Would you tow ?

[Bols2DawaLL]

Could you and would you tow a Coachman Freedom Express 192RBS
392 lbs. Hitch Weight
3852 lbs. UVW
5900 lbs. GVWR
2048 lbs. CCC
22' 6" Length
with this vehicle ? 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee 3.6-liter V6 - 290 hp and 260 lb-ft of torque, tow cap of 5000 pounds , 5 speed trans.
It's our current tow vehicle for our PUP and we do plan on buying a 1/2 ton in several years but we'd like to get a TT sooner if this is doable with our Jeep . There is just the two of us and we'd only be travelling around Southern Ontario a few times a year for now . Thanks for any input

[mckind]

I tow that much with a V6 Tacoma but I would be hesitant to do that with a Jeep Cherokee. I'm at the limit with the Tacoma. Wife wants a larger TT so I get a new Tundra next week...YES!

[CavemanCharlie]

How far do you plan to tow and how fast ? Stay on the back roads within 70 miles of home and stay at 55 and the answer for me is , Yes I would do it. But, I would never go cross country at high speeds in high winds or anything crazy like that.

[mgirardo]

We pulled our previously owned Rockwood Roo 233 Hybrid TT with a 2000 Nissan Xterra. It had a 3.3l V6, 170 hp and 210 ft/lbs of torque. Our HTT was pretty heavy. It was a 3 bed model that weighed about 4,800 lbs dry. It had a very low carrying capacity, so most of our gear was stowed in the Xterra. The Xterra, although low on HP & Torque has decent gearing and very stout differentials.

Although it wouldn't win any races, the Xterra with an aux Tranny Cooler towed great. I had the aux tranny cooler inline with the stock cooler to keep the tranny and engine temps as low as possible. We towed it from NJ to FL and from GA to Houston, TX. Aside from a few tall bridges, those routes are pretty flat. I did take it into the "mountains" of Eastern PA and it towed well. Had to stick with the slower moving Tractor Trailers going up grades, but the engine and tranny handled it well.

I wouldn't have tried towing it into anything taller than the mountains of Eastern PA. We couldn't run the Air Conditioner in the Xterra while towing or the engine would run on the hot side. It wouldn't over heat, but was hotter than I wanted it.

That was our experience with our Xterra. I would think with almost 100 more hp and 50 more ft/lbs of torque, the Jeep GC would tow on flat land pretty well. Like the Xterra, the Jeep probably would struggle in the mountains. It's not an ideal tow vehicle, but it will probably do okay.

-Michael

[All_I_could_aff]

Unless i missed something...
Where did manual trans and clutches come into this?
Jeep hasn't offered a manual transmission in a Grand Cherokee in about 20 years

[stevemorris]

I live in sw Ontario too and its pretty flat around here
I wouldn't venture onto the 401/402 highways but the regular provincial hwys you'll be fine
80-90 kmh, light winds, light traffic
definitely not a combination for freeways in the mountains

be careful with the clutch, its tough jockeying a travel trailer enough without worrying about the clutch, I would use 4wd low range around a campground, as long as its gravel especially backing into a site. too bad there isn't a 2wd low option for manual transmissions

[TurnThePage]

Even though this is not their top of the line towing version, the Jeep GC is a pretty capable platform, and is capable of much heavier when properly equipped (bigger engine). There is no reason not to at least give it a shot and see how it works out. A good weight distributing, anti-sway hitch will likely tame most issues. There are plenty of no cost or low cost measures to improve the towing experience too.

Sure are a lot of scaredy pants around here. 🙂

[Passin_Thru]

Nope! Maybe, but just up the dirt rd a couple miles from my house in Low 4wd.

[jrchips62]

I wouldn't if there is any doubt at all.

[TrailerTravele1]

We towed a Lance 1685 21' trailer (3700# dry; approx 5000 loaded) with our 2006 6 cyl Toyota 4 Runner for 10,000 miles. We already had the truck, husband said I could have a trailer but not a new truck. 😞 We were lucky not to have any problems (but we re-routed to avoid Wolf Creek Pass, CO in a May blizzard). Before you decide to make a similar decision, be sure to read:

Dark Side of Towing With a Toyota 4 Runner

We've since upgraded to a Toyota Tundra. The difference is feeling every little movement of the trailer with the 4 Runner versus not even knowing the trailer is back there with the Tundra.

[Bols2DawaLL]

Yep , my manual states 5,000 lb. tow cap. It's all good though , thanks for your help everyone

[SoundGuy]

sch911 wrote:
We're both a little off:

The 3.6L can tow:

LAREDO
Class III — Heavy Duty
Trailer Tow Group
(Available)
Max Towing: 6,200 Pounds, 4x2/4x4
Max Payload: 1,180 Pounds, 4x2
Max Payload: 1,320 Pounds, 4x4

Someone's off :R ... not only has the OP not indicated which model of GC he has but that Jeep towing spec sheet I linked to earlier lists 5000 lbs, not 6200 lbs, as the maximum tow rating for the OP's 2012 V6 GC, regardless of trim.

[aftermath]

I pulled a 21ft hybrid that was just about 4000 lbs on the road with a short wheel based 4Runner. I had an Equalizer hitch and it really helped with the stability. I had very little payload left over when the family got in so we packed lightly. Drove in some large winds and never experienced any dangerous sway. Wheelbase is an issue but not nearly as big as power and payload.

The set up was fine but I did have a bit larger engine. I would think that you could do this but the smaller engine would be a challenge in headwinds and hills. Since you should get a WD hitch even after you get your pickup truck, why not get the hitch now and use in on your Jeep? If you do feel uncomfortable then get the truck. If you feel OK then you can wait a bit like you had planned.

Is it perfect? NO Is it the best way to go? NO But, can you do it? I say yes but just remember your limitations.

[rexlion]

I would do it, with an Equal-I-zer or other good WD hitch with built in sway control. You would be within your limits. I used to tow a 23.5' 4000 lb Rockwood with a 2000 Mercury Mountaineer (Explorer twin); with an Equal-I-zer it felt very stable despite the 111" wheelbase. I ran that combo for at least 7000 miles.

[Bobbo]

We were considering buying a new Jeep Grand Cherokee to tow a new trailer. The trailer we settled on has almost exactly the same specs as yours. After looking at the numbers, we went with an F-150 instead. We didn't want to push the vehicle's limits.