Towing with an XJ

So, since I'm familiar with them and will be in the market soon, I've decided to pick up a new to me XJ Cherokee. I need to tow with it, and I'd like to go down fire roads with it, which as I understand are two different things all together.

My plan is pretty simple.

C rated tires: https://www.treadwright.com/individual-product/141/GUARD%20DOG-31-11R15.00-C

As little lift as possible, with trimming preferred to keep the Jeep low to the ground.

This seems almost too simple to work. The trailer being towed will be a landscaping trailer with no more than 3,500 pounds on it. We've pulled a similar trailer with a 4 cylinder Nissan Hardbody, so the XJ should, in theory, be up to the job.

So what am I missing here? These things are plentiful, even with fresh front ends, which is always a problem with death wobble.

Nothing. These were rated to 5500lbs with the tow package, and will absolutely tow better than a hardbody.

Suspension and brakes in good shape, drive safe, tow away.

Rear disc conversion might not be a terrible idea. Easy if you have an 8.25 rear end.

There was one year in the early ABS vintage, 94-ish iirc, that had bigger diameter rear wheel cylinders than most of the rest. I towed a lot with my '98 and it wore front brakes about 3 times as fast as rears until I swapped in the bigger cylinders to get a bit more rear brake. Afterwards the stopping distance was improved and the the front brakes lasted longer too.

With an equalizer hitch and trailer brakes I went from Maine to SC with a V12 Jag XJS on a 1500# trailer without issue. That was probably just more than most would be comfortable with, but a 3500# trailer wouldn't break a sweat.

Trailer brakes for sure. IIRC, on some of those the trailer package was just a full size spare tire and synthetic lube in the rear axle.

And a trans cooler.

I ran 30" tires with air shocks in the rear on my 99(no lift kit). The only time things were scary was when the trailer was heavier then the jeep and damp roads. It tended to push around corners if I was going too fast. I put 6 40lb bags of softener salt in the rear and very rarely had to grab 4wd during the winter. If I didn't have my f350 I would still have one.

Swank Force One wrote: And a trans cooler.

Came here to say this ^ unless it has an ax15 that is. .

stan_d wrote: I ran 30" tires with air shocks in the rear on my 99(no lift kit). The only time things were scary was when the trailer was heavier then the jeep and damp roads. It tended to push around corners if I was going too fast. I put 6 40lb bags of softener salt in the rear and very rarely had to grab 4wd during the winter.

A ringing endorsement if I ever heard one...

This ride will be an automatic. They are rated to tow higher from the factory, and I really don't want to row my own gears when a decent automatic is an option.

B&M makes a sweet shifter for the AX-15:

I bought one after I had cut my hand for the umpteenth time on the broken shift handle in my XJ.

It was precision where precision was not required; like eating a Big Mac with diamond encrusted chop sticks

An XJ being rated to tow 5k+ lbs is a perfect example of how factory tow ratings used to be COMPLETELY full of E36 M3.

Mine towed fine, and it was an early (Renix, non-HO) XJ. I towed a Triumph on a Uhaul trailer once. Actually, on second thought I recall that it sucked stopping with a trailer, seeing as the XJ brakes are pretty borderline when you're not towing.

Were I to tow 3500 regularly with an XJ, tranny cooler and brake upgrades would be MUSTS, as well as trailer brakes.

Vanco bbk, disc rear brake upgrade, trailer brakes. All good.

In reply to stanger_missle:

ZOMG I WANT THAT

Tranny cooler and brakes aren't too hard to do, but neither of our trailers are set up with brakes. What and all does that entail? We've been doing this for years, with the longest running vehicle being a Ridgeline.

75w140 in the axles, trans cooler, brake controller, go.

seeing as the XJ brakes are pretty borderline when you're not towing.

Yup and the rear springs are too soft for any tongue weight, the trailer can jacknife the jeep because there's very little weight on the rear tires, and the directional stability with soft springs and tall sidewalls sucks even when its not towing. If you go slow enough, anything is 'safe', but a stock XJ is NOT safe to tow a car trailer at any reasonable speed unless your standards are even lower than mine.

Go read all my towing posts and ask yourself if you're comfortable with your standards being lower than mine.

irish44j wrote: Mine towed fine, and it was an early (Renix, non-HO) XJ. I towed a Triumph on a Uhaul trailer once. Actually, on second thought I recall that it sucked stopping with a trailer, seeing as the XJ brakes are pretty borderline when you're not towing.

Uhaul trailers have had dual axle, hydraulic hitch actuated brakes since I can remember renting them with my father when I was like 10? If it stopped bad with functioning brakes on a trailer, not much help upgrading the brakes is going to do... IMO

HiTempguy wrote:

irish44j wrote: Mine towed fine, and it was an early (Renix, non-HO) XJ. I towed a Triumph on a Uhaul trailer once. Actually, on second thought I recall that it sucked stopping with a trailer, seeing as the XJ brakes are pretty borderline when you're not towing.

Uhaul trailers have had dual axle, hydraulic hitch actuated brakes since I can remember renting them with my father when I was like 10? If it stopped bad with functioning brakes on a trailer, not much help upgrading the brakes is going to do... IMO

Those brakes leave a lot to be desired and don't always function properly. I'd towed back to back with one of those trailers vs my trailer with electric brakes on both axles and a tekonsha P3 brake controller.....no comparison imo.

Vigo wrote:

seeing as the XJ brakes are pretty borderline when you're not towing.

Yup and the rear springs are too soft for any tongue weight, the trailer can jacknife the jeep because there's very little weight on the rear tires, and the directional stability with soft springs and tall sidewalls sucks even when its not towing.

Springs too soft, that's what air shocks or helper springs are for.

Everything else, same applies to every light pickup ever built, a Nissan hardbody has a lot less steel over the rear axle and they didn't seem to have any trouble with that.

If Uhaul's legal team says you can tow with it, you can tow with it.

Vigo wrote:

seeing as the XJ brakes are pretty borderline when you're not towing.

Yup and the rear springs are too soft for any tongue weight, the trailer can jacknife the jeep because there's very little weight on the rear tires, and the directional stability with soft springs and tall sidewalls sucks even when its not towing.

Springs too soft, that's what air shocks or helper springs are for.

Everything else, same applies to every light pickup ever built, a Nissan hardbody has a lot less steel over the rear axle and they didn't seem to have any trouble with that.

If Uhaul's legal team says you can tow with it, you can safely tow with it.

Do keep in mind we're talking a light landscaping trailer, not a big and heavy dual axle car trailer. My weight estimate is on the very top end of the scale.

Adding some helper springs or even a small lift for the sake of stiffer rear springs is certainly an option. These things go together like lego and are as cheap to build.

Don't get me wrong, the XJ can do what you're talking about, but to me it's silly to defend a 5000+ lb tow rating with comments like 'yeah but if you add air shocks and upgrade the braking system and use trailer brakes it's fine!'. If the 5000+ lb # was any kind of valid it wouldnt need mods.

I feel that, other than having an unusually tough auto trans, the XJ is a worse tow vehicle than almost any given ~3200 lb newish car you can name (think dodge dart etc). It can easily be modified to be better at a LOT of things, sure. That's why people like them. But towing ability is not one of its strong suits in stock form.

5500lbs is with the tow package, which probably provided HD cooling, lower gears, stiffer springs and few other things. Over a 3000lbs you are mandated to run trailer brakes in most states regardless of what you're pulling it with.

I don't think there was a gear change, but the rest of it yes. Tow package automatically bumped you to the HD springs if i remember correctly. And they ARE much stiffer than the "normal" ones.