Anyone towing with a Jeep Wrangler?

[Todd Kyle]

I have a 2017 242x e-series and was thinking of towing with a 2015 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon - any thoughts?

 

[B0at1n]

Probably not a good idea.

 

[Todd Kyle]

yeah, im re-thinking after a bit more research. I appreciate the reply

 

[mwalker4]

I've got a 2door which only 2000. Time for a Gladiator ?

 

[suke]

I tow my 212x and it hauls it like a beast. No issues holding 65-70mph on the highway and getting 12mpg. HOWEVER, I surely wouldn't do a 242x. Likely wouldn't even tow a new 212x. Those things have gained quite a bit of weight compared to mine.

 

[Compatico]

I tow my 212x and it hauls it like a beast. No issues holding 65-70mph on the highway and getting 12mpg. HOWEVER, I surely wouldn't do a 242x. Likely wouldn't even tow a new 212x. Those things have gained quite a bit of weight compared to mine.

I wouldn't sweat it too much - North America marketing has a weird fear of towing insisting you need a big truck to pull a jetski - probably just marketing BS to get people to buy big. The rest of the world tows big campers and boats with cars and SUV's all the time - pickups and other trucks practically don't exist outside NA.

I've got a Kia Sorento and tow a 4900 lbs boat & trailer without issues. I wouldn't tow 1000 miles through the mountains (even though it feels like it could do it fine), but for the 50 mile trip to the lake on weekends, and the 100 mile trip to our favorite camping area a few times in the summer, it's no problem at all. I did have to adjust the tongue weight down to just under 200 lbs to prevent suspension sag, but it tows smooth and easy. I change out the transfer case and diff at 30k intervals to make sure the drive is well lubed, and had the tranny fluid changed at 60k and they said it looked good, no burn or other issues noted.

As for the 242 weight, Yamaha's website shows it's only 115 lbs more dry than the 212 series...doesn't seem right but I guess the extra couple of feet is mostly just open hull area (Limited S 212=3598 lbs 242=3713 lbs).

We've been looking around at jet boats for a while, thinking about the Yamaha 212 Limited S at 3598 lbs dry - should come in around 5000+ for towing. A tad over the rated limit, but I doubt I'd even notice the few hundred pounds difference over my current boat.
YMMV

 

[suke]

I wouldn't sweat it too much - North America marketing has a weird fear of towing insisting you need a big truck to pull a jetski - probably just marketing BS to get people to buy big. The rest of the world tows big campers and boats with cars and SUV's all the time - pickups and other trucks practically don't exist outside NA.

I've got a Kia Sorento and tow a 4900 lbs boat & trailer without issues. I wouldn't tow 1000 miles through the mountains (even though it feels like it could do it fine), but for the 50 mile trip to the lake on weekends, and the 100 mile trip to our favorite camping area a few times in the summer, it's no problem at all. I did have to adjust the tongue weight down to just under 200 lbs to prevent suspension sag, but it tows smooth and easy. I change out the transfer case and diff at 30k intervals to make sure the drive is well lubed, and had the tranny fluid changed at 60k and they said it looked good, no burn or other issues noted.

As for the 242 weight, Yamaha's website shows it's only 115 lbs more dry than the 212 series...doesn't seem right but I guess the extra couple of feet is mostly just open hull area (Limited S 212=3598 lbs 242=3713 lbs).

We've been looking around at jet boats for a while, thinking about the Yamaha 212 Limited S at 3598 lbs dry - should come in around 5000+ for towing. A tad over the rated limit, but I doubt I'd even notice the few hundred pounds difference over my current boat.
YMMV

Yeah, my jeep hauls this thing way better than I predicted. Eventually I'll upgrade and get a Gladiator. Which likely won't tow it much better as it's still the same motor. Different tranny and 4.10 gears instead of the 3.73s, but still it wont' have anymore HP or TQ.

 

[ripler]

No way I would do it, there's a solution though.

 

[Betik]

@ThatJeepGuy @ThatJeepGirl

 

[Commander50]

You can always find a used Jeep Commander.

 

[Jgorm]

I have a Wrangler and i would limit it to a few miles around town. If you have a lift and tires i would think twice about freeway towing.

 

[Compatico]

I have a Wrangler and i would limit it to a few miles around town. If you have a lift and tires i would think twice about freeway towing.

I tow on the highway all the time without any issues - it's FUD spread by the North American market that you need a monster truck to pull any kind of trailer. If you drive with have a brain and remember you're towing, you'll likely never have an issue. If you drive like an idiot, such as people who think that towing is the same as driving without a trailer, then all bets are off. When you see twits pull their trailers over curbs when turning, or hitting yellow pylons at the gas station pulling out, or drifting off the road because they're texting, I get the heck away from them.

 

[Compatico]

Yeah, my jeep hauls this thing way better than I predicted. Eventually I'll upgrade and get a Gladiator. Which likely won't tow it much better as it's still the same motor. Different tranny and 4.10 gears instead of the 3.73s, but still it wont' have anymore HP or TQ.

A lower gear ratio would translate into more torque, and more pulling power. That's why vehicles have gears, the lower the gear the more torque is translated to the drive wheels. When it comes to hauling, torque is more important than HP for getting the load up to speed, then HP keeps the speed steady.

 

[suke]

I tow on the highway all the time without any issues - it's FUD spread by the North American market that you need a monster truck to pull any kind of trailer. If you drive with have a brain and remember you're towing, you'll likely never have an issue. If you drive like an idiot, such as people who think that towing is the same as driving without a trailer, then all bets are off. When you see twits pull their trailers over curbs when turning, or hitting yellow pylons at the gas station pulling out, or drifting off the road because they're texting, I get the heck away from them.

I tow mine all over the place too and having a smaller tow vehicle, albeit tows my boat without issue, I'm hyper aware/cautious of my surroundings. Which means I keep it to 70mph max on the highway, but most times I keep it somewhere between 60-65mph.

 

[ripler]

I tow on the highway all the time without any issues - it's FUD spread by the North American market that you need a monster truck to pull any kind of trailer. If you drive with have a brain and remember you're towing, you'll likely never have an issue. If you drive like an idiot, such as people who think that towing is the same as driving without a trailer, then all bets are off. When you see twits pull their trailers over curbs when turning, or hitting yellow pylons at the gas station pulling out, or drifting off the road because they're texting, I get the heck away from them.

It's not really a question about if the vehicle can tow the boat, it's about can it do it legally.

 

[2kwik4u]

It's not really a question about if the vehicle can tow the boat, it's about can it do it legally.

Yea, capacities are no longer marketing hype. SAE J2807 regulates how those ratings are determined and published. I think all the manufacturers have moved to that system to determine their tow ratings at this point.

To those that think the rules do't apply to them.....

Here's a list of what weight ratings are not
"The engineers throw a ton of safety factor on there, so you'll be fine"
"The tow ratings are all determined by lawyers or the marketing department anyway, there's tons of capacity left"
"I've been doing this for years and I've never had a problem"

Feel free to add whatever cliche answer you would like to give when you justify towing over your vehicles ratings. Be prepared to defend that in a court, and to explain to someone's loved ones when you cause an incident because you thought the rules didn't apply to you.

Here's a great article on why towing within the limits is important.

Now that I'm off my soap box, here's why I choose a tow vehicle with a 9,200lb rating for a 4,000lb trailer:



That is a bed full of "stuff". I'm estimating around 750-1k lbs of "stuff". There are cornhole boards, a baby stroller, suitcases, tools, food, and all the misc "stuff" that we needed for a weeks vacation with a 7yr old and 15mo old baby. The bed was FULL to the top. That takes off my 9,200lb rating.....I'm down to 8,200lbs. Now, I had a 30lb toddler, a 60lb kid a 150lb wife, and another 50lbs of "stuff" in the cab with me. That drops me to 7,910lbs of capacity to tow. I had an additional 200lbs of "stuff" in the boat (kids toys, another cooler with adult beverages, camp chairs, and an easy up. Down to 7,710lbs of capacity. Considering I'm towing at 4,000lb (nominal) trailer that leaves me about 50% (3,710lbs) under my MAXIMUM tow rating. Plenty of headroom so that I'm not over the limit at max load. Every single lb of capacity I can retain over my actual load adds to my safety factor. This safey factor gets eaten into very quickly in heavy traffic, torrential rain downpours, interstate speed, etc. If I'm towing something 400 miles with the 3 most important people in my life enclosed inside, I want as much safety factor as I can get.

For reference, a Silverado/Sierra with the 3.08 rear gears in this body configuration is only rated at 5,200lbs. I would have been OVER the rated limit of that truck with an AR190 and a weeks worth a "stuff". So it's pretty easy to see how you can EASILY go over your rated limit with a 23ft boat, in even something as "large" as a 1500 class pickup. Imagine if you started with a 3,500lb rating in a 2dr jeep, and had a 5,500lb trailer.....you're in the negative before you even get started!

 

[suke]

Imagine if you started with a 3,500lb rating in a 2dr jeep, and had a 5,500lb trailer.....you're in the negative before you even get started!

I wouldn't even tow a jet ski with a 2 door jeep. LOL!

 

[Jgorm]

I tow on the highway all the time without any issues - it's FUD spread by the North American market that you need a monster truck to pull any kind of trailer. If you drive with have a brain and remember you're towing, you'll likely never have an issue. If you drive like an idiot, such as people who think that towing is the same as driving without a trailer, then all bets are off. When you see twits pull their trailers over curbs when turning, or hitting yellow pylons at the gas station pulling out, or drifting off the road because they're texting, I get the heck away from them.

Do what you will. I had a 1600lb car trailer with a bunch of plywood and 2x4s going 2 miles from home Depot and it would would barely stop before i added a brake controller. If your trailer brakes don't work well, stopping will be a big issue. Add big tires, loose tie rods and some side wind and you'll be all over the road.

 

[mwalker4]

I wouldn't even tow a jet ski with a 2 door jeep. LOL!

Are we talking about a 2 door? Max tow on any 2 door is 2k. Main problem is an extremely short wheelbase. I have towed a utility trailer at about 2k in the WVa mtns on I77 and it did great. I wouldn't go to far above that because the short wheel base creates a small moment arm and a heavy trailer will push the rear sideways with heavy winds or emergency braking. Other than that it is the same drivetrain, suspension, etc as the 4 door which is rated 3.5k. If it's an automatic 4door, I would definitely be worried about over heating the tranny. The have to put a cooler on those tranny's without the thought of trailers

 

[swatski]

I tow on the highway all the time without any issues - it's FUD spread by the North American market that you need a monster truck to pull any kind of trailer.

I’m not sure what “FUD” is but you keep repeating this nonsensical claim (and your posts about North America) about towing and pickup trucks - as if it was some kind of a conspiracy.
It is not.
Given the size and weight of boats and campers being trailered these day (in North America) thank God most people use properly rated pickup trucks for that purpose.

And BTW -
Consider these simple facts, if you are stopped by a LEO while towing over your legal limit you will be cited.
If you are involved in an accident while towing over the limit - yes the insurance will still pay out for damages to the extent of your coverage no matter who’s fault - but you may lose your ass paying civil damages if sued in the courts, possibly for the rest of your life.


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