Wrangler TJ

In the past, I towed a '95 Wrangler with a 4 cylinder manual tranny, and later an '06 Wrangler Rubicon Unlimited 6 cylinder manual tranny.
The instructions for recreational towing are in the Owners Manual.
IMO, 4X4 Wranglers are one of the best vehicles available for towing behind a motorhome or truck/camper rig.
There are limitations, though. ONLY 4X4 Wranglers are towable four down, however they can not be dolly towed unless the rear drive shaft is removed. 4X2 Wranglers are NOT towable four down or on a dolly unless the drive shaft is removed, regardless of the type of transmission. These restrictions are spelled out in the Owners Manual.

It is well to remember that many people (even some Jeep owners) are not completely familiar with the model designations (TJ, XJ, LJ, etc.). It is better to identify Jeeps with the model year, especially on a general forum.

All the 4 wheel drive TJ's can be towed 4-down using the neutral position in the transfer case. Transmission does not matter, autos in park and manuals in any gear. Read the user manual. The only issue is the steering wheel lock, you must leave the key in and in the position where the steering wheel is unlocked.

vjstangelo wrote:
I was curious if anyone was towing 4-down a TJ Wrangler with the venerable 4.0L Strait 6 (automatic). Any thoughts comments appreciated.

Thanks, Vince

yes, we used to (and still occasionally do) tow our 2003 TJ (6 cyl/automatic). key to unlocked OFF position, txfr case to neutral, tranny to park.

We tow our 2000 TJ. We love it! Very easy to hook-up, you just have to make sure the steering column is in the unlock position. (Don't ask!)

We were in Custer State Park when a spot shower popped up, so we pulled over and put the top up. Once the rain stopped, we pulled over and put the top back down. Once the top was down and we resumed our sight-seeing my daughter said, "Dad, I feel sorry for people who don't have Jeeps." I have to admit because of the 180 degree field of view, I agree with her.

Doug

ddndoug wrote:
We tow our 2000 TJ. We love it! Very easy to hook-up, you just have to make sure the steering column is in the unlock position. (Don't ask!)

The steering wheel lock on the TJ is easy to remove/disable if you are willing to spend 30 minutes or so. I was not comfortable leaving a key in the ignition to unlock the wheel as the temptation to mess with the Jeep might be too great if someone noticed the key when we stopped briefly while towing and then in addition, I always wondered if I really had double checked to make sure that the wheel was unlocked.

I did the removal on our TJ so it now works similar to the newer JK models.

There are several good tutorials out there that show you how to do the mod if interested.

We have towed our 2004 Jeep Wrangler (TJ) with the 6 cylinder and automatic transmission since it was new. It now has over 120,000 miles being towed and another 53,000 miles on the odometer.

As mentioned transfer case in neutral and transmission in park. We leave a key in the ignition in the "off" position (not in the lock position), and lock the doors. We carry a second key to open the door once we're stopped for the night. We then remove the key from the ignition.

If you think the vehicle is vulnerable with the key in the ignition you can lower the glove box and remove fuse #4. With the fuse removed the engine will crank but not start.

In 2004 a "chipped" key was an option. With this option only a key with the chip matching the computer will start the engine. If you have this option you can have a regular key made and leave it in the ignition in the "off" position. It's just like removing fuse #4. The engine will crank, but not start n

vjstangelo wrote:
I was curious if anyone was towing 4-down a TJ Wrangler with the venerable 4.0L Strait 6 (automatic). Any thoughts comments appreciated.

Thanks, Vince

I can say this, we tow a '00 Jeep TJ Sport 4 down. My father-in-law towed a 2009..ish Honda CRV ( I really can't remember the year). He had to go through a ritual every time he wanted to tow the thing. I can't ever remember the sequence he had to go through. I just pull up, hook up, put the transfercase in Neutral and the tranny in 5th. My ignition is botched or something, so I can turn the key to unlock the steering and pull the key out. Go figure, not sure how that works. That said, when we get older we'll probably want something easier to get in and out of, but for now it's awesome.

Been towing our '02 TJ sport ( 6 cyl, auto) for last 6 years, over 40,000 miles + 98,000 on/off road.

Hook it to tow bar, transfer case in neutral, trans in park, key in "OFF", and a way we go. Takes all of 3 minutes.

We tow a 2000 Wrangler Sport with the 4.0L and automatic. It tows great and is easy to set up and hook up. I use a Falcon 2 towbar with Roadmaster base plate and a brake buddy. I did install a dedicated 12 volt receptacle on the driver side kick panel for the Brake Buddy. I also made and installed seperate light bulbs in the tail light housings connected to its own wiring to the front of the Jeep to connect to the MH tow wiring. Good luck and happy traveling. -- Mick