Ok so i have a 2 door 2011 JK that i geared down to 5:38 gearing. I have pulled some of my buddies wakeboard boats with it. does great around town but not so much on the interstate but I can use a buddies truck if we ever go out of town with it. I know my manual says 2,000 pounds. But that is with stock gearing. Im now buying my own wakeboard boat and this is the big question in my head. can I safely haul a 3,500 pound Mastercraft a few days a week or do i need to invest in a truck just for the boat?

thank yall,
Kaleb Booher

 

Can u yes. Safely idk. Legally nope. It has a lot to do with brakes and wheel base. Not just gearing and power. The jks tow rating is weird though. The new Cherokee with 2.4 or 3.2 is rated at something like 4500-5000lbs and it's no way bigger than a jku. Bottom line is I would say pick up a cheap 70-80 gm pickup on graigslist for cheap

 

look at what the European JK tow rating is and go from there. I think it is 3500 if I recall correctly

 

ok thank yall. the trailer will be tandom axle with trailer brakes so that should help a lot with the stopping part.

 

Call your insurance company and see if they will cover you in an accident while towing more than the rated weight. Could be a whole lot cheaper to buy buy a used truck.

 

Better yet, read your policy. Most don't read it until something happens. By then, your outta luck.

Most policies if insurance cover "stupidity." Heh


To a person who said it was a brakes issue a few posts up, it's not a brake issue. For a 2-door, it is wheelbase, weight of the 2-door, and mediocre at best power and cooling.

Sent from some string and a few tin cans.

 

Highway safety commission takes into account weight length width power (both tq and hp) as well as braking and cooling abilities. So yes braking plays a role in a vehicle's towing capacities

From truck trend

New SAE Standards
The upcoming SAE J2807 recommended practices will include five areas of testing: structure, propulsion, thermal, handling, and braking. The structure tests validate body, bumper, and frame strength and the hitch itself. The propulsion tests include: launching five times in five minutes, in forward and reverse, on a (very steep) 12-percent grade; zero to 30, zero-to-60, and 40-60-mph level-road acceleration tests; and minimum speed on the Davis Dam grade.

 

appreciating the comments and different view points on this topic. Please keep them coming. Im in college and work full time and love my jeep, really cant see it practical to have two vehicles while in school and i deffinently dont want to part ways with my JK. But my love for wakeboarding is greater than the jeeplife.

 

If your pulling it 5 miles down the road, I'd say go for it. If the roads are under 40mph, I'd say go for it; otherwise, not worth it.
As for brakes on the JK, they are actually quite good.

The tow rating being lower, and I've posted this before based in a conversation I've had with jeep engineer is the JK could not maintain speed on Davis dam test, I70 out of Colorado and couldn't handle the heat of august towing through death valley. They then rate the JK for the lowest common denominator.

The frame, drivetrain, wheelbase, brakes are all up to it. The engine and cooling are the main issues (for a JKU). The 2-door has other issues, chiefly, wheelbase.

Sent from some string and a few tin cans.

 

Any thought of replacing the 2 dr with a 4 dr, which can tow 3500 lbs?