KJ Towing Thoughts

[KJ zGal]

So I'll be needing to haul my horse out for lessons starting in a couple weeks, and I wondered what you guys thought of the KJ doing this if our Ranger is ever out of service or anything. (My mom also has a tendency to use it for long trips up into the mountains to visit my brother on Sundays, so that would be the most likely cause of its disappearance =P) The weight would be about 3,100 with my horse loaded in, and with the 5-speed ****** I've been told I could pull 3,500 pounds. My mom is concerned that the short wheelbase of the KJ would cause problems. The trailer does have brakes, but I would need to get a system installed on the KJ to apply those brakes, which we do have on the Ranger. We also have a weight distribution hitch that will fit both vehicles. The drive would be about 10 minutes, and I wouldn't have to exceed 45 mph on that route.

I'm mostly wondering about that short wheelbase--do you guys really think would have any dangerous implications (handling, etc.) while towing? If that's the case, would certain trailers be safer to tow than others?

 

[mag03kj]

i think you will be fine....i pulled about 3500 with my 02 2wd ranger about 30miles at 60 without a weight distribution hitch

 

[HoosierJeeper]

Wheelbase is fine for a load like that...it would be fine...

 

[flair1111]

Wheelbase is fine for a load like that...it would be fine...

hey hoosier, the dumb and dumber clip you have in your avatar...jim carey said that scene was real. jeff really hit him with the cane improv...wasnt in the script lol. said it hurt really bad. sorry for the off topic but that is greatest movie of all time.

 

[HoosierJeeper]

hey hoosier, the dumb and dumber clip you have in your avatar...jim carey said that scene was real. jeff really hit him with the cane improv...wasnt in the script lol. said it hurt really bad. sorry for the off topic but that is greatest movie of all time.

It is the greatest movie of all time....

 

[JeepJeepster]

For distances that short you should be just fine. Getting the trailer brake controller installed is a great idea. Even though its a short drive you never know when someone will pull out in front of you. Just expect a shorter life out of the clutch when towing that much.

 

[twack]

i hate to thread jack. but if i were to take a uhaul about 800 miles to help someone move. what would be a comfortable max weight to take?

 

[TruLiberty]

the kj is rated 3500+ pounds. tongue weight is based on what hitch you own.

 

[JeepJeepster]

i hate to thread jack. but if i were to take a uhaul about 800 miles to help someone move. what would be a comfortable max weight to take?

Depends a lot on the terrain in which you will be towing. Most Ive towed with mine is around 3,000lbs and I wouldnt want to go much higher than that on a trip that long, but thats just me. Some people have more faith in their kj but with that 6 ****** rattling around under the hood Id have to hold it to the floor to keep 55mph on the hills with much more weight than that.

 

[tjkj2002]

i hate to thread jack. but if i were to take a uhaul about 800 miles to help someone move. what would be a comfortable max weight to take?

If you have the 45RFE trans and properly outfitted you can tow 5000lbs without worry.I pulled a 6x10 enclosed trailer from FT Lewis WA to FT Carson CO weighing in at about 4500lbs with no issues,and the road wasn't flat by any means either with many passes to go over.

 

[mag03kj]

what about the 42 with a ****** cooler tjkj?

 

[tjkj2002]

what about the 42 with a ****** cooler tjkj?

I personally wouldn't go about 3500lbs with the 42RLE,but that is from seeing what happens to them when worked to hard.

 

[mag03kj]

oh ok so even with a trans cooler no more then 3500

 

[JeepJeepster]

oh ok so even with a trans cooler no more then 3500

If youre going to be towing at high speeds and over a lot of hills I wouldnt want to. You can do it but I wouldnt expect to get 150k out of the ****** or anything.

 

[blue_kjR417]

I often pull our 27" searay boat out of the shop and drop it in the drive so that I can work on my KJ in the shop. It weighs about 3800lbs even though its only about a distance of 20 yards my rigs never had a problem at all in moving the thing. Especially backing it back in the shop. There's an incline up to the door and I've never had any problems. I've never pulled more than a 4 wheeler on a tilt trailer with my KJ, but we used to have an Isuzu Rodeo 4x4 and we pulled the same boat about 120 miles one way every weekend through the Ozark mountains to the lake. That little thing was a beast I'm sure it didn't have anymore towing ability than the KJ and it never had any problems.

 

[TruLiberty]

the kj is rated 5,000 pounds. tongue weight is based on what hitch you own.

Fixed my post. my B. hey TJKJ how do you know what ****** you have? Build sheet?

 

[yellocoyote]

Tru - you would have the 42RLE. KJ's with 2002/early 2003 model years have the 45RFE.

 

[mag03kj]

i got a a 42RLE with a trans cooler and i got a 03

 

[sleeve]

Back on Topic:

The Manual Trans KJ is rated for 3500 pounds max so you fall below that threshold.

Question - what type of trailer brake system does your horse trailer have?

There are two common types of trailer brake systems.

The first is Surge Brakes . This is what you find on most U-hauls where the tongue of the trailer sits on a slide and moves to engage the trailer brake system as you slow down. This method works - but it's very jerky and can cause you grief as you try to back up.

The next type will be electric. Electrically controlled convert the brake controller signal into the proper amount of braking force that the trailer requires to stop without getting you or the tow vehicle into much trouble.


Traveling with that much load without a trailer brake system is going to wear out your KJ brakes quickly [even over short distances.] Also, In most states it's mandatory for a tow vehicle to have a trailer brake system for anything above 3000 pounds. I checked here and didn't see anything listed for New York so you should really check with the DMV locally to verify trailer requirements.

Next - if you have a electric trailer brake system you might have to do some prep work.

If you only have a 4 wire trailer harness at the back of the KJ - you will need to have the 7 wire harness installed. A 7 wire harness plug will provide the proper connection for a trailer equipped with electric brakes. Please note that 7 wire systems without brake controllers cannot operate trailer brakes either... You need the brake controller to properly operate electric trailer brakes.


As far as concerns about the length of your trailer - it will depend on your ability as a driver, the setup of your KJ and weight distribution of the load.

 

[TruLiberty]

Tru - you would have the 42RLE. KJ's with 2002/early 2003 model years have the 45RFE.

*bow* thanks Jayme