ZJs and Towing capacity

[Sprockett]

It's a 96 ZJ 5.2 with upcountry and (appears to be) the tow package. All stock. It has a class 3 hitch and round trailer light hookup. Did the tow package on 96+ have a trans cooler? I heard they did not 96+ and I'm not sure what it would look like to check. Would it be mounted an aux cooler in front of the rad or just hookups to the rad? There already appears to be an oil cooler on passenger side (** upon further reading, this appears to be the aux trans cooler).

It's got 282,000kms and has been owned be family for a few years. Good maintenence. The center diff doesn't make noise turning tight circles but the rear sounds a bit noisy...not a whine just a...noise. The rear diff had the oil change a couple years back and it looked fine inside. Body is mint. How much is such a thing worth?

Second, what can this thing really tow? With a tranny cooler (if the tow pkg has one or whether I put one on). I don't mean a travel trailer so frontal area not big. With a propery load balancing hitch and a dual axle car trailer with brakes, could you put a YJ or a 2500lbs car (maybe 4000lbs total) and realistically tow it great distances? By great distances I mean like 2000kms one way Seems crazy to me in such a small SUV but people say otherwise. Anyone here have experience?

Thanks,
Ryan

[WhiteOut]

Tow package will have the 3.73 gears, D44a if its a V8, trans cooler.  Tows up to 5k lbs.  If i was pulling that much I would have a good set of trailer brakes and brake controller

[AMCJeep]

I used to pull a travel trailer (22 foot) and the ZJ did fine. I had an aux brake controller on mine though and I think they are rated with a V8 for 6000 lbs. You should install a trans cooler as my old 98 5.2 LTD did not come with one in the tow package other than the rad. I hated the ZJ brakes and they felt like wood compared to an old GMC Sierra of the same year. They are really a comfy capable tow rig. With 280000K+ I would make sure the trans fluid & filter are new before I started towing with it, the stock 5.2L trans (44re) is marginal at best. KEEP IT COOL! 

[JackstandJohnny]

you can't tow your jeep with that buddy, not safely at least. the trailer will control you. not the other way around.  that being said, lots of people haul their jeep with a jeep.  my .02.......

as for the worth of the jeep, 2k tops.........

[Grease Nipple]

I towed a 1978 18foot travel trailer, it was about 4000-4200ish lbs, the jeep had no troubles, lots of power.  The only thing i found was with the short wheel base, when it was really windy i did get pushed around a little.

I did have a brake controller and sway bars, which helped out alot.
 

[Bnine]

You could easily pull a YJ with a car dolly type trailer, you just need to have enough tongue weight to keep it stable.

The reason people cant pull with certain rigs and try to correct it with swaybars and such is they either dont know how to load properly, or the unit they pull is unable to be loaded properly.

Ever seen someone go snaky when hauling a trailer? Thats a result of insufficient tongue weight. What happens if the trailer wants to sway, and without a enough weight on the rear of the vehicle, it causes the swaying to become uncotrolled.

Tractor trailors have a wheelbase close to that of a pickup truck. Yet they pull loads of 150,000 plus pounds.

In relation to light duty thats like sticking a 35 foot gooseneck behind a jeep TJ.

The reason the big trucks can do this is by distributing enough weight to the truck axles, and the use of  trailer brakes.

If the jeep has a base rating of 5000lbs, that means you should be able to 1000lbs plus or minus on the tongue. Using a minimum of 10% for tongue weight as a rule of thumb will provide good stability. More is better, but you will run into axle rating issues if you try to put more then that on the tongue.

A modded YJ should be under 4000lbs and a car dolly is is under 1000 lbs. All within the 5000lb rule. Distribute the weight to the tongue properly (minmum 10%), use trailer brakes, and you should have a safe reliable unit for pulling a jeep with a jeep.


hth


I drove truck for 10 years in the oil pacth and logging industry. You can apply this principle to anything you haul. Be it a big truck with 150000lbs of logs, or a minivan trying to latch onto a tent trailer. The fundementals never change, only the applications.

[cLAY]

Also don't even think about using a ZJ to pull a YJ using a towbar. Towbars don't put ANY hitch weight onto the tow vehicle nor do you have any brakes on the vehicle being towed. Rule of thumb for a towbar is that the tow vehicle should be twice the curb weight of the vehicle being towed.

I used to towbar my XJ behind my 3/4ton diesel truck with a camper on the back. Worked great. Tried it once without the camper and I ended up jackknifing it when I went to make a tight right turn in heavy rain. Back end of the truck was too light and just kicked out on me from the weight of the jeep pushing it.

A YJ on trailer would probably be too much for a ZJ so you're stuck using a dolly. Make sure you get a good one that has brakes.

[cLAY]

A modded YJ should be under 4000lbs and a car dolly is is under 1000 lbs. All within the 5000lb rule. Distribute the weight to the tongue properly (minmum 10%), use trailer brakes, and you should have a safe reliable unit for pulling a jeep with a jeep.

and will be within spec for a ZJ.

[Sprockett]

Thanks for the replies guys. Some interesting takes.

This only came up by coincendence. I had been discussing turning my currently street legal race car into a trailer queen and then my family selling the ZJ with tow package. Towing the YJ to places like RMH or Crowsnest would just be a bonus.

The race car weighs ~2500lbs, so without a $6000 lightwieght aluminum hauler (<900lbs), I don't think I'd feel good about towing it with an under 4000lbs SUV. A dolly is not an option for the car, it's too low. Also, this particular SUV with high miles...I might not feel good about driving 4000kms anywhere nevermind towing.

My biggest issue is parking/storage for everything. Even if a bought a trailer and dedicated tow rig, I already have 4 vehicles at my home with a two car attached garage and no back lane.

[tubby]

You can always park your trailer at my place Ryan. I've got RV parking. I would prefer if you left your MR2 racecar though