undertow119

I'm guessing your f450 is rated for 24,500 using a 5th wheel hitch, not a frame mounted hitch - completely different animal. Now, if you could find a way to mount a 5th wheel hitch on your JK......

The J8 has leaf springs in the rear. Beefier suspension means increased tongue weight capacity. Increased tongue weight capacity means increased towing capacity. It's really the tongue weight capacity that limits the JK to 3500lbs (350 is 10% of 3500, and tongue weight should never be less than 10% of the trailer weight. A 5000lb trailer has a minimum tongue weight of 500lbs, which is more than the stock JK suspension can handle).

I'm not sure what makes you think the Dana 44 is retarded...

The engine is not wimpy. Properly geared and driven, it has more than enough power.

only_in_my_jeep

Gee when you go with an F450 you are talking comercial grade equipment. It is longer and also a duely which doubles the rear tire width and increases stability. The whole thing is designed to tow however as you mentioned it does not even double the weight without talking the 5th wheel which changes the whole geometry of the rig. This is why the big rigs all hook the trailer to the mount on the truck rather than a ball. You could do a 5th wheel in the back of a jeep and get better results however improable that would be.

pearl-drum-man

Bingo!

ronjenx

There is another forum where a thread is hosted by Jeep engineers. The towing capacity question came up. The engineer's response was: The Wrangler's towing capacity is limited by engine cooling due to the aerodynamics of the front of the vehicle. Removing the fairing under the front bumper would further reduce engine cooling.