CajunTiger

I am wondering if my GVWR came up after installing 4.88's, 3" Lift and 35" tires. I am lookin on buying a pop up trailer and wanna do this right. I drove 18 wheels up north in the most God forsakin' weather, snow, ice, tornados, and know what weather can do while pulling. I wanna pull my pop up, with gear, to camp and trail ride, minor rock crawlin', etc. and I wanna know what I can pull. My Jeep stock shows 2000 lbs. Is this all I can still pull? Thanks in advance for the replies....

bbrown626

I think the limiting factor with the towing rating is the wheelbase. The JKU has a higher towing capacity, yet uses the same powerplant. Since you haven't changed that, you should be fine. Of course some will say your insurance wont cover you or something like that if they find out you are in an accident and the gross vehicle weight is over the limits.

CajunTiger

[QUOTE=bbrown626;3535670]I think the limiting factor with the towing rating is the wheelbase. The JKU has a higher towing capacity, yet uses the same powerplant. Since you haven't changed that, you should be fine. Of course some will say your insurance wont cover you or something like that if they find out you are in an accident and the gross vehicle weight is over the limits.[/QUOTE

Thats what I don't want. It's not gonna be too much to pull. There are some lite pop ups that I think will be fine, but they are without much water storage and such. I am just lookin to make it as comfy for the kids as I can. We plan on havin alot of fun with my Jeep! Not many Mods left to go, so pop up time is soon.

Ryan0260

You could probably get by towing a little more than that. Chrysler gives that number as a safe recommendation. Having the lower gears is going to help with the towing a little bit.

catahoula

I'm in the samw boat I've gor a 2011 JK auto with 3.73 gears. A buddy of mine said I could run a heavier trailer and he also suggested the trailer/camper have brakes as well. I don't know how true that is I've never towed anything before.

CajunTiger

It is better to have brakes on whatever you pull. My pop up will have em'. I don't want too light, but I don't want too heavy either. The lighter the load, the more risk of swaying during rain and windy conditions. I will find a happy medium and go with it.

Jeepin Dad

Wheelbase is the limiting factor, pulling it isn't a problem, stopping it can get a little unnerving at times. I tow a small popup, 2002 Colman Taos (950 lbs dry, 1750 lbs loaded), and I would not want to tow anything much heavier with a 2 door. Without the trailer brakes it really wanted to push the rear of the jeep around when braking and descending steep grades. With the trailer brakes it is much better in normal driving conditions but I did have to make one hard stop in the rain last year and could still feel it trying to to push me around.

Here is mine hooked up and ready to pull out last Labor Day Weekend, I'm runninng a little over 2.5" of lift with 33's and 4.10s. Ours does not have water storage built in but does have a small sink and a hose connection if we are at a campsite that has water. We usually bring a 5 gallon water cooler that will last us (family of 4) through a three day trip.

CajunTiger

Thats a nice set-up! I will end up buying a Viking, they are the lightest pop-ups I've found.

Pyraxiate

Edit -- sorry I just saw the date on this thread. Talk about raising the dead lol

Wheel base width / length and drive shaft also play a big role in towing. I pull a 7000lb 30 footer which is near my Jeeps limits ( 5.7 hemi limited commander ). I would never think of towing that much with my JKU. I upgraded a ton of suspension parts ( Monroe sensatrac load levelers + an airlift 1000 just in case ) and use the best weight distribution hitch on the market. Even with all that I feel like I'm pushing it to it's limits.

Wheel base length and vehicle width play a LARGE role in stability with a load behind you, and not something you can upgrade without some seriously heavy custom fabrication.

I have the same 5.7 and 545fre that a ram 1500 has, along with a custom a Carolina driveshaft ( to replace the stock weak aluminum collapsible one ). Have I pulled more? Sure..... Upwards of 12k lbs of firewood ..... But only on local roads and with plenty of stopping distance. Oh and I upgraded to drilled / slotted rotors and ceramic pads too. I'd still never pull overweight on a highway at highway speeds.

I love my jeeps and all, but only the GC and commander are pushing it as far as mid size SUV's go. Probably getting an Expedition El or Suburban LS to replace the commander as a towing vehicle just because of safety as I'm already tipping the scales at max on the her.

Cajun JK

Nice ride, Love that Commander.