new to the forum, i got a towing question?

[csharp84]

i am recently new to the jeep forum, i have a 2004 liberty with the 3.7l motor. it is setup with a stage 3 hitch and the whole nine yards for towing...now the owners manual says that i could tow up to 5klbs, and i was looking around for a travel trailer. i found one that is 21' long and weights unloaded 3800lbs...i figured maybe another 1000lbs for all the extras for inthe camper and my wife and son in the jeep.....does anyone recommend this or does anyone have any info on what they tow....i really appreciate the help. thanks in advance

 

[KeswickDave]

Hi csharp, welcome to the forum!

I have an '05 3.7 and pull a 19' travel trailer, dry weight is 2700 lbs. I also estimated around 1000 lbs for cargo and tried to travel with all tanks empty.

I would definitely not want anything any heavier.

We did about 3500 miles two summers ago, from Toronto to Cape Cod then up the coast, through New Brunswick to Nova Scotia and back to Toronto through Quebec.

There were some significant hills along the way, and she often struggled to maintain a decent speed. A few big hills in Maine I started losing speed and had to put the hazards on and let a couple of transport trucks pass me, but most were OK.

It's easy to get carried away with that 5000 lb number - I made the mistake of telling my wife that was the max, so she was shopping for 4900 lb, 25' trailers

I put my foot down (haha) and said our limit was 20' and 3000 lbs.

The other thing I would say is a necessity is anti-sway and weight distribution hitch setup. I pulled the trailer home just on the ball in some decent crosswinds and it was scary, no way was I going to be comfortable for 3500 miles like that. I had a Reese system put on and have been very happy with it, it really ties the Jeep and trailer together as a unit and makes it much more pleasant to drive, even in high winds.

Other things - extra transmission cooling would be advisable, turn off overdrive to minimize shifting, and I found that cruise control was helpful in that respect as well.

Oh, and based on my experience, budget for about 11 mpg.

Hope that gives you some insight!

 

[KeswickDave]

Here's a photo...

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[csharp84]

hey thanks, i did do a couple of searches and have read a nice write up of yours. i think that is what we are gonna look for something that is around 3k dry....but i dont think 11mpg was too too bad.

 

[jeeper4life]

thats badass heh

 

[boebr1]

I'd like to throw in the opinion of putting on some Old Man Emu Springs in the rear... just to avoid the squishy hitting-the-bump-stops feeling. I'd go with the Heavy duty ones personally, but then you might want to lift the front as well... so... who knows?

 

[LibertyFever]

I'll throw in my two cents.

I bought my 04 Liberty with the Mopar trailer package and added an electric brake & a load leveling hitch. csharp84, does your Liberty come with a factory trailer package c/w transmission cooler? What is the 3,800 lbs figure? the trailer's GVW?

The electric brake doesn't come with the factory towing package but it isn't that hard to install. Do a search of this forum and you'll find a "how to". The load leveling hitch is worth the extra dollars.

While towing I recommend turning off the overdrive. It will keep the transmission from overheating.

Here's my 22" Terry travel trailer;

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and here's my other trailer setup;

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Both of my trailers weigh in very close to 5,000 lbs and I can tell you it's not a great idea. I need a bigger tow rig. Maybe a Cherokee with a V8....hmmm.

 

[csharp84]

yes i have the factory mopar towing package....and as the the gross of the trailer im not really sure. i think me and my wife might skip out on the trailer we found just bec it is pretty close to 5000lbs...and yea my dad is giving me his electric brake so i am good there. i just need to get the other goodies for the hitch

 

[csharp84]

ohh LibertyFever the 3800 is the dry weight of the trailer....it is actually 3750 to be exact. the camper is a 21' forest river hybrid. i think we might have to drop back another 2 foot or so to nock off some weight

 

[JeepJeepster]

Both of my trailers weigh in very close to 5,000 lbs and I can tell you it's not a great idea. I need a bigger tow rig. Maybe a Cherokee with a V8....hmmm.

Ive heard rumors of a V-8 Cherokee, but Ive never seen one. I-6 is the biggest Ive seen from the factory.

Personally I wouldnt tow more than 3500lbs with my liberty. Any more than that I would have to hold it to the floor to be able to maybe keep 45mph on the hills. I tow a 3500lb pop up and its pretty ******* the engine and transmission. If you do not plan on towing up any hills, have good brakes on the trailer, good sway setup and WD setup, tow ever how much you want.

 

[LibertyFever]

ohh LibertyFever the 3800 is the dry weight of the trailer....it is actually 3750 to be exact. the camper is a 21' forest river hybrid. i think we might have to drop back another 2 foot or so to Knock off some weight

The newer trailers are a lot lighter. Mine is twenty years old and built like a battleship, tows like one too.

If I was looking for a trailer I'd buy one of those light teardrop or tent trailer. A Liberty would pull one easily.


Regarding a V8 powered Cherokee, I should have said a V8 powered Grand Cherokee. Available from 93 and up.

 

[jeeper4life]

I'd get a commander with a hemi in it to make my tow rig if I could heh