'97 Jeep Cherokee - Tow Vehicle?

[Chris Lovell]

Sorry if this is off topic.... Does anyone have any experience using a standard Jeep Cherokee Sport to tow a flat bed car trailer and a '86 911? I think the total weight will be about 4400 lbs (car and trailer)? Crazy idea?
Thanks,
CL

[d.a.autry]

I've never had any experience w/ Jeep. . . but I think tow rating is right at 5k lbs. You'd be at the limit and if you have grades it could get iffy. . . and downhill I'd damn sure want trailer brakes.

I have a '96 Suburban 2500 w/ a modded 454 and it can struggle with some of my grades (6 - 7%).

If you're all flat, you may be able to do it some, but for a regular thing, I dunno.

[Rot 911]

I think the tail will be wagging the dog. Even my Grand Cherokee made towing a car and trailer and interesting proposition.

[ratpiper71T]

Haven't done it yet, but I have 2000 xj which is the same generation and 5000 is the limit- if you have the factory tow setup or equivalent with AT, trans cooler, tow connect. I would make sure your brakes are in like new condition and your trans has been serviced. Don't follow close behind anyone if possible to give you adequate braking distance, maybe trailer brakes like the other poster suggested. AX 4 trans witch is what you probably have is a great trans, probably the best ever put in a jeep(it's a Toyota tranny!) if it ls a real long distance trek and the above options ain't happening I might think twice about using the jeep.

[sailchef]

I pulled 3500 lbs of clean fill with a 10 ft trailer and my 2000 Jeep cherokee. I had a large portion of the weight on the tongue and it rode like a dream.

Having said that, it was all flat terrain, no hills, and I never tried to pass. And I didn't travel more than 40 miles r/trip.

I had done a little research before hand. U-haul won't allow me to rent a trailer as the cherokee isn't rated for towing vehichles. It also has a very short wheel base.

You might want to rethink this.

[vash]

my mom almost lost her two idiot boys..we were towing a car trailer with 3 or 4 three wheelers back in the day. full sized early 90's bronco. my brother was driving..maybe a tad bit too fast..straight line. for some reason the trailer got away from us..we did donuts all the way down HWY 25 near Truth or Consequences..when i opened my eyes, all i saw was traffic dodging us. i poop'd alittle bit.

now my brother still tows..but he is a firm believer in OVERKILL. long wheelbase or nothing..that jeep is too short, and too light.

[Chris Lovell]

Thanks guys. This is seeming ill conceived. My trailer does have brakes that work fine. But the little jeep is just too little. I could rent a Suburban or Expedition for this long haul. And in the long run, I lust after a big old double cab, 8' bed land yacht. Maybe some day.

[KTL]

Ask Souk his opinion. He towed his '89 911 Fat Bastard with 4.0L Cherokee. He loaded up the Jeep with a fair amount of gear and the trailer was an Aluma 16 ft. I recall he had no complaints, but I recall also that the truck looked well-loaded in terms of tongue weight and GVWR?

Another point of reference- i've towed my 2450 race car via a Chevy Traverse & steel trailer and was shocked how well it handled it. 3.6L V6 was suprisingly up to the task. Considering I also loaded up all the crap that came with the car when I towed back from Atlanta upon purchase, I was suprised how well it did handling the STEEP grades of Tennessee! We're talking steep- the kind where the DOT has runaway truck ramps along the interstate for semi tractor trailers gone out of control....... We did the downhill run on the way down to Atlanta and I was thinking, "ah crap, I hope this thing can pull the car + trailer + crapload of gear up these hills" Again, I was very surprised. The Traverse is a nice vehicle if someone's looking for something to tow a fairly heavy load (5800 lb. max trailering capacity with tow package), but you don't want to invest in the big land barge vehicle like a Suburban. That being said, I just bought a used Suburban for my tow duties because I wanted lots of room for hauling gear and a V8 w/some grunt

[hpaull]

I am in the same dilemma as you 95 cherokee and wanting to tow my 911. However, I think I figured out the best solution. Sell the cherokee, and once that sell's I'm going to pick up a new silverado 1500. Nothing special, just a work truck version with reg cab and std bed with the 5.3 and towing package also 2wd, can't forget the nice warranty that comes with that. These can be had new for a little over 16 off the lot with some negotiating. Towing with the cherokee is too iffy, especially here in Colorado with all the hills such. Last thing I want to lose is both of my vehicles.

[arrivederci]

I used to tow my '72 on a trailex open trailer with an '00 XJ. It was ok, but the XJ really doesn't have the wheelbase and weight to have much of a safety margin. It has plenty of power and brake (the trailer should have brakes), but as I said above, that's not the concern. I didn't tow in the mountains.

[EarlyPorsche]

I used to have a V8 Grand Cherokee (2000 and 2003) and I would tow Porsches on flatbed steel trailers. Never had a problem and really didn't notice the trailer back there. Although the Grand is bigger, heavier, and stronger than your 4.0 Cherokee Regular.

[flat6pilot]

Same situation as everyone else. I have a 2003 Toyota Tacoma 3.4l V6 double cab. I'd sure like to try towing the 911 to some of the nearby tracks. Limited hill use, limited towing (DE's, AX's). I have the 5000lb hitch package but unsure how it will perform. Anyone else use an earlier Tacoma to tow?

Thoughts?

[175K911]

I used to pull my SCCA Spec Racer on a Trailex trailer with my old Cherokee with the 4.0 engine. Total towed weight with tools and spares was just under 3000 lbs. I would never tow my 911 even on my current aluminum trailer with that Cherokee other than to a local track. That old 3000lb setup still moved the back of the Cherokee around on 2 lane roads, and the Cherokee couldn't stand much tongue weight. The engine had sufficient torque to maintain even as much as 50mph on steep mountain grades though.

So I guess if I had to tow my 911 to Blackhawk (about 100 miles for me) I'd do it, but I probably wouldn't tow to MidOhio (325 miles) and no way through the mountains to VIR (900 miles)

[chris.817]

I towed quite a bit with my 99 4Runner. Mostly faily flat. Under powered a bit on hills. Even with trailer brakes, panic stops are not where you want to find yourself.

I always felt it was stable and adequate but I paid very close attention to braking. The new Expedition is a whole different animal.

[rattlsnak]

Depending on where your going, (hills, mountains?) you should be fine with a 4.0. I used to tow my setup with a small toyota 3.0 pickup. It wasnt pretty , but it worked.

[MotoSook]

Probably did your trip, bu I just noticed this thread and figure I'd add another data point.

I towed a 18' dual axle aluminum trailer with a 2600 lbs 911 on it using my 2001 Cherokee. With electric brakes I has no problems. The newer 4.0 (I think they came out in '99) has plenty of power for moderate hills, but I wouldn't think of going over the continental devide with it. My towing was in the midwest. The loaded trailer was probably 3600-3800 lbs. I always loaded my tools and spare tires in the Jeep to make it heavier than the trailer.

The key is proper distribution of weight on the trailer. A 911 makes this fairly easy. Except for the first time I towed with 911, I never had a problem and never felt unsafe. Speed of 65-70 mph was fine.

The PO of the trailer use to tow I with a Toyota 4runner for years.


I would think twice about using a jeep if I didn't have an aluminum trailer or ifi had a very heavy car to tow.

[KCTarga3.2]

"..when i opened my eyes, all i saw was traffic dodging us. i poop'd alittle bit"

Hilarious - that should be all you need to hear to convince you to find something else to tow with. How about something like this?

[red-beard]

I've towed that much with my 2001 Cherokee. When I moved from San Diego to Houston, I shipped one Porsche and towed the other.

I didn't have any issues with SWAY, but I do recommend that you make sure that the brake discs are cool before stopping. If you have done some recent heavy braking, drive for at least 10-20 minutes before parking. This will help keep the rotors from warping.

A couple of other things, make sure that your steering damper is in good shape. You do not want the death wobble while towing.

[Talewinds]

Originally Posted by Rot 911

I think the tail will be wagging the dog. Even my Grand Cherokee made towing a car and trailer and interesting proposition.

Ditto, big time.