Anybody tow with a wj

[SupermanIce-J]

Looking at a third vehicle for me and the Mrs.

Id love a new(ish) truck as a DD but I drive 50 miles round trip to work and I love my Crosstrek for daily duties. I can't justify leaving a 30k+ truck at home everyday and have two payments...

So my other option is a beater truck as a tow rig (1/2-3/4ton) but I still wouldn't have a rig that I would want to take wheeling (I'm just not into full size wheeling)

That leads me to a wj...Something We can comfortably use as a third vehicle.

It has a rated towing capacity of 5000 lbs so it could probably handle towing my bro lite(est. 2500+\- 250lbs on a 16 ft car hauler.

Plus I could lightly mod it to be a good rig to do some beach cruises and northeast easy wheelin.

Most likely it would be a fantastic third vehicle, a pretty good mild wheeler (Ome Hd springs, blingstien 5100s), but I'm just not sure about safety and towing near max towing capacity with a 105 " wheelbase.

Any input?


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[Burton58]

The plan with my v8 wj was to tow the xj with it and dd. It was great and would make a great offroader too. Till mine self destructed

[konastinky1234]

Remember ANY mods will hurt your towing abilities. For me, a tow rig should be completely structurally untouched. Only power upgrades, trans upgrades, and things that will make it tow better. If you leave it stock with small tires, maybe.

It looks like a jeep, pulls like a jeep, drives like a jeep so remember at the end of the day it's a jeep not a tow vehicle/truck. If you're gonna do it, let it have all it can, ie leave it stock.

I realize I'm sounding all negative here, but having been through a decent amount with 2 gas tow rigs, I've been around the block. Not saying gas is bad because I think it's way cheaper, but they deserve all the help they can get to make em last.

[HeavyMetal]

Im not exactly a towing expert, but neither is a WJ

[SupermanIce-J]

Remember ANY mods will hurt your towing abilities. For me, a tow rig should be completely structurally untouched. Only power upgrades, trans upgrades, and things that will make it tow better. If you leave it stock with small tires, maybe.

It looks like a jeep, pulls like a jeep, drives like a jeep so remember at the end of the day it's a jeep not a tow vehicle/truck. If you're gonna do it, let it have all it can, ie leave it stock.

I realize I'm sounding all negative here, but having been through a decent amount with 2 gas tow rigs, I've been around the block. Not saying gas is bad because I think it's way cheaper, but they deserve all the help they can get to make em last.

Point well taken! I have been towing since I could drive so I understand the limitations of the vehicle... to call it a great tow rig wouldn't be right. With that said I towed with a 97 F-150 V6 single cab shortbed with a surge braked trailer that weighs 500-600 lbs. more than a u-haul trailer and most said that that was plain fucking stupid and it could't be done. It wasn't bad at all.

As far as "modding it" I have always had the same thoughts as you do..."keep it as stock as possible and keep it well maintained." However, as I understand it (according to the interwebzzz), the WJ lacks stability in stock form so my reasons for "modding" it would be to make it more stable.

From my reading of the subject, pretty much every one says the first "mod" (even to a wj that will not tow) should be an addco 1" rear sway bar with greasable bushings. This makes the WJ MUCH more stable. To add to that i would get the Addco 1.25" sway up front for more sway control.
My reasons for the OME HD springs is increased load capability and coupled with nice shocks should give a pretty decent ride, even unloaded. My only concern is that most say that they lift somewhere between 2"-3". I know that lifting is not necessarily a good thing when it comes to towing.

I have looked into upcountry springs but have heard they are still not "better for towing". Maybe someone can chime in on that.

Of course the trailer matters too. I am looking at a 16' Appalachian wood deck car hauler with electric brakes on both 3500lb. axles. i will most likely add a WD hitch and an really good brake controller in the jeep. Placement of the load will be absolutely critical with this which is one of the reasons for the wood deck... so i can screw in a wheel stop once i find the right place to place which ever rig i may be towing.

Again, thanks for your input John. It is re-assuring that my reservations about using a WJ as a towing vehicle are shared.

Im not exactly a towing expert, but neither is a WJ

LOL!

[konastinky1234]

Sounds like you've got it pretty well figured out. I'm sure it'll work out. Your trailer choice is great. Since you said you've towed a lot, you'll make a good choice. I didn't know your experience. Just make sure you don't break your tow rig and happen to bring a tow behind camper LOL

[Burton58]

You were thinking about a Dakota originally, same drivetrain as the wj and better wheelbase for towing

[Pedro]

If you go the WJ tow rig route, make sure you find one with the tow package and 4.7l, preferable with selec-trac (242hd case.) They are rare to find, but the older wjs get the higher the likelihood of the quadra drive transfer case (247) wearing out and failing. If you go the quadradrive route, just be weary and hope they fixed/replaced the case already. Quadradrive is a great 4wd system when working properly.

I think the OME HD spring is a good idea as they don't add much lift. Can always keep stock springs and just get a good set of load leveling shocks or an airbag or something for the rear. I wouldn't wheel it. WJs have terrible belly/rocker clearance and really need a decent amount of work and armor to not be a constant trail plug.

JeepForum swears by Addco, but there are those that have front and rears and say the rear is just too much and they hate the ride. Id start with the front and go from there.

Other than that, good luck Corey towed his rig to Rausch with a WJ I believe.

[Bigbike]

Towing with a lifted rig sounds terrible. You put bigger tires on so the already small breaks will be strained, the transmission will be strained, etc... I agree with Jon, dont lift your tow rig. Do upgrades that help with towing. IMO its hard to have a dual purpose offroad/towrig, hell i hate having to drive my offroad rigs on the road hence why i bought a towrig.

[Luke95]

Towing with a lifted rig sounds terrible. You put bigger tires on so the already small breaks will be strained, the transmission will be strained, etc... I agree with Jon, dont lift your tow rig. Do upgrades that help with towing. IMO its hard to have a dual purpose offroad/towrig, hell i hate having to drive my offroad rigs on the road hence why i bought a towrig.

This.
I bought a 09 1500 Chevy with the 5.3/6l80e and man it is nice to get in and load up the trailer to tow whatever. It towed my girls zj from Bridgeport to my place in 100 degree weather with the AC cranked while happily doing 65 mph with 175° trans temp and 210° engine temp. It should tow my zuggy just fine.

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[SupermanIce-J]

So I am foregoing the wj route.

I test drove an avalanche this week(this one was too rusty) and found the next tow/camping rig.

I'm looking for preferably 09 or newer avy because of the newer style and the 6l80... I could go for an earlier model with the 4l80 but ya know... the more the better

[Bigbike]

2500 avalanche?

[SupermanIce-J]

Anybody tow with a wj

2500 avalanche?

I'm open to a low miles 2500... but would actually prefer a 1/2 ton.

The 2500 avy was discontinued in 06 I beleive



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[Pedro]

Newer body style Avalanche ftw