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  1. #1
    Member Roba22's Avatar
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    Anyone here have a Jeep Wrangler to tow their rigs?

    I am considering a change from my Chevy 1500 Silverado Z71 to a Jeep Wrangler unlimited. However in just looking around at the ones I see in parking lots or on the road I do not see many with tow packages. Also I can't remember seeing any at the local ramps with anything other then a jet ski behind them. The specs show an average 18' Triton and trailer is 3100 lbs. Thats not loaded with gear and gas of course, and the limit of a new model Jeep Wrangler Unlimited is 3500 lbs. I'm looking to upgrade my boat to an 18' or even 19' sometime this year. I do not want to have an issue with trailers a boat of this size. I'm not worried about if it can pull it or if it can get it up a ramp. I'm worried about stopping it! short wheel base and something that big behind pushing it around. The local Jeep dealer is just telling me what i want to hear to make the sell. So I thought I would see if anyone here tows with their Jeep Wrangler Unlimited or if I should just stick with the Chevy. thanks!!
    2001 Triton TR176DC, Mercury 125hp, Lowrance HDS9 gen3 & HDS7 gen2

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    #2
    Saw one jerked off the road laying on it side by towing a not to big runabout.

  3. Electrical/Wiring/Trolling Motors Moderator CatFan's Avatar
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    #3
    Max towing on those is only like 3500 pounds with the standard only 2000lbs. Not really a tow vehicle.
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  4. Member
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    #4
    Simply asking for trouble. A 18/19' boat can be a load for a full-sized truck in the right circumstances. Would not even consider pulling one with a jeep.
    2008 Bass Cat Pantera Classic
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    #5
    I pull my Nitro Z18 with one. Definitely need the trailer tow package.
    2016 Nitro Z18 175 ProXS Atlas 8" 24 Fury

  6. Member
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    #6
    If you’re used to towing with a Silverado.....you’ll be EXTREMELY disappointed if you tow with a Wrangler. Like Catfan said...Not really a tow vehicle.

    If you’re looking to downsize - get a midsize truck. Most of the midsize trucks have upwards of 7,000lb towing capacity and are built to handle that much. I have a 2016 GMC Canyon that I tow my Bass tracker 175txw - can’t even feel it back there.

    The last thing you wanna do - is totally max out the towing capacity of your vehicle. You wanna have some lee-way for safety sake.

  7. Member Jeff Hahn's Avatar
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    #7
    Stick with a larger, more powerful tow vehicle. The Jeep will be on the ragged edge towing your rig.
    "The man of system is apt to be very wise in his own conceit; and is often so enamored with the supposed beauty of his own ideal plan of government that he cannot suffer the smallest deviation from any part of it…He seems to imagine that he can arrange the different members of a great society with as much ease as the hand arranges the different pieces upon a chessboard.” Adam Smith, The Theory of Moral Sentiments

  8. Member Roba22's Avatar
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    #8
    Well that settles that!!! thank you all for the reply's and why i love coming here for advice. Think I will stick with the truck and go to a 19' Triton.... the search is on.. hehe
    2001 Triton TR176DC, Mercury 125hp, Lowrance HDS9 gen3 & HDS7 gen2

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    #9
    I tow a tr186 with my dodge nitro, jeep liberty frame with the 4.0L engine and it will pull it but its a hand full. Ill be upsizing to a full size pickup next time around, i spend most of trip looking for the next gas station

  10. Member Ohio Archer's Avatar
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    #10
    Towed my '86 Champion with a Jeep CJ7 from Homestead, FL to Big O for a while. A short while, Lol. Too many slides into intersections and wiggly as hell.
    2018 Skeeter MX1825 w/175 Yamaha 4-Stroke
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  11. Member
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    #11
    I have a 2014 Jeep Rubicon as a tow vehicle. Looking at Vexus AVX 189 or Ranger RT188p. Going aluminum for the lighter load. Thoughts?

  12. Member Islands's Avatar
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    #12
    Wife has a 2013 unlimited and it came with a 4 pin flat connector, so not setup for surge brakes. Was ok for towing a jet ski, but don't think I would have put a pair of skis behind it.

  13. Member
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    #13
    U.S. tow ratings are ridiculous. For instance, a couple of years back I owned a Toyota Corolla. The tow ratings in Europe and Australia were 2800 lbs. for that 4 cylinder vehicle. If it wasn't safe Toyota wouldn't have rated it that high. Here in the States that same vehicle was rated for 1000 lbs. Go figure...

  14. Member
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    #14
    If it’s just stopping ability, install a EOH disc brake system. Stopping won’t be a problem with that. How far do you tow?

    Wonder of if the new Ford Bronco will be a better fit whenever it comes out, sorta Jeep like, sorta truck like. Maybe it will two better. Just not sure when it will be available.
    Mercury 2002 200hp Carbed Saltwater
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  15. Member
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    #15
    Quote Originally Posted by Jaydbee View Post
    U.S. tow ratings are ridiculous. For instance, a couple of years back I owned a Toyota Corolla. The tow ratings in Europe and Australia were 2800 lbs. for that 4 cylinder vehicle. If it wasn't safe Toyota wouldn't have rated it that high. Here in the States that same vehicle was rated for 1000 lbs. Go figure...
    https://oppositelock.kinja.com/tow-me-down-1609112611

    One article explaining why we get lower ratings. I’d go nuts towing something at 60 MPH on the interstate. Much less worrying about getting ran over LOL.

  16. Member Rkammer's Avatar
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    #16
    Since this thread has been resurrected, I'll put in my two cents regarding towing with a small SUV (or Jeep). I've been towing my 2014 Nitro Z7 Sport with my previous Ford Escape Titanium EcoBoost 2.0 (2WD) and it did fine. I actually drove from Orlando to Guntersville, Al to buy and bring it home and it made the 600 mile trip in good shape. It did lug a bit over some of the Northern Alabama foothills but, when I got home, I had the ECM flashed with a more friendly towing program and the Escape went 76,000 miles over 3 years pulling the Z7 Sport all over Florida.

    I now have a new (to me) Z7 and have traded the 2015 Escape 2WD on a 2018 with 4WD and the same 2.0 EcoBoost engine. These Escapes are rated for 3500 lbs with the factory tow package and have plenty of power with the EcoBoost motor. My boat loaded with fuel and grear weighs about 3200 lbs. I will say that if I had it to do over again, I would prefer to have surge brakes on the trailer which I do not have now. You can have surge brakes with a 4 pin inline connector, by the way. All that said, I think that an 18 foot boat on a single axle trailer is the limit on this type of vehicle.

    Not trying to suggest that the Escape compares with a big truck or SUV but, if trucks aren't your thing and you like getting 30 MPG (when not towing). The mid size and smaller SUVs will get the job done.

  17. Member
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    #17
    Quote Originally Posted by leonreno View Post
    If it’s just stopping ability, install a EOH disc brake system. Stopping won’t be a problem with that. How far do you tow?

    Wonder of if the new Ford Bronco will be a better fit whenever it comes out, sorta Jeep like, sorta truck like. Maybe it will two better. Just not sure when it will be available.
    Lake Allatoona is about 20-30 minutes away, Jackson Lake, my favorite, is about an hour and a half away. lol look into the brake upgrade.

    thanks all.

  18. Member
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    #18
    I am towing a 2016 Ranger Z20 with my Wrangler Unlimited. Stock it is rated for 3,500, assume I am right there. I have upgradedthe suspension, has a 3.5” lift, all new rock arms, 35” tires and I did gear itwith 4.88. Also put adjustable shocks on it and crank them up when towing. Does fine flat, 6 & 7% grades here inCalifornia it pretty bad, 45 to 50 mph without really pushing it. Coming down is a breeze with dual brakes onthe trailer. Not ideal, but just got theboat and can’t afford a new truck yet. As far as breaking, it stops better with it. If I knew I was getting a bigger boat I wouldhave gone with 5.13 gears or planned for a bigger tow vehicle. Note, I am not a hard-core tournamenttraveler, more local club guy so works fine. Farthest lake is usually 65miles. Sure get a lot of thumbs up andpics. Wranglers are not light, pretty solidfeel, the unlimited has some wheel base, the power in them does suck. Recently did 1,100 miles back and forth, tookit easy, 65 on the straight, 55-60 in through the city, no issues. But won’t do any more away tournaments unlessI upgrade.

    I had a Bass Cat Sabre previously. Did upgrade the trailer brakes to Kodiakdisc. Never, ever had and issue with theWrangler the way it was geared. And had a lot near misses form idiots. Towed it thousands of miles after I got theWrangler in 2013. Had a Grand Cherokeebefore till some idiot rear-ended me and totaled it (not towing at the time).

    Wrangler sure is fun towing with the top and doors off whenI go camping and take the boat.


  19. Member
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    #19
    You can tow with anything. Stopping fast is what gets you in trouble.

  20. Member
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    #20
    I tow a 20ft Gambler with a 2006 Jeep liberty sport. 4x4 3.7L v6 and a 6 speed manual. Has no issues, isn't fast, but does just fine, and is super maneuverable in and out of parking lots, campsites... You don't NEED big v8 to tow 3500lbs, but if you want things nice and cushy then I would stick with a 1/2 ton truck. My Jeep regularly gets around 14-15mpg towing that Gambler 209 as well, which is pretty darn good.

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