Overwhelmed and worried about safety

Welcome and hope you find the answers to your questions

Here are some metrics & advice. Also suggest you read the previous posts from any advisor to get a sense of their stuff and if that stuff matches your values

First, decide if you believe in the manufacturers (OEM) ratings...and...the ratings systems that all OEMs must provide. Which is their contract to the owner....meaning that the performance is based on the maximum they list on their ratings info...plus modifiers listed in fine print.

If not, then do whatever or take the advice that best suits your values or what you want to hear...but, not to worry, as if you do believe in the ratings systems...gather these bits of information and learn how that system works. Boils down to doing a few things that seemingly the majority does not do...

Load up your planned TV as if ready to go RV'ing and weigh it axle by axle. That will provide a baseline basis for the simple math that this generic formula will show were you would be

GCWR >= TV + Trailer + WD Hitch + stuff loaded on/in both TV & trailer

All actual weights. If you do not have the trailer, use it's GVWR as the basis for this. There will/are many who boohoo using the trailer GVWR, but that is the maximum the trailer is rated for that you would use to do the simple math. If under, then more safety margin

All things designed/engineered is NOT for the good days out there when a riding lawn mower 'can' tow it...but for the bad day out there when Mr Murphy crosses your path.

Either you have the proper sized everything...set it up properly...spot on...or not. If not, there will be no time to go back to the store for proper sized whatever...or re-setup

This is performance is to the ratings maximum limit and is to manhandle the situation. Braking, accelerating, maneuvering, etc

Here are the acronyms and what they mean. You should search them yourself to check the validity

• GVWR...Gross Vehicle Weight Rating...what the OEM rates as it's maximum weight down to the pavement. Goes for both the TV and Trailer
• GCWR...Gross Combined Weight Rating. Is what both the TV, Trailer and everything loaded in and on them. Weight down to the pavement
• FGAWR...Front Gross Axle Weight Rating...what the front axle of your TV is rated to carry down to the pavement...sizing of the suspension, brakes, etc are based on this number by the engineers...plus some corporate allowed safety margin
• RGAWR...Rear Gross Axle Weight Rating...same as the FGAWR, just for the rear axle. This is the biggie, as most of the weight carried by the TV while towing is on this axle. As the drivers rear door edge is normally in the middle of the TV's wheelbase (distance between front and rear axles)
• MTWR...Maximum Tow Weight Rating. Not a good one to use, but most all OEMs advertise this number...which is derived form a stripper model, that many times is NOT sold. Understand that is the only way of it, the OEMs can only guess what their customers will have as options, aftermarket stuff, and the big one...what they will load up in/on their TV

Once you have weighed your TV fully loaded ready to go RV'ing plug that into the generic formula and go shopping. Look at the trailer's GVWR and plug that into the generic formula. Most are surprised at the result because they wanted to tow larger

The frontal area of the trailer a huge component on top of the weight info above. Think of flying a kit...say a 4'x8' sheet of plywood with a rope tied to the tail of the TV. It would lift a normal weight person into the air. Or if you have ever held a full sheet of plywood on a windy day...it will/can knock a person down

A TV must pull that in dead air and if a head wind...many times more effort (HP) will be required.

Good luck and ask lots of questions

You are on the right track figuring it all out. In the end it’s all what the manufacturer says. For a tt max tow rate is never the number you should look at for what you can tow like you already figured out. If you are under everything you should be good to go but there are so many other variables and the closer to the max the less enjoyable the tow will be. Some people have a higher tolerance for sway and all the pushing and pulling that goes along with towing. Others don’t like it at all, that is camp i fall in. In the end my totally uneducated opion says that setup does not sound ideal but if the numbers work you should be good to go.

A trailer that is 3500 lb loaded will have a tongue weight of around 450-525 lb. You should be looking at something like this: http://www.coachmenrv.com/product-details.aspx?LineID=63&ModelID=3872#Main

or this: http://www.coachmenrv.com/product-details.aspx?LineID=63&ModelID=1649#Main

These are just a couple of examples. There are many ultra lite trailers from many brands that will suit your needs.

hs4816 wrote:
Where do I find this?? I was using the sticker inside door. "The combined weights of occupants plus cargo should never exceed 1050 lbs"

That's your particular vehicle's payload capacity as listed on the driver's side weight sticker BUT keep in mind it could be somewhat less if you've added any accessories to the vehicle. If you really want to know what your vehicle's actual, real world payload capacity is fill the tank and go weigh it. If you're in it at the time it's on the scale subtract your weight from the scale reading - the result will be your vehicle's actual curb weight as it sits there ready to be hitched to a trailer. Subtract that number from it's GVWR (also listed on the driver's side sticker) and the result will be the vehicle's actual payload capacity, that which you will use to account for the weight of everyone and all cargo in it at the time you're towing plus any trailer tongue weight transferred from the trailer to the vehicle once hitched up. With a vehicle like this you'll be shocked at how little you have to work with. :E

hs4816 wrote:
Where do I find this?? I was using the sticker inside door. "The combined weights of occupants plus cargo should never exceed 1050 lbs"

kerrlakeRoo wrote:
OP, double check your load capacity on your jeep. I just googled 2015 jeep towing capacity and came up with tow numbers right in your range but load capacities well above, ranging from 1350 to 1955 lbs. Installed options and other items can change that, but your current number seems low.
On your tongue weight, you may not be considering the weight as used in the real world. Dealers will give you a tongue weight which is from when it rolled off the factory floor, before batteries, (45lbs each), Propane and tanks, (35-50lbs each) are added to the tongue. Also remember that the weight dist hitch will add 80 to 100 lbs to your load.

Your correct in looking at the door pillar. The only other suggestion would be to go to a scale and weigh the unit.
Does seem strange that the number differs so much.

I once towed a 5000 pound travel trailer with a Chevy Suburban 1500 and destroyed the transmission after 3 months. Ended up putting a new transmission in it and then it really pulled horrible. We ended up getting our first 3500 dually after that.

Your Cherokee will probably tow safely a small utility trailer and that's about all.

Where do I find this?? I was using the sticker inside door. "The combined weights of occupants plus cargo should never exceed 1050 lbs"

kerrlakeRoo wrote:
OP, double check your load capacity on your jeep. I just googled 2015 jeep towing capacity and came up with tow numbers right in your range but load capacities well above, ranging from 1350 to 1955 lbs. Installed options and other items can change that, but your current number seems low.
On your tongue weight, you may not be considering the weight as used in the real world. Dealers will give you a tongue weight which is from when it rolled off the factory floor, before batteries, (45lbs each), Propane and tanks, (35-50lbs each) are added to the tongue. Also remember that the weight dist hitch will add 80 to 100 lbs to your load.

OP, double check your load capacity on your jeep. I just googled 2015 jeep towing capacity and came up with tow numbers right in your range but load capacities well above, ranging from 1350 to 1955 lbs. Installed options and other items can change that, but your current number seems low.
On your tongue weight, you may not be considering the weight as used in the real world. Dealers will give you a tongue weight which is from when it rolled off the factory floor, before batteries, (45lbs each), Propane and tanks, (35-50lbs each) are added to the tongue. Also remember that the weight dist hitch will add 80 to 100 lbs to your load.

I wouldn’t tow near 6000 with a Cherokee. I pulled a 4400 lb trailer with a suburban and hated it. Maybe pull it behind a nice used motor home.

We all were once new to towing.