2006 Jeep Wrangler TJ

[sbstryker]

There's a huge debate about what my vehicle can tow or not. I can't seem to get an accurate answer through Google and I'm getting a ton of anecdotal replies.

Does anyone here have a Jeep Wrangler TJ that they use to tow? Anyone with a Jeep newer than 2006 has a JK and that has a different towing capacity, especially the 4 door models. So anyone out there with a 1999 to 2006 Jeep TJ (not an LJ) with the 4 liter inline 6 cylinder engine (we have a standard transmission and our Jeep has a 2" lift and 31" mudding tires), what do you tow and what's your towing experience like? I'm not worried about fuel economy, our Jeep already does horribly on that when it's not even pulling anything haha.

We have a pop-up trailer that weighs about 1,350 lbs unloaded and a class 3 hitch on our Jeep. We won't be putting anything more into our trailer than bedding. We keep our gear in the Jeep (years of tent camping means we're light packers). We would never tow more than 1,500 lbs because I don't think it can handle that.

We're looking to replace our second vehicle since it's dying (first owners of a 2002 Civic that we've run into the ground) and will be getting a vehicle that can tow between 3,500 to 5,000 lbs but until we find the right secondary vehicle all we have is our Jeep TJ.

[Adam_R]

I've had my TJ for 14 years and have towed with it. The biggest issue with TJ's is that the factory brakes are adequate for stock sized tires. When you go larger than stock, they begin to suck at stopping in a hurry. I put a brake controller in mine so the trailer can do it's share of the stopping duties. The other issue is that they are low on HP from the factory. Even re-geared, mine is barely adequate. Up to 2000lbs you are probably O.K. I'd be leery of towing anything much larger for any significant distance.

Also, plenty of TJ's had ABS. I special ordered mine so it wouldn't have ABS.

Adam

[The_Texan]

Look at a late model Jeep Liberty if you want to stay with a Jeep. Very comfortable for 4 people, 5 in a pinch and can tow 3500#. Ours is trail rated with full skid plates under it and has a 2½" lift with oversize tires, which adds another ½" - 1" clearance. Won't win any races and like your Wrangler, will not pass to many gas stations(16-19MPH)depending on terrain. We love ours and we have had a Wrangler, so know how the 2 compared.

[sbstryker]

Sorry for the late reply! We had the chance to tow our pop-up with our Jeep this weekend. We had zero issues and barely even noticed that we were towing anything. We went 260 km each way to the camping area and back, so just over 500 km round trip (323 mi for my American friends). We were able to drive 100 kph without issue and didn't go faster than that. I'm sure if we had gone 110 kph or 120 kph (which is speeding) that there would have been some stability issues though.

I think a few things help.

1 - We're super light packers. Everyone always laughs at how simple campers we are. Our gear is small and weighs less than 50 pounds. Many years of car camping and using tents and us being no-frills type of people anyways has led us to being light campers. What little gear we have we loaded to the front to add to the tongue weight.

2 - We don't have an after-market hitch installed to our bumper. Our bumper has a hitch built in. This is the bumper we have: rear bumper

3 - The bumper is installed with this amazing things from a manufacturer here in Toronto (TMR Customs) that are called frame tie-ins. These tie-ins allow for reinforcement of the Jeep's rear cross member and attach directly to the frame rails giving you a rigid and exceptionally strong mounting configuration. They're an absolute must for towing with a Wrangler: frame tie-ins

4 - We had very little elevation on our trip. Southern Ontario is pretty flat.

5 - Our TJ is a manual transmission with the 4 liter inline 6 cylinder engine. The engine is a beast. I think if we went any heavier or longer though it would be a problem because of our wheelbase.

Another interesting thing we discovered is that our fuel economy didn't change at all. Which is awesome. Wrangler TJs are pigs on gas to begin with so it was nice that our fuel economy stayed the same.

THAT SAID, I wouldn't want to constantly be towing with the Jeep. I'm still on the lookout for a replacement vehicle for our Civic that will allow us to tow. We want to be able to bring friends with us too and our Wrangler only fits two people. So the hunt for another vehicle begins!

[PAThwacker]

I towed a 3400lb gvw popup with a 5.3 v8 trailblazer swb. I was 100lbs shy of exceeding the gross combined weight rating with that setup. Now I use a k2500 sub to manhandle a 5000lb hybrid. No issues whatsoever.


That's 20 years of experience towing with jeeps, v8 soccer mom SUV, suv on Roids, and plenty of diesel non rv trailer setups.

[deltabravo]

TJ - 2000lb
LJ - 3500lb

[PAThwacker]

I had many jeep tj. All were 4.0 liter sticks. None had abs brakes. I used to tow dual wave runner trailer and had the worst braking ever. Could not use my brakes to slow and relied on the manual trans to control the setup.
Tj 4.0 2000llb Max. 200lb tongue weight max.

No way in hell would i use a tj to tow a modern 8ft popup camper.

[coolbreeze01]

If all I had was my '04 TJ and a tent trailer, I'd tow it without hesitation.

[jrp]

My 2006 4.0L auto LJ (same as the TJ just longer wheelbase), Owners Manual says its GVWR is 4600 and its max trailer weight is 3500. The same owners manual has all other 4.0L TJ Wranglers listed as GVWR 4250 and MTW 2000. with the actual curb weight of the Wrangler being around 3500 lb.
Since most Wranglers don't come with factory hitches, its usually an after market hitch. Mine has a class II 3500 LB frame mounted hitch and all I ever pull with it is an ATV trailer with 1 or 2 ATV's; probably just over 1800 lbs total including the trailer. I only tow from my house to the trailhead, for longer trips I have a toy hauler RV.

[mkirsch]

2" is a pretty mild lift, but the 33" tall tires are going to suck up some of your power unless you changed the axle gearing to match.

The Jeep itself would be more than rated to tow that little trailer in stock form. With the 4.1L and Class 3 hitch, it probably is rated for 3500lbs.

The only real questions are with the suspension mods and 33" tires. Did you make mods that let the Jeep articulate over the terrain? If so it will not deal well with the trailer shoving it around.

Frankly, you are not going to destroy the universe if you give it a try. You already have the trailer, and the Jeep, right? Hitch it up and see how it looks first. If the Jeep still sits fairly level with the trailer hitched, take it for a run around the block to see how it feels.

[Tacswa3]

I had a 2005 TJ, 4.0 Liter w/ 6 speed manual. It was the "Unlimited" which had the 10'' longer wheel base. It was rated to tow 3500 pounds.

[PRodacy]

I have a 2003 Rubicon, standard transmission, 4" lift, 33" tires and occasionally tow an off-road trailer that weighs about 900 lb packed and ready to go. The gearing is 4.11, and I wouldn't want to tow anything much heavier than that. Not enough power, and the Jeep isn't heavy enough to control a heavier trailer. The 4-door Wranglers are much better, but your wheelbase is too short to handle much of a trailer.

[ADUS]

Way too much wobble in the butt to make it a pleasurable run unless you are not going too far.

[dahkota]

The differences in tow ratings you are seeing are the 4 cyl. vs. 6 cyl. and 3.21 gears vs. 3.73 gears.

A 6 cyl 3.73 geared TJ will pull up to 2000 lbs. according to specs. Also note the tongue weight max of 200 lbs. Recommendation is to either plan on long breaking distances or have supplemental braking. And don't expect to maintain speed going up a long hill. When packing, watch your GVWR - passengers, stuff, and tongue weight add up fast and typically there is less than 1K lb. to play with before the lift kit, the tires, the winch, the custom bumper...

Ex owner of a TJ and current owner of a JK.

[ramgunner]

The lift and larger tires will reduce the towing capacity from the factory ratings.

We had a 1999 TJ automatic, I6, 4WD, with a 3" lift and 33" tires. If I remember right the factory limit was a 2000 pound popup. We had one that weighed about 1400, and totally empty was manageable but not a lot of fun. I towed it empty and with me alone in the Jeep to the campsite, then made a second trip for supplies and people.

Contact Jeep customer support with the VIN and they can tell you the capacity as shipped from the factory, and de-rate from there for the lift, etc.