Jeep GC and TT Towing Assistance

drsteve so I weighed the tongue weight of the trailer today and it weighed 400-partially loaded. I'm pretty strong- all 110lbs of me, but I don't think my hitch is quite 100lbs- I can lift it myself and get it into my hitch receiver of my Jeep alone. But anyhow I get where you're going.

Also, I drove it on the highway today at about 75mph and didn't have any drag whatsoever. I also went up and down a few hills-albeight not the mountain passes I'll be traveling soon, the Jeep did really well, and didn't dog and shifted nicely. I had a friend with me who has been towing TT for only 2 years- but he said it felt good, and no real tug, and that it seemed to brake and stop nicely.

So I did have a question about tongue weight vs overall weight. When I weighed the tongue- it weighed in at approx 400lbs, can I add weight/cargo to the back of the trailer? Or is my ONLY allowable additional weight the 500ish lbs for passengers and cargo IN the truck?

3HappyHicks wrote:
Found it! It says 1050 ??

That means that after subtracting the tongue weight of the TT, which when loaded will be about 450-500 lb, and the hitch itself, which is about 100 lb, you have roughly 500 lb left for you, passengers, and cargo in the truck.

3HappyHicks wrote:
Hi all I'm new to this forum and the travel trailer thing. We just bought a Winnebago Micro Minnie with a weight of 3010 and I have a 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee V6-Pentastar 290hp 3.6L engine. I bought a WDH/sway bar so I believe my tongue weight can be 350-400lbs based on the trailer weight, but with the WDH hitch does that increase my tongue weight allowance? I also bought the extra trailer brake controller for the inside of my jeep.
My jeep has a GVWR of 6500lbs, GAWR FRONT: 3200lbs and GAWR REAR 3700lbs. From what I have found my payload is 1240.


My question is basically this- we are traveling from CO to Moab in a couple weeks and I want to make sure my setup is good to go. I feel like it is adequate and if I take my time and go slow I should be able to manage this. Thoughts, recommendations, suggestions welcome.

Please and thank you in advance.

After reading your post and the many well intended posts, I registered so I can share my actual experience with you towing a Jayco X20E hybrid with a 2011 JGC Limited that had a factory tow package installed, brake controller 3.6L Pentastar engine, 5 speed auto transmission with 18" wheels. The Jayco X20E Hybrid was 3850 lbs dry, 350 lbs tongue.

We started off with a Husky WDH and 600lb round bars. The first couple of times on the road was literally white knuckle. We were getting pushed around every time someone passed, and if it was a transport truck, it was an effort not to get pushed out of my lane. Any little wind that hit us from the side felt like we shifted sideways as well.

So I took it into a specialist in the trailer industry and had him look at my setup (https://www.canamrv.ca/blog/category/hitch-hints/) and as a result made some changes. First they found that the tongue weight was actually closer to 540 lbs and the 600 lb bars were not doing the job. Those got changed to 1000 lb bars, and we put two sway bar controls on the WDH. Plus they added a shorter custom shaft which brought the trailer in closer to the vehicle. That completely fixed the problem of getting pushed around on the road. Andy also suggested a lower profile tire if we needed to tighten things up a little more. (we stayed with the 18" tire as things were now fine).

Then we took off for a 5,000 km round trip from Ontario to Nfld and back over 3 weeks. I would not recommend the cruise control. The five speed has a hard time in 5th gear at 2100 rpm keeping the speed up to 100 Km/hr. A small hill while in cruise was downshifting me as low as 3rd and hitting 4 to 5K rpm. The sudden rev is alarming, so we turned off the cruise. So if you want to travel at 100 Km/hr or 60 Mile/hr you will have to stay in 4th gear and keep the revs up to 3000 rpm. It moves along nicely then, and you will still get 12 to 13 mpg. For the larger hills just keep it at the 3000 rpm and let the downshifting happen. It pulls nicely up any incline, just don't push it for speed. Keep it at 3000 rpm.

I hope that helps. Since then we have upgraded to the 2017 JGC Overland, V6 with 8 speed and pulling the Coachmen Apex 215RBK like it is nothing and having lots of fun. Stay safe out there.

Found it! It says 1050 ??

3HappyHicks wrote:
drsteve and 2012coleman there is no payload capacity number on my doorjamb sticker. Would that info be anywhere else? I looked in my manual too and nothing. I did google it and found a range of 1240-1840. I'm sure you'll tell me that's too big a range....

Look at the other sticker, there should be two. The one you want says "Tire And Loading Information". It may be on the driver's side door.

drsteve and 2012coleman there is no payload capacity number on my doorjamb sticker. Would that info be anywhere else? I looked in my manual too and nothing. I did google it and found a range of 1240-1840. I'm sure you'll tell me that's too big a range....

Then look at your doorjamb and post the number where it states Combined weight of passengers and cargo not to exceed xxxx lbs.
**My door jamb says GVWR:6500lbs. However the manual says the GCWR is 10,4000.


please re-read the question and supply the correct number

3HappyHicks wrote:


Then look at your doorjamb and post the number where it states Combined weight of passengers and cargo not to exceed xxxx lbs.
**My door jamb says GVWR:6500lbs. However the manual says the GCWR is 10,4000.

Wrong number. The one you want--the one you will exceed before ever approaching the tow rating--is the payload capacity. It will be somewhere between 1000-1500 lb.

@2012Coleman

Why don't you just state the model of the trailer? Just saying Micro Mini isn't enough info - usually something like 1706FB or 2106DS.
**It is a 2018 Winnebago Micro Minnie 1700BH.

Then look at your doorjamb and post the number where it states Combined weight of passengers and cargo not to exceed xxxx lbs.
**My door jamb says GVWR:6500lbs. However the manual says the GCWR is 10,4000.

Then post the size and kind of tire that your Jeep has.
** My tires are BF Goodrich Longtrail 245/70/17.

Does it have an integrated brake controller?
**I got a Primus brake controller installed.

Are you using a weight distribution hitch?
** I DO have a WDH-yes.

Without this info, all your going to get is arguments from people who are only guessing what you have.

Work your magic! :-)

librty02 wrote:

Boomerweps wrote:

librty02 wrote:

Tyler0215 wrote:
55 is OK on highways, not the interstates where the speed limit is much higher. Most interstates are 65 mph to 75 mph. Traffic moves much faster. Do you really want to be a rolling road block going 20 to 30 mph below the travel speed?
20 to 30 under is just as dangerous as 20 to 30 over.

Where I am in Pa the law for a vehicle towing a trailer is 55 max even on Interstates that are posted at 70. Me personally I set the cruise around 62 even on a Interstate with the speed limit being up to 75 and have never had an issue in over 50k of towing. Let them go around you who cares.

Lot of incorrect info posted on the various websites supposedly compiling data for towing. One site says 55mph max speed whining towing in PA. Same site also says brakes are required on ALL trailers. PA Law says brakes at 3 K# GTWR. I reviewed PA actual laws before and reviewed again since your post. Posted speed limit in PA is the speed limit UNLESS special signage says otherwise, towing or not. BTW, 7mph over the speed limit is where points would be applied and make it worthwhile for cops to stop you for points plus fines. Where is a 75MPH zone in PA? Haven't seen that yet. Law sites still state 70mph maximum speed. Then again, other sites still list 65 ;(

You better look at the PA DMV pdf's a little closer as that is where it states 55 for any vehicle towing a trailer that is NOT registered commercial. I didn't mean a 75 in Pa but other states do have them that I have traveled through and I still keep the cruise at 62. Absolutely no reason to do 75 80 mph pulling a trailer with your family in tow.

Could you please give me a link to the PA DMV PDF you are referencing? What is the issue date?
I've searched and searched and can't find it.
Law.justia.com lists the laws. 2017 Pennsylvania consolidated statutes, Title 75 Vehicles, charter 33, section 3362 . It says what I said.
Www.outdoorsy.com lists 70mph.
Drivinglaws.aaa.com states rural interstates 65mph. I suspect that hasn't been updated for a while. Www.doityourselfrv.com states 55mph and ALL trailers require brakes. Really wrong and out of date.
Added note: PA MINIMUM speed is 15 mph under the posted speed limit except in an emergency to move the vehicle out of traffic.
Not trying to be a Richard head, just like to nail down the rules. I don't mind being corrected, always open to new knowledge.