Tow Dingy

[Denver9]

I am considering purchasing a 4 wheel drive vehicle that I can safely flat tow behind my motorhome. I just want good reliable transportation that can be flat towed. A few people have recommended the Jeep Cherokee and I do like the no nonsense road appeal of that vehicle. However, others shudder at the thought.
I will probably buy an older vehicle with reasonably low mileage as I don't want to invest a lot of money in a vehicle that will see limited usage. I say limited because time has taught me that most of my traveling adventures are in my head not on the road.
I would be interested in hearing some of your thoughts and experiences on the topic.
-Denver

[Denver9]

Thank you all for the many good replies.
I have decided on the Jeep Cherokee. I think it will meet my needs for the least amount of expenditure.
-Denver

[ron_dittmer]

We tow a 4100 pound 2006 Jeep Liberty 4x4 automatic with a mechanical/manual transfer case shifter. It is a friendly tow vehicle. I myself wired up the lights, installed the tow bar bracket, and also the Unified tow brake. All works well even though I did everything myself 🙂


There are some things to learn about towing. One is that you can never back up with the tow vehicle attached. It simply does not work. The tow vehicle steering has it's own mind when backing up. And don't think your spouse can get in and help it along. That doesn't work either.

Another thing about towing, the tow bar must be level or it will "Buck" when being towed. The greater the angle, the worse the bucking. I speak from first-hand experience.

THIS IS GOOD
Note the off-set receiver adapter attached to the motor home.


THIS IS BAD
We got a lot of "Bucking" action with this setup.
Fortunately it was learned on a short trip.

[SRockwood]

I have a 97 Cherokee that we use as a weekend exploring rig and toad.

Paid $600 for it with a dead water pump, threw a new one in, replaced some broken interior parts, lifted it, new tires and all new cooling and suspension parts (tie rods, everything). In it for about $2k total.

Like you, it's a limited usage vehicle that we use as a convenience/entertainment device rather than depend on it. For that, it's perfect.

Cherokee, IMO, unless you're into some serious serious wheeling is a better pick than a similar year Wrangler, especially if you want an automatic:

1. MUCH cheaper. I have less in my whole rig than you could ever reasonably get a Wrangler for.
2. AW4 transmission > 42RE by a mile.
3. More room.

I wouldn't be too afraid of miles. The 4.0L I6 is a little archaic and lethargic, but it's dead-nuts reliable. The AW4 is a Toyota-sourced transmission that seems fairly un-killable as well. I've got 193k miles on mine, and wouldn't hesitate to take it anywhere.

[creeper]

We are planning on towing a Subaru Crosstrek 4 wheels down. Right now we tow a VW Passat on a dolly. Which is nice to sightsee at 45mpg. But we miss the off road stuff we used to do with our F350.

Looked at the Jeep, but they get poor ratings for reliability, poor MPGs and are bouncing and noisy. On the plus side they are easy to tow 4 wheels down and to equip for that. Plus there is an endless amount of accessories.

The Subaura gets about 35mpg on the highway, rides like a car and is just as capable off road (watched a gazillion comparison videos) with a much better 4 wheel drive system. Down side is the lack of off road accessories. But, it's improving.

It was tough but I did find a winch system and skid plates for the Cross Trek. There is only about 1" difference between the Jeep wrangler and the crosstrek in ground clearance, with the edge going to the Jeep and up to 2 inches on various other models and configurations of other jeeps. Not a big deal as we don't plan on rock crawling. The jeep can also handle much larger tires to increase the ground clearance if that's your thing.

[tenbear]

I've towed a Subaru for 10 years. As Bobbo said, only the manual transmission is towable.

[klutchdust]

2008 Wrangler, it's my daily driver. One of the best vehicles I have owned. Great for around town transportation. We are desert trekkers so it gets off road regularly.

[mowermech]

2006 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, preferably the Unlimited (long wheelbase) model.
I used to have one, had it set up for towing, towed it many miles and drove it many miles at freeway speeds.
No problems.
I got rid of it because I wanted a pickup and I wasn't utilizing the off-road aspects of the Jeep any more (no more trips to Moab!).
In other words, purely personal reasons, nothing to do with mechanical issues or reliability.

[Bobbo]

Subaru, but it has to be manual transmission.

[rockylarson]

I have towed my CRV about 65000 miles and the Jeep Liberty just under 10000. Both easy to set up, connect, and tow. CRV nicer on the road, Jeep a tad easier to tow. Never stuck with eather but we don't wander that far from the pavement. If your towing capacity is closer to 3500lbs than 5000lbs the CRV may work.

[ronfisherman]

Moved from Class C.