Forum Discussion

Mile_High's avatar
Mile_High
Explorer
Feb 04, 2015

Jeep in the Back

Anybody tow a Jeep behind their 5th wheel - 4 down? Just curious how well it does. I've seen a couple of horror stories where one rolled, but since then I've seen a few on the road.
  • Here are the issues.
    -rear view camera to see what is going on with the Jeep.
    -Is the double tow allowed in all states you will travel through.
    -Overall total length per state laws.
    -GCWR rating for tow vehicle not exceeded.
    -weight limit on hitch on rear of trailer.

    Kne
  • MPI_Mallard wrote:
    I would worry about the excessive swing behind a fiver (mine is almost 12') yanking a car around a corner and I know that these states (in red)consider anything attached to the rear of my fiver to be "triple towing".

    http://i728.photobucket.com/albums/ww289/MPI_Mallard/DoubleTowing.jpg
    Red Green:

    They say necessity is the mother of inve
    ntion. Don't know who the father is;
    probably remorse.

    Swing is definitely an issue, as imagine it puts a lot of stress to the sides of the frame and spring shackles that they were not designed for when it pulls around a corner. Lesson learned when tripling with the boat was reinforce the spring shackles, which are poor to begin with.
  • Jim-Linda wrote:
    FWIW, its double tow not triple, truck pulling trailer(one tow), jeep(two tow)

    Jim


    Yep, I guess that is correct. Still impressive. :)
  • I would worry about the excessive swing behind a fiver (mine is almost 12') yanking a car around a corner and I know that these states (in red)consider anything attached to the rear of my fiver to be "triple towing".

    http://i728.photobucket.com/albums/ww289/MPI_Mallard/DoubleTowing.jpg
    Red Green:

    They say necessity is the mother of inve
    ntion. Don't know who the father is;
    probably remorse.
  • rgwilliams69 wrote:
    I found the listed curb weight at 2,273 pounds ('71 CJ5 Universal) so you are pretty close. I'd agree that your weak point will be the truck engine, transmission, and GCWR. However if you are within that tolerance the truck should be built to do it.

    Your Redwood max GVWR (if loaded up) is 16,500. Jeep would be 2,273. Truck 9,200 or so (loaded up with passengers, fuel, etc.). Total on all that is 27,973. Sweet! Assume you have the Crew Cab 4x4 your GCWR is 30,500, so you should be good to go if you want to try it. I had a 2012 F350 DRW with the 6.7 engine and those things are beasts.

    That would look pretty cool motoring down the road!
    You are very close, and thanks for the Jeep weight, I was guessing! My GVWR is actually 17,500, and I'm pushing 17,200 when loaded with water. Hitch is a 26,500 OEM Ford/Reese. Hitch in the back is rated for 3,000 lbs, but I'm not totally sure I trust it without some work. Length is going to be close (OK for CO at 70') in some states that allow triple tow. Brakes might be an issue. I don't know the rules on brakes. Also my pin box is a weak link, as it is only rated 18K (tri-glide).
  • FWIW, its double tow not triple, truck pulling trailer(one tow), jeep(two tow)

    Jim
  • I seen a coiple lsst year pull into Nocalula Falls Campround pulling a Jeep Wrangler 4 down. He had a MDT, Friegthliner I beleive, pulling a DRV with the Jeep. Boy was he long. They had Oregon plates so they must be doing ok with the setup as we are in Alabama.
  • I found the listed curb weight at 2,273 pounds ('71 CJ5 Universal) so you are pretty close. I'd agree that your weak point will be the truck engine, transmission, and GCWR. However if you are within that tolerance the truck should be built to do it.

    Your Redwood max GVWR (if loaded up) is 16,500. Jeep would be 2,273. Truck 9,200 or so (loaded up with passengers, fuel, etc.). Total on all that is 27,973. Sweet! Assume you have the Crew Cab 4x4 your GCWR is 30,500, so you should be good to go if you want to try it. I had a 2012 F350 DRW with the 6.7 engine and those things are beasts.

    That would look pretty cool motoring down the road!
  • ya I haven't weighed the Jeep - its a 71 with the V6, so probably around 2,000?

    I did triple with a 20' I/0 boat ~4,000 lbs with a shorter fifth wheel. It towed nice, but ultimately it was pretty hard on the truck.
  • 4 down behind a motorhome is a very common and stable usage for Jeeps. I would imagine that you would use the same tow bar system (from a hitch mounted on the 5th wheel) for this application? Should be as stable as behind the motorhome with the 5th wheel. My only wonder would be the surge braking and, of course, triple-tow. Never did that with a 5th wheel, but have seen plenty do it.

    Jeep might be pretty heavy behind the 5th wheel also and you'd have to have a strong hitch to the frame. Also not sure how much your loaded weight would be on the Redwood, but you might be over GCWR totals when adding in the Jeep.