Towing with a jeep

[Rob30]

I just blew the tranny in my GMC1500. I have been lookinh for a 4x4 for a while now. I found a cheap jeep yj. I have always wanted a jeep. But I am afraid I would be unable to do some of my chores. I need to haul small loads of feed (about a ton), loads of lambs or calves. Probably a maximum of 5500lbs. I know the jeep has a very short wheel base. That is the reason for my concern. Anyone with some jeep experience. I figure it would be great for exploring the trails around here.

[wyld thang]

I seem to remember my hub telling my sister her wrangler would tow a small flatbed with 4 dirt bikes, or one of those pop-up tent trailers no prob(I would guess about 1500#)--as far as the gearing and transmission is concerned(it has the power to pull, but it is not built to pull and will wear out fast--just saying pulling is not the purpose of her jeep wrangler). But for regular towing use(I mean if you want to tow a lot) you may need a stiffer suspension in the back at least--and your brakes will sure wear faster--as well as the tranny. It would really help and be safer if your trailer has its own brakes. Though if you stiffen up the suspension to handle towing and not fall apart, then you sacrifice plushness when you go offroad and pulverize your kidneys(well, faster than you would normally...). I'm no expert at all, just relaying what I've heard my husband say. Also you need to consider tires with sturdier sidewalls that will take that extra weight.

The tranny and transfer case went out in our 1/2 ton suburban and we replaced it with a 3/4 ton-type axle and race tranny to hold up better for towing. It's much happier.

[seedspreader]

Short wheelbases are dangerous to tow heavy trailers with. 5500lbs is pretty heavy.

I wouldn't hesitate to tow 2500 lbs or so with a short wheelbase vehicle... but that's about it.

When you talk trails then you are talking a high center of gravity... another enemy of towing.

Do yourself a favor, get another full size 2wd pickup (or better yet, fix your transmission in your gmc, and buy the jeep just for trail riding. If it's cheap, you can do both.

A 2wd 1500 tranny should be relatively inexpensive... and they are a breeze to change.

[PhilJohnson]

I have towed loads with short wheelbase vehicles. Bad idea. YJ is light and 5500 pounds will push you all around.

[Quint]

Unfortunately it looks like you need a truck. As others have said, a Jeep just won't quite do what you're asking it to.

I towed a fairly large trailer with a Jeep Wrangler about a year or so ago. Not the best tow vehicle. Power was adequate but it was everything it could do to stop and control the trailer. I only drove it about 100 miles but that was plenty. Something I would not want to do on a regular basis. You also got the feeling that the drive line was stressed. I can't put my finger on it but you just had a feeling that something was on the verge of breaking.

What year is your truck? If it is one of the late 80s early 90s C-K series GMCs you should be able to find a replacement tranny pretty reasonable. You can even buy a towing or off road prepped TH-700R4 more reasonably than you would think.

That era of truck is a pretty good value. A multitude of parts available and lots of trucks in the junkyards to scavenge from. Still simple enough to work on but with enough improvements (good ride, very simple EFI as well as decent overdrive transmissions in the earlier models) to make living with them easier. Mileage is pretty decent too with all but the 454/7.4 engine. A conservatively driven 350/5.7 with an OD tranny in good condition will get you around 15-17 in mixed driving and and as good as 20-23 on the interstate. The 4.3 six with OD and a tall rear end ratio can get a solid 20 MPG in mixed driving with no or light loads. Not a good truck for hard core off roading due to the IFS but for average farm work they're a good value. Most of them even with heavy use will last around 150,000-200,000 miles before they go to the scrap heap.

[Cygnet]

Jeeps are also maintenance pigs. They break down constantly and tend to do so without much warning. Towing won't help the needs-repairs-again! problem.

I have owned one and used it to haul trash to the dump. As others have noted, short wheel based vehicles are squirrely when pulling a heavy load.

[Irvin Cooper]

I gave up my truck (a 1991 F150 4wd) for a Jeep Wrangler Unlimited for many of the same reasons you are considering.

I now majorly regret the Jeep for all of the reasons everyone outlines above. Despite whatever anyone tells you, Jeeps are toys and highly impractical unless you meet the following criteria: 1) You transport no more than two people. 2) You drive primarily off-road. 2) You do not keep vehicles after they are 3 +/- yrs old. The jeeps of today are not built to last like the jeeps of yester-year.

This is my first vehicle that is not a full-size truck and I will never have another non-truck vehicle.

BTW, I have a great low-mileage jeep that you would love and I will be pleased to trade you for a lightly used truck.... :>

Irv

[texican]

Everytime I did some towing, I blew out a pressure clutch part... after the third time, I realized what I'd been doing, and never did it again. Parts and labor ~250 or so. Ouch. Jeeps don't like towin...

[fantasymaker]

You never said how often or how far. Once or twice a year its not to bad to carefully drive 15 miles to the auction with a overloaded cattle trailer.
Once a week a mile from the store with a ton of feed isnt too bad.
Every day and long drives ya better reread the advice above a few times!

[featherbottoms]

I have an 82 Jeep Wagoneer and it's not very good for towing more than about #2500 either. We have an 8x6 utility trailer and when it's loaded with lumber the Jeep feels like it's about at it max.

That said, I love my Jeep. Just not for pulling and hauling.

Deb.

[Cygnet]

Originally Posted by texican

Everytime I did some towing, I blew out a pressure clutch part... after the third time, I realized what I'd been doing, and never did it again. Parts and labor ~250 or so. Ouch. Jeeps don't like towin...

I had an '86 cherokee and replaced the clutch master cylinder more times than I'd care to remember. It got to the point where I kept a spare one, and a bottle of fluid, in the jeep. It never actually went out anywhere truly remote but I was worried it would ... I seemed to get 15,000-20,000 on each cylinder.

I never towed much with it, except the occasional run to the dump, but I did drive offroad a lot. LOTS of clutch repairs even using it "as designed."

(By the way, I will never own another manual 4X4 again. Trying to steer and shift at the same time when you're up to your axles in mud is a pain in the butt.)

[zookeeper16]

Originally Posted by Cygnet

Jeeps are also maintenance pigs. They break down constantly and tend to do so without much warning.

I'm not sure what year everyone is referring to, but I have two 1993 Jeeps (one Country and one Grand Ch) and LOVE them. Only one breakdown in all these years and minor repairs. Guess I got lucky.

BUT, I just bought a really old camper and I would not recommend pulling more than 2,000 with it. Pulling that camper 35 miles was taxing on the tranny.

[THETOOLMAN]

I havea 1994 jeep wrangler YJ . I use it to haul my ATV & its small trailer all over the place, NO TROUBLES AT ALL(evem with a dead deer or a hog or two on it) . remember the straight six cyl. engine and short wheel base are made for light duty use.. If you are towing mor trailor than the jeep can haul you are driving a death sentance

[m39fan]

Aren't the YJ's 1/4 ton rated vehicles, not 1/2 ton? I know the CJ's were. If so, It'd be like pulling a stock trailer with a car! Also, having ridden in a friend's YJ while he pulled a 12' trailer with several ATV's on it, I can say they aren't the best for towing even moderate loads (scary). 5500# would be more than I would have wanted to do with our Cherokee and it's bigger & heavier than a YJ.

Keep looking for a truck or just put in another tranny in the one you have. The life you save maybe your own!

[Old Vet]

Look at like this How much does a Jeep weigh? How much does a full size truck weigh? How much does a Tractor trailer rig weigh? You can put a small load on a tractor trailer rig but not a full load on a tractor load on a Jeep. Use common sense and it will be fine. Look at the owner manual and it will tell you how much you can pull.

[fantasymaker]

What about stepping up to the Cherokee? Its grrrrrreat for towing, I towed 7500 lbs thru yellowstone to Alaska from Il without a bit of problems.

[Rob30]

I will have to upgrade to a 4x4. Our farm is situated in a way that requires one. I spend a lot of time towing the 2wd gmc out of places with the tractor. Plus we do alot of off road driving. The truck I have now is a 1996. Unfortunatly that means the tranny will have to be a 1996. The computer won't work with another year. I am looking at some early 90s trucks right now. Both ford (which I don't mind). Both have 302s but one is a standard. I was hoping to find a standard with a 300 six.

[Ross]

Kijiji had some excellent buys earlier this year when gas was gold. Might be worth a look.

[cowboy joe]

Blew the timing belt in my Ford Ranger one year and had to tow it home with my 2000 Jeep wrangler. If memory serves, the gross weight of the truck was close to 3,200 and the jeep is in the neighborhood of 2,800. The 4 cylinder jeep had plenty of power even through some very steep hills. It was a 50 mile haul and I'm glad it wasn't much farther. Biggest problem was keeping both vehicles in line as the heavier truck would try to 'steer' the lighter jeep. Wasn't the smartest thing I've every done but bet the heck out of paying $1,000 to have the timing belt replaced...that's not a misprint...the dealer wanted that much to replace a timing belt. That didn't include the tow. Figured if I had to tow it anyway, might as well be to my house.

Maintenance wise, the jeep has been reliable. Both u-joints on the front axels were replaced at ~60,000 and a front hub at ~70,000 but I plow in the winter which may account for some of the wear. Other than that, tune-ups and normal maintenance. Gas wise, somewhere around 20 city / 23 highway.

[Tricky Grama]

We had a Jeep Liberty and hauled a lot w/it. But-don't really know the WEIGHT of what we were hauling...had a flat bed trailer-10 X 6? Pulled a golf cart on it. No probs. Hauled boards...bales of hay...Maybe that's not much weight.

Patty