ramkum
New Member
2003 Jeep Liberty Freedom Edition ~55k mi
3.7L V6, Full-time 4WD
All stock, except Yokohama tires and U-haul hitch
The U-haul hitch installation cost $287, including the class-3 hitch, wiring kit, installation of both, ball-mount/pin and life-time hitch warranty.
Trailer empty weight -1900lbs
Trailer loaded weight (in pic) ~3500lbs
The load inside was split 80% front/20% rear with lots of free space in the rear. U-Haul's recommended split is 60%/40% but we realized too late that we didn't have enough stuff to fill it up completely and had already tied down most of the stuff in the front (probably explains the noticeable downward angle to the front). Could have probably chosen a smaller trailer size for our intended load (this is a 12'x6' which is the largest) but this was the only new-model U-Haul trailer that came with automatic hydraulic brakes, and I wasn't too confident about the brakes on my Libby.
The move was from NJ to MA (~270mi each way). I rented the trailer at MA, pulled it empty to NJ, loaded it up and brought it back (pic is on the way back) to MA. This was the cheapest option ($30 rental + $8 insurance). One-way trailer rentals for the same distance were ~$230 and one-way truck rentals were ~$270 (plus mileage charges beyond 270 mi).
Pulling an empty trailer at highway speeds was a mistake. The Jeep felt like an eager puppy on a leash, with each bump causing the trailer to bounce and tug harshly at the Jeep from behind. I didn't realize that this wasn't normal until I was heading back with the loaded trailer. Very smooth ride this time, except that the Jeep needed considerably more throttle to climb even moderate slopes. Made a mental note to load up 2 or 3 bags of sand/manure from Home Depot to the front of the trailer next time if I was ever towing an empty trailer again.
Turned O/D off initially, but turned it on later for the rest of the trip both to and back. Turned out to be a good choice since the Jeep stayed consistently at 1.7K RPM on level ground at 60MPH using O/D, but went to much higher RPMs with it off. Did not see too much of hunting.
Mileage wasn't as bad as expected. AWD throughout, but got approx 16-17 MPG (speed maintained mostly between 55-65MPH with the occasional 70).
BTW, the tires are Yokohama Geolanders (235/16R17) rated at 2500lbs@50psi, which is better than the rating on the stock Goodyear Wranglers (for the same size - this is the Freedom Edition Liberty hence the 17-inchers). Had to replace the Wranglers at 50K mi due to very uneven wear (my fault - did not rotate often enough).
3.7L V6, Full-time 4WD
All stock, except Yokohama tires and U-haul hitch
The U-haul hitch installation cost $287, including the class-3 hitch, wiring kit, installation of both, ball-mount/pin and life-time hitch warranty.
Trailer empty weight -1900lbs
Trailer loaded weight (in pic) ~3500lbs
The load inside was split 80% front/20% rear with lots of free space in the rear. U-Haul's recommended split is 60%/40% but we realized too late that we didn't have enough stuff to fill it up completely and had already tied down most of the stuff in the front (probably explains the noticeable downward angle to the front). Could have probably chosen a smaller trailer size for our intended load (this is a 12'x6' which is the largest) but this was the only new-model U-Haul trailer that came with automatic hydraulic brakes, and I wasn't too confident about the brakes on my Libby.
The move was from NJ to MA (~270mi each way). I rented the trailer at MA, pulled it empty to NJ, loaded it up and brought it back (pic is on the way back) to MA. This was the cheapest option ($30 rental + $8 insurance). One-way trailer rentals for the same distance were ~$230 and one-way truck rentals were ~$270 (plus mileage charges beyond 270 mi).
Pulling an empty trailer at highway speeds was a mistake. The Jeep felt like an eager puppy on a leash, with each bump causing the trailer to bounce and tug harshly at the Jeep from behind. I didn't realize that this wasn't normal until I was heading back with the loaded trailer. Very smooth ride this time, except that the Jeep needed considerably more throttle to climb even moderate slopes. Made a mental note to load up 2 or 3 bags of sand/manure from Home Depot to the front of the trailer next time if I was ever towing an empty trailer again.
Turned O/D off initially, but turned it on later for the rest of the trip both to and back. Turned out to be a good choice since the Jeep stayed consistently at 1.7K RPM on level ground at 60MPH using O/D, but went to much higher RPMs with it off. Did not see too much of hunting.
Mileage wasn't as bad as expected. AWD throughout, but got approx 16-17 MPG (speed maintained mostly between 55-65MPH with the occasional 70).
BTW, the tires are Yokohama Geolanders (235/16R17) rated at 2500lbs@50psi, which is better than the rating on the stock Goodyear Wranglers (for the same size - this is the Freedom Edition Liberty hence the 17-inchers). Had to replace the Wranglers at 50K mi due to very uneven wear (my fault - did not rotate often enough).
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