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Old 12-17-2012, 07:52 PM   #1
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Jeep Grand Cherokee as a TV (Laredo)

Hi Guys, have a Jayco 17Z hybrid current TV is a 2007 Chev Uplander but I am told it is "marginal" and I should look at a TV of about 5000 lb, found a 2010 Jeep Crand Cherokee Laredo, 3.7l with a tow package, rated at 5000 lb.... so does anyone have this tv and if so how is it? any comments would be appreciated.. thanks

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Old 12-17-2012, 08:09 PM   #2
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I have a 4.0L 4Runner, rated at 5,000 lbs. No way would I try anything over 3,500 loaded with it and it will still struggle.
If you're going to tow something heavier, definitely go with the V8. That 3.7L just won't do it.

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Old 12-17-2012, 09:19 PM   #3
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If you can swing it, a 2011 Model with the 3.6 pentastar V6 has much more grunt, about 70+ more horsepower, and better mpg when not towing. I'd target something rated around 5,500 to 6,000 lbs as my minimum with the Z. I believe the 3.6 models are rated over 6,000 lbs.

The beauty of the 17Z is there are a great deal of options for towing without spending a lot of bucks. My wife took a new job recently and felt she needed a 4X4 for winter, even tough we didn't get any snow last year. I found a 2000 Durango 5.9, 3.55 axle and tow package, 43,000 miles for $5000. On a test run, it pulled the Z with ease. Although we intend to use it mostly as a bad weather vehicle we can use it as a back up tow vehicle.

If you are in the position for a primarily tow only vehicle, not serving as a daily driver, I'd think about an older model, low mileage V8 Durango,Cherokee or something from the GM or Ford camp. My primary tow vehicle is a very dull and boring 1999Ford Econoline E-350 V-10 Chateau. I bought it in 2006 with just over 65,000 miles. I paid $7K for it and it has not only worked out well but it has been very reliable. It loves gas, but we only run it about 3,000 miles a year.

As you can see I have low dollar tow vehicles. Sure, I'd like a 3500 Ram Quad cab Cummings, but I don't need it nor would it be cost effective for me.
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Old 12-17-2012, 10:16 PM   #4
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For what it's worth, we pull out 17Z with a 2007 4Runner rated at 5,000. I don't feel comfortable going too far so we are looking to upgrade before next season.
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Old 12-18-2012, 07:14 AM   #5
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We pull our Z with a Chevy Astro rated at 5000lbs, and it does just fine. It struggles on steep inclines a bit, but we just go slow and easy and have no problems. When it comes time to get a new vehicle, we will definitely go with something a bit larger (probably a Chevy Express Van), but our Astro is absolutely enough vehicle to tow the trailer without issue.
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Old 12-18-2012, 08:07 AM   #6
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A 2010 Ford Explorer or older with a V8 would give you a better towing rating. You woukdwouldwoukd
Be rated at 7100lbs Engine is a workhorse-same used in police cars and taxis
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Old 12-18-2012, 09:40 AM   #7
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I would think that the jeep has too short a wheel base for towing much... (unless it is the 4 door version)
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Old 12-18-2012, 10:19 AM   #8
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Thanks Guys... found out that the Jeep Loredo with the standard factory tow group comes with a class 2 hitch rated at 3500 lb, I am told but cant find conformation that if you put on a class 3 the tow rating is then 5000 lb apparently any class 2 has a max rating of the 3500 BUT I am still trying to find out if this is true which would mean that the 3.7l can tow up to 5000lb, just cant get an OK from Jeep.....
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Old 12-18-2012, 10:57 AM   #9
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I would look for something with a larger wheelbase honestly. The poster above with the 4R has a similar wheelbase as the Jeep you are looking at and it is out of their comfort level. Do it right the first time, not twice.
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Old 12-18-2012, 11:14 AM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by brockeverly View Post
I would look for something with a larger wheelbase honestly. The poster above with the 4R has a similar wheelbase as the Jeep you are looking at and it is out of their comfort level. Do it right the first time, not twice.
Agree,
We purchased the 4Runner only to pull our pop-up loaded up at about 2,000lbs. Did a great job.
As we wanted to travel for longer periods and distance, we wanted to invest in a TT.
After our experience with our pop-up in the mountains of PA and conferring with many experts, I established about 3500 lbs loaded out and no longer than 21ft in length.
Anything larger becomes the tail wagging the dog and can be a white knuckle experience.
I went with the Sport 165 loading out at under 3500 lbs, 16ft box, 18ft over-all length, WDH and Prodigy brake controller.
I feel comfortbale with this set-up.

If I was purchasing a TV from scratch, I would focus on longer wheelbase and V8. That way you have options in the future.
The difference between the V6 and V8 4Runner is only 1 MPG highway. Like most V8's, there not bad if you keep your foot out of them :-)
4Runners are great for towing boats because they cut through the air much better than a TT and the 4WD is great on ramps.

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Old 12-18-2012, 12:47 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by brockeverly View Post
I would look for something with a larger wheelbase honestly. The poster above with the 4R has a similar wheelbase as the Jeep you are looking at and it is out of their comfort level. Do it right the first time, not twice.
Yep, I wouldn't want to take it too far, especially if there are any type of hills. A few months ago my brother and his family went to a local spot that required about 15 minutes of highway driving. I was following him the entire time and we were in the slow lane doing about 50-55. At one point a tractor trailer passed him in the middle lane. I got a little scared when I saw the TT sway back and forth when the tractor trailer passed him. This was towing the x17z with the 4Runner with WDH and a sway bar.

When we got the the CG I asked my brother if he felt anything and he had no idea what I was talking about. From my eyes, it was a little scary. It swayed maybe 6-12" in either direction.

That's why we're looking to upgrade the TV.
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Old 12-23-2012, 10:05 PM   #12
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Hi, I have a 2010 17Z. For the first two years I pulled it with a 1997 Grand Cherokee with the 5.2L V8 and tow package. That vehicle had 220HP and did OK pulling the trailer. Acceleration was slow and headwinds/sidewinds really impacted performance (MPG suffered, difficult to maintain 55 MPH sometimes) but with the Equal-i-zer WDH I never felt out of control; tt always felt solid and stable. I thought it was a good pairing, but the Jeep lacked overall power. So last year I traded the Grand Cherokee for a 2007 Jeep Commander with the 330HP hemi and tow package. The Commander has the same powertrain/wheelbase as the Grand Cherokee. The hemi made a huge difference in towing; plenty of power for accelerating and maintaining highway speeds, even with the air conditioner going in windy or hilly conditions. So as you can guess, I would not recommend a Grand Cherokee with the smaller I6/V6 for towing the 17Z.
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Old 12-24-2012, 12:34 PM   #13
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AS you'll see in my sig I traded my 2011 Grand Cherokee Overland. It was a sweet ride. It had air bag suspension and the 5k tow capacity. We hd it when we bought our X19h last spring and after doing a couple of test tows we figured it would work Ok for us. We were wrong. We took it on 2 trips within an hour from home and man did I not feel comfortable at times. Plus it sucked gas big time.

I too had posted questions regarding my choice in trailer and TV and was soothed by responses from others to just drive slow, take your time etc. All great advice but in the end the wheelbase just wasn't long enough and I didn't feel totally in control.

So we ended up getting a great deal and traded for a 2012 Ford F150 FX4 with Ecoboost. It is the 4 door with 6.5 foot box. The difference in wheelbase is almost 4 feet! We took it on a 2400km trip from BC through the Rockies and it never once felt unsafe. I loved it and it made the trip much more enjoyable.

I'm not saying you should go buy a new truck, but I am saying a truck or TV with a longer wheel base and higher tow capacity will make all the difference! I really fought against the idea of getting rid of my Cherokee but our X19h is our first "real" trailer and the way I saw it was that if you wanna play the game you gotta have the gear. Pulling my trailer with my Jeep didn't seem safe for my family or for others on the roadway which for me is my primary concern.
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Old 04-10-2013, 01:41 PM   #14
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John,

My mom and dad trailer camped for years when they were my current age. I'll pass on the wisdom my father gave to me. He told me to always go for more power than I thought I'd ever need if I wanted trouble free towing. Back in their day they used cars (sedans) with small V-8's. He was never satisfied until he bought an old Chevy with a 454 V8. That made him a happy camper. So happy in fact that he bought a larger trailer.

I just bought a 2010 Toyota Tundra with the 5.7 L V-8 which was maxed out for towing by the previous owner. 381 HP and 405 Ft Lbs. with a WDH It's a plain jane base trim level, but it's a brute of a tow vehicle for my 3500 lb. x17z


I pulled a 17' boat with my old 1991 Jeep Cherokee Laredo with the 4.0 six, but it only weighed 1800 lbs. It towed that just fine but anything bigger I think would have been a problem for it.

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Old 04-16-2013, 09:41 PM   #15
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I towed my 15 foot travel trailer with my 95 Grand Cherokee Laredo (4.0 straight six) for years. It did fine. Climbing mountain passes needed a downshift to second on the steep parts but it was never unstable.
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Old 04-17-2013, 06:49 AM   #16
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My thought is: "Any vehicle can tow anything. The question is how well can it tow?"

I've had several Tow Vehicles over the years.
1990 Chevy Blazer (2dr) 4.3L v6 High Performance Multi-Port FI
1997 Chevy Tahoe (4d) 5.7L v8 w/ Air Lift
2006 Dodge Durango (4d) 5.7L HEMI v8 w/ K&N FIPK Performance Intake System
2009 Dodge RAM Quad Cab 5.7L HEMI V8

With the '90 Blazer and '97 Tahoe, I had a 20' Four Winns 195 Sundowner. The boat pretty much maxed the Blazer out, I had a lot of see-saw, and I felt that something was behind me.
With the '97 Tahoe, It pulled like a dream.

Sold the boat and a few years later, purchased a Palomino Stampede 21RGS. The Tahoe pulled it great, sold that for a Durango (needed something newer and more reliable). Again, I felt the trailer behind the the Durango. Now I have a RAM and I never noticed the camper. Even now pulling my new White Hawk 28DSBH, I didn't notice it.

Now, all that I've stated will primarily due to TV wheelbase. if you compare the wheelbase between all the tow vehicles I've noted, the wider and longer the wheel base, the better tow experience I had; the easier it pulled, the more comfortable I felt, and probably the safer it was. This is only 1/2 the equation.

The other half is the power plant/Engine. A v6 will work, in most cases, but you may experience a lack of power as you go up a steep grade, and you may have some issues getting going from a dead stop. Put in a larger engine, such as a v8, you'll have more up-front power to get going off the line, and more reserve power for getting up those steep grades.

On a final note, I have unanswered questions and reservations about some manufactures putting v6 in a tow vehicle with a turbo-charger, and stating that it can pull like a v8. I have friends that pull long/heavy campers with such vehicles, and they eventually arrive at their destination. Like I first stated: "Any vehicle can tow anything. The question is how well can it tow?" I've rode in one of these and haven't been impressed with the zero-to-sixty take off. My Durango w/ the K&N FIPK threw you back in the seat when opened up from a dead stop, or when it downshifted (there's the off-the-line and reserve power). where the other vehicle was sort of unimpressive. I guess the marketing of "Best in class combined fuel economy and towing" is just that? Maybe a sacrifice in towing capacity/capability for fuel economy?

I think I'll keep my 5.7L v8, install a K&N FIPK to gain the extra fuel economy plus get an increase of torque too.

That's just my 2cents, for what it's worth.
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