Heaviest load and/or largest trailer towed with Jeep?
 

Hi. I just bought a used '08 Sahara 4dr so I am green as they come. First thing I am doing is adding a hitch and buying a trailer so I can pick up building materials and supplies for projects on my "farm".

I know the sahara is rated for towing 3500lbs and the hitches have a tongue weight of 300lbs. I am looking to get the largest trailer I can that enables me to carry the most stuff (like a 5x10 or 6x12) while still having the lowest curb weight (dry weight). I want to maximize the carrying load up to 3500lbs GVW so that is why I want as light of a trailer as possible. I assume that means a single axle without brakes since a double axle has a higher curb weight.

I am curious as to what all of you out there are using and your pros and cons with what you have? Thanks for your input.

First, congratulations on getting your Jeep! There are some past threads on towing and I say that not just to give you the "use the search feature" lecture but because there are some good threads with a lot of information (e.g. https://www.jk-forum.com/forums/show...ghlight=towing). Also, I think a lot comes down to your towing conditions (hills? flat?) and safety (e.g. maybe the jeep can pull it but can you stop?). I feel it makes sense to keep close to the limits they give. Good luck and hope you enjoy the Jeep.

Are you aware not all 4dr Saharas are rated to tow 3500 lbs?

You need to know your axle ratio.
3.73 and 4.10 = 3500 lbs.
3.21 = 1000 lbs.

There are several ways to find out what gears you have. Most are indirect. Since you got the Jeep used, you don't know if it has been re-geared. There is a direct way to find out your ratio.

For trailer towing, use synthetic Gear & Axle Lubricant (SAE 75W-140) in the rear axle.

Teraflex has a bigger brake rotor kit coming out for the JK. I'd definitely check into 'em if you are going to be towing all the time.

Trailer brakes will increase the amount of load you can tow safely by stopping the trailer so you don't have to rely on the jeep's brakes. Similarly, tandem axels will carry more load and make the trailer track straight reducing Jack-knifing. The 3500# rating assumes 3.73 or greater axels, single trailer axel, and no brakes.
An average tandem axel trailer with brakes probably weighs in the 1000# range so that should leave you plenty of capacity left for cargo.

Not completely true. This is from the owner's manual:

Trailer brakes are recommended for trailers over 1,000
lbs (454 kg) and required for trailers in excess of 2,000
lbs (907 kg).
CAUTION!
If the trailer weighs more than 1,000 lbs (454 kg)
loaded, it should have its own brakes and they
should be of adequate capacity. Failure to do this
could lead to accelerated brake lining wear, higher
brake pedal effort, and longer stopping distances.

Additionally, they don't care how many axles the trailer has. More trailer axles will not increase tow vehicle rating.

since you asked about buying a trailer, i will say that i've got a BigTex 6x10 utility trailer, model 35SV. i love it. it wasnt cheap, about $1700, but its been bulletproof for about 5 years now. hauled everything from simple moving jobs, to motorcycles (5!) to lumber supplies when i was framing houses. i've towed it with everything from my old tacoma, a lexus rx300, and now my nissan armada. i bet its got at least 15k miles on it. i havent towed it with a jk, mostly becua i've yet to buy one. however, this summer i used a friends jk to tow their mastercraft x10, and it towed great. good luck, enjoy your new jeep!

I have a 2 door running 35's with stock 3.73 gears. This summer I pulled my Mastercraft X1 every weekend. The boat and trailer is apx. 4k pounds. The trailer and surge brakes so the rig stops pretty easy. I wouldn't recommend a long distance haul but around town is no problem.

Agree. I guess the real question is how much **should** you tow, not how much **can** you tow. I know a lot of people go way beyond the limits of their tow vehical. I have also seen them on the side of the road broke down or worse.
IMHO, the Wrangler is a "sometimes" tow vehical and it you plan to tow heavy loads frequently, you should have a full sized pick-up, Yucon, or similar.

Thanks for all of the replies! Regarding the quote above - I did not know that. Of course one thinks they look into everything and there is always something they miss but this is a big one for me. :sad2: The next questions that come to mind from changing the gearing from 3.21 to 3.73:

1) cost?
2) Pros - cons when NOT towing? Why not ship all 4dr Saharas with 3.73 gearing?

I'll do some research but if anyone has insight into this please let me know.

Thanks! Keith