Towing recommendation for my 04 limited...

[knotwerk]

I've got a friend getting rid of a landscape trailer cheap so im gonna grab it... i've got a class III hitch... and just ordered the electrical connections....never towed with it before...

the trailer is about16 feet or more...typical metal construction, low lying. I plan on using it to take stuff to the dump, transport motorcycles, and moving and stuff...

if im looking at a max payload of 2500 what else do i need?

recommendations?

(read all the threads but thought i'd get personalized help)

 

[knotwerk]

Also... does anyone have any pics of the kj towing? i'm also afraid the tail is gonna sag a bit much...

thanks,
Mike

 

[desertkj]

The biggest thing is trailer brakes and sway controlling hitch. I've towed about 2500 lbs with it and it did not sag at all. The biggest issue was that as soon as I hit 65 mph, it began to "wag the dog". I was not using either of the things I mentioned above and have learned I will not tow with that until I get them.

 

[knotwerk]

trailer brakes.... now, will i need something separate to be installed other than the typical electrical plug in the back? and a sway controlling hitch?.. i have the class III drawtite from etrailer with the extended arm, does that count?

excuse the trailering newb

 

[JeepJeepster]

With a trailer that size and the stuff you will be towing, I wouldnt worry with anti sway or a WD setup.

Ive towed a small (2500lb or so) boat and it did just fine. Got alittle slow on the hills but thats it.

Remember the max towing is 5k with the liberty so 2500 isnt much.

The tongue weight for the libery is 750lbs. I never had sagging problem with the stock suspension and you shouldnt unless you put 500lbs of junk on the very front of the trailer.

 

[phxtoad]

knotwerk,

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Todd
________
HERBAL GRINDER

 

[rkeegstra]

Also... does anyone have any pics of the kj towing?

A 1500 pound tent camper with a fairly high tongue weight of about 225 pounds, mostly because of the battery and two propane tanks:

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The Liberty is lifted, Frankenlift Heavy Duty, and it sags about an inch or so with the trailer attached. If I stand my 200 pound self on the hitch as well it sags less than another inch.

Note that you need a seven pin wiring connector (round) to get trailer brakes, and then you have to install a brake controller in the Liberty to use them. A four pin connector (flat) will get you lights but no brakes. Depending on the load in your trailer you may not actually need brakes, but they're nice to have.

Russ

 

[rkeegstra]

Ah, here it is - an excellent source of information.

http://www.jeepkj.com/forum/showthread.php?t=26895

 

[SoDakJeep]

THIS IS MY JEEP PULLING A 8X16 FT CAMPER THAT WEIGHS AROUND 3200-3500 LOADED I DID GET THE WAG THE DOG FEELING BUT I PULLED OVER AND RE ADJUSTED WHERE THE WEIGHT WAS IN THE CAMPER AND PROBLEM SOLVED.

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AND YOU CAN KINDA MAKE A BETTER SIZE COMPARISON FROM THIS PIC

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I DONT THINK THAT YOU WOULD NEED ANY FANCY STUFF FOR A SMALL TRAILER LIKE THE ONE YOUR TALKING ABOUT. ALSO JUST MAKE SURE TO DRIVE SAFE IS THE MAIN THING...PLENTY OF STOPPING SPACE AND LOADING THE TRAILER RIGHT MAKES ALL TEH DIFFERANCE IN THE WORLD HAHA

 

[tommudd]

I have pulled a 5 X10 open trailer with 2 1/2 foot sides and a 6 X12 enclosed for several thousand miles both fully loaded and no problems just keep speed down and watch stopping distance. One other thing to watch is to keep the trailer level if it sways back and forth more than likely you have the hitch too high which will cause the sway

 

[knotwerk]

so i shouldnt have much of an issue with this... needs a little repairs.. but nothing major...

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[JeepINgeek]

i wouldnt worry about pulling that. looks nice. ( needs paint lol)_

 

[knotwerk]

im gonna weld a new angle iron across the front and attack it with the orbital sander!!! ... then spray it down

 

[JeepINgeek]

go to local body shops and see what they would want to sand blast it. cost/time ratio might make it worth having them do it.

 

[JeepJeepster]

I would probably cut that big rack off the front. Putting much stuff in that will really load dont your tongue weight so it would just be useless weight if you dont use it.

Nice trailer though. Those things come in handy when you dont have a truck.

 

[KeswickDave]

My big one... 19.5', 3500 lbs loaded. Using Reese wieght distribution and anti-sway setup - was SCARY without it. Electric brakes.

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and my little one... 4x6' and 3' deep... no brakes, no anti-sway, just a hitch. Most I've had in it according to the scale at the dump is about 1300 lbs. Best $250 I ever spent!

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Forgive me if i'm stating the obvious but the trailer has to come with brakes, to have brakes... or you'd have to add them which may involve a new axle. If the trailer does have electric brakes you would need a brake controller and 7-pin wiring harness.

If you don't have the wiring done I would recommend a 7-pin setup anyways, as you can always get an adapter to change it to a 4-pin.

As far as your trailer I'd say the most important thing is getting the trailer loaded properly, you should have 10-15% of the weight on the tongue. If the tongue is too light you could have handling problems.

 

[LibertyFever]

Your Libby should pull that trailer easily and I'm assuming that because of its size that it doesn't have trailer brakes.

As for repairing it, you should be able to find a metal fabrication shop (or a new best friend ) to fab something up for you.

I bought my Libby with the idea of pulling a 22' travel trailer weighing in at less than 5000 lbs but actually use it for towing a 16' floater trailer. Both have trailer brakes.

 

[Dave]

Knotwerk.....that is a nice trailer. A little easy TLC and you could fix it up in no time at a small expense. It will come in very handy.

How old is it? The reason I ask is that the wheel bearings should at least be greased good (or re-packed) if you don't know when it was done last. It is easy to do and grease is cheap. I would get a matching rim and tire so you have a spare and mount it to the trailer. The other thing, while you are at it weld a steel tool box to the front of it with a lock on it. Very handy for carrying tie down straps, tarp, lug wrench,safety stand, etc.

Dave