necros

My cousin is buying a boat and his car can't tow it.. he said he'll pay for the hitch if I get it on my jeep.

So, anyone know offhand what that will cost? Do i want to get the standard Jeep version or is there something better I should look into?

TBJK

How big is the boat? you want to make sure it is not above 3500lbs. You can get it from mopar for like 149 i think. Quadratec sells them from 89-169, Wiring harness is sold separately you can get a 4 way flat (cheapest and easy install) or 7 pin

TINMAN080

for around $220 you can get the Mopar hitch and harness, takes about 45 minutes to install, if you have anything bigger than a rowboat make sure you have the 3.73 rear gear.....

deadspot

I would agree with other posters - make sure you first know the towing capacity. Just because his car can tow it may not mean you should tow it - it is worth double checking. Consider if you want a 2" hitch (which is probably what you want) (he might have a 1 1/4) and double check if it's a 4 pin wiring harness (easier than a 7pin to deal with - depends on trailer). While a small item, double check the ball size needed for his trailer for when you buy the ball mount (which you can just buy locally).

Among other places, sites like etrailer dot com are a great source for hitches. I got my hitch as an option on my JK but I have ordered a couple hitches from etrailer for other vehicles in the past and the price is right and the service is decent. You need to order a hitch and a harness. As a side note, as you may know, don't forget that with the hitch you could then also consider getting a shackle for the hitch to use as a recovery point.

More than anything, if you haven't already, search for other posts (plenty of them) on towing, hitches, and wiring.... and when you are all done post a pic to the Jeeps and Boats thread! :/

britjk

Why the 3:73 - I have 4:10's on mine.

Seir

He's saying "at least" 3.73...

necros

I'm pretty sure I have 3.73 gears... But I'll have to check on the weight. It's a 21' center console fishing boat w/ 1 motor. Nothing fancy, it's just flat with a steering wheel in the middle. Not sure what kind of wiring it has too but I'll find out.

I have a tow hook on the back right now, I think I read I have to remove that to get the hitch.

Is it the kind of thing you can install yourself? I think I could get the hitch itself on maybe but I'm not sure at all how to do the wiring stuff and I'd be scared of screwing that up.. should I just take it to the dealer or will they end up charging me like $500?

Hellbilly

Pulled my bassboat(17.5ft Procraft) all summer with mine, auto w/373. It actually pulled pretty good. I put on a lift, 35inch tires, and this weekend am putting 488's in. I hope it will still pull it ok.