TJ Towing a Boat??

[PFMCDM]

I have a 2000 TJ with the 6 cyl engine and manual transmission and D44. It did not come with a tow hitch assembly. I am going to install one. I have a 14 ft. jon boat for fishing with a small 10HP outboard motor. Instead of towing it with my pickup - I am thinking of towing the boat with the Wrangler and taking the TJ fishing.

Is there anyting I should be careful of?
Does the TJ 5 speed tow an aluminum metal lightweight boat OK?
Can it tow and drive it in 5th gear OK or do I need to stay in 4th??

Thank you for any advice and tips...

[PeteC]

Your tow capacity is 2000 pounds for your vehicle.

It is a short wheel base vehicle so be careful at higher speeds. You will have to "feel" out your comfort zone when towing.

[PackMan]

You can tow the 2000lb limit just fine. The length of your trailer could be an issue at higher speeds.

That same engine had a 5000lb limit in XJs, ZJs, and WJs. The problem with a TJ is the wheel base... at some point, the trailer steers the Jeep.

Your engine will tell you if it can do 5th gear or not.

[j.Russ]

Everything will be fine as long as you don't overload the tounge. If you carry extra stuff in the boat place it over the axels of the trailer and go. When I was in the States I towed a 15' flatbottom with a 25hp yamaha for 600 mile round trip 55-65 mph with no problem. You will still be able to use 5th gear.

[NOVATJ]

I towed a fiberglass boat about the same length, but with a 35hp engine. I did a 5 hour trip, and mine's a 4 banger. You should be fine.

[Duckjeep]

I have an 06' TJ and I tow my 16' War Eagle boat with a 40hp Yamaha and no problems to speak of. Just be careful with the turning radius of the TJ you can cut it a lot harder and bring the trailer alomost parallel with the bumper. I installed a draw-tite hitch on mine with a factory wiring harness.

The 4.0 has plenty of power for towing it's the wheelbase of the jeep that limits the weight not the engine or tranmission.

[djaychris]

Another issue here is going to be your gear ratio. If you have a factory ratio of 3.07, your going to have alot less "oomph" at highway speeds than if your towing with 3.73s of 4.10s.

-Dan

[The Mean Fish]

99% of the time the only towing issues you'll have with a Jeep is brakes. The Jeep has plenty power and ability to tow well past it's 200lb limit but because of the braking system and short wheel base they don't want you to die.

[EDGEY]

If you don't mind a related hi-jack...

Are these after-market bumpers with 2" hitches as strong as an aftermarket hitch itself (and using the stock bumpers)? I have an LJ with 3500 pounds towing, and was wondering if that's fine to use with a bumper hitch...

[SomeGuysName]

You can tow the 2000lb limit just fine. The length of your trailer could be an issue at higher speeds.

This second point is also true. A lot of people will tell you that as long as you stay below the weight limit you are fine, but the length of the trailer matters also. IIRC it goes something like....110" wheelbase to 20' of trailer...every 4" of wheelbase after that will get you another foot of trailer.

[Jerry Bransford]

Originally Posted by The Mean Fish

99% of the time the only towing issues you'll have with a Jeep is brakes. The Jeep has plenty power and ability to tow well past it's 200lb limit but because of the braking system and short wheel base they don't want you to die.

The TJ's brakes are perfectly fine, it's only the SWB that gives it the reduced 2,000 lb. towing limit. The TJ has the exact same brakes the LWB Cherokee has that has a 5,000 lb. tow capacity.

PFMCDM, just make sure your trailer's tongue weight is somewhere between 10% and 15% of the boat and trailer's total loaded weight. Less than 10% and the trailer will sway.

[SecondTJ]

Originally Posted by sknight

If you don't mind a related hi-jack...

Are these after-market bumpers with 2" hitches as strong as an aftermarket hitch itself (and using the stock bumpers)? I have an LJ with 3500 pounds towing, and was wondering if that's fine to use with a bumper hitch...

Most of the integrated bumper-hitches are not rated/recommended for towing.

But some people do it anyway, i think there is something additional that needs to be attached to the bumper/hitch so it can tow

[Jerry Bransford]

Originally Posted by SecondTJ

Most of the integrated bumper-hitches are not rated/recommended for towing.

Only because the manufacturers don't have the $$$ to have them structurally tested and/or their attorneys are too nervous to let them be advertised as suitable for the purpose designed.

Let's not forget that a receiver hitch undergoes a whole lot less stress towing a 2,000 trailer on properly inflated tires on a highway than when it is used for vehicle recovery.

[EDGEY]

Originally Posted by Jerry Bransford

Only because the manufacturers don't have the $$$ to have them structurally tested and/or their attorneys are too nervous to let them be advertised as suitable for the purpose designed.

Let's not forget that a receiver hitch undergoes a whole lot less stress towing a 2,000 trailer on properly inflated tires on a highway than when it is used for vehicle recovery.

Since I'm unfamiliar, is it due to the stress the metal/reciever can handle, or the way the hitch / bumper is mounted? Do the bumpers mount in the same way a standalone hitch does?

[Jerry Bransford]

Think about it, you could personally push a 2,000 lb. trailer around on the street, I've done it as there is not much rolling resistance. At most, a few hundred pounds of load while being towed on the street, a little more when going up hills but still, most of the weight is on the tires. A trailer has most of its weight on its tires, not on the hitch.

But get that 2,000 lb. trailer stuck in the mud, rocks, etc. and now you are talking some serious power needed to extract it. That's why a bumper hitch used for towing a 2,000 lb. doesn't really have that much of a load to worry about while a receiver hitch used for recovery might easily have some huge multiple of the load it would for simple towing.