Towing Capacity

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bjohnson3827

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Well im moving from the horrible state of Illinois to Arizona at the end of March. Im debating on driving my 03 jeep (3 inch lift on 30 x 10.5) and pulling a trailer ($400) or renting a moving truck and trailer and towing my jeep ($2500).

First i have never towed anything so any way i do this it will be an experience to say the least.

From doing a vin check this is what it said for towing capacaity
Dead Weight Hitch - Max Trailer Wt. 2000 lbs 2000.0 min 2000.0 max
Dead Weight Hitch - Max Tongue Wt. 200 lbs 200.0 min 200.0 max

The trailer that Uhaul says i can tow is a max of 6 x 12 2 axle cargo trailer. The other option is a 5 x 8 single axle.

What would be your best suggestions on how to handle this situation. Im not made of money and $2500 is a lot to me but i dont want to be driving a death trap either. The trailer would mainly be holding a couple of beds and what ever else i can fit in there since im not taking the couches or dressers.
 

jeeplib05

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You'll be fine I'm sure, I used to hall around tons of mowing equip. with mine and it pulled it easily
Two **** walk-behinds, weedeaters, blower, etc plus the trailer obviously and it pulled just fine
Also with my AirLift I would air them up and my back end wouldn't sag
 

J33Pfan

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imo Uhaul knows what theyre doing. just make sure the hitch Ball isnt too high.

..and no speeding!
 

HoosierJeeper

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I towed a 6x12 Uhaul from FL to WI 6 years ago and the KJ did just fine. Got 8MPG. Ran a 3.5" drop I think. Do you have the tow package?
 

bjohnson3827

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I towed a 6x12 Uhaul from FL to WI 6 years ago and the KJ did just fine. Got 8MPG. Ran a 3.5" drop I think. Do you have the tow package?

Yes i do have a tow package on my model. 8 mpg isnt bad but im already at about 9.5 mpg on a daily basis lol. When you say 3.5" drop what do you mean? Im guessing your talking about a 3.5" drop on your receiver. Will i need that since i only have a 3 inch lift?
 
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dude1116

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Yes i do have a tow package on my model. 8 mpg isnt bad but im already at about 9.5 mpg on a daily basis lol. When you say 3.5" drop what do you mean? Im guessing your talking about a 3.5" drop on your receiver. Will i need that since i only have a 3 inch lift?

That's crazy bad daily gas mileage that you're getting...
 

HoosierJeeper

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Yeah 3.5" drop for the receiver. What's your fender flare to hub measurement? I was like at 21" then. You'd probably be fine with 3.5" or 4".
 

tommudd

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With the extra height of the tires and the lift yes you'll need a drop hitch. Best way is to measure from the receiver to the height that the UHauls are. I think if I remember right from pulling my buddys Uhaul the maximum hitch ball height is 25 inches.
You're going to lose some power for sure, transmission will get hotter so slow and easy.
Just for reference with little over 4 inches of lift and 32s I had to run a 6 inch drop and it was still somewhat a little high for my 5X8 enclosed since I never lifted it .
9.5 MPG ?? wow I can get 16-17 or so pulling my enclosed with overdrive off and cruising at 70
 

bjohnson3827

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I also dont normally drive on the highway any where i go in the city and its stop and go. With it being cold i also let it warm up a bit so im sure once i move to phoenix and get around by only using the highway systems they have my gas mileage will improve. I will look into ordering a drop hitch right away.

I will get the measurement from the fender flare to the hub since i have just found a new leak that needs to be replaced and need to use the garage tonight.

Thanks again everybody.
 

sota

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I would think IL to AZ should be pretty flat most of the way, so you shouldn't have much trouble towing up to rated loading. Don't forget to consider whatever you stuff into the jeep too. That'll de-rate your tow capacity if you get a lot of heavy stuff in there.

I'll defer to those with autos on how to keep from exploding the trans. :)
 

sota

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RT40 has much of rockies to climb? honestly don't know. I've been stuck on the east coast my adult life.
 

bjohnson3827

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Well just about time for the long drive and I have 1 more thing to fix. I kept having a thumping noise going over bumps and while turning. Found the problem being the rack and pinion bushings are bad. Decided to just order a new system since I need to remove the whole thing anyways. This doesn't look like it will be very fun.

Now the last thing that ****** me off about my jeep is when I hit good size bumps it sounds like I'm bottoming out incredibly hard in the front end. 3inch suspension lift has been installed but I can't seem to find evidence of where I'm getting this noise from.

If anybody is in the Phoenix area and would be willing to look at my jeep after I get down there it would be greatly appreciated.
 

HoosierJeeper

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What kind of lift?

The rack isn't a fun job at all make no mistake about it, but possible. Read the how to on here.
 

Dave

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Yes i do have a tow package on my model. 8 mpg isnt bad but im already at about 9.5 mpg on a daily basis lol. When you say 3.5" drop what do you mean? Im guessing your talking about a 3.5" drop on your receiver. Will i need that since i only have a 3 inch lift?


It's not inches to inches, per se. The trailer should be level with the ground when loaded and hooked up to be safe. You do not want the trailer tongue to be tilted upwards or downwards as that would not be safe. You need to look at the trailer and tongue and the receiver on the jeep to see where they line up and you will be able to see how much drop you need as your jeep will be higher so you can get it as close as you can.


(hard to explain.....trailers and tow vehicles can be all different heights)


Dave
 
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turblediesel

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Might want to consider frontal area of the trailer. My Liberty CRD isn't allowed to pull anything with more than 64 square feet frontal area, (8'x8'). Not sure what the 3.7 limit is. Overdrive off.

Good luck with your move.
 

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