Towing Capabilities Question
08-20-2018, 12:57 AM
#1
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Towing Capabilities Question
New to the forum life and to the jeep life!
I have a 2011 wrangler rubicon 4 dr. Factory hitch. 4.10 gearing
From the manual it shows a towing capacity of 3500 lbs, tongue weight of 350 lbs, gcwr 8,431.
Towing capacities do confuse me a bit.
Here is my situation...
I am debating on towing a smaller rv camper trailer, 1999 cougar 214s. This would be a long trip. 442 miles one way. Gilbert, AZ to California City, California.
Specs from the brochure are as follows..
Unloaded vehicle weight is 2,916
Gross gvwr is 4,900
Hitch weight is 340(this concerns me a bit)
Length is 21.6 ft
Freshwater capacity is 30 gal, which I wouldn't fill until my destination.
Can I safely tow this? Should I? Damage to jeep? Or should I just rent a larger pickup truck?
Side note, I do have a 18 ft boat that I tow without issue. It weighs about 2,200 lbs without the trailer. Not sure how much the trailer weighs.
I have a 2011 wrangler rubicon 4 dr. Factory hitch. 4.10 gearing
From the manual it shows a towing capacity of 3500 lbs, tongue weight of 350 lbs, gcwr 8,431.
Towing capacities do confuse me a bit.
Here is my situation...
I am debating on towing a smaller rv camper trailer, 1999 cougar 214s. This would be a long trip. 442 miles one way. Gilbert, AZ to California City, California.
Specs from the brochure are as follows..
Unloaded vehicle weight is 2,916
Gross gvwr is 4,900
Hitch weight is 340(this concerns me a bit)
Length is 21.6 ft
Freshwater capacity is 30 gal, which I wouldn't fill until my destination.
Can I safely tow this? Should I? Damage to jeep? Or should I just rent a larger pickup truck?
Side note, I do have a 18 ft boat that I tow without issue. It weighs about 2,200 lbs without the trailer. Not sure how much the trailer weighs.
Last edited by Michael Colosimo; 08-20-2018 at 01:09 AM.
08-20-2018, 01:30 AM
#2
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Stock tire size?
2916 empty, but you'll probably have both the jeep and the trailer loaded with gear?
Towing over capacity has been brought up many times over the years, the general consensus seems to be ...
Can you? Of course.
Should you? Grey area, but way more people seem to say no than yes. (most negative comments are about sketchy braking with heavier loads, issues of liability, and thoughts about insurance companies denying claims.)
2916 empty, but you'll probably have both the jeep and the trailer loaded with gear?
Towing over capacity has been brought up many times over the years, the general consensus seems to be ...
Can you? Of course.
Should you? Grey area, but way more people seem to say no than yes. (most negative comments are about sketchy braking with heavier loads, issues of liability, and thoughts about insurance companies denying claims.)
08-20-2018, 02:19 AM
#3
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Join Date: Aug 2018
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Stock tire size?
2916 empty, but you'll probably have both the jeep and the trailer loaded with gear?
Towing over capacity has been brought up many times over the years, the general consensus seems to be ...
Can you? Of course.
Should you? Grey area, but way more people seem to say no than yes. (most negative comments are about sketchy braking with heavier loads, issues of liability, and thoughts about insurance companies denying claims.)
2916 empty, but you'll probably have both the jeep and the trailer loaded with gear?
Towing over capacity has been brought up many times over the years, the general consensus seems to be ...
Can you? Of course.
Should you? Grey area, but way more people seem to say no than yes. (most negative comments are about sketchy braking with heavier loads, issues of liability, and thoughts about insurance companies denying claims.)
08-20-2018, 02:48 AM
#4
Super Moderator
With what you're describing, I'd rent a truck unless this is something you plan to do multiple times. If it's going to be a regular activity then go with all accessories. Air bags, weight distributing hitch, and a brake controller. Air your rear tires up to adjust for the load. Smittybilt has a bumper that's rated to tow a little more but you'd still be looking at the similar accessories but without the worry of warping that crossmember that holds the hitch (my theory on the low tongue weight).
Better safe than sorry on this one.
Better safe than sorry on this one.
08-20-2018, 03:24 AM
#5
JK Junkie
I've put many miles towing a toy hauler weighing as much as 5000 pounds when loaded. 2012 Jku with manual trans and 3.73 gearing. I towed for a couple years with the factory hitch, then upgraded to the smittybilt xrc bumper. I used weight dist hitch and friction sway control. I think you could tow it, but having trailer brakes and a brake controller is an absolute must. One thing to keep in mind, you will almost certainly be limited to about 60mph. You won't feel safe above that, and the Jeep may not actually be capable of pulling faster than that. Your gas mileage will probably be between 9-10 mpg.
