Need help from those who tow Grand Cherokees (WK2/2014)

[StaceyH1977]

Hi. My husband and I recently purchased a 2016 Coachmen Freelander 31BH. I have a 2014 Grand Cherokee Summit that we would like to dinghy tow. My hang up? My GC is my baby. I'm having issue with any possible cutting that may need to be done to the bumper or fascia and I haven't been able to get a clear answer on what is exactly cut. Also, I would like a set up that is the least obtrusive when the Jeep is being used as a daily driver. I would really appreciate any information and pictures anyone could help me with. Thank you!!

[et2]

et2 wrote:
As other here have already indicated, please review your weight capacities. They're found easily doing a search on the Internet and should have been considered before you ever purchased. Don't blame the sales guy, this is totally on you.

There is a Chevy Chassis and the Ford. Chevy with a towing capacity of 5000 lbs and Ford 7500. That doesn't mean you can just hook up a toad weighing as such. You still need to watch the combined weights. There is only 1800 lbs or 2000 lbs of allowable added weight to be in spec ( for the MH)

This includes your passengers, fuel, water, hitches, all items added to to MH. Just the fuel, a full tank of water and two passengers could easily put you at 1100 lbs. it won't take a lot more to put you near that weight limit.

All that being said your Summit is easily towed. Our 2015 Overland needed no trimming or cutting. Ours is the Blue Ox. Make sure you have a good brake controller and have it set as high as you can. You will be at a third of the weight of the MH with your toad.

Oops ... I see you were the salesperson??? LOL

[et2]

As other here have already indicated, please review your weight capacities. They're found easily doing a search on the Internet and should have been considered before you ever purchased. Don't blame the sales guy, this is totally on you.

There is a Chevy Chassis and the Ford. Chevy with a towing capacity of 5000 lbs and Ford 7500. That doesn't mean you can just hook up a toad weighing as such. You still need to watch the combined weights. There is only 1800 lbs or 2000 lbs of allowable added weight to be in spec ( for the MH)

This includes your passengers, fuel, water, hitches, all items added to to MH. Just the fuel, a full tank of water and two passengers could easily put you at 1100 lbs. it won't take a lot more to put you near that weight limit.

All that being said your Summit is easily towed. Our 2015 Overland needed no trimming or cutting. Ours is the Blue Ox. Make sure you have a good brake controller and have it set as high as you can. You will be at a third of the weight of the MH with your toad.

[cjcrawford]

Before you get too far down the path of towing your Grand Cherokee, please make sure that your new rig will handle the weight along with all of your cargo and has the power to get it up mountains
safely. . Your new rig isn't very large and the GC is a heavy beast. We towed my 2011 GC Overland with our much larger motorhome and encountered some situations where we weren't comfortable towing it.

[StaceyH1977]

Tripalot wrote:
Before you go ahead and make any arrangements, have you checked the owner's manual to be sure you can dingy tow your GC Sumit?
The reason I am asking is we almost got caught buying our 2016 Cherokee.
We discovered there are only a couple of 4x4 models that can be towed.
We moveed up from the North 4X4 model to the Trail Hawk 4x4.
Never trust what a salesman tells you - do your own research.

So far, we haven't made any arrangements for a baseplate, etc. for the Jeep as we have only had it for 10 days. In the past we have been happy with the Blue Ox setup and don't find it very obtrusive.

Considering I'm the salesperson that sold it to myself, I'm gonna trust myself. Lol.

This is the Grand Cherokee, not to be confused with the smaller, doesn't deserve the Jeep title, Cherokee. I have the correct drive system, no worries. Thanks for the heads up though.

[2gypsies1]

We used Blue Ox with our Jeep and it was hardly noticeable.

[Tripalot]

Before you go ahead and make any arrangements, have you checked the owner's manual to be sure you can dingy tow your GC Sumit?
The reason I am asking is we almost got caught buying our 2016 Cherokee.
We discovered there are only a couple of 4x4 models that can be towed.
We moveed up from the North 4X4 model to the Trail Hawk 4x4.
Never trust what a salesman tells you - do your own research.

So far, we haven't made any arrangements for a baseplate, etc. for the Jeep as we have only had it for 10 days. In the past we have been happy with the Blue Ox setup and don't find it very obtrusive.

[dkreuzen]

I tow a 2014 Jeep GC with a Roadmaster setup. There is no cutting of anything that can be seen. If you have the tow hooks on the front of your Jeep they get replaced by the tow bar connectors otherwise the covers for those areas get removed with no cutting. I have a friend with the same Jeep but he has the Blue Ox setup, they look almost the same.

[Community Alumni]

I think the Demco baseplates are the least obtrusive. You'll only see a couple of small tabs. We towed two different toads using the Demco baseplates and tow bar for over 10 years without any problems. Regardless of the brand you end up choosing, make sure the installation is done by someone that knows what they are doing. Good luck!

[charwan]

I would go to Blue Ox site and find the base plate that fits my vehicle and then look at the instructions of how to install. Should show you what will need to be removed , cut, or changed. Most base plates require little if no cutting. MOHO