Towing 4000lbs in '00 Sport ok?

Techno Duck · 11-21-2009, 01:05 PM

I've read a little about towing with the XJ's and wonder what you all think. I'd like to start trailering my 951 to the track as that is a huge ease in my mind knowing I don't need to bum a ride back on a friends trailer if something breaks or the unmentionable other thing happens with a tire wall or gravel pit.

I have no experience with towing and wondered if roughly 4500lbs is too much for the XJ to handle on long trips, between 100 and 300 mile drives? My '00 Sport is all stock except for an aftermarket transcooler I put in. its an automatic and not sure if the rear end I have makes it a good or bad idea to be towing?

My 951 I would say is a very generous 3200lbs with a full tank. The trailer I am looking at is 845lbs, figure near 900 with the optional disc brakes which I plan to do also. I figure with spares and tools I would be at a very inflated 4500lbs max that's probably 200lbs over, but I figure estimate on the high side.

Maybe I should be looking at a Grand Cherokee or lightening the track car more..

?

diskman_1 · 11-21-2009, 01:14 PM

The problem is not the towing... It's the stopping! 4000 pounds is probably waay to much for a little XJ to haul. I would strongly suggest a full size truck for a load that big.

Techno Duck · 11-21-2009, 01:28 PM

Good point, the stock brakes are barely adequete. Even with electric brakes on the trailer do you think I would be really pushing it?

Deezelweazel · 11-21-2009, 01:44 PM

In Germany you are allowed to tow 1600lbs(750kg) trailer without brakes and 6600lbs(3000kg) with a trailer brake. You won't be able to stop the XJ without the brakes under full load.
But it is very easy to stop the trailer with the trailer brakes.

**rivalarrival** · 11-21-2009, 01:56 PM

The XJ is rated for a 3000lbs trailer. You might get away with short-term, local towing, but putting it on the highway is begging for trouble. Even if the transmission and the brakes hold up, the suspension and steering will get a real workout trying to handle the weight and sway.

For a little piece of mind, get AAA Plus. Free towing up to 100 miles.

**tjwalker** · 11-21-2009, 04:54 PM

I would be very hesitant to do this on a regular basis. The XJ just isn't built for it.

tclaremont · 11-21-2009, 04:59 PM

As stated, pulling it is not a problem Stopping it is a MAJOR problem. All it takes is one kid cutting you off in a Honda and it is all downhill from there. Making things worse, when the insurance company finds out you are way over your tow rating, checks will be written from YOUR account, not the insurance company's. Towing is one of those things where things go along great UNTIL things go wrong. You dont have the tow vehicle to compensate when things go wrong.

**rivalarrival** · 11-21-2009, 05:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tclaremont

As stated, pulling it is not a problem Stopping it is a MAJOR problem. All it takes is one kid cutting you off in a Honda and it is all downhill from there. Making things worse, when the insurance company finds out you are way over your tow rating, checks will be written from YOUR account, not the insurance company's. Towing is one of those things where things go along great UNTIL things go wrong. You dont have the tow vehicle to compensate when things go wrong.

x2

Get a little sway going, or try to swerve, and you'll quickly find out that a 4000lb trailer is not going to follow a 3000lb truck just because you want it to. Especially a high COG trailer. Dragging it around the neighborhood at 25, you'd be fine. Putting it on the highway would be a hairy event for a driver with plenty of trailering experience.

**my1979impala** · 11-21-2009, 05:10 PM

i towed my parents 5000 lb camper with my stock cherokee, however, all i did was drive it maybe 6 miles from one neighborhood to another. it did fine pulling it but as its been stated it took a bit to stop, maybe 3 times the normal distance. i wouldnt mind pulling the trailer around town every now and then but i would NOT try to take it out on a long trip, would not want to do it very often and i would definately not want to try to go up any major hills, such as taking it to my house in the mountains. my parents got a toyota tacoma to pull it and that seems to be doing great for them so i would recomend it if you were looking for another vehicle to pull with.

**Magus2727** · 11-21-2009, 05:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rivalarrival

The XJ is rated for a 3000lbs trailer. You might get away with short-term, local towing, but putting it on the highway is begging for trouble. Even if the transmission and the brakes hold up, the suspension and steering will get a real workout trying to handle the weight and sway.

For a little piece of mind, get AAA Plus. Free towing up to 100 miles.

Are you sure... i thought the XJ was rated for 5000lb...

**GregB_00XJ** · 11-21-2009, 05:39 PM

I have read repeatedly that the Cherokee (XJ) is rated for 5000 LBS "with" the towing kit. This is the HD cooling (4 core rad I believe), trans cooler, hitch, correct gearing and so on.

I tow a 2500-3000 pound travel trailer, and the Cherokee stops probably as good with as without. It has electric brakes, which makes all the difference. I didn't have the towing kit factory installed, so I added it. B&M HD trans cooler, temp gauge to keep an eye on things, new cooling system was already in there from PO.

I am certain that you can find a better vehicle to tow 4K with than the Cherokee. Short trips once in a while, you should be ok. All the time... will beat it pretty hard. I would opt for like a used Ford Diesel or a Dodge with a Cummins... if you are going to haul regularly.

**Kettles** · 11-21-2009, 05:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Magus2727

Are you sure... i thought the XJ was rated for 5000lb...

It is rated for 5000lbs. Ill fight anyone that says otherwise.

However trailer brakes are a really good idea, and legally required most places for trailers over 3000lbs or so. I would use the cherokee, but it would probably be better to get a cheap fullsize truck that will handle it better.

**rivalarrival** · 11-21-2009, 06:28 PM

I stand corrected - the first link I saw was for a 2.5l powered cherokee w/ auto tranny.

The 4.0l is rated for 5000lbs trailer. Any time your trailer weight approaches or exceeds the vehicle weight, you will definitely want trailer brakes, and you'll probably want a weight distributing hitch.

Still, if you don't have much experience with trailers, this is far from the ideal rig to learn with. If you were planning on using it locally, I'd say go for it, but you want to to take 7 hour trips with it. Better safe than sorry.

Techno Duck · 11-21-2009, 06:50 PM

Thanks for all your input. I guess I'll start thinking about a more capable tower. Maybe a used F350 diesel, my friend just bought one, ne'er thought I'd like a turbo diesel pickup, but a great ride.

Deezelweazel · 11-22-2009, 03:44 AM

I have the slight feeling that trailer mounted overrun brakes are totally unkown in the US?
Am I right?
I wouldn't tow anything more than 1600lbs with a trailer without an overrun brake.