Towing a Jeep

Ok guys so here is the deal,

I have a built, 2010 lifted supercharged 4x4 dcsb sport. Fox racing coil overs and shocks all around, all pro expedition leafs in the rear, armored high clearance bumpers on both ends.

I want to tow my 2005 TJ Rubicon unlimited. Its getting pretty extreme and is almost to the point that its un-drivable out side of my town to go offloading and will need to be towed for the of the cross country stuff. I will be flat bedding the jeep for trips up to Moab, Rubicon, and places like that so I can bring the family, etc.

I would install a brake controller and tow a trailer with brakes obviously.

Opinions, comments.

So, towing this...


With this...

 

Would the weight of jeep plus trailer be within safe guidelines? I think 6500 lbs is max.

 

Its boarderline... within maybe 500 lbs. But that said, I am also 600lbs heavier than a stock tacoma.

 

if you are supercharged, and have a good aux tranny cooler (if auto), and have good brakes...i dont quite see why not. only thing would say is to get a 7th injector and/or meth injection if you dont have it to cool off that engine when its working OT to tow that trailer.

 

I have a similar truck and I've towed a 6200 lb 76 aspen trailer up the Big horn mountains for several years. Hauled an oak log 3' in diameter and 20' long from Missouri to Wyoming. And rescued Frankenstien from Montana. That why my truck is called the FRV! Most of that I did before it was supercharged. If your really worried though get a transmission temp guage. I think you'll be fine.

 

Not worried about tranny temp, I am a 6spd manual.

 

Well you should be fine

 

Good lookin truck and LJ man! I've got a 99 TJ that I use for strictly wheeling. Let me know if you ever come to Tennessee and we'll ride.

 

I hear a lot of this...

 

Oh there is no doubt that my Taco will outlast my jeep... But there are some places that my jeep will take me that the Taco cant. Plus by towing the Jeep it allows me to get even stupider with the shit I try because if I flip/roll it I still have the Taco to drive me home!!!

 

Like the Chrysler dealer?

Agreed. I'd love to have a place to park a "toy" vehicle.

 

I can help with this problem and take one of them off of your hands. I won't even charge you for the Jeep. After all, if you can't rely on your fellow TW members, who can you?

 

#FirstWorldProblems

Lol, I have nothing of value to contribute to this thread...both rigs are nice tho...I feel as tho the tacoma should be able to handle it with the right trailer and trailer brakes...

 

Do you have a trailer yet? If not I have two recommendations. First look into an aluminum trailer, they can save you a few hundred pounds over a comparable steel trailer. Second, if you decide you want steel, look into an open deck trailer, they are quite a bit lighter then a full deck trailer. The point is you are going to be pushing it on weight and if you can save a few hundred pounds with a lighter trailer it will certainly help.

 

I'll second this!
Used to haul all sorts of loads behind my old 07 V6 6spd with aluminum trailers and wouldnt have it any other way. Any time I hooked to a steel trailer empty it felt like an anchor but I hardly noticed an aluminum behind me(and we're talking 18ft dual axle car/equipment trailer). The weight difference could very well make the difference between the tacoma feeling overloaded or the load feeling acceptable

 

Never towed with the tacoma, but we have towed s built jeep with a couple different vehicles....and I can give some 'experience' feedback. Take it for what its worth.

The rigs.... 92 & 94 Wrangler, 35's, cage, D44's...etc. Weighed about 4200lbs without people in it (had it weighed). The trailer.....14' open deck weighed about 1200lbs.

Our first towing vehicle was a 99 Jeep Grand Cherokee, 4.7L V8, Auto, with 6500lb towing capacity.
Our 2nd towing vehicle was a 2004 Dodge Ram 5.7L V8, Auto (can't remember what the towing capacity was - but it was much more than 6500lbs).
http://www.lieblweb.com/cpg/albums/MiscVehiclePicts/OurPastvehicles/normal_IMG_7677.JPG
http://www.lieblweb.com/cpg/albums/MiscVehiclePicts/OurPastvehicles/IzzyIontrailer.jpg

Our 14' trailer was perfect for our short Wranglers. Your rig might need a 16' - which will make the trailer heavier, unless you get an an aluminum open deck.

Obviously, you can get the trailer and tow with it and see how the truck is going to handle it. Towing with the Dodge Ram was like a DREAM compared to the Grand Cherokee. No worries, towed it easily & nicely. No issues...etc. Long or short trips.

Towing with the Grand Cherokee (V8, Auto)..... did fine for short trips (2 hours) without long hills. At times, it was a white-knuckle experience long or short trips.

For long trips..... hilly terrain.... even the V8 had trouble keeping speed going uphills. The cooling system would almost max out. Braking?? Even with a brake controller with different zones.....you get nervous if you need to use the brakes hard.

We didn't have a weight distributing hitch.... we simply had a 'sweet spot' on the trailer marked for proper tongue weight. You might want to invest in a weight distributing hitch.

In a nutshell....you're probably OK for short trips. But.....you will definitely run into issue that'll make you think...Damn, I should have a fullsize to make life much easier. You will put that V6 and your shifting capabilities to the test. Over time - that'll put a lot of wear/tear on your transmission.

Oh...and I had a cold air intake installed on the Dodge Ram. We lost A LOT of torque while towing. I had to take it off. I don't know what your supercharger will do...but I can only guess, it won't help your towing experience.

 

Trust me, I will not be loosing any torque with my super charger. Thats what its made to do, boost HP and torgue right off idle.

With supercharger, underdrive pulley, etc. I am probably pushing around 350 hp and probably close to 400 ft lb of tourqe (estimated) so thats not the issue at hand, I know full well I have the power to tow. Also not worried about tranny temp or the transmission hunting because I have a 6 spd, I am strictly curious if the truck will handle the weight of a 6500lb load.

 

Depends on what you mean by 'handle the weight'..... It can handle the weight - Toyota says it can.

The question is.....how do YOU handle it? How's your clutch gonna hold up? - that'll depend on how you shift. How's your cooling system gonna hold up? - that'll depend on the terrain & your shifting. How's the brakes gonna hold up? - that'll depend on YOU, your brake controller, and how you have it setup. How are you going to handle the situation when the trailer starts to sway.....??? How will YOU ensure that you & everyone else on the road are safe?

It's not all about 'the truck'.......

I've seen trucks with trailers on their sides in the median/side of the road...... That wasn't from the truck or trailer. Towing isn't something you just hook up & go. Just saying.....

All you can do, is try it out..... be responsible with the setup & safety.

 

you should be fine, but regearing to 4:88's would probably be wise to keep some power, if you havent already regeared... I dont see a shortage of $$ in either of those pics, so thats always a plus

 

Yea, I get it. This isnt the first thing I have towed. 5th wheels, boats, toy haulers, military vehicles, etc. But all those were with other vehicles and specifically set up for those.
Just the first thing I have towed that is at the ragged edge of my tacomas limit.

I dont speed, in fact I usually dont even do the speed limit down here in AZ (75 on the freeway). My Taco already has Allpro Offroad heavy duty expo leafs so it should handle the weight without sagging to bad. I also have a URD stage 3+ clutch in the truck so I am not worried about the clutch either.

Not going to re-gear, no real need at the moment.

I guess I really just need to hook up to a trailer and try honestly.