all your posts that I could find last weekend before signing on the dotted line yesterday. Thanks for all your great feedback, etc.

We ARE planning a long trip to Maine from Texas in October...so I guess we will see how challenging it is to tow. Glad you are liking your Skylark. I can't wait to pick it up this weekend. May take a couple of days off next week and haul it to a local state park...

Rox: Let us know what you decide ....fun to hear what others are doing...

TejasTerry

Zombied · 08-23-2011, 06:16 PM

Cool! You will like the trailer. And yes keep us informed Roxanne.

rog4kneer · 09-08-2011, 03:38 PM

Own the Skylark with the front galley. That new floorplan with the door in rear and walk around bed seems real nice. Think I would have liked that plan better. I pull with a Toyota 4 runner, tow capacity of 5000lbs, and have no problems. Wish I had more power on some hills, but the 15 mpg towing is nice. Good luck with your decision.

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