Towing a Jeep Wrangler Sport

[JohanRoa4]

We are considering buying a Jeep Wrangler Sport to tow behind our 2016 Airstream Grand Tour. According to the specs it has a curb weigh of 3,760 without a hardtop which we would add. That would probably add about 150 lbs. We plan to us a blue ox tow bar. Is anyone towing a jeep or similar weighted vehicle behind their Interstate? Besides lower gas mileage, are there any issues we should be aware of when towing a little over 4,000 lbs?

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by JohanRoa4

We are considering buying a Jeep Wrangler Sport to tow behind our 2016 Airstream Grand Tour. According to the specs it has a curb weigh of 3,760 without a hardtop which we would add. That would probably add about 150 lbs. We plan to us a blue ox tow bar. Is anyone towing a jeep or similar weighted vehicle behind their Interstate? Besides lower gas mileage, are there any issues we should be aware of when towing a little over 4,000 lbs?

There is someone here (or was, many moons ago) who was towing a Jeep Wrangler Unlimited, so even if he never loaded anything in his toad, he was still pushing the GCWR and GTWR limits for his Interstate. Your 2-door Wrangler should be a breeze to tow.

However, one thing I've noticed repeatedly with toads using Blue Ox towbars— on any make and model of motorhome— is that most do not have the towbar level when hitched up, meaning that as the toad is towed, the motorhome is constantly trying to lift the front end of the toad— or in rare cases like Jeep toads, pull down the front end of the toad. Just like a trailer where you want the tongue level, when pulling a toad it's most efficient if the towbar is level also. You may need a hitch on the Interstate with a couple inches of drop or rise to get the towbar level as it should be.

[PSchw]

Originally Posted by JohanRoa4

We are considering buying a Jeep Wrangler Sport to tow behind our 2016 Airstream Grand Tour. According to the specs it has a curb weigh of 3,760 without a hardtop which we would add. That would probably add about 150 lbs. We plan to us a blue ox tow bar. Is anyone towing a jeep or similar weighted vehicle behind their Interstate? Besides lower gas mileage, are there any issues we should be aware of when towing a little over 4,000 lbs?

I tow a 2007 Honda Element with my Interstate not extended. The Honda fully loaded as I tow is about 4000lbs. No issue I have a permanently installed accessory brake and have a hitch offset of 3" to even out the BlueOx tow bar which I agree with Pro is important.
Peter

[txntravlr]

We tow a Buick Envision AWD behind our 17 AI GT, Roadmaster tow bar. Curb weight on the car itself is just shy of 4050lbs. We have a invisibrake set up on the car which really helps!

Other than some trouble keeping it above 40mph on the hills and passes of I70 in the mountains of CO, no problems

[busb2]

We tow a Jeep Sahara with hard top. Towed from N Georgia to Breckenridge Colorado and back this year, and last year. We use the Blue Ox tow bar. We had no problems at all including towing over the mountain passes west of Denver on I-70.

[Boxster1971]

Originally Posted by JohanRoa4

... Besides lower gas mileage, are there any issues we should be aware of when towing a little over 4,000 lbs?

Should be no problem as long as you have something like the InvisiBrake like txntravlr mentioned to activate the brakes in the Jeep when it is being towed.

http://www.roadmasterinc.com/product...g/invisibrake/

[GETRIDAONE]

Originally Posted by busb2

We tow a Jeep Sahara with hard top. Towed from N Georgia to Breckenridge Colorado and back this year, and last year. We use the Blue Ox tow bar. We had no problems at all including towing over the mountain passes west of Denver on I-70.

We drove through there in May, that section of I-70 is terrible !! I seem to remember narrow lanes, rough uneven sections of patched surface and never ending construction projects.
It makes you appreciate our North Georgia mountain roads

[sdt2017]

How are you towing it? If you are flat towing, all four wheels on the ground, you cannot backup. This makes it especially difficult to pick places that have enough space to drive through, e.g., gas stations, rest areas, Cracker Barrel, etc.

I flat towed a 4,500 lb. Jeep behind a Lexus GX SUV for years. No problem towing, plenty of power to spare. The Jeep had big mud tires on it so it didn't track the same as the GX. It would try to pull left or right quite often!

I don't think you can tow a Jeep with the front wheels on a trailer and the back wheels on the ground - not sure.

[JJKinnerup]

My 2013 24.5 ft AI tows a 2014 Jeep Wrangler JKU using Blue Ox and a RV! Brake system. Jeep's GVW is under 5K. From Las Cruces, NM the combination has traveled to Baton Rouge, Phoenix, AZ & the Joplin, MO area for various off-road events. The towing and brake system has worked as advertised. There have been two occasions when a very quick stop was required, and the combination responded very well. While on the road usually at fueling stops, hitch pins are checked to ensure tightness. Maximum speed is 65 mph.

[Boxster1971]

Originally Posted by sdt2017

How are you towing it? If you are flat towing, all four wheels on the ground, you cannot backup. This makes it especially difficult to pick places that have enough space to drive through, e.g., gas stations, rest areas, Cracker Barrel, etc.....

Flat towing is no worse than using a tow dolly for front wheels of towed vehicle - you still can't back up more than a few feet. The only way to back up is to have the vehicle on a separate trailer. That adds a lot of weight, complexity and cost.

I've towed a vehicle (1969 VW Karmann Ghia) with four wheels on the ground for 1,000s of miles. If you need to back up you just have to disconnect the towed vehicle.

[ScottP]

Originally Posted by Protagonist

There is someone here (or was, many moons ago) who was towing a Jeep Wrangler Unlimited, so even if he never loaded anything in his toad, he was still pushing the GCWR and GTWR limits for his Interstate. Your 2-door Wrangler should be a breeze to tow.

However, one thing I've noticed repeatedly with toads using Blue Ox towbars— on any make and model of motorhome— is that most do not have the towbar level when hitched up, meaning that as the toad is towed, the motorhome is constantly trying to lift the front end of the toad— or in rare cases like Jeep toads, pull down the front end of the toad. Just like a trailer where you want the tongue level, when pulling a toad it's most efficient if the towbar is level also. You may need a hitch on the Interstate with a couple inches of drop or rise to get the towbar level as it should be.

Great Memory Protagonist!

We are the party of which he speaks... 2017 AI 4wd

With an ARB build, 2014 JK Unlimited...
tows beautifully.

[JohanRoa4]

Thank you to everyone for the wonderful advice! We appreciate your taking time to comment. We now have a new Jeep Wrangler Sport with the Blue Ox towing system installed and the Invisibrake, so we are ready for our next big adventure! See you on the road!

[strad]

Does anyone have experience/advice on towing a Jeep YJ (the lighest at approx 3200 lbs) behind an Airstream Landyacht gas?